Do you feel it is important to share your views on faith or atheism?

[gingerdodger]

This is a genuine question, I am not asking to promote a faith vs atheism debate as we have plenty of those.

My question is whether people feel that it is part of their faith to share those beliefs with others? How far do you take this and how do you approach it? Similarly for those who are atheist, do you feel it is important to share your opinions and in what ways do you do this?

I know some faith groups see this as absaloutely fundamental to their faith whilst others are more relaxed. I also see that those who do not believe in God(s) also often wish to share their opinions widely. It interests me to think about what this achieves in terms of sharing opinions, understanding of each other etc.

From my point of view I strive to be open about my faith, I like to listen to other's perspectives as this makes me think (providing they are listening, I tend to bow out when it starts to feel adversarial and not inquisitorial). I don't feel compelled to actively knock on doors (metaphorically or otherwise) to share my faith but rather subscribe to the view that I hope my approach to life and openness about faith allows me to discuss my faith openly and honestly. I do believe actions speak louder than words and the best form of 'preaching' is to live Christian values of love (not saying I am good at this).

Why is this all about Christianity and converting people to Christianity?

Is there not space to share your views without trying to convert people to your way of thinking?

I am an atheist and have respect for others' beliefs. I wouldn't dream of telling anyone else that they shouldn't believe and don't want to hear opposing views either. IME many religious people (not all, obviously) cannot help trying to convert. I have the greatest respect for those who don't.

Is there not space to share your views without trying to convert people to your way of thinking?

If I share my Christian thinking, answer questions, in any way that reflects being a Christian is something I value, I could be accused of seeking to convert.

I don't actually believe I can convert. Faith is something that a person has to choose for themselves. Belief without acknowledging that you have made a choice, to believe, is just ignorance, which IMO is of little value.

So where is the middle ground between someone who values their own Faith and who answers other's questions in a way that reflects this and someone who somehow seeks to convert someone else (against their will)?

I believe this is a subjective matter of perception between the people involved.

Hmmm, I know what you mean but I can't help thinking that there is no need for someone who does believe to share their beliefs with me, someone who doesn't. capsium, you mention someone answering questions, which is clearly different to a position of criticising one belief (or lack of) because it contradicts another. For me, someone else's faith or non faith is their business and I don't want to know about it.

I've had some pretty unpleasant experiences with people being very judgmental in the name of the Christian faith and their beliefs so perhaps I'm a bit biased about this.

docket Everyone is biased to some extent, we are partly a product of our experiences. The thing is, as I said in my earlier post, my beliefs are an integral part of me, they affect how I act, think, what I say. If someone was close to me, accepted me as a friend, part of what they liked would be to do with my beliefs. I would be unrealistic for me to try and censure them completely, tbh I would probably feel hurt if they belittled me for them.

However I still appreciate people being judgmental can be very hurtful. This is not exclusive to the religious though...although they are certainly not exempt from this. I don't believe being judgmental is really behaving very charitably anyway, not really ideal Christian behaviour, since pat of being a Christian is accepting we are fallible. Fallibility, conversely, means we can get over zealous / enthusiastic in our views, and appear judgmental along with it, though...

And as I said, I would be quite happy for people to carry
On practising their faith - it it has no impact on me. But unfortunately Christianity does have an impact on me.

Hak and atheism / other beliefs have an impact on me. People have beliefs and we have to live together with all sorts of people with all sorts of beliefs, we affect each other.

Unless you want to live in complete isolation.....

Unfortunately, I don't think the scales are evenly weighted in terms of relative impact of Christianity (in particular) on atheists and the other way around in this country. I would favour a secular state, which I think would go some way to redress this balance. This state of affairs probably makes me more hostile to religion than I need to be.

docket but with all due respect you are biased .

There are many things, that I consider superstitious, some secularly so, that people try to inflict on me and my family. There are several decisions I have made just to humour them - although I know these things are not important.

This thread shows just how many beliefs are indeed cultural.

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/mumsnet_classics/2036163-I-would-be-a-bad-mum-if-I-still-lived-in-Germany-Or-differences-in-traditions-and-guidelines

I think sometimes it's difficult for people of faith to appreciate just how much their faith affects others. A case in point is a bit of research done at UCL. Using census data the religious beliefs of populations are mapped. I had a look at the Area I live in. It's pretty blue i.e. faithless. However, when we tried to get DD into a primary school we were met with the conundrum that, as non church attenders, we were denied access to 5 out of the 6 closest primaries. Now I'm all for people being given choice, but the daft thing is the choice is very one sided. We had great difficulty getting DD into a school as the only non-religious school was massively oversubscribed by all the others in our situation while the church schools had places to spare. The same thing happened when we looked for secondary schools. The only non religious school in an area overwhelmingly athiest was massively oversubscribed leaving parents with the option of either sending their children miles away or having to put up with religious indoctrination.

I do appreciate the schools dilemma. However I think many cultural / superstitious beliefs are so insidious, they are often almost unconscious to people, they can be ignorant that they are cultural. In a way this is worse because the 'fight' is counter-cultural, whereas opposing something which many see as unfair, is seen as culturally 'just'. Religion is at least done in it's own name. Whereas ignorance (superstition) has no name....there is no particular perpetrator to focus upon.

"Hak and atheism / other beliefs have an impact on me."

In what ways- in particular in what practical ways?

Hak There are so many, which was why I quoted the thread I did above.

What, the thread about cultural beliefs? How is that about atheists impacting on your daily life? I'm afraid I don't understand............

Hak The thread deals with many cultural beliefs, which are non religious - without God. Atheism is without God. My point is there are many beliefs which can affect our lives which have nothing at all to do with God. The Bible counters the importance of these types of beliefs, they are relegated to being described as the 'traditions of men'.

I agree with Hak. You haven't provided any concrete examples of how atheism affects you and yet the very practical example i gave you has been brushed off as unimportant.

I can give you other examples how religion negatively impacts my life, especially as I am a female of childbearing age. However, I fail to see how superstition restricts my access to healthcare in quite the same way religion does.

Capsicum. Here are 3 ways in which Christianity impacts on my life- some moe important than others.

1. There are schools at which my child could not get a place, even if we lived next door, because we are not Christians. Also, it is impossible to fully participate in the life of any state school in this country without being at least nominally Christian. 2.) The automatic unelected presence of bishops in the House of Lords means, that, for example, there is an automatic Christian influence on all health policy- which means that it likely that laws on assisted dying, abortion and stem cell research will be more restrictive than I,and the medical establishment at large would want.
2. The time I am allowed to spend shopping on a Sunday is restricted because, largely, of the wishes of Christians.

Please could you tell me three ways in which atheism directly impacts on your life.

Hak

1. My DC's additional needs at 4years were considered severe enough, by professionals, to enough to require support for his entire time spent at school, or at least very long term. Something I never believed in agreeing with due to my Christian Faith, as it gives me hope. They haven't been. He has progressed, is above average in some areas and his Statement has been ceased.

2. I have been berated for using reins in the belief a child should be able to walk safely by your side without them. My DC was a bolter.

3. My DF was given Statins to prevent him getting high cholesterol, by a practise nurse, even though he has had other conditions which mean they posed more risk, on the strength of a blood test which did not separate out LDL and HDL cholesterol.

None of these beliefs are religious. So they are atheist in the sense they are without God. They are beliefs and were not backed up by sound scientific proof, they were not based on facts, or any sound risk assessment.

Ah. You're not actually prepared to engage with the subject at all, are you? What a shame.

Hak I don't understand, I answered your question.

faith is something that a person has to chose for themselves

If that were entirely so how come religious belief is staggeringly staggeringly determined by culture and/or family.

Caps if it's not too personal how far do you feel your Christian belief has secured your child's progress?

yes bit I don't seek to belittle anyone

How about you dismantle it then? Show me the flaws in it's logic and process. You could just point out where it contradicts itself or doesn't make sense. Wouldn't that be the right thing to do?

there are so many people professing to be Christians who have no clue

And they would say the same about you and they would have just as much evidence for their beliefs as you do yours. What you've done there is commit the No True Scotsman Fallacy. You're merely rejecting that those believers are real based on your own personal definition.