From: ednclark@kraken.itc.gu.edu.au (Jeffrey Clark)
Subject: Re: atheism and morals and dating
Organization: ITC, Griffith University, Brisbane, Australia
Date: 16 Nov 92 11:23:31 GMT

mccall3080@iscsvax.uni.edu writes:

>        I was in a weird discussion this evening.  I have been an atheist for
>basically most of my life.  I reached that decision on my own, but along the
>way my Mother, Aunt Connie, and my two brothers and sister have come to the
>same conclusion.  We don't have a problem with other people believing in their
>religion, but it bothers others that we don't have a GOD in our life.
>        My family still celebrates traditional religous holidays, but without
>the religion.  Christmas and Easter are times to show love with the family and
>to give and have hope.  We don't need a GOD for it to have a meaning.  We don't
>see a problem with that.
>        We also are very moral people.  I don't drink, do drugs, sleep around,
>or even swear beyond saying the word "shit" occasionally.  I have high morals. 
>You tend to like people who have similar interests and lifestyles as you and
>unfortunately most of those guys are religous, or so it seems.  I don't have a
>problem with their religion.  They have made their choice and I have made mine. 
>I can respect that, but they can't handle that I don't have Christ in my life.
>        Why is that?  Why is it OK for me and not OK for them.  It is all a
>matter of personal difference.  I may be wrong about my atheism, but they could
>be just as wrong about their Christianity.  Neither of us can absolutely be
>sure until we are dead.  
>        I guess I find it upsetting.  I would like to go out with someone who
>would respect my choice.  I respect theirs.  I honestly don't see many atheists
>like myself in Northeastern Iowa.   The ones that I have met don't have any
>morals.  So basically I feel like I am one in a million and no one can respect
>my choice.  I realize that I am only 22 and I'm at a university, but will I
>ever find what I am looking for?  This is not a personal ad, but more like a
>question:  are other atheists running into the same problem?

>Melissa

You've pinned the nail on the donkey.  I am sorry to here that most of the
atheists you have met are immoral (excuse my french) assholes, you have
obviously met the wrong ones. There are thoughtless atheists who just don't
beleive due to ignorance as well as thoughful atheists who do not beleive
due to heavy cognitive scrutinasation of the questions and probable answers.
There are also both types of religious people as well.  The majority of
atheists who contribute to this news group are of the thinking type who are
unlikely to think "Well there ain't no God to tan my hide when I die so I
can do what the hell I like!".  Keep reading this group and make some
contributions (you make friends from all over the world whom you may just
get to meet one day) I think your opinion of atheists will improve.

When I was at school (I lived in an area of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
which is the equivalent of Salt Lake City in Utah, we call it the Bible
Belt) I was constantly harrassed for my unbeleif.  Meanwhile I listened to
so-called christian guys say that they just went to church to pick up the
women and also said that they could do anything they liked because God would
forgive them, after all nobody's perfect (*spit*).  Still characters like
that just strengthened my resolve to be a highly principled person for the
love of human beings rather than for some vague deity. 

Don't just put up with intolerance, it limits your life. If people can't
handle you for your harmless beleifs, don't associate with them (easy to say
isn't it).  The more you talk about what is important to you the more you
are likely to meet people who are like minded, as well as stimulate
conversation with people who aren't to broaden your horizons (after all
someone might tell you something you had not thought of before and change
your entire outlook on life, this has happened to me a couple of times).
Anyway welcome to the newsgroup, and don't hesitate to email me if you want to
have a private titter about something silly that someone said.

Jeff.

Newsgroups: alt.atheism