Clete

In response to the OP…

Growing up a nonreligious family in one of the least religious parts of the US (the northeast), I didn't really ever feel like an outsider for not believing. In fact, most people I knew were pretty ambivalent about religion. It really wasn't discussed much one way or the other and didn't seem to be a big part of most people's lives. In my high school it was the very religious who were more likely to be the outsiders.

Now, however, I live in the Midwest and it's a whole different ball-game. Most people I know are Christians for whom church is a substantial part of their life. So yeah, where I live now I sometimes feel like an outsider. Hence my occassional visits to these forums.

Jamie_L

TruthIsTold,

It's actually interesting timing, as I had just finished starting a thread in Secular Lifestyle entitled "Being an Outcast" when I cam across your thread.

My wife might attribute the coincidence to a higher purpose.

At any rate, another interesting comment is that generally speaking, I am not an open atheist. My wife knows and a few key friends know. So, in general, people are not able to intentionally make me feel like an outcast, because they aren't even aware that I believe something different from them.

As another piece of information, it is the fear of becoming more of an outcast that keeps me from being more open about my beliefs. In most cases, it hardly matters. Again, religion is mostly a non-issue in my life. But there have been situations where I felt like I wanted to correct someone's assumption that I believe in God, but I held my tongue out of fear of their reaction - and the reactions of others they might tell.

Jamie

MollyMac

I think that that what demoninho says applies to many countries in Europe. I certainly feel very much the insider and where I come from people who describe themselves as religious are very much the outsiders. I always feel slightly shocked and quite uncomfortable if someone happens to mention that they go to church - mind you I haven't met anyone who admits to this in years.

Viti

I am just getting up to where I think you're coming from...sorry it took me two pages. Do I understand correctly in that you're asking if we feel we are fundamentally other than the theists? IME, yes.

Most people I know don't question anything, ever. They believe the media, chain emails, telemarketers, urban legends, and a whloe slew of nonsense AND believe in a super sky daddy who cares who they have sex with. I have always questioned everything and I believe most atheists also have this natural skepticism. Why? How? When? Can I make that happen/see it/touch it? That makes us different in my opinion.

My apologies if I am way off topic...I still am unsure if I grasped the question being asked.

Hedwig

Overall I don't feel like an outsider. My mother is best described as a Unitarian and my father's a lapsed Catholic with skeptical tendencies. My extended family is a variety of different Christian but Christmas is a secular holiday for them. When taking one of those pointless surveys recently two of my closest friends, when asked "do you believe in an afterlife", responded with "I guess not" and "No...I don't care". So with the people around me, the subject of religion doesn't come up very often.

However, last night when I attended a Democratic Presidential Candidates forum, they opened the forum with a Baptist minister performing a prayer with the entire audience (roughly 5,600 people) and at that time I felt very much like an outsider. Fortunately two of my friends were there...one was a pagan and one was a gay man who doesn't give a damn. So I had a couple of people I could exchange meaningful glances with.

It's times like that when you really see just how overwhelmingly theist society is.

Hopeful Monsters

briefly - before I get back to my ring side seat in the It's All God's Fault Thread.

LadyShea - you're not off topic - thanks.

MollyMac - I'm from London too. I can see what you're getting at about the religious declarers being the ones who stand out -

BUT -

- We have a virtually evangelical Prime Minister who now wants to involve religious leaders in policy making. We have a huge expansion in 'Faith Schools' on the way. We have religion on the main news radio show (Thought for The Day on the Today programme). We have The Lords Spiritual in the House of Lords - people with influence solely because of their religious belief (and the same is to happen with the revised Chamber). We have 75% of the population declaring some belief in the latest Census. The 'significance' and recognition of Religion is now being written into the new European Constitution.

So it's not so clear cut I guess.

Hedwig - thanks for your post and consider too, this frightening Example

andy_d

Sounds pretty lonely being an atheist in the US.

TruthIsTold: That may well be so, but the fact remains that, especially among the under-40 generation, actual Christians are a minority in the UK. They're definately the outsiders.

The large groups of theists are essentially confined to certain specific ethnic communities.

Hopeful Monsters

andy d

- I think you're spot on - I just wish it still didn't feel like non-theists are surrounded sometimes ! ...

... And that religion still infests schools, Government thinking and policy making, parts of the media (ie. why do we still have people giving their opinion on issues of the day JUST 'cos they're 'religious leaders') - I don't need to add more examples because you can add more yourself, I'm sure.

And what of 'Faith Schools' - here in 2003 with supposedly religion dying off with older generations we have 'Faith Schools' - it's all a scandal and it's going through because Tony Baloney is, and more importantly wants to be seen to be, a believer.

UGH. :banghead:

Barcode

The only times I've ever felt like an " outsider " is when allegedly accepting Christians have decided to try and foist their views onto society at large ... for instance, the rather troublesome plans for faith schools in the U.K and the church doing whatever they can to obstruct gay marriages ....

Couple this with my Catholic girlfriend ... and most of the time I feel like I'm banging my head against a brick wall ...

atheist_in_foxhole

I definitely feel like an outsider at times, especially when family members or co-workers start talking about religion. It's just so surreal to listen to them discuss their deity (not to mention the devil, angels, heaven, hell etc.) that sometimes I feel like I'm surrounded by lunatics. Just the other day, for example, one of my co-workers started going on and on about her "faith" and how "god" was helping her through some tough times. I didn't say anything but was kind of surprised to see virtually everyone else in the room nodding in agreement with her. And one by one they each offered examples of how "god" was working in their lives too. I felt like I was in the Twilight Zone.