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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]Being an atheist is not the absence of faith — it is just a very different type of faith.   Chances are highly likely that your MIL has all kinds of opinions and views about how the world is ordered, what is right, what is wrong, what happens in the afterlife (if anything) — none of which can be proven scientifically.

These belief systems are her own “religion” even if she doesn’t recognize it as such.   The fact that she was very judgmental about your religious choices shows how she isn’t very different from “religious” people.    It never ceases to amaze me how many athesists detest so-called “fundamentalist” people and yet they can be just as intolerant, strident, rigid, narrow, and adhering to a set of “rules” about how people MUST act as any fundamentalist person.

True tolerance is being able to look at another’s religious beliefs — or lack thereof — and be able to respectfully disagree and co-exist.

In my view, I wouldn’t shy away from whatever you believe — be it real Catholicism, cultural Catholicism, or no Catholicism at all.  I became born again in my early 40s and used to fear talking to my MIL about it because she is also a very loud atheist.   But the more I respectfully stated my views and didn’t just give into her — the more she actually respected me.   Bullies sometimes respond that way.  [/quote]

No, you're wrong:  Being atheist is the lack of religious faith.[/quote]

A religion is simply a system of beliefs about how the world operates.  Every atheist I have ever met has all types of beliefs about how the world operates — about what is right, what is wrong, moral obligations, or lack thereof, justice, equality, and so on — many of which are just as strongly held as the most “religious” people I know.  (In fact, many of their atheist beliefs - especially around justice and equality in the United States — are actually drawn from historic Christianity, whether they realize it or not).    But none of these things can be scientifically proven.   When I used to describe myself as an atheist, it was not the absence of religion — just a very different type of religion.   [/quote]

YOu're wrong about religion too.  t's more than a system of beliefs about how the world operates.   It's belief in a supreme being.  Someone who is supernatural.   Atheists have no supernatural beliefs.[/quote]

No — certain types of religion have a belief in a supreme being and supernatural events.   But that’s not true across the board — certainly not true of most eastern religions.   And even then — for those religions that do believe in a supreme being or supernatural beliefs — the belief in a supreme being or supernatural occurrences is typically part of a larger worldview that goes to the very heart of how the world is organized  It is not just an abstract belief in God.

Likewise, Atheists have many ideas about how the world is organized and how it all fits together.  It’s the same thing as a “religion” in any true understanding of that term.

And then there are the many people who describe themselves as “spiritual” but not “religious” — who are really saying “yes I do believe in something else out there” — which again functions as its own religion.   Many of these people actually strongly believe in supernatural events even if they don’t believe in a supreme God like Christians do.

[/quote]

some religions may not believe in the supernatural - I don't know of any.  Having ideas of how the world is organized is not the same as a religion.  this seems like an opinion of yours - not a fact.  Same with people who are spiritual but not religious,  You seem to be stating your opinions as facts.  That's my opinion.[/quote]

Atheists’ ideas on how the world is fit together is informed by science and the scientific method. [/quote]

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