[Andoror]

My Son is an avowed, dedicated hardcore Athiest. I find though he is as dogmatic about his beliefs as any fundamentalist zealot. He is very critical and intoerant towards anyone who has a faith or belief in divinity. He really seems to revel in shoving his opinion in others faces and seeing their reaction. It really gets old, I have finally told him that I am sick of him shoving his beliefs and opinions down mine and everyone elses throats and stated that there is nothing wrong with him having his convictions and beliefs but he needs to have some respect and tolerance towards others...

Budog.

Perhaps your son would care to come join this discussion? I meet so few militant Atheists. Might be fun.

How does he feel about a church that ordains Atheists? You did tell him about ULC, didn't you?

Jonathan Lobl

[antilt]

My Son is an avowed, dedicated hardcore Athiest. I find though he is as dogmatic about his beliefs as any fundamentalist zealot. He is very critical and intoerant towards anyone who has a faith or belief in divinity. He really seems to revel in shoving his opinion in others faces and seeing their reaction. It really gets old, I have finally told him that I am sick of him shoving his beliefs and opinions down mine and everyone elses throats and stated that there is nothing wrong with him having his convictions and beliefs but he needs to have some respect and tolerance towards others...

Budog.

[xkQCaS4w]

I agree. Good call. Dogmatism is dogmatism no matter which side of the fence we are on.

Intolerance is intolerable.

Peace & Love!

[reaciciomarep]

Thanks for the support you guys. I support my Son's right to believe or not as he chooses, I just would he would have the same respect for others. His Maternal Grandmother is a hardcore Southern Baptist, he just loves pushing her buttons and getting her panties all in a wad. Her belief system and mine are universes apart, but I respect her right to believe as she does, as long as she doesn't force it on me or anyone else in my family. After 25 years we have come to understand that religion and politics are two subjects that she and I don't talk about... Kind of hard not to discuss religion here, but I am glad that for the most part people are tolerant, open minded and accepting.

Budog.

[eladiopsislab]

There is a saying about ex-smokers being the worst ones to be around when one is still smoking...

As for buttons, help grandma push back. Have her wear cloves of garlic around her neck when your son is around, when he asks explain that they're there to ward off atheists. (use your imagination.) The original button-pusher is generally caught off guard when their buttons are pushed back, and there is a lesson to be learned around every corner.

[Grainiary]

When I was an Associate Pastor at a "mainline" Pentecostal church we used to have a saying, though only said in private. "There is nothing worse than a converted whore"...

Budog.

[cakaeroryrere]

My Son is an avowed, dedicated hardcore Athiest. I find though he is as dogmatic about his beliefs as any fundamentalist zealot. He is very critical and intoerant towards anyone who has a faith or belief in divinity. He really seems to revel in shoving his opinion in others faces and seeing their reaction. It really gets old, I have finally told him that I am sick of him shoving his beliefs and opinions down mine and everyone elses throats and stated that there is nothing wrong with him having his convictions and beliefs but he needs to have some respect and tolerance towards others...

Budog.

Us Norse have a proverb: If one cannot tell another how they feel it will eat like a worm at the brain & soul ~smiles~

I use to be that way, I think it is youthful rebellion more or less, whether 13 or 30 ~grins~.

I prefer to see people that "ram" stuff down my throat as a test of my resolve in my foundation ~smiles~, for if they shake my foundation perhaps I need to rethink my paradigm in this life ~smiles~, but if not then it only strengthens my resolve...

Iron sharpens iron, but yeah you gotta lighten up sometimes or you will drive yourself insane ~chuckles~.

It doesn't matter what your spiritual outlook is, you should still incorporate sound principles and virtues like Gentleness, Compassion, Integrity, etc. ~smiles~.

Doing it for conversational purposes is one thing, but to try and tear down someone's foundation is never a good thing and more often than not only results in heated debate ~sighs~

I think you did the right thing ~smiles~. He'll get over it in a day or two ~chuckles~

[pGJLweEw]

Us Norse have a proverb: If one cannot tell another how they feel it will eat like a worm at the brain & soul ~smiles~

I use to be that way, I think it is youthful rebellion more or less, whether 13 or 30 ~grins~.

So his atheism couldn't be a realization that religion is fantasy?

I prefer to see people that "ram" stuff down my throat as a test of my resolve in my foundation ~smiles~, for if they shake my foundation perhaps I need to rethink my paradigm in this life ~smiles~, but if not then it only strengthens my resolve... People of faith like to talk about nonbelievers ramming their nonbeliefs down someone's throat even if they are only asking questions. I don't know how diplomatic this person is. Diplomacy comes with experience. At the same time people of faith should be ready to admit that their beliefs are just a matter of faith and not fact. Of course, I see no virtue in faith especially if it keeps a person from learning something like how to think more clearly or how to form questions.


It doesn't matter what your spiritual outlook is, you should still incorporate sound principles and virtues like Gentleness, Compassion, Integrity, etc. ~smiles~. Integrity implies honesty, doesn't it? What is honest about saying that ID is an equivalent theory to evolution? What's honest about creating a Bible curriculum which makes up quotes the founding fathers never said?

Doing it for conversational purposes is one thing, but to try and tear down someone's foundation is never a good thing and more often than not only results in heated debate ~sighs~ I wonder what initiates these exchanges. People use church for so many other reasons than religion. And believers feel they have the right to say the most ridiculous things and go unchallenged. Things like "He's gone to a better place." They don't know that . Many believers appear to have a hard time seeing the difference between belief and fact.

I think you did the right thing ~smiles~. He'll get over it in a day or two ~chuckles~ That's pretty condescending.

[amberamuletuk]

The way I see things... nothing wrong with believers, nothing wrong with atheist, nothing wrong with science, nothing wrong with reason or logic. Just learn to be happy, free, and live in an ethical way.