Why I'm a closet atheist

[Toffler]

I live in western South Carolina where I practice medicine. I am employed by the local hospital and earn a nice income. There is an extremely strong Baptist presence here in western SC. It is literally everywhere. Often my patients will inquire about my faith. Sometimes they ask me to pray for them. It is important to them that I be a Christian. They believe the Lord provides the cures; I'm an intermediary. The Lord is not going to work through an atheist. I will tell my patients that I'm praying for them if they ask me too. I think it helps them cope mentally with their illness.

If I were honest about being an atheist I would have very few patients and I suspect the CEO of the hospital would fire me. As well, several physicians on the staff are fundamentalist Christians. They too would like to see me go if they knew.

Another reason I am secretive is my family. They would genuinely be very worried about my soul spending eternity in hell. I do not want them to worry about that and so I just pretend to be a Christian.

By the way, one thing that does suck is this. When a patient does well it is the "Lord's blessing." When they do poorly it is my fault. I would prefer it be the Lord's will either way. Then no one would be likely to sue.

Toffler

[Piz0wn0reD!!!!!!]

[ QUOTE ]


If I were honest about being an atheist I would have very few patients and I suspect the CEO of the hospital would fire me.

[/ QUOTE ]

this is wrongful termination if ive ever seen it.

[BluffTHIS!]

Just out of curiosity, do you take it as far as going to services on Sunday so as to be seen there?

[bernie]

No way would I ever want to live like that. I'd move.

Why would I want to be around people who would be that judgmental? I mean really, just how good are those people you surrounded yourself with? Basically, it doesn't matter that you're a great person, good at what you do or anything, your whole deal is built on a false presentation/premise. Yay. That must get a nice warm feeling inside. It'd make me sick to live like that.

In a way, it's the same type of situation that closet gays face. One way to think about it.

Good times.

b

[PairTheBoard]

The weather's nice in San Diego.

PairTheBoard

[mslif]

What bother me the most about this post is not the fact that you have to fake and pretend to be religious. We are all guilty of lying and/or pretend to like something we did not. It is hypocritical for anyone to tell you that you are a bad person because of it.
What bothered me was the double standard you mentioned in the last part of your post. If you help someone, God did it but if the person does not get better then it's your fault. People hide behind their religion for everything but when something does not go their way, they are the first to point fingers. That just blow my mind.

[Prevaricator]

Hi Toffler.

It's too bad that you have to hide your atheism from the people; it is this mentality that impedes societal progress.

I wonder how many people in the public's eye are truly atheists but who disguise themselves as christians because they would be outcast if they didn't.

The problem is that most people are not rational and stick to the beliefs they were brought up with. Since people are more comfortable if they believe you are a christian, you are probably a better doctor if you tell them you are. But I hate thinking about all this stuff going on where a lot of smart people know it is bs, but are too afraid to speak out against it. Secular shifts have been occuring in Europe, but why do they fail here?

[ QUOTE ]
When a patient does well it is the "Lord's blessing." When they do poorly it is my fault. I would prefer it be the Lord's will either way. Then no one would be likely to sue.

Toffler

[/ QUOTE ]

Thats a good line. You should sig that. /images/graemlins/grin.gif

[Quaalude]

You might find this essay useful to you: Coming Out - Atheism: The Other Closet (http://www.atheists.org/comingout/othercloset.html)

Or you could just tell them that when they do poorly, it must be because they did something wrong and God is punishing them. /images/graemlins/wink.gif

-Travas

[txag007]

"The Lord is not going to work through an atheist."

You'd be surprised.

[brassnuts]

It's possible that I'm a closet theist. Maybe Sklanksy too.

[Darryl_P]

[ QUOTE ]
What bothered me was the double standard you mentioned in the last part of your post. If you help someone, God did it but if the person does not get better then it's your fault. People hide behind their religion for everything but when something does not go their way, they are the first to point fingers. That just blow my mind.

[/ QUOTE ]

AMEN!

As a corollary I'm amazed at how many people want to become doctors, seeing as the above is something that can be predicted before choosing a profession. The same goes for policemen, firefighters, clergy and anything else that falls into the "altruistic service" category. You're constantly helping others and 90% of the time they only need the help because of their own stupidity. It's like carrying a sign saying "go ahead, be stupid, I still love you and I'll come running to your aid no matter what". In certain ways it's admirable and godly but in others it's like geez, get some self-respect man!

[TimM]

I thought doctors did it for the money and the women. /images/graemlins/tongue.gif

[mslif]

[ QUOTE ]
I thought doctors did it for the money and the women. /images/graemlins/tongue.gif

[/ QUOTE ]

That's a hell of a lot of schooling just to get laid!

[coheedandcambria]

What there should really be is closet Christians.

[spaminator101]

In all reality it is the Lord's will either way.

[Piers]

Tell the truth, if it pisses people, sod them.

Is'nt dissmisal due to religeous discrimination illeagal in America?

I think discrimation against atheists is the most socially condoned discrimination today. I wish I could quote for you all the times I've heard people on TV from anchormen to politicians to relgious leaders, you name it, where they say something about atheists that is so dismissive that if they had substituted the word "black" or "gay" instead, they would be fired immediately. But because they say it about non-believers it goes completely unnoticed. George Bush Sr. said something along the lines of "Atheists shouldn't even have any rights" a decade or so ago and nothing came of it. Unfortunately, I don't see any credible organized efforts by atheists or atheists & agnostics to fight against this type of discrimination.

Consider this fact. Do you think that out of every single politician in the Senate and House there aren't some agnostics and atheists? There must be. However, just like this poor doctor, they have to stay in the closet if they want any chance whatsover of getting elected. And so the subtle insidious discrimination continues unchecked.

[Myrtle]

[ QUOTE ]
I live in western South Carolina where I practice medicine. I am employed by the local hospital and earn a nice income. There is an extremely strong Baptist presence here in western SC. It is literally everywhere. Often my patients will inquire about my faith. Sometimes they ask me to pray for them. It is important to them that I be a Christian. They believe the Lord provides the cures; I'm an intermediary. The Lord is not going to work through an atheist. I will tell my patients that I'm praying for them if they ask me too. I think it helps them cope mentally with their illness.

If I were honest about being an atheist I would have very few patients and I suspect the CEO of the hospital would fire me. As well, several physicians on the staff are fundamentalist Christians. They too would like to see me go if they knew.

Another reason I am secretive is my family. They would genuinely be very worried about my soul spending eternity in hell. I do not want them to worry about that and so I just pretend to be a Christian.

By the way, one thing that does suck is this. When a patient does well it is the "Lord's blessing." When they do poorly it is my fault. I would prefer it be the Lord's will either way. Then no one would be likely to sue.

Toffler

[/ QUOTE ]

To not be able to acknowledge ones beliefs.....We're not even talking about expounding upon them.

......What a truly sad state of affairs in our county today.

And to think that collectively we label America as a Moral country.

Moral in today's 'newspeak' = selective discrimination.

[hurlyburly]

Isn't the irony of this that they'd go to hell right along with you for judging you and not repenting? Or is that legal?

That certainly is a tough situation.

[bholdr]

[ QUOTE ]
I live in western South Carolina where I practice medicine. I am employed by the local hospital and earn a nice income. There is an extremely strong Baptist presence here in western SC. It is literally everywhere. Often my patients will inquire about my faith. Sometimes they ask me to pray for them. It is important to them that I be a Christian. They believe the Lord provides the cures; I'm an intermediary. The Lord is not going to work through an atheist. I will tell my patients that I'm praying for them if they ask me too. I think it helps them cope mentally with their illness.


[/ QUOTE ]

gawddamn that's a tricky one.

Part of me wants to say: "As a doctor, you owe it to your patients to be honest with them. I personally expect total honesty from my doc, though i'd never ask him about personal things. when they ask you about your faith you ought to tell them what you believe, or that it's not really their business. letting them, leading them, even, to believe that you are a christian when you are not is at the least a grey area, at most dishonest, and in any case, a can of worms better left shut."

but, it's not that simple, of course. if you do so primarily because you think it would have a positive effect on your patients, by all means, tell them you're praying with/for them. Also, and i'm sure you know this, what's the harm in praying if you don't believe in god? an atheist cannot believe that prayer works, but that doesn't mean an atheist cannot pray. i am an atheist, and i pray with my freinds when they ask me to, or when i'm in a setting where joining in a prayer is appropriate

and:
[ QUOTE ]

If I were honest about being an atheist I would have very few patients and I suspect the CEO of the hospital would fire me. As well, several physicians on the staff are fundamentalist Christians. They too would like to see me go if they knew.

[/ QUOTE ]
Wow. I think maybe you're overestimating the repurcussions of atheisim (as long as it's tolerant and unobtrusive) in a very christian setting- i suspect they'd try to convery you, you'd lose some narrow minded patients, physisans, christians or not, would want you around if you're a good doc no matter what your religion is/isn't. however, those consequenses would be appropriate and expected if they were to find out that you're lying to everyone.

[ QUOTE ]

Another reason I am secretive is my family. They would genuinely be very worried about my soul spending eternity in hell. I do not want them to worry about that and so I just pretend to be a Christian.


[/ QUOTE ]
This is standard operating procedure. there are lots of things that i don't tell my family because they wouldn't understand or because it would concern them unnessecarily- i have an uncle that pretends to be straight around the older generations, not because he's ashamed to be gay in any way, but because that generation is a product of a diferent time and place and sometimes a little white lie goea a long way towards keeping the familial peace.

[ QUOTE ]

By the way, one thing that does suck is this. When a patient does well it is the "Lord's blessing." When they do poorly it is my fault.


[/ QUOTE ]

well... that's why you make the big bucks. /images/graemlins/grin.gif


when my athesim comes up with close religious freinds, religious business associates, family, etc, i usually just say something like this:

"I have religious beliefs. I am very confidant in them, but prefer not to discuss them in this (insert whatever here) setting."

i DON'T mention that by 'religious beliefs' i mean that i feel strongly that there is no god or heaven or whatever and i think that people that believe in such things are deluded and irrational.

[John Cole]

I'm not sure I got you right. Did you say you believe that people who hold religious beliefs are deluded and irrational?

I understand your need to vent. What always suprises me is when someone as educated as a Medical Doctor is religious, especially when it's religion that is as controlling as you've alluded to.
Shooby

[KeysrSoze]

I thought it was the Chrisians who were oppressed in this country, and this nation was a veritable Disneyland for the heathens and backsliders. Thats what I keep hearing, so how can your story be true? /images/graemlins/confused.gif /images/graemlins/confused.gif /images/graemlins/confused.gif

Seriously though, when you posted


[ QUOTE ]
Topic: Why I'm a closet atheist

I live in western South Carolina...

[/ QUOTE ]

Who needs to read any farther than that. It's like saying "Why I'm a closet homosexual: I am a marine..." (no further reason necessary)