christianity, atheism, atheist, religion, belief, god, jesus,Not that they asked me, but Fallen and Flawed has been asking other atheists to answer ten questions about themselves, so, being an atheist, I thought I'd take a crack at it.
1. How would you describe yourself: atheist, agnostic or skeptic? Explain.
Atheist. I have seen no proof of any divine being, therefore I don't believe in any. It's really quite simple.
2. When did you know you were an agnostic atheist? Did it scare you or was it a non-issue?
I'm just an atheist. I was raised Catholic, but no matter how sincere my belief in god and jesus, and it was very sincere, I was always skeptical regarding the dogma of Catholicism. When I say always, I mean back when I was 5, I was questioning hell and purgatory. I went through a spiritual questioning phase in college, but I'd say I was an atheist by about 25. It didn't bother me, it's just the way I was.
I didn't become an atheist activist until I was fired for being an atheist.
3. Ever suffer persecution as an agnostic atheist?
(What's with this "agnostic atheist" thing?) Yes, I was fired for being an atheist. I shared a cubicle with a fundy, and she was always witnessing to me. I told her to stop, she pushed even harder. When it got to the point where I was finding Chick tracts in my purse, the purse I kept hidden away in a drawer, mind you, I complained to management.
The HR rep immediately accused me of being an atheist. I froze. I must've looked like Barb did when she was accused of being a polygamist at the Mother of the Year award banquet. To this day, I don't know why I wasn't quick-witted enough to say something like, "No, I'm Catholic, and it's still offending me!", but I didn't. The HR rep told me that the company didn't need immoral godhaters like me around and had me escorted from the building.
4. What do you want to accomplish with your life?
That's a tough question for me. The hubby and I both suffer from chronic medical conditions that have limited us somewhat physically, so on a lot of days, just getting through the day is an accomplishment.
5. Who are your heroes? Why?
Hmmm. Well, there's Trent Reznor. He overcame a long standing drug addiction that nearly killed him, and now he's raising money for children in need. Or Beethoven. He lost his hearing, which would be the worst possible loss for a musician, and wrote more symphonies. Sonia Sotomayer should be a hero for anyone who's experiencing adversity. She came from nothing, and now it looks like she'll be a Supreme Court Justice.
I admire anyone who's overcome adversity and come back better than ever. They give me hope.
6. What would you like to accomplish with your blog?
I like to think I can raise awareness about issues facing nonbelievers of every stripe (I'm including pagans in this, though they are believers. Pagans get it in the face as much as atheists.), as well as gay rights issues and feminist issues.
7. What’s your favorite part about being an agnostic atheist?
Freedom. I can think what I will (and I can't control my thoughts. I've tried.) without worry about retaliation from the same guy who ordered infants killed. I can read any book I want, watch any movie, talk to anyone.
I love ideas. I love knowledge. I love science. I love that I am free to love all those things without guilt or fear.
8. Are there any Christian concepts that you respect?
Exclusively Christian? No. Concepts like "don't murder" or "love your neighbor" or "give to the poor" are all concepts that I respect, but they are not exclusive to Christianity.
9. Does it irritate you when Christians try to share their faith with you?
If they ever did try to share, no it wouldn't. But they don't try to share, they try to bludgeon me with it. That is irritating. The only example of sharing faith I can think of is the Slacktivist. He truly does share his faith, and I find it amazing.
10. Were you ever a Christian? Would you go back?
Yes, I was Catholic. Would I go back? Right now, no. But I have no idea what the future will bring. Perhaps I will find proof of god someday. Maybe the Rapture will happen. Who knows?
I can't believe you got fired for having your personal space violated! You immoral hag, you! ;)
ReplyDeleteGood answers. I guess they keep saying 'agnostic atheist' because most atheists are agnostic (ie they don't know that there is no god, they just don't believe in one)
It's a surprisingly honest set of questions, I was waiting for; "What will you say to God on Judgment Day?" or "Why do you hate God so much?" but they were pretty good!
Fred shares the faith that is in his heart, not the faith of most Fundies, I think that is why he has such a following of people from different paths. That and he's a better person than us.
ReplyDeleteWouldn't it be great if everyone could be whatever they wanted to be and not have to face idiots trying to convert them at every turn? Man, that would be awesome.
I did think those questions were fair. Basic, but fair.
ReplyDeleteI don't accept the definition that atheists have to know there is no god to be atheists, otherwise they are agnostics. By that definition, an awful lot of christians are agnostics, because I've talked to plenty of christians who don't know there is a god.
i dream of that day, leigh.
ReplyDeleteIs your dog attacking your crotch in that picture?
ReplyDeleteargh! I can't pase into the comments box. I can copy from your comments coz it pastes just fine in notebook... I'll have to type it out, sorry for any errors..
ReplyDeleteYou said:
"By that definition, an awful lot of christians are agnostics, because I've talked to plenty of christians who don't know there is a god."
That's an excellent point, I had never inverted it that way. You realise of course that they are all false converts :)
(What's with this "agnostic atheist" thing?)Well, either you are an agnostic atheist, or you are a gnostic atheist, by one way of defining the terms (which is what the interviewer is doing here, it seems). I wrote a post about the topic a while back, in case you wanna come click my google-ads.
ReplyDelete