So I've been a hardcore non-believer for a little more over a year now. As my aversion to superstition, dogma and religiosity continues to grow, so do my unabashed declarations of my faithless worldview. Two things I've learned through this exercise:
1. Being an educated atheist (someone who can intelligently explain their reasons for unbelief) can destroy or seriously strain relationships and friendships.
2. Self-proclaimed "moderates" who describe themselves as "not that religious" will magically transform into fundamentalist lunatics if you say or do anything remotely critical of their spiritual beliefs.
All of this has left me scratching my head.
You see, I consider myself someone who welcomes debate and ideas that challenge my beliefs. This is how I've learned new stuffs and how I'm able to correct bad habits and negative inclinations. Regrettably, this makes me part of an almost-invisible minority.
As someone who values truth and friendship, I can't just sit back quietly and listen to cronies ponder the supernatural forces (fate, karma, God) "affecting" their love lives nor can I tolerate buddies whose politics (gay marriage, abortion, adultery) are strongly influenced --if not dictated-- by their religious texts. Unfortunately, I enjoy sharing my point of view and the paths that took me there with my friends; with the hope it may benefit them in some way. But it appears that most people prefer platitudes and false promises over supported facts and philosophy.
So what's a boy supposed to do? Not sure, really. Perhaps I need to meet more atheists. I know very few at the moment and, regretfully, they are more of the ignorant variety -- unbelievers who are so because they don't like reading books without pictures. I guess the question is open-ended at the moment. Once I find some semblance of a solution, I'll report back with some semblance of an answer.
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