Godless Girl
and her adventures in Atheism
How to Avoid Uncomfortable Conversations about Religion
Mar 11th
Ah the internet. Such a font of fantastic, novel, and often useless knowledge. One of my favorite sites to read for fun is WikiHow.com. The user-created content there is often worth reading if you need some simple advice on how to handle different situations.
Some of these wiki entries apply directly to secular folks like you and me. Do you have a friend who wants to ask you how your spiritual walk with god is going? Is your brother confronting you at an awkward time about your lack of church attendance? Do you just want to avoid debates on religion all together? Check out this bit of wisdom about how to handle acquaintances, family, or friends when they want to talk about spiritual matters:
How to Avoid Uncomfortable Conversations About Religion
Photo by hovering dog (flickr.com)
from wikiHow
There is a time and place for everything under the sun, including discussions about religion. Whether you are religious or not, if someone is trying to draw you into a conversation, or perhaps an argument, regarding religion or morality but the timing and situation is awkward and uncomfortable, this article will help you find a way to avoid a heated debate as politely as possible.
Steps
- Resist the urge to argue. It’s difficult to overlook a statement that seems completely ignorant and ungrounded, and you’ll likely have the urge to correct the person. Instead, smile and say “Interesting…”
- Meet it head on with honesty. Be true to yourself and your own feelings. Say “I’m not comfortable talking about that and I’m just not willing to have this conversation…”
- Redirect the conversation.
- Ask about their children, significant other, health, or job.
- Make an absurd joke to deflect the seriousness of the situation. For example, try: “Religion? No, I haven’t seen that movie.” Or: “Religion?! What . . . do you get that at, like, Wal-Mart or Starbucks or something?” Or: “No thanks. I haven’t been able to talk about religion since the last time the Cubs won the World Series.”
- Dead pan, “I am sorry. I have a firm rule to not discuss politics or religion with anyone I’ve not seen naked.” That usually ends the discussion rather abruptly, and on a light-hearted note.
- For people who are insistent on discussing religion, however, they’re likely to return to that topic quickly, so keep the conversation flowing at the level of small talk until you can do something else.
The Persecution of Atheists
Mar 10th
Photo by mind on fire (flickr.com)
I was recently asked a question on my formspring account that I thought deserved a longer reply:
Do you know any atheist who has not been persecuted for his/her (lack of) beliefs?
Ah, persecution. I think this word is used far too often by privileged people. For example, overly sensitive Christians claim persecution by those who don’t agree with them and who promote secularism and equal treatment. Of course this isn’t persecution at all, but who doesn’t like playing the victim when they’re so used to getting their way? I know a childish tantrum when I see one.
Anyway, there is real persecution in the world, and no matter who is being targeted, I think we should all fight for their rights and freedoms. People are imprisoned for their political and religious beliefs in many countries across the world. Many are tortured or killed simply because they will not follow the majority. To these people of all religions and non-religions, I say I’m so, so sorry. That is what persecution truly looks like. We belittle their lives when we claim to go through the same struggles.
So how about atheists being persecuted?
30+ Writing Prompts for the Honesty Project
Mar 9th
Jennifer of BlagHag.com suggested that a few writing prompts might get the ball rolling for people participating in The Honesty Project. Since I love asking questions, I wanted to give it a go! Feel free to use any (or none) of these ideas to get started on your blog, journal, video, or any other format you find most fun.
Original photo by Lady Vic on flickr
30+ Ideas and Writing Prompts
- Many people say the most influential persons in their lives are their parents. That’s just too predictable. What unexpected individual has had a significant affect on how your life is headed today?
- What have you missed out on because of fear? What different sorts of activities or experiences have you chosen not to do? Does fear play a part in your decision-making?
- Do you consider yourself to be sexually confident? Do you think you have a healthy outlook and perspective on what sex is for and what it means on a deeper level? What is that?
- What’s the story of your website? How would you feel if it was deleted tomorrow?
- What was the biggest lie you ever told? Did anyone find out? Did you benefit from it?
- Have you ever acted in a way that went against your values/morals/ethics? In other words, have you been a hypocrite?
- When was the last time you inspired someone? Feel free to toot your horn
- When was the last time you were truly enraged? What caused that reaction, and was it deserved?
- Do you have any addictions or obsessions? Maybe you’re a fangirl or an obsessive shopper?
- What’s the hardest thing you’ve had to overcome?
- Picture the worst sexual experience you ever had… now either tell us about it or tell us if it was bad because of inexperience, awkwardness, or a dislike for that individual.
- If you’ve converted from one religion to another (or left religion all together), was there a “honeymoon” phase after making that decision? How did you feel for the next few months? Has that feeling changed?
- What traits would someone have who was the opposite of you?
Blogger Challenge: The Honesty Project
Mar 8th
I want to get to know you better and am eager to try an experiment. Are you up for an excercise in honesty that demands you to say one truthful thing about yourself every single day for one week?
This is my challenge!
Original photo by Lady Vic (flickr.com)
Are you a blogger or journaler? Do you have a youtube channel? Do you have twitter or facebook? It doesn’t matter if you’re an atheist, republican, Canadian, teenager, stay-at-home mom, food blogger, cartoonist, scientist, or anything at all. There are no restrictions on who can participate.
Here’s What to Do
- Write, blog, plurk, tweet, or record one honest moment or thought each day for one week starting whenever you want.
- Be honest and take your time. Say something you may not have said to your audience before. It has to be about you, and it will hopefully be a bit more revealing of who you are than a statement like “I hate Chinese food.” Work with me here! If you’ve had writer’s block like I have, this could help you jump out of it. Use it as a springboard to talk about anything you like!
- When you start the challenge, leave your link below so we can all read it/watch it/fap to it.
- I’d appreciate it if you’d spread the word around so others could take part. You can link to this post and use the image above if you like! Tweet it, share it on facebook, or just keep it simple—your choice!
- There is no closing date, so come back and do it agin anytime!
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