Coldfusion

Actually, this topic comes up a lot here and it's the reason I joined SR. I have been told that as a result of living a life of addiction, I am "spiritually bankrupt."

I have found that resisting spiritual principles hinders my recovery. I try to be open to the fact that others may express their spirituality in different ways.

Bruce292

Smile and tell her you forgive her. It sounds like she wants to get a rise out of you. Some people are just like that. Don't give her the satisfaction.

BadCompany

If you need others to change in order to stay sober, you are screwed.

Amajorityofone

I copied this right out of the dictionary.

a·the·ist [ey-thee-ist]
noun
a person who denies or disbelieves the existence of a supreme being or beings.

If this isn't left of right, then what is?
It is my understanding that people who are "open" are agnostic, not atheist.

Again, right out of the dictionary....

An agnostic position is one that leaves open the question whether there exists a god or gods, professing to find such a question unanswered or unanswerable. For the atheist, the question has been answered, and in the negative."

I've got no problem with atheist or agnostic people. It's your soul or lack thereof. Do what you want. What I don't understand is why this post is even in the newcomers to recovery area on a sobriety forum?

Could one of the moderators please answer my question?
Thanks in advance

dwtbd

I mean I do like discussing metaphysics as much as the next, but amo does have a point, mods?

Ohio1

I think the important part of this thread is that for this interaction to be such a big deal to you Unix means you should work on letting things roll off your back a bit more. To post about this person as a selfish A-hole because she tried to push religion on you means you are probably taking on way too much stuff from other people. Maybe I'm projecting here but the way you reacted reminds me of myself lol. One of the things I'm enjoying working on is not caring so much what others are doing.

UnixBer

That is a true statement. Luckily untrue in my case. My sobriety does not lean on anything or anyone. The act of leaning may cause a fall if the object used for leaning onto decides to move. Heh. (on day 67, a good day).

I started thinking about the person a while ago. It is complex to imagine what has caused her to be so convinced in these beliefs of hers. It is 99% certain that the people she's spent time with, maybe even from childhood have a lot to do with it all. After all basic psychology: We learn and remember by association.

Nice hint about squaring it out with the person. Certainly will not get a rise or tide out of me, or any emotional reaction for that matter. There may be additional benefits if I play along with it a little while... always wanted to infiltrate their secret "meetings" lol... A secret agent ....

UnixBer

Actually I think you're right on some level here. Why would I react this way? It must be something like that... there certainly is something akin to that to deal with, perhaps. Thank you for the wise words.

jazzfish

Actually, an atheist sees no evidence to support having a believe in a god, so they lack a belief in a god. This is distinctly different than having a belief that there is no god. If evidence becomes available, then that can change their position.

However, people labeled as atheists are more often actually anti-religion. They have a problem with the institutions, rituals, texts, beliefs, dogma, etc., and give much less thought to the existence or non-existence of a god.

This is an interesting discussion, but probably no longer appropriate for the newcomers section.

WritingFromLife

DoubleBarrel-I hear where you are coming from, here's my take --An athiest's "belief" is they "don't believe in God" --so this belief differs from the Theist's belief. I THINK that is the point--mine, anway :-)

Just semantics.

ScottFromWI

There are beliefs, and then there are the ways people interpret and carry out their lives based on said beliefs. Some people tend to want to force their beliefs/theories on others, whether those beliefs be religious, policial, cultural, scientific, etc. Others tend to keep those beliefs to themselves.

In my experience, it's best to just change the subject when I get in a conversation that seems to be going down that road. And if said person persists multilple times, simply avoid that person. Complaining about it or attempting to argue with them does no one any good.

soberhawk

I read somewhere there was a movement in the US that tried to take on the word Bright as having a irreligious view of the world. Partly inspired by that male homosexuals took on the word gay.

Well I do not come from the US so I do not know how common that is. It is a little provocative though, if you would ask someone which religion he belongs to - “No, I am not religious I am Bright”.

UnixBer

Actually that was today and has also been part of my solution with the same. They get to be silently ignored. It is like they are talking to a wall or automatic machine that says or gestures exactly as they wish or expect. After that, the machine is hard to find... it is eluding them strangely.

Well it's just fact that people aren't really that attracted to negative people or people who are more about themselves, who cannot listen but only talk etc. That's also an opportunity to practise listening, I think, no matter who the person. I might order a stungun on ebay for a little non-lethal zapping sometime, but without getting caught. It's not for self-defence, it's for fun/punishment. (just kidding)

Amajorityofone

This is clearly a personal interpretation of the word, not the definition of word.

Once again, the dictionary clearly says that the definition of an atheist is one who denies or disbelieves the existence of a supreme being. It doesn't mention anything about lack of belief or seeing evidence.

The beauty of the other side of the argument is that if there is a God, then he must also be Omniscient, in fact, hiding all evidence of his existence and thus forcing you, to accept his existence on faith, and faith alone.

I'm done.

legna

Perhaps this topic shall be moved or the thread closed soon but in the interest of peace and understanding: I am Buddhist. By definition, I am atheist. Buddhist make up just over one third of the worlds atheists and so while it remains possible that most atheists are anti-religious, a good number of us are both religious and atheist.

Mirage74

I think the OP's problem with the neighbor is sort of a reflection of what I see as a bigger problem. There are many religious people (many in my area) that believe that most of society's problems stem from a lack of religious (not moral, religious) influence. They want to have prayer in public school and teach creationism instead of evolution. Another example is the desire to restrict a woman's right to choose by outlawing abortion (and overturning the Constitution). The fact is, the religious right, as outspoken as they are, has a large influence on public policy. Sometimes standing by, saying nothing, and living and let living is not the best course of action, if you value the future of the country.

But for our purposes here on SR and to stay sober, I think it holds true.

13unluckyforsom

Haha wonder what the RSPCA would make of the poor little puppet dog lololol

13unluckyforsom

Now.... Lets all count to ten... Lol

legna

Generally speaking, I believe that most zealous believers of all faiths or lack of faith are coming from a compassionate place in their proselytizing. They have found comfort in their beliefs and try, with unskillful zeal, to share this comfort with others.

Their efforts come from a good place and I try to show the same patience that I showed my daughter who would try to help me clean the house as a toddler - often thinking that if she continued to help me, I would never finish. As a two year old, she was more in the way than a help - but she was trying and coming from a good place. It was from these initial unskillful attempts at helping me though that she learned to truly be helpful later in life.

Anna

Okay, numerous posts have been removed, so it's time for Rule 4:

4. No Flaming: Posting of any content with the intention of disrupting the forum or inflaming members-be it on someone's person, religious beliefs, race, national background, sexual orientation, or recovery program. This includes flaming, flame baiting, registration of multiple accounts or impersonation of another member. Do not Harass, threaten, embarrass or cause distress or discomfort upon another Online Forum participant. This includes flaming on our forums or other public forums.

No posts that attack, insult, "flame", defame, or abuse members or non-members. Respect other members of the community and don’t belittle, make fun of, or insult another member or non-member. Decisions about health and recovery are highly personal, individual choices. "Flaming" and insults, however, will not be tolerated. Agree to disagree. This applies to both the forums and chat.