Any other athiest, feminist, pacifist, vegetarian, animal lovers out there?

[sweetkitty]

I know no other atheists, very few veggies, no open feminists, very few animal lovers and even fewer pacifists, in my close social circle we have deeply religious friends who talk about their religion and the positive aspects of it all the time, I do not contribute to these comments, in fact very few of my close friends know I am an athiest. I get openly mocked for being a veggie, sometimes turning up to gatherings where there is nothing for me to eat (I know take my own), my feminist/anti violence, animal rights views I never really express.

Am I just a weirdo or is there other like minded souls out there? I suppose since atheists do not congregate at a place of worship they do not get to know each other and have the same sense of community as the religious faithful. My DC are being brought up RC which has its own problems for me but their is a good sense of community within the church/parish/school and although I am a part of that I never really fit in so to speak.

Hmm, I actually don't think there is such a thing as a secular school in Scotland. The 'non-denominational' schools still take the children to Church; they have ties with the local CoS minister etc. It is certainly not secular though the extent may vary.

I get what you mean though; dd is at a Catholic school but we are not Catholic. She has thrived there and never felt excluded and the pastoral and community aspects are great but there is still that feeling of not quite belonging. The way I look at it, DD will have a good understanding of medieval and early modern culture.

Otherwise, I am feminist and pacifist (although I think there is an implicit tension there if you accept the tenet that women's body = women's choice in regard to abortion). Veggie, would like to be but not quite got there yet. Animals - nice to look at, should be treated well, but no pets.

But I generally don't feel like I fit the mould of how I should be. I am on my own with two DC, so failed at sustaining a relationship; I am estranged from my parents, so no extended family - I just tend to muddle along my own little path. I had not really considered it is down to where I live (although for other reasons I would like to live elsewhere); we are in a similar neck of the woods

Become a social worker. Especially in the south east. There are loads of us!

I agree with the views expressed by the dog's bollocks. You say you don't fit in. Well, neither do I. I've never found a group I fit in with in terms of sharing the predominant views expressed in the group. I found atheist groups full of people who mock religious people for being thick and gullible (yawn), now I've got religion I'm a bit of an oddity as a veggie, in animal rights groups I found it was assumed I held a whole load of beliefs I didn't. I think 'fitting in' often means absorbing the dominant views of the group you are in. I am no good at that as I like to form my own views. It is good not to 'fit in' if it means you reach your own conclusions on things.

I'm all of the above...well, I'm actually Buddhist but would still consider myself atheist. I grew up near Glasgow with a Protestant dad and an Irish Catholic mother. Wished a plague on both their houses from a very young age. Turned veggie as soon as I left home at 17 (I'm now 47 and veer between veggie and vegan). Never been apologetic for any of these core beliefs...and I'm sure your friends would love you for who you are. And if they don't, cross them off your friends list

I think I tick all those boxes- even have my children in a catholic school as it was important to dh to have them go to the same village school he went to. I struggle with this often and think I am probably the only vegetarian in the village

Me!! I know very few religious people my age, and loads of veggie, pacifist feminist animal lovers. I'm from London originally and still live in the South East, there's loads of us down here!

This thread is timely however as I was just idly chatting with DP about the possibility of moving to Scotland one day (he's Scottish).

Sweetkitty would you consider moving?

Whereabouts in Scotland would an atheist/veggie/feminist/pacifist/animal lover feel most at home I wonder?