Hi, I'm a cultural Christian

[scroyle]

Hello,

I've seen how a Roman Catholic was excoriated and lynched even before he could begin and so it's not without some fear and trembling that I admit to being a cultural Christian. I have always been a Christian and I've served the church since I was a toddler as an altar boy. The animosity that an atheist has for Christians is, I believe, reserved only for fundamentalist Christians and not cultural or extremely liberal ones.

Cheers,

scroyle

[doorknob]

hello and welcome.

I can't speak for others but I do not have animosity towards any one. I think when a christian and atheist get into a debate both are very passionate and that can be misinterpreted as animosity. I believe on a whole atheists do not have animosity towards christians.

[AllPurposeAtheist]

Number one reason I don't get out much to go visiting people,  most people I know identify as Christian. If it weren't for that I might be a social butterfly.

[doorknob]

that's why I invented the internet! So all atheists could unite and socialize while saving the world  from religion.

[Mr.Obvious]

Hi there

If we disagree on something or have questions, we can discuss or debate such things. But I won't go out and say why I think you are (most likely) mistaken without any reason or instigation. Everyone can believe what they want. It's only when beliefs are put forth in the free-market space of idea's and used to support something or question something, that they deserve to be called into question and be examined and criticized. I'm not the thought-police, I don't mind you being a Christian.

I'm new here too, but I'd like to say welcome, and nice to meet you.

[stromboli]

different colored hair on the same dog. Welcome.

[leo]

Welcome!

[La Dolce Vita]

Welcome! A "Cultural christian" would be an atheist/non-christian who (was raised in and) takes part in christian culture btw.

I don't have any animosity towards liberal believers. Doubt any real amount of atheists have. Personally I just think they are brainwashed and would like to "save" them. ;)

[SGOS]

Welcome.

Join the age of enlightenment.  We are here to help.

[stromboli]

Welcome! A "Cultural christian" would be an atheist/non-christian who (was raised in and) takes part in christian culture btw.

I don't have any animosity towards liberal believers. Doubt any real amount of atheists have. Personally I just think they are brainwashed and would like to "save" them. ;)

Hey, people got to explain shit. I never heard of a cultural christian before. thanks for enlightening me.

[Johan]

I've seen how a Roman Catholic was excoriated and lynched even before he could begin and so it's not without some fear and trembling that I admit to being a cultural Christian.

No, what you saw was a troll who was trying to be a dick. Don't be a dick and you've got nothing to worry about.

[Hydra009]

The animosity that an atheist has for Christians is, I believe, reserved only for fundamentalist Christians and not cultural or extremely liberal ones.

This sorta deserves its own thread, but that's not entirely true.

Obviously, I can only speak for myself here, but I'm not terribly fond of any variety of superstitious hookem.  Fundies (and not just the Christian fundamentalists) are some seriously sick and often dangerous people.  I don't like being on the same planet with these people, let alone the same room.  So yeah, disgust and animosity.

But the more liberal varieties are still pretty big on god-of-the-gaps reasoning and are still pretty hostile towards atheists (who, I have been told, are "intolerant" and no different than their fundie counterparts.  Oh the irony).  To their credit, they generally don't hate on gays, don't hate other people simply for being a member of another religion, and are generally supportive of science.  (They're still big on Goddidit, though).  I'd give them a medal for it but you don't get a medal for not being a hateful lunatic.  But their relatively small but numerous failings hurt their rep with me.  Since their beliefs are sort of a mixed bag, my reaction varies from mild dislike to something approximating disappointment.

The thing that really gets me is that these people are generally pretty progressive, intelligent people and it makes me die a little inside to watch these people debate the finer points of the "metaphorical truth" of this or that Bible story in indecipherable Christianese.  Fundies generally say what they mean.  I can respect that.  I can't respect garnishing a mud pie with deep-sounding jargon.  Or pretending that the Emperor isn't naked.

[Johan]

The animosity that an atheist has for Christians is, I believe, reserved only for fundamentalist Christians and not cultural or extremely liberal ones.

Speaking only for myself, my animosity toward christians is not reserved only for fundamentalist christians and to help you understand why, I will ask you a very simple question. Can you mention the fact that you are a christian to your peers and superiors where you work without it having a negative impact on your treatment, promotability and therefore future pay? Because as an atheist I cannot. My boss is for all intents very much a cultural christian not unlike yourself. But if he had even the smallest clue that I might call myself an atheist, I would not be making what I'm making now.

That is the situation that exists for lots of atheists in this country. So if you want to understand where at least some of the hate toward christians comes from, sit down and make the choice between having to keep your religious affiliation a complete secret to everyone around you or making less money and sacrificing future promotability in your career and see how you like it.

[SGOS]

What Hydra said ^

Christian fundamentalists may be more vicious and rabid, but both groups believe in something that cannot be distinguished from the imaginary.  So I don't have much respect for either group.  It's nice that liberal Christians might not be as hateful of other groups and minorities, but the fact that they aren't probably isn't something they reasoned out.  It's just who they are, and says little about their desire to be logical.  And when reason is not involved, a big red flag goes up.  For society to operate without reason is never, NEVER, a good thing.

[Mermaid]

The animosity that an atheist has for Christians is, I believe, reserved only for fundamentalist Christians and not cultural or extremely liberal ones.

Hm. Can you tell me a little more about how I feel?