Guest post: We are not “Christians in Remission”
Guest post by Mike Haubrich.
I’m really only an “Out” atheist because religious people keep on assuming that they are the only ones who matter in the public square. (Not all religious people.) I don’t care about other people’s religions, they “neither pick my pocket nor break my leg.”
I realize that there are atheists who are insulting towards the religious, so no need to point that out, either.
In a thread from a state party google group, a religous person related his grief about the assassinations and attempted assassination in Minnesota yesterday. It was a heartfelt post, but he ended it by telling people to pray for the State Senator’s recovery, and then added “even my hardcore atheist friends.”
I replied that atheists grieve in our way, and hope for a quick recovery, but that it is patronizing to tell us to pray at a time like this. Following this someone else sent me a private message that this is “not about you.” I replied “no shit,” but that since the first person called us out, it was insulting. He responded “Why don’t we try to let minor offense pass and focus on what unites us?”
My dad told me when I was 47 that my atheism is just a phase. We are constanly reminded that our lack of beliefs don’t really matter, and treated as if we are just “Christians in remisison” who will run back to god when tragedy strikes.
I expect this from the other party, which is infused wtih God. But my party expends a great deal of effort to be inclusive and not to offend those whose religions differ. Our signs include the icons of religious inclusivity, one of them being women in head coverings. But atheists are often treated as second class in our meetings, our missives, and even our events. I have been to conventions which open with non-denominatonal prayer, to be inclusive. We open our conventions with the Pledge of Allegiance, the Catholic Version that was adopted in the Red Scare days and includes “Under God.”
We don’t want to make this tragedy about us, but we don’t need to be singled out and told to pray. Many of us knew the vicitms of this event, and need to grieve without being told we need to grieve in a way that does not work for us.
We are not “Christians in Remission,” we don’t pray in foxholes, nor when parents or friends die or are injured. We do want respect, and we aren’t asking for anything else. Don’t beliittle atheists. We won’t continue to take it quietly.
Well said, Mike.
Thank you, maddog.
Second that. My sister constantly exhorted me to ‘pray’ for her when she had cancer. I was willing to cook for her, to clean for her, to help watch her children, to take her things, to call and talk to her, but to be told to ‘pray’ for her was manipulative. It also wouldn’t be helpful to pray; those other things would be real ways to show our concern and our love.
Perhaps the person who wrote “Why don’t we try to let minor offense pass and focus on what unites us?” should inform the actual perpetrator that he should ” focus on what unites us” instead of patronising and insulting others by talking of his “hardcore atheist friends.”
The only reason a Christian can pray in a foxhole is because the Atheist remains alert and on duty.
@Tim H – Yes, that’s what I suggested. Deaf ears. He told me to get perspective in the light of the news.
@iknklast – I’ve never understood why anyone should be told to pray, since it’s supposed to be a personal relationship with god or his son. Doing all that work for her was taking care of her needs, while the medical treatments worked for her health.
@Rev – There’s an organization for atheist military in the US called “Atheists in Foxholes” and they make that point.
Yeah, didn’t Jesus tell people to pray in private, where nobody could see? Wouldn’t publicly exhorting people to pray be considered bad form?
not Bruce — that’s Matthew 6:5-6, my ready answer if anyone should ever inquire as to my favorite Bible verse.
Jesus contradicted himself a lot. Funny, that.
What’s especially galling in this case is that the murderer is a born-again Christian who used to travel to the Middle East where “he sought out militant Islamists in order to share the gospel and tell them that violence wasn’t the answer.”
It’s hard to get things exactly right when you have a split personality, Ophelia. After all, he’s both God and Man. I’m not sure I could do better.
A rabbi was asked by one of his students “Why did God create atheists?” After a long pause, the rabbi finally responded with a soft but sincere voice. “God created atheists” he said, “to teach us the most important lesson of them all – the lesson of true compassion. You see, when an atheist performs an act of charity, visits someone who is sick, helps someone in need, and cares for the world, he is not doing so because of some religious teaching. He does not believe that God commanded him to perform this act. In fact, he does not believe in God at all, so his actions are based on his sense of morality. Look at the kindness he bestows on others simply because he feels it to be right. When someone reaches out to you for help. You should never say ‘I’ll pray that God will help you.’ Instead, for that moment, you should become an atheist – imagine there is no God who could help, and say ‘I will help you’.”
Martin Buber, “Tales of the Hasidim”,
“Why don’t we try to let minor offense pass and focus on what unites us?”
If uniting is the goal, maybe chastise the person that was being patronising to an entire demographic, rather than taking their side.
I suggested that, but received another patronizing response and I decided to block that person’s email. It’s the default, atheists are always at fault.