Preach it, Sister.

[xenologer]

I just had a server at a restaurant make a point to tell me that God is real and loves me more than I could ever know. I guess sitting by myself and reading counts as a provocative conversation-starter if I have the temerity to read The God Delusion where other people can see.

Look at me, flaunting my atheism. I'm no better than those women who hold hands with their wives, or men who meet their husbands for lunch. Look at me being a freak and flaunting it front of the normals, oh no.

Oh, the pushy preachiness of not hiding. I think that theism is pretty questionable on a lot of levels, but I wouldn't pause in the performance of my job duties to lecture somebody reading theological trash like the Left Behind series. Why? Because believe it or not, simply being willing to be seen publicly as a believer or nonbeliever is not the same as inviting a theological debate.

Comments

[safenthecity.livejournal.com]

Lies. All atheists who are willing to be SEEN IN PUBLIC are LOOKING FOR TROUBLE. It's in the atheist handbook, didn't you know that? Page 27, paragraph 3.

But on that note, are you enjoying God Delusion? It made me laugh out loud on a number of occassions, and somehow even held my interest during the science chapter. (Science being waaaay not my thing.)

[virginia-fell.livejournal.com]

Well, the chapter on "no seriously, lern2biology" was a little tedious for me, mainly because I've got a decent handle on that stuff and it was pages upon pages of HEY LOOK SEE THERE'S EVIDENCE FOR EVOLUTION OKAY? I already know that.

Other than that, though, it's good. I think Sam Harris has a style I enjoy more, because it's still relentless and thorough, but he's a little gentler about it (which is a really artful approach that allows him to get some really good points in without seeming like a Concern!Troll). Dawkins doesn't offend me in the least with his tone, but it's always nice to see authors who absolutely refuse to cede the moral high ground by being RIDICULOUSLY over-the-top courteous and nice.

[mothwentbad.livejournal.com]

I think I got more out of The Selfish Gene. While it's not *about* atheism, it answers sufficiently for my purposes some questions about the nature and definition of morality in ways that exposes Christianity to Ockham's Razor. And it's just really interesting if you've never thought about the stuff in there before.

[mothwentbad.livejournal.com]

I might've gotten more out of The God Delusion as a teenager, though. Especially since I was agnostic at the time, meaning "on the fence about Christianity and actively trying to discern whether there is a God or not".

[mothwentbad.livejournal.com]

"Hey, God told me that he rigged it up so that only Born Agains go to Hell, and everyone else goes to Heaven... Yeah, he thought it might be funny... He rigged it up like that 2000 years ago, but then the joke got old, and now he feels kind of bad, but he messed up the programming so he can't revert it easily, and now it'll probably be another 2000 years before he can straighten it all out so that everyone can go to Heaven... Well, I saw you reading The Purpose-Driven Life, and... I just wanted you to know that God doesn't really love you that much, but on the other hand, He feels kinda bad about roasting you, but He doesn't have to roast you if you just tone it down a little. Like, with the worshiping. It's gotta stop. I'm telling you because I care."

[kayay.livejournal.com]

Servers tend to ask me what I'm reading when I read and dine, even if they don't see the title. I think some of them are looking for decent conversation and/or they're readers too. But religion is a touchy subject, and I'd get uncomfortable if they went into a "God loves you" talk. It was rather tactless of her imo.

Wonder what she'd have thought back when I read that cannibalism book in public.