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!!!!!!]

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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.

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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

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

[Quaalude]

You might find this essay useful to you: Coming Out - Atheism: The Other Closet

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

-Travas

[txag007]

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

You'd be surprised.