I'm an atheist, ask me anything

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:How do you deal with stress and pain in your life? What brings you inner peace?

Related question--how can I comfort atheist friends/family when they're down? For me, sayings like "it's all in God's plan" are very comforting, so I find myself at a loss for words when I'd like to offer emotional support to a loved one who doesn't find religious aphorisms at all comforting.

Also thoughtful -- lots of great questions here.

I deal with stress and pain by focusing on what I enjoy in life -- family, art, travel, personal growth. Art in particular brings me inner peace. Thinking about my family brings me a lot of peace, too (being around them, not so much! They're a raucous bunch ).

I appreciate when people make any kind or consoling remark to me. I prefer to say "I'll keep you in my thoughts" myself, and would expect other atheists or non-religious people to appreciate that and not be offended if they are not comfortable with religion.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Serious inquiry:

How do you answer your children when they ask about God?

DD is too young to ask yet, but I expect I will answer by reading her some Bible stories and talking about Christianity as a cultural thing. DH is not Christian (he is from a Buddhist country) so I expect I will also be answering questions about Buddhism, too!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why is there something and not nothing?

That, my friend, is an EXCELLENT question. I suppose I would be religious if I could answer, because if I could answer that, I'd be god!

P.S. You are my kinda poster. I grew up listening to the allegory of the cave, debating objective vs. subjective truth, discussing metaphysics, and just generally enjoying the heck out of philosophy with my dad.

Sounds like a fantasic childhood.

On a related note, when did you become a pompous twit?

When did you become someone who disliked learning and enlightenment?

It WAS a fantastic childhood! We are a family of happy nerds.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why is there something and not nothing?

That, my friend, is an EXCELLENT question. I suppose I would be religious if I could answer, because if I could answer that, I'd be god!

P.S. You are my kinda poster. I grew up listening to the allegory of the cave, debating objective vs. subjective truth, discussing metaphysics, and just generally enjoying the heck out of philosophy with my dad.

Sounds like a fantasic childhood.

On a related note, when did you become a pompous twit?

When did you become someone who disliked learning and enlightenment?

It WAS a fantastic childhood! We are a family of happy nerds.

You didn't answer the question.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why is there something and not nothing?

That, my friend, is an EXCELLENT question. I suppose I would be religious if I could answer, because if I could answer that, I'd be god!

P.S. You are my kinda poster. I grew up listening to the allegory of the cave, debating objective vs. subjective truth, discussing metaphysics, and just generally enjoying the heck out of philosophy with my dad.

Sounds like a fantasic childhood.

On a related note, when did you become a pompous twit?

When did you become someone who disliked learning and enlightenment?

It WAS a fantastic childhood! We are a family of happy nerds.

You didn't answer the question.

Ok, then: I became a pompous twit at the same time you became a joyless shrew.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why do so many of you come on to DCUM to trash christianity? And why don't you guys ever trash any other religions? I'm expecting the answer will involve something about "dominant cultures" but really, my specific question is this:

Why isn't respect a two-way street for many atheists?

I don't know. I was a Christian and 90% of my friends are, so I don't trash it. Furthermore, I would never trash anyone else's beliefs.

I do believe that some "atheists" are merely reactionaries against religion. They seem to be the type who wore anarchy t-shirts in high school and dyed their hair purple in college, or have popular right-wing radio shows in late-mid-life () -- reactionaries who thrive on discord and anger and who contribute more heat than light to the public discourse. I am not that type of person. I'm moral, liberal, and believe we can all benefit from learning about other religions and the values at the heart of those religions (even if we don't believe in the religions ourselves).

Thanks for a thoughtful answer to my question!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Serious inquiry:

How do you answer your children when they ask about God?

DD is too young to ask yet, but I expect I will answer by reading her some Bible stories and talking about Christianity as a cultural thing. DH is not Christian (he is from a Buddhist country) so I expect I will also be answering questions about Buddhism, too!

Why do you consider Christianity to be a "cultural thing"?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Serious inquiry:

How do you answer your children when they ask about God?

DD is too young to ask yet, but I expect I will answer by reading her some Bible stories and talking about Christianity as a cultural thing. DH is not Christian (he is from a Buddhist country) so I expect I will also be answering questions about Buddhism, too!

Why do you consider Christianity to be a "cultural thing"?

Because it, like all religions, partially is. That's not a bad thing.