Secular folks should worry.

[Marcus]

And it would take away permission, too. Permission to pass laws (or grant exemptions to laws) based on the presumed desires of a fictional creation. Permission to be cruel to fellow human beings based on Bible verses. Permission to eschew political action in favor of “thoughts and prayers.”

I understand that, to many people, this might sound difficult or risky. It took me years to declare myself an atheist, and I was raised Reform Jewish, I live in the Northeast, I’m White, I work at home, and my family and friends are a liberal bunch. The stakes were low for me. For some, I fully concede, the stakes are too high.

If you think you’d lose your job or put your children at risk of harassment for declaring your atheism, you get a pass. If you would be risking physical harm, don’t speak out. If you’re an atheist running for school board somewhere that book bans are on the agenda, then feel free to keep it quiet, and God bless.

But for everyone else who doesn’t believe in God and hasn’t said so? Consider that your honesty will allow others to be honest, and that your reticence encourages others to keep quiet. Consider that the longer everyone keeps quiet, the longer religion has political and cultural license to hurt people. Consider that the United States — to survive as a secular democracy — needs you now more than ever.

And the next time you find yourself tempted to pretend that you believe in God? Tell the truth instead.

Great point from the op Ed.

[Res Ipsa]

Great timing. This opinion piece in the Washington Post caught my eye yesterday. https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions ... n-atheism/ I think it makes a great case for why secular folks shouldn't worry about what has the OP worried.

It’s easy not to believe in God. It is harder TO believe in a creator God. Especially if one has limited experience and vision.

I think that the concerns I raised during this thread are valid. This article doesn’t really impact negatively anything I’ve brought up or said. It’s just more of the same in regards to the secular diatribe.

But I’m not going to go back and rehash everything. I think we all said what we needed or wanted to say.

Regards,
MG

I disagree. It was easy for me to believe in God because I was raised that way. And if my parents had belonged to a different flavor of Christianity, I might be a believer today.

What was hard was to admit to myself that I no longer believed. I had been programmed by my religious upbringing and by US culture to believe that atheists were terrible people.

I’ve been a believer. You’ve never been an atheist. You’ve never seen the look on believers faces that range from uncomfortable to shocked when I describe myself using the A word. You’ve never people tell you that you couldn’t possibly be an atheist because you seem like such a nice person.

It’s always easier to go with the crowd. And “believer” has been the crowd in this country throughout your entire life.

[Gadianton]

It’s easy not to believe in God. It is harder TO believe in a creator God. Especially if one has limited experience and vision.

Yes it's easy to believe in God. 85% + people believe in God. And it's unlikely you have more life experience and "vision" than the typical non-believing contributor on this board. You were born Mormon, you believe what mommy and daddy taught you to believe, full stop. Your intellectual growth has been stunted since the day you turned 10, and as you've gotten older and learned slightly more, although not that much given poor general comprehension ability, everything is thrown at justifying what you've believed since you were 10.

I think that the concerns I raised during this thread are valid. This article doesn’t really impact negatively anything I’ve brought up or said. It’s just more of the same in regards to the secular diatribe.

You didn't read the article, and even if you did, again, the famous MG bad reading comprehension would be on display. But you didn't read the article, admit it. Don't lie.

But I’m not going to go back and rehash everything. I think we all said what we needed or wanted to say.

Yes you will. You bumped this thread to troll the board. Right as you were getting several negative responses on the plates thread yesterday, you rushed to bump this thread hopping to keep the momentum going.

This response was a perfect example of your world-class confusion. Whether or not it's "easy" or "hard" to believe in God has nothing to do with Res's essay or the topic of this thread, or really, anything up to this point. Whether it's hard to believe in God or not, in fact, is a pointless discussion because there are so many variables. But in general, it's easy, because something most people do, like walking, is by definition easy. But something most people don't do isn't necessarily difficult. So you can't say the small percentage of people disbelieving God are necessarily doing something hard.

[MG 2.0]

It’s easy not to believe in God. It is harder TO believe in a creator God. Especially if one has limited experience and vision.

I think that the concerns I raised during this thread are valid. This article doesn’t really impact negatively anything I’ve brought up or said. It’s just more of the same in regards to the secular diatribe.

But I’m not going to go back and rehash everything. I think we all said what we needed or wanted to say.

Regards,
MG

I disagree. It was easy for me to believe in God because I was raised that way.

Not as you age. Most folks, I believe, that go through their ‘raising’ years are going to have to go through their own conversion process sooner or later.

That may look different from individual to individual.

Otherwise it is likely that they will lose their faith, be lukewarm in their faith, or end up going in a direction that might end up in a place of total non belief.

Atheism.

Regards,
MG

[MG 2.0]

It’s easy not to believe in God. It is harder TO believe in a creator God. Especially if one has limited experience and vision.

Yes it's easy to believe in God. 85% + people believe in God. And it's unlikely you have more life experience and "vision" than the typical non-believing contributor on this board. You were born Mormon, you believe what mommy and daddy taught you to believe, full stop.

Like I said on another thread…I think we’re done.

If that’s what you think, I don’t believe we can really have a conversation on this topic.

First rule. In order to lift yourself up put another down.

I would think you might know me better by now. Very narrow vision that one.

If you read my post carefully you would have read what I actually said. Not what you characterize it to be.

I get tired of that, and not just from you.

Regards,
MG

[honorentheos]

I disagree. It was easy for me to believe in God because I was raised that way.

Not as you age.

You couldn't be more wrong about something.

https://www.pewresearch.org/religion/20 ... the-world/)

You've said before your own life journey involved a period of doubt and inactivity. But you are perhaps your most convinced and committed today in your retirement years as you ever were before.

Your experience is representative of at least one theory as to why older adults tend to be more religious than young adults.

[MG 2.0]

Not as you age.

You couldn't be more wrong about something.

https://www.pewresearch.org/religion/20 ... the-world/)

You've said before your own life journey involved a period of doubt and inactivity. But you are perhaps your most convinced and committed today in your retirement years as you ever were before.

Your experience is representative of at least one theory as to why older adults tend to be more religious than young adults.

I may have miscommunicated what I was trying to say. What I’m saying is that for many folks, including those of us reaching our ‘golden years’, it becomes more of a tightrope walk to believe. Move this way or that without a balance pole and it’s a challenge not to fall off the rope of faith.

As I’ve mentioned a number of themes, balance is key. At least it is for me.

Regards,
MG

[honorentheos]

You couldn't be more wrong about something.

https://www.pewresearch.org/religion/20 ... the-world/)

You've said before your own life journey involved a period of doubt and inactivity. But you are perhaps your most convinced and committed today in your retirement years as you ever were before.

Your experience is representative of at least one theory as to why older adults tend to be more religious than young adults.

I may have miscommunicated what I was trying to say. What I’m saying is that for many folks, including those of us reaching our ‘golden years’, it becomes more of a tightrope walk to believe. Move this way or that without a balance pole and it’s a challenge not to fall off the rope of faith.

As I’ve mentioned a number of themes, balance is key. At least it is for me.

Regards,
MG

Why?

[Doctor CamNC4Me]

In December 2013, notorious drag queen who read books to kids at libraries LDS Church bishop Todd Michael Edwards was sentenced to three years in prison for molesting two teenage girls who attended his congregation in Menifee, California.

MG is, of course, a stupid Mormon hick for bringing this thread back to life.

- Doc

[MG 2.0]

I may have miscommunicated what I was trying to say. What I’m saying is that for many folks, including those of us reaching our ‘golden years’, it becomes more of a tightrope walk to believe. Move this way or that without a balance pole and it’s a challenge not to fall off the rope of faith.

As I’ve mentioned a number of themes, balance is key. At least it is for me.

Regards,
MG

Why?

I find that I can remain more open to different ideas and ways of viewing the world. I can always remain in a position of ‘compare and contrast’.

There are things in this world which remain a mystery and coming to absolute resolution and/or conclusions doesn’t seem to me to be a reasonable position to take. I may have certain biases, but then again we all do.

For example, Skinwalker Ranch. Look it up. What to make of that. So many things that cause us to question the nature of reality. I like to keep my options open,

Regards,
MG