The joy of living in a pluralistic society is the ability to practice any religion one so chooses.
What is often forgotten is that this includes not practicing any religion at all.
Making this hard to remember is when American politicians espouse their conservative views owing to "religious reasons", seeming to forget about the first amendment, and unable to understand others who don't practice their own religion.
Others, however, are more tolerant of those who do not have any divine beliefs, however religious they might be themselves.
Redditor _DSYR was curious to hear views on Atheism from people who were devoutly religious themselves, leading them to ask:
"Religious people, how do you view atheism/atheists?"
They are justified
"I completely understand why someone is Atheist."
"It’s difficult to believe in God when there is no clear evidence."- Profound_RK800.
They're just like us.
"Like normal people."- Noramgami.
"The same as everyone else, just regular people."
"They have their beliefs and I have mine, doesn’t mean we can’t happily coexist or that one opinion is more valid than the other."- Cfurber.
Religion, or lack thereof, doesn't define you as a person.
"One of my good friends is an atheist, and he's a stand up guy."
"We talk about religion from time to time, and it never gets heated or insulting."
"He is interested in learning from my perspective, even if he doesn't believe the same things."
"I've met several people like this, and I hope it's the norm for atheists."
"I've also met several religious people who act like anything but. "
"They are narcisistic, racist, ignorant, and hateful."
"It saddens me to see atheists on reddit who loudly proclaim that religion is a cancer on the world and that anybody who follows one is an idiot."
"To me, these atheists are acting exactly like the religious people they claim to hate: narcissistic, ignorant, and hateful."
"Religion, or lack of, is what you choose to clothe yourself in."
"If you're a bad person, it doesn't matter how you're dressed, you're still going to be a jerk."- JonSnow31391.
Life's too short not to enjoy it.
"I’ve always found it interesting that they don’t believe in like a higher power/deity since, I have never questioned if there was a God, even though I don’t consider myself religious."
"I also have been lucky to have met atheists who believe in making the best out of life bc of the mentality that there is nothing after we die."
"I find that to be incredibly admiring."
"I have never subscribed to the rhetoric of 'this is not our hom'e” in Christianity."
"I believe that earth and heaven are both of our homes equally one for the physical body and one for the spiritual body, so acting like living on earth is a checklist is a load of BS to me."
"I developed this perspective from conversations with my atheist friends."
"So all in all: I respect them and I believe that they act more like Christ than religious people who go to church every week."- Deep-Reindeer3384.
Don't use your beliefs to justify bad behavior.
"Anyone who wraps their belief system around themselves, and parades through the world like a walking billboard sign, is a problem."
"Anyone who uses their belief system to belittle, defraud, polarize, segregate, dehumanize, enslave, or destroy others, is a problem."
"Anyone who uses their belief system to justify child abuse is a problem."
"Anyone who uses their belief system to encourage government to limit the personal rights/freedoms of others, is a problem."
"Anyone who is more concerned about converting someone than caring for them is a problem."
"If you're atheist and do this, you're a problem....if your theist and do this, you're a problem."
"It's really not that complicated." - User Deleted
Treat others the way you want to be treated.
"I am Christian."
"In my faith, we are taught to love everyone the way we would want to be loved."
"If you tell me you do not follow a faith or have a religion and you choose not to be involved in one because of whatever reason or no reason you have, I will treat you with the same care and respect that I would treat a fellow believer."
"The only way you will ever get anything less than respect from me, is if you purposefully go out of your way to diminish my views."
"I will not shove my faith down your throat."
"Heck, I won’t even speak of it should that be a boundary of yours."
"Mutual respect."- Shi_Cran.
A mother's worries.
"My mom feels sad for me."
"Like a real deep sadness that I think this is all there is."
"How can I not think there’s a perfect afterlife coming?"
"I think she’s worried I won’t be there because I haven’t accepted it as well."
"It’s ironic because I feel sad for her because she doesn’t live her life because the next life will be perfect."- tilineedathrowaway.
There's not just one type of Atheist.
"Depends on the type."
"Type One: people like my husband who were raised in a cult."
"He got out, and now he just sees religion as a farce."
"But he does not judge me for being religious, and he understands why I am, and he is even in agreement that we should raise our son religious."
"But once you leave a cult you are hesitant to ever re-join another religion."
"Zero judgement, I get this one."
"Type Two: the people who do not believe because they are scientific minds and it just does not make sense."
"Absolutely no judgement there."
"I totally get it."
"Type Three: the ones who are smug about it and feel like they have the secret to life by not believing in a God but like, what does that do for you exactly?"
"Why are you so smug?"
"lol."
"No real respect for those people, and not because they are atheist but because they are douches."- flowergirl654.
Religion is more complicated than people like to believe.
"I believe in god's existence though don't have 'trust' in god."
"And I would not call some unknown creator a god, in youjo senki the creator was labelled as 'being-x', it's not a god nor some evil monster."
"It's 'being-x'."- Schepmas·
Let them live their lives, and I'll live mine.
"Honestly I don't like or dislike atheists."
"I just let them do whatever they want to do and I'll do what I want to do and that fine by me."- Top_Ordinary1966
"I don"t know , i guess they are normal people minding their own business."--Opposite_Special_422
"I believe that I should respect anyones religion because I would not want people disrespectful to mine I view them as normal people just different ways of thinking."- Vegetable-Living-469
All that matters is how you treat others.
"Normal civilians, I don’t give a sh*t about what you believe it as long as you’re a nice person."- Baja_blast2004
"I look at them the same way I look at anyone."
"If they aren’t a bad person I have no issue with them."
"I always try to remain respectful and try not to talk about god so much around my atheist friend."
"But he also respects I do believe in god."
"I respect he doesn’t and I understand. No one knows for certain at all."
"But in my personal opinion, it just doesn’t make sense to me why we are all here if there isn’t some sort of god."- Raregamesofc
"I’m ok with it, as long as they’re respectful."- Frost-on-the-Willow
It's not a matter of beliefs, it' s personality
"They're pretty chill."
"You don't need to have a religion or believe in a certain things, they're all just vibing."- maybe_256·
Religion puts a target on our backs.
"I'm christian, but I think I'm technically messianic Jewish."
"But alot of people just see us as 'Christian', I:E hateful bigots."
"A lot of people/Atheists say we enforce our beliefs down their throats, when we don't really care about your life style but you are yelling at us that the word of our god is hate speech and that we need to just except everything even if it is against our beliefs."
"A lot of celebrities that come out as religious are blacklisted and cancelled but somehow we are the oppressor."- lopsidedhamster2746
Even if we disagree, I still understand.
"I get the appeal of atheism."
"I can see why atheism is comforting to people."
"I can see how it’s easier to go along with the intellectuals of the dominant global culture atm."
"I generally empathize with atheists so long as they aren’t anti-theists."- chitroldelivery1
It's hard to sympathize with them.
"I see them as kinda dumb."- ephesians1128
No one should be judged for their religion or lack of religion.
Only when people do not treat others with the kindness and respect they deserve should people even begin to throw judgment.
