Tuesday, February 15, 2011

Atheism Challenge: Day 3

First, I want to say I am just so happy to have received the response I have gotten from my first day Atheism Challenge post.  I really had been timid to write about this topic because it is such a hot button with people in our community, as is politics, and I tend to stay away from it.  But it is a relief to get a positive response and I am very glad that I have shared how I feel and found others who have the same beliefs as I do especially when "atheist" has become such a taboo thing to be.  With that said here is today's question.

Disclaimer: These are my beliefs and feelings.  I don't ask that you subscribe to what I say but I do ask that you respect me and keep nasty comments to yourself.

Day 3: Are you a more outspoken or more apathetic atheist? Why?

I wasn't really sure what "apathetic atheist" meant so I googled it.  I came across some "extreme" websites calling for revolution that made being an "apathetic atheist" sound like cowards and then I came across others that weren't so... "extreme." I am going to use *gasp* wikipedia to answer this question.
Apathetic atheism is "a disinclination to care all that much about one's own religion and even a stronger disinclination to care about other people's." (Johnathan Rauch)
I am interpreting this to say that an apathetic atheist not only rejects religion and the existence of Gods but also doesn't feel the need to change other people's minds about religion whereas a more outspoken atheist would try to convert others to believe what they believe.  Using this definition, I would have to say that I am an apathetic atheist.  I don't have the need to force others to see the world as I see it.  I know what I feel and believe and if you don't agree with me then so be it.  My mind isn't going to change no matter what you say and I highly doubt that it wouldn't matter what I said to you because yours wouldn't change either.  Plus, I don't like to engage other people in [philosophical] debates for fear that I will sound uneducated and that is probably my biggest reason for keeping my beliefs to myself.

1 comment:

Ashley@LearningLifeAsLucy said...

I think that maybe that's a good way to be... =]