Drawbacks of Being A Christian (A tongue in cheek sorta thread)

[ChristineES]

I have found that there are drawbacks to being a Christian:
1. When I tell people I am a Christian, a few of them assume I am a fundamentalist type.
2. A few people automatically assume I am going to point to them and call them sinners and condemn them to hell.
3. Some non-religious folks look apprehensively at me, as if I am going to start preaching to them or something (God did not call me to preach, at any rate so I don't ever do it).
4. People actually have asked me "Is it OK if I drink/smoke/etc. around you?" I always say "it's fine" or "if you smoke, go downwind of me, I am allergic to smoke" or something. (Even if it wasn't all right with me, why would they even care what I thought).

I also had drawbacks back when I was an agnostic as a child:
1. I was actually afraid to tell my friends that we had no religion in my home.
2. When I was in high school, I was VERY afraid to tell my classmates I had no religion in my home (we'd moved from California to a very conservative place, where most people were Christians- and the fundamentalist type as well).
3. I didn't know a thing about the Bible as a child or teenager- I had to wing it.

The debate is: What kind of drawbacks do you guys have as an atheist/theist/agnostic/non-theist/pantheist/etc.

 

[Secret Chief]

I've been identified as a Buddhist and so this seems to mean the Dalai Lama is my Pope, the Buddha was fat, I meditate by saying Om and I really believe in the same god as every one else, we just all use different names for him.

Will that do for starters!!!!???

 

[Kerr]

Mainly, I am scared of death and believing there is nothing beyond this life doesnt really help. And I think I might have seen some people confuse atheism with hedonism (as in believing atheists just want to engage in sinful desires), but I am tired right now and I cannot remember if I am correct or not .

 

[Secret Chief]

At least a Christian in an ostensibly Christian country lives in a culture of general understanding of Christianity (even with the arguments and winging it).

But I am grateful that I am not in a country where beliefs are repressed or oppressed.

 

[Gjallarhorn]

Well, for one, being a atheist chaote Buddhist just tends to get on people's nerves. Apparently, as a Buddhist, I am supposed to believe Buddha was a god, or pray to Dhyani Buddhas, or shave my head and light myself on fire. As an atheist, I am to believe Dawkins is a god, pray to stem cell researchers, and light nativities on fire. As a chaote, I'm to believe Crowley is a god, pray to my Holy Guardian Angel, and light sigils on fire (because Thelema is easier to understand and loathe).

 

[mycorrhiza]

As a pantheist, some people think that I believe in all sorts of New Age concepts.

As an atheist, some people think that I treat Dawkins like a prophet and Darwin's On the origin of species as a Bible. Some also think that I hate religion and lack both morality and meaning in life.

 

[Tarheeler]

Yeah, I'm not even going to go into the drawbacks of being a Christian convert to Judaism in an area that is predominately fundamental Evangelical Christian......

 

[Me Myself]

Here where I live I dont feel the drawbacks.

Most people (say, 90% and more stadistically) define themselves as catholics, but very few of them are really devout.

If I say I am a Christian, I would have the drawback of people believing I have similar beliefs that they do, when I probably have completely different ones in almost anything.If I say "I am not a catholic" people might immediately assume I am atheist, to which they could ask "But you do believe in a God don´t you?" or just leave the doubt at that and be "afraid" to ask.

Hum... I really don't feel much drawbacks. I have said I worship hindu deities too, but people just think it´s weird and leave it at that. It´s not like being weird is inconsistent with the rest of me or something

 

[RisingKnowledge]

Yeah, I'm not even going to go into the drawbacks of being a Christian convert to Judaism in an area that is predominately fundamental Evangelical Christian......

Haha bet that is fun.

 

[9-10ths_Penguin]

The debate is: What kind of drawbacks do you guys have as an atheist/theist/agnostic/non-theist/pantheist/etc.

There's one thing that occurred to me when I moved up north: when a religious person moves to a new place and knows nobody, they usually have a ready-made community for them at the local church. When an atheist moves to a new town, they don't have that.

Although... in terms of atheism advantages, I like how the slogan for a blog I used to read put it: "sleep in Sundays, save ten percent."

 

[NIX]

It's very hard to find people in real life of 'like mind' and practice.
Very hard as in, practically impossible.

 

[darkendless]

As an atheist I have to tolerate the following:-

- Christians pretending to show "genuine" concern for my post-life well-being. I don't buy it for a second.
- Religious types automatically judging me as a moral-less heathen.
- Old people thinking I lack guidance and balance in my life.
- Having religious people come to my house.
- Seeing public displays of religion everywhere.

Fairly safe to say i'm far too easily bothered by religion in public, might need to work on that.

 

[javajo]

As a Christian people think I love them because I have to, instead of because God loves us.

 

[ChristineES]

Believe it or not, Christians actually show genuine concern- not all of them, but plenty of them do. That's true even if you don't "buy it" for a second. I'm sorry I don't keep my religion hidden away in the closet so I don't offend you. - I am not going to start pretending I don't have faith when I am in public, so get used to it.
Finally, even without religion, people will think things about you that aren't true. That's just something we all have to put up with.

 

[pagan_david]

1. Misunderstanding: many people (mostly monotheists I've noticed) jump to devil-worship because I am a pagan and must be shown that is not the case (sadly, some still jump to devil-worship simply because "anything that is not my religion is the devil" and more black and white blah blah blah).
2. Hostility: some people think that my lack of belief in an organized or currently popular religion is a justifiable reason to condemn and belittle me (think of popularity in terms of millennia - 6000 years b.c.e the the current major world religions were not in existence or were in their infancy - in 6000 more years who knows?)
3. I feel I must address this: PDR

I personally have no problem with people wearing a symbol of their religion, or a t-shirt, or anything else as long as it is not openly hostile toward other walks of life. However, I have a serious problem with people who insist on their rights but then condemn someone of another belief for publicly displaying theirs. Too often this is the case, where one religion (the most numerous one usually) is so prolific that it is everywhere, but any other religious display is immediately squashed. The knife cuts both ways. If a cross can be worn than so can a pentacle (without rebuff). NOTE: please don't analyze my symbol usage... they are easily recognizable symbols that most if not all would recognize without a bunch of explanation. They in no way imply any prejudice or bias for or against any path, as I believe all paths have validity and are deserving of respect.

 

[ChristineES]

I agree- if you don't belittle others, no one should belittle you.

 

[otokage007]

Nowadays I don't have any drawback for being an atheist, but when I was younger, the christian parents of my friends always treated me like if I was a bad influence for their children. They assumed that atheists have no precaution regarding sex and drugs. lol

Yes, mainly with parents. Some of them would tell me: oh you have Xtmas? Dunno why, you don't believe in God, what exactly do u celebrate? And I was like: ..... hahaha

Now that I think of it, I've even felt a little harassed! You know, parents of 40 year old trying to argue with me about atheism when I was just 14.

On the other hand. My neightbour would always bring to my house hand made cake, turkish delight, etc. I know she didn't give those things to anyone but us. She was a christian, maybe it was her way of saying "come to the darkside". This was a sweet drawback

 

[Me Myself]

N oh you have Xtmas? Dunno why, you don't believe in God, what exactly do u celebrate?

Possible fun answers:

The comming of Sun invictus (I can actually SEE the sun, Okay? )

Presents!

My superiority over the superstitious masses (be sure to sound friendly on that one though. )

Day off work

I really really like green and red

Commercialism.

Santa Claus. Yes, he wasn´t an atheist, but he had other virtues.