AIBU to find this slightly odd behaviour from atheist friends?

[handsandknees]

I am an Evangelical Christian. People who know me well know that. I am happy to talk about it if people want to, but I don't go on about it.

Last Easter one of my friends posted a long status on facebook basically ranting against the Christian Easter message and saying that she didn't want or need Jesus to have died for her, thank you very much. Up to her what she writes of course, but the tone was very aggressive and I wondered why. I didn't comment but later she sent me a personal message asking me what I thought of her post.

Then this week another friend posted a photo on my wall which said "Proud to say I'm an atheist". I haven't responded but just wondering why would someone do this? I am not offended just find it a bit strange.

Why do you think they would do this?

[ethelb]

@wallison are you a Nihilist rather than an atheist?

[Wallison]

Woops, that should read 'if you phrase it that I 'believe that god doesn't exist ...' etc

[handsandknees]

I do send religious Christmas cards. No-one has ever told me they were offended by it.

[YouCanBe]

I have friends who post about their beliefs regularly on Facebook. Whether that's Christian, or Wiccan, or a general political leaning, or strong comment on one particular political topic... Green energy one is always talking about.
That is what they care about and they want to share it. Why not?

Writing on Facebook does kind of indicate that you want to open a discussion, perhaps? So, people I know do sometimes have chats and disagreements, but not fights!

Some Christian friends have put things on my wall before, about friendship and God.
I am not religious but I wasn't offended.

I would probably ask why your friend posted directly to your wall about pride in his atheism though. It does seem a strange comment to make out of absolutely nowhere.

[AitchTwoOhOneTwo]

"Of course part of me thinks the fact she is so defensive about her atheism says a lot"

what does it say, i'm curious to know.

[pigletmania]

That was rude and aggressive. I would have tod your friend what you thought f her post. It's fine not to believe, but don't be nasty to those that do. If more messages and pictures come on your FB I would delete and block her, life is too shrt for stupid people

[handsandknees]

Youcanbe you have summed it up very well. I found it odd that my friend put that photo on my wall. I felt like he was looking for a response.

My other friend was possibly looking for a response too. Too late now but I wonder occasionally what I could have said.

[Wallison]

Of course I'm not offended by religious Christmas cards. I am also not offended by carol services, candles, Xmas plays etc etc etc. But I object to being told that my lack of belief is a belief. Because that implies that there is an existence which I am refuting with my belief. It's actually a lot simpler than that; it's just a lack of belief.

[ethelb]

@joyful agosticism is lack of knowledge rather than lack of beleif. They are two different positions in epistemology (sory )

[handsandknees]

AitchTwo from my Christian perspective I would say she is open to discussion and possibly searching. I know most won't agree but I'm saying what I honestly think.

[FredFredGeorge]

Atheism is a belief, I know it's important for a lot of atheists to deny this as a point of doctrine, but the rejection of religious beliefs is a belief - it is not something that is known, nor of course is the non-existence of a deity incompatible with a religion. If you were truly indifferent to religion you'd respond "none" to a question about yours, not atheist.

elthelb I don't like proselytising much for the aggressive atheists, evangelical was my preferred term, but then I met too many evangelical Christians who shared the gospel in more of a CofE way (put on a coffee morning and see if you'd like some nice cake and maybe 10 years down the road mention that there might be a God). And I just think proselytising seems to reasonable a thing to do, and the aggressive atheists just aren't reasonable.

[Goldmandra]

I know it's Wikipedia but

"an agnostic is someone who neither believes nor disbelieves in the existence of a deity or deities, whereas a theist and an atheist believe and disbelieve, respectively."

Wallison are you an agnostic or an atheist?

[Wallison]

The question of whether or not we 'know' God exists is framed by the supposition that there is a God, or else why would the question need to be asked at all. If you say that not believing in God is a belief, then you are taking on board this supposition, which is the exact opposite of what atheism is all about.

[Wallison]

Yes, I'm an atheist, Goldmandra. Your quote actually sums up the difference quite well, with the word 'disbelief'. That is different to 'believing there is not a God'. Disbelief. The opposite of belief.

[CogitoErgoSometimes]

" the rejection of religious beliefs is a belief "

Cobblers. The rejection of religious belief is as sound as the rejection of the existence of any other impossiblity. It is not a belief to reject the idea of the sun setting in the East... it's something we can see and demonstrate every day of the week. Faith without proof is belief. Understanding on the basis of evidence and experience is knowledge

[FushiaFernica]

I understand you a bit more now wallison. I am impressed by those that are certain either way of the existence or non existence in god. I'm in a muddle about it all, but wished it could be discussed more openly.

[TheWave]

Goldmandra just out of interest why are your children defined in your previous post as believers in the church like your DH? How old are they?

What you defined about atheists not believing supports what *Wallison" has said about being an atheist I think.

[TheWave]

Xposted with Wallison his/herself.

[amidaiwish]

i would have just deleted the post from my wall and said no more about it.
as for the PM, that is just someone wanting an argument with you, to which i would have replied "i'm happy to meet and have a chat with you but an open discussion on fb is not something i'm really up for... i use it to keep up with friends and family, not for deep and meaningfuls!"

i'm always deleting stuff i don't want to see that comes on my wall. whether it's my niece out barely dressed with her mates, or my cousin's bad language or a stupid "share" post from a friend, just hit that delete button!! (i sound 100 i know)

[handsandknees]

I deleted the photo. I didn't comment on the friend's long ranty post, but I did reply to her message to me. Can't remember exactly what I said now but I remember asking her why she wrote what she did. I also write some generally chatty stuff and when she replied she didn't mention the post.

[FredFredGeorge]

CogitoErgoSometimes What impossibility are you talking about in your atheism? a Deity presumably - but non-belief in deities is compatible with a number of popular religions and required by others. So the belief in a deity is not a central element of a religion. So the fact you assert that a deity cannot exist doesn't mean you do not have a faith, just that a tenet - probably even the defining tenet is that there is no deity.

So you can certainly assert that your evidence and experience give you the knowledge that there is no deity - but that is all. As I say the assertion that it's not a belief is a point of doctrine for the atheist.

[Narked]

You've made an interesting point Wallison. I'd never thought of it like that before. It's not a 'belief' to be an atheist. That would be like saying 'I believe in gravity.'