Atheist/Agnostic/Theist Relationships

[Strangelove]

How do you guys "reconcile" your differences with your loved ones that are different to you? I, for one, tend to consciously avoid anyone who bears any religious items or has a high probability of being religious (I'm an apatheist/agnostic but I'm critical of religion). I just couldn't be bothered taking the gamble whether we'd clash or not or I just slowly cut off communication. Does religion never come up? Do you sweep it under the rug? If you have children, how are they raised? Anything that describes how you do it.

This extends to any form of relationship e.g. friends, spouses, family etc.

 

[Electric]

If your so or prospective so and yourself butt heads on religion then there's no point in being together considering it will come up all the time.
However if you love a person enough you tend to work around these things.

 

[SauRoNZA]

Just be open about it.

Don't tell them how to live their lives and they won't tell you how to live yours. If they do, cut them off.

My sister is super religious and it's never a problem and one of my best friends is a pastor. Both fully aware I'm an atheist.


If anything it's the "one foot in the door" kind of people who are the real problem. You know the ones that claim to be religious and push it down your throat at every opportunity but when you look at how they live their lives they are the exact opposite.

*****

That being said if my wife was religious it would probably never work. But then again I wouldn't have married her in the first place if that was the case and probably a good reason why my ex and I never worked out.

 

[TehStranger]

How do you guys "reconcile" your differences with your loved ones that are different to you? I, for one, tend to consciously avoid anyone who bears any religious items or has a high probability of being religious (I'm an apatheist/agnostic but I'm critical of religion). I just couldn't be bothered taking the gamble whether we'd clash or not or I just slowly cut off communication. Does religion never come up? Do you sweep it under the rug? If you have children, how are they raised? Anything that describes how you do it.

This extends to any form of relationship e.g. friends, spouses, family etc.

No need to discuss the topic, or if you do, politely respect the other persons viewpoint, even if you think they're crazy. Religous (or lack thereof) differences are only as big of an issue as you make them.

 

[nand]

As an atheist, I don't see the point in debating something that does not exist - so I just blatantly ignore or cut myself out of any such situation.
When somebody does want to talk about it, I'm open about it, which usually last a few seconds.

Most people do not even know my status on religion, since I simply don't have anything to preach.

 

[Frikkenator]

As an atheist, I don't see the point in debating something that does not exist - so I just blatantly ignore or cut myself out of any such situation.
When somebody does want to talk about it, I'm open about it, which usually last a few seconds.

Most people do not even know my status on religion, since I simply don't have anything to preach.

You must learn so much about the world with such a condescending attitude. Discussions about religion/lack thereof do not have to turn into debates, and learning about other people's beliefs and cultures give you an amazing view into how people think and why they do certain things.

Just because you learn about something doesn't mean you have to subscribe to it.

"It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it."

 

[Salvage]

It's only as big a deal as what the people in the relationship make of it. If you're both open-minded and can respect each others views without criticizing each other or making the other people feel defensive of their religious views then it's a non-issue. I'm an athiest, my wife is an actively practicing catholic and comes from a very religious family upbringing. We've been together 12 years now, we have a child, and our different religious views are a non-issue. We can discuss our difference of opinions openly and still feel like the other person hears us, understands us and respects, but we agree to disagree. Our daughter is still very young but will be educated about multiple religions and nothing will be drilled into her, and she'll make her own choices in life, and we're happy with that.

 

[Frikkenator]

It's only as big a deal as what the people in the relationship make of it. If you're both open-minded and can respect each others views without criticizing each other or making the other people feel defensive of their religious views then it's a non-issue. I'm an athiest, my wife is an actively practicing catholic and comes from a very religious family upbringing. We've been together 12 years now, we have a child, and our different religious views are a non-issue. We can discuss our difference of opinions openly and still feel like the other person hears us, understands us and respects, but we agree to disagree. Our daughter is still very young but will be educated about multiple religions and nothing will be drilled into her, and she'll make her own choices in life, and we're happy with that.

This is pretty awesome.

 

[DrJohnZoidberg]

I'm lucky not to have any super religious family/friends. My folks are religious but they rarely bring it up and I think they know I'm an infidel

If I am confronted by overbearing religious nutters I usually just find a way to leave.

 

[nand]

You must learn so much about the world with such a condescending attitude. Discussions about religion/lack thereof do not have to turn into debates, and learning about other people's beliefs and cultures give you an amazing view into how people think and why they do certain things.

Just because you learn about something doesn't mean you have to subscribe to it.

"It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it."

Oh no, I'm not that narrow-minded at all.

I've researched various religions in my youth and find it quite fascinating. I even have bibles of different religions.
The first point I mentioned is in relation to dealing with debates when they do come along.

Coming from an almost all-Christian family and friends, people in my opinion are very offended when you do not share empathy with them, hence why I try to avoid the situation. People are weird like that for some reason, I've met people on various ends of the religious scale: from being apt, to trying to Christen me and on the very rough end even ones confident that I'm a satanist.

The bottom line is that debates are only useful when you're trying to convince, or commonly in religious debates, disprove, some involved party - which I am absolutely against. I'm more than open discussing the topic, and will share sympathy towards a number of aspects.

 

[OrbitalDawn]

I've researched various religions in my youth and find it quite fascinating. I even have bibles of different religions.

Hmm... They're usually not called 'bibles'.

 

[Frikkenator]

Oh no, I'm not that narrow-minded at all.

I've researched various religions in my youth and find it quite fascinating. I even have bibles of different religions.
The first point I mentioned is in relation to dealing with debates when they do come along.

Coming from an almost all-Christian family and friends, people in my opinion are very offended when you do not share empathy with them, hence why I try to avoid the situation. People are weird like that for some reason, I've met people on various ends of the religious scale: from being apt, to trying to Christen me and on the very rough end even ones confident that I'm a satanist.

The bottom line is that debates are only useful when you're trying to convince, or commonly in religious debates, disprove, some involved party - which I am absolutely against. I'm more than open discussing the topic, and will share sympathy towards a number of aspects.

Fair enough, and you are right, most people are very quick to start arguing when religion joins the conversation.

 

[DerpiesFreud]

one went well, she was mildly christian, I was mildly muslim.
we didn't discuss much due it being a non issue
ended reasonably well for different reasons

another one spectacularly went bad
She was a pretty serious Jehovas Witness, I was an atheist.
Started okay, then she tried to convert me.
She preached the bible despite engaging in 'filthy' acts with me
Eventually I couldn't take her deluded insanity, and blocked her out.