Would you describe yourself as a "huge atheist"?

[Capt. Obvious]

Me neither.

More so if would say in the next breath that I support the 9-11 cross.

[Act_of_Reparation]

1. At 6 foot and weighing in around 200, I would say I am a "big atheist"

but not huge.

[Iggo]

2. I'm a big fat atheist...

...and, as with any other public government display, I wouldn't lose any sleep if they got rid of the cross.

[rrneck]

3. Most people would consider me an atheist

but mostly I'm a huge iconoclast.

And if the cross is on government property it should go.

[LostOne4Ever]

4. No im not a huge athiest

But what I am is a huge liberal.

And its as both that I'm going to say that the issue is not about us being against the stupid cross, its about the fact that its on public land and the museum REFUSES to let the AA put up a plaque next to it honoring all the non-believers who died in the attack.

A plaque that the AA has offered to PAY FOR THEMSELVES!!!

I find the fact that this is omitted time and time again infuriating. And that some of the people intentionally trying to distort the story to make it look like the AA are mean uncaring atheists, even here on DU, maddening.

I would think, that at least here in the A&A group this would not need to be explained. Apparently I was wrong.

[valerief]

5. I'm not a theist. nt

[Vashta Nerada]

6. I'm so atheist I make Richard Dawkins look like the pope.

[Curmudgeoness]

10. Now, YOU are a huge atheist.

Definitely makes a point.

[Heather MC]

7. I haven' t decided yet

I think to be a huge atheist I would have to be fully out, and I am not yet. But I was never a huge Christian either.

I have come out to a few friends and some family, and the questions I have gotten have been the
Typical, Are you mad at God?
Did a Christian hurt you?
Or, you have to believe in something greater than yourself.

I have decided explaining why is pointless to people who decide right away I am wrong no matter what my explanation maybe.

And I don't need their validation.

[OriginalGeek]

15. "...Are you mad at God?..."

that one is the most irritating one. Mostly comes from my smug as shit fundy brothers.

[Heather MC]

24. That one came from a Very Nice but Misguided friend

Unfortunately, she was one of the first people I told and I was not prepared. I felt like I had to try and explain and it just came out messy.

But she is nice.

[OriginalGeek]

25. Heheh - my brothers are nice too

but damn they smug. We were raised in a fundy home and they rebelled as much every other teenager when it came time for that stuff. But now they think I'm in a state of 33 year rebellion while they have "seen the wisdom" of what we were brainwashed...err, I mean taught...They actively avoid noticing that they are the ones who have been in jail and been married multiple times and live from couch to couch as friends tire of them staying since they can't keep a job while I've been married 27 years and own my home and have done it all with no help from above. But god is watching out for them. They do get pissed when I point out god seems to be doing a shitty job on their lives. lol

[Heather MC]

26. Same here

My mother has been married 4 times, her last husband she just left while he was at a dr.s appointment, but she is not allowed to Divorce him because even though he threatened to "Smack her in the mouth" in front of her Church leaders, he never cheated on her, so "there are no grounds for a biblical divorce"

I have been Married longer than my Mother's 4 marriages combined, and we did it without having a god at our wedding, amazing.

[Warpy]

8. I support turning it on its side

A cross has no place in a memorial where so many Jews, Muslims and those outside Christianity died. It's a hostile act by a religious majority against everybody else.

Then again, it seems no Christian ever wants to admit anybody else is here.

ETA: I'm a huge atheist only because when I turned 50 my muscles suddenly turned to fat.

[Heather MC]

9. The 9-11 Cross is a symbol of how utterly useless an All powerful god is in a "Christian Nation"

I guess god was too busy making his superbowl team picks to care about the people who suffered during 9/11

[AtheistCrusader]

16. Seriously, the towers were made of 200,000 tons of steel crosses.

Didn't save it, did it?

[Heather MC]

18. Well according to the Bible God Can't Defeat Chariots made of Iron

So I doubt he had the power to hold up a building made of 200,000 Steel Crosses

[Curmudgeoness]

11. I am an atheist, but

I don't care enough about it to be a huge atheist.

However, as to the 9-11 cross...I cannot understand why people have a problem with the Constitution and the separate of church and state. They have no business putting it up to represent the whole country and all who died on 9/11. This is where I do start to care.

[RebelOne]

12. Ditto, my thoughts exactly. n/t

[Heather MC]

19. When this piece of the building was first put up, I remember telling my husband

"Oh no, it's about to get real Stupid" first there was the controversy about making a scultpture that showed different races raising the "the cross" Major EYE roll. Even though the Guys who lifted the thing up were all the same Race.

It has gone down hill from there.

I have a rock I was given by my bosses that was a part of the Pentagon. It is special to me because of the friends and co-workers I lost on 9/11. But it is just a rock and I don't pray to the damn thing. And that "Cross" in New York is just a piece of fallen building. It's a "T" frame Building Debree, it is not a sacred symbol.

If it was a sacred symbol, it is a sign of a very Useless and Powerless God

[Curmudgeoness]

20. LOL, yes, that "cross" is just debris.

But those religious people sure can find meaning in all kinds of junk. When they see Jesus in their toasted cheese sandwich and Mary in an oil stain on the pavement, it is obvious that they have had too much communion wine.

[AlbertCat]

22. I don't care enough about it to be a huge atheist.

I "care".... but I just don't THINK about it all day long.

Just like most religionists go thru most their day without a thought of god. And, you'll notice, the ones that DO think about god all the time are just impossible.



My atheism does make me notice how intertwined lots of things.... secular things.... are with religion. Religious people don't seem to notice. I sure get tired of ancient superstitions getting so much authority where it's useless and superfluous.

[Curmudgeoness]

23. You make a good point.

I hadn't thought about it, but I also notice how much religion there is in everyday life. It seems that ever since the religious lobby has started to make more noise, I have been very sensitive to all the little ways in which our culture ties into it. These things have become cringe-worthy, although I did not always pay as much attention.

And I do know from conversations with everyone else, who are believers, they do not see it at all....even when I point it out. I hear "what is the harm to anyone if the Ten Commandments are posted in the courthouse" or "it will not hurt anything if there is a moment of silence in schools".

[DetlefK]

13. I have all the memorabilia: action-figures, posters, themed bed-linen, video-games, the cereal-brand

I even have that DVD where atheists get naughty with religious arguments.

[amuse bouche]

14. I went from a brainwashed child and young adult of Catholicism

to a Live and Let Live Atheist.

I have now grown to believe 99% of Religies are Morons and Bigots

You may call that 'huge' but I don't. When I'm actively protesting on the streets, demanding religion be abolished....that will probably be 'Huge'

And the cross at the 9/11 memorial is flat out gross. Stupid religion was a big part of the tragedy in the first place. Like I said....Morons

[AtheistCrusader]

17. When the last blue law is repealed, and the last attempt at codifying religious shit in law

is made, then I will stop being a huge atheist.


Till then, I'm MOTHERFUCKING GODZILLA

[Heddi]

21. Amen!!!

I agree with you. I'm the same way. I'll stop being a pain in the ass atheist when religion steps out of my bedroom, out of my schools, out of my government, out of my vagina

[DavidDvorkin]

32. You said it much better than I could.

[stone space]

27. Well, yeah...at the moment...but I'm really trying to lose weight. (nt)

[Arugula Latte]

28. Welcome to DU!

Have you tried praying those pounds away?!

[stone space]

36. Good idea, but I wouldn't know who to pray to.

My wife does pray for me, though.

So far, the effectiveness of her prayers has been spotty at best.

I need to talk to her about maybe praying just a little bit harder.

I can use all the help I can get.

[nil desperandum]

29. Huge atheist

I'm not a huge atheist, I'm more of a detached cynic...

I think the 9-11 cross is inappropriate because it assumes everybody who died subscribes to that ideology. Having friends who died during the Vietnam war I think it's appropriate that the Vietnam wall is a low slung black scar in the ground, not dissimilar to the wound in our national psyche over that conflict.

The towers falling are another national wound and an appropriately dark piece of stone with all the names of the victims would be a solemn reminder of what religion does to the world, it makes killers out of people. It makes people hate each other because they believe in a different magical sky man, it creates a false hope that acts of monstrosity will lead to reward in the next life. It is the biggest lie perpetrated on mankind since the first caveman promised to respect the first cavewoman the next morning...

I don't support the cross anymore than I support a separate atheist monument. In death all of those victims are the same, gone forever from this earth for no reason other than they represented a difference to some religious zealots bent on killing their version of the great satan's followers....one monument of a non-religious nature should be placed and left at that...but that's just me and my view is often very, very wrong.

[nirvana555]

30. I have a question.... I'm not an Atheist but totally support everyone to believe

What they believe. It's not my business at all. I have a question. Do Atheist not believe in a God or an afterlife? Or, do you not believe in a God but possibly an afterlife? A friend and I were discussing and my understanding of atheism is the belief is there's no God and no afterlife. She said the belief can be no God but possible an afterlife. Any input is appreciated!

[onager]

31. None of the above for me...

No gods, no afterlife.

But that's just me. Your friend is right, some atheists do believe in an afterlife. Some also believe in some sort of higher power or greater intelligence. By asking this question you might hear from some of them.

In fact, you might want to "Start A Discussion" on this topic. Instead of adding it to a thread that's already getting pretty long. Just a suggestion. If you'd rather carry on here, no problem.

We're always respectful of people who come in asking questions like this, as long as they are respectful of us (which you seem to be). Despite what you may have heard on...uh...some other forums dedicated to the topic of religion.

[nirvana555]

33. Thanks so much for your response,onager! I wanted this to be a separate thread but I wasn't

sure how. I'll look for how to "start a discussion". Thanks again!

[LeftishBrit]

34. Well, I suppose I could lose a bit of weight; but no, I wouldn't call myself 'huge'!

[JNelson6563]

35. No, I weigh about 115#

I have a diminutive appearance which I find rather helpful sometimes.

Julie

[theHandpuppet]

37. Not huge, per se...

"Rubenesque" would be the polite description.