Why I'm a closet atheist

[brassnuts]

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

[Darryl_P]

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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. [img]/images/graemlins/tongue.gif[/img]

[mslif]

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

[/ 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

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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.