to find many aspects of religion incomfortable?

[MyHeadIsAMinefield]

I'm not religious. I am an atheist, however am not militant about it and respect the views of others. I wish I was religious myself at times and have found myself envious of those who do believe in a god.

I do however find many things about religion quite uncomfortable, and I'm not entirely sure why. I'm currently sat opposite a man on the train who has repeatedly said Allahu Akbar to himself whilst looking me in the eye. This has made me uncomfortable.

When entering in to conversation with someone who had strong religious views recently, I explained that I was not religious, and did not believe in a god. I didn't say why, I didn't try to disprove what they believed in, I just expressed my view. This person has not spoken to me since. I'm fine with this, however if I chose not to speak to them simply because they were religious I would likely be accused of discrimination or bullying. Again, very uncomfortable.

It makes me uncomfortable when I ask friends for advice or am simply engaged in conversation and the one friend I have who is very religious tells me it is part of God's plan or to just trust in god. This makes me uncomfortable, and I don't feel comfortable discussing my views, as being an atheist is so frowned upon by so many.

I guess religion just makes me feel exceptionally uncomfortable at times and I'm not entirely sure why. I don't believe in god, but it would be nice to live in a world where the idea god doesn't make you feel... weird. Where discussion was open and it wasn't an awful thing to be an atheist.

Does any of this make any kind of sense? Or do I just sound completely nuts?

Did you say it made you feel uncomfortable?
Just checking

It seems strange that you fear religious people. We are just people like you. I don’t recognize a uk full of religious people where you feel unable to be an atheist.

I always feel sorry for people who have no belief in God. feel there must be an enormous chasm, that perhaps they feel but wouldn't be aware of. I wouldn't feel the need to chant prayers on a train though. That's just odd in any religion.I just wish people were as understanding about all religions as they are about this one though.

No, I don't feel that there is an enormous chasm in my life.

I just wish people were as understanding about all religions as they are about this one though.

It's not the bogeyman and it's going to come for you if you say 'Islam'.

Catholics say the Hail Mary when in need, I don't think anyone has a problem with that either?!

How on earth is saying 'God is great' under your breath odd?! Whatever gives people comfort is fine with me.

No, I don't feel that there is an enormous chasm in my life

That bastard evolution has given us massive thinking skills when all we need is shelter and sex.

The thinking skills of the deity believers still need to evolve.

@coolncalm That's a bit insulting. Most people would notice if they had an 'enormous chasm', whatever the hell that means.

But saying people with faith believe in 'fairies', 'imaginary friends', 'deluded' (all said upthread) is also insulting, Segmentation.

But saying people with faith believe in 'fairies', 'imaginary friends', 'deluded' (all said upthread) is also insulting, Segmentation.

Though accurate.

But you can't prove it Dont so not accurate.

Haha, and you can prove it I suppose?

Nice one 👍🏻

I don't have tonprive anything. You disbelieve it, you prove it

In would feel extremely uncomfortable with ANYONE muttering ANYTHING whilst staring at me on a train, perhaps he had mental health issues?

I recommend "Faitheism" by Krish Kandiah for a cool headed discussion of how people of religious faith and atheists can learn from each other and coexist peacefully!

feel there must be an enormous chasm, that perhaps they feel but wouldn't be aware of

Thing is that if you are religious, religion is such a massive part of your life, it informs everything. It informs you time, your social relationships, your support mechanisms your moral code etc.

Thing is that without religion you can build these anyway, that "chasm" in most cases people fill. It may not be in such a cohesive and obvious manner as the church provides or have an overarching purpose, but it will be filled.

It's just that it isnt filled by religion.

The thinking skills of the deity believers still need to evolve.
Wow just wow. One of the biggest questions about atheism is how do you develop a moral code without theism as a basis. When i look at statements like the above, i think we've still got something to learn from love thy neighbour.

Science doesnt necessarily preclude religion. Stephen Hawking was an atheist, but in using the language he used, he demonstrated how a scientist with the same facts might view everything we know to be driven by an overarching creator.
Articles here, here and from a religious perspective here (be careful you dont burn)

Science is in many ways another belief system, and in time we may prove existing wisdom is as much wrong as right.

Both religion and science evolves. Science has as much to learn from religion and is has to teach it.

Science is in many ways another belief system,

Tell me one way science is like a religion.

One of the reasons DD found physics so difficult is that it is full of intangible theories. So I kind of agree with Yokatsu about science being a kind of belief system in this respect.

I don't have tonprive anything. You disbelieve it, you prove it

It doesn’t exist, there’s nothing there to disbelieve.

Don'tDrink why are your posts so goady? No-one really knows either way. That is why it is called belief and not fact.

Stop being so bigoted, superior and sneery

What people believed was 'science' 100 years ago has evolved so much. 100 years from now accepted scientific thought may be completely debunked. Science is not some kind of immutable truth.

I'm not religious BTW, but open minded and tolerant.

Don'tDrink why are your posts so goady? No-one really knows either way. That is why it is called belief and not fact.*

Stop being so bigoted, superior and sneery hmm

That’s how you’re choosing to read it. Saying something that doesn’t exist, er, doesn’t exist, isn’t being goady. I thought you God botherers were supposed to be nice.

The thinking skills of the deity believers still need to evolve.

Your manners need to evolve too

one way science is like a religion

Thats easy. Despite thinking of itself as an absolute, It evolves and changes!

Eg the atom. After Dalton in the 1800's we knew the smallest component of the universe was the atom. Until it was the electron, then there were electrons and nuclei etc etc etc. But at each stage it teaches its disciples (another comparison) This is correct because this is what science has told us.

Not really such a big deal when you talk about an atom, bit flippant really. It is a massively harmful thing when you think what scientific belief dressed up as absolute truth did to children with brittle bone and their families, or thalidomide.

I find many aspects of current science orthodoxy troubling and deeply nieve. The attitudes to nonvaxxers for example. It feels like the catholic church on crusade - we will smash the infidel non vaxxers! I do wonder which side of history both sides will find themselves on.

So science comes with it a belief in absolute truth, an established orthodoxy which governs how its followers think and act. Scientists gather together in social groups of like-minded individuals. Those groups often reinforce the accuracy of their beliefs and the foolishness of non believers.

Replace science with religion and the above statement would be equally accurate. But no i cant think of any way science is like religion