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#1
02-05-2009, 01:09 AM
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We're coming out!
We're coming out of the closet like never before. We are rapidly becoming an organized movement that will have to be contended with.
The new OUT campaign: http://outcampaign.org "Let the world know that we are not about to go away and that we are not going to allow those that would condemn us to push us into the shadows." Rick
__________________
Out of the closet and into the streets! 
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#2
02-05-2009, 01:27 AM
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Why come out? by Robby Berry
Should ex-Christians who become atheists "come out of the closet"? That is, should they tell their friends, family and loved ones about their newfound atheism, or should they keep it to themselves and pretend to be Christians? I believe that coming out is far better than staying in, for the following reasons: 1. Staying in the closet is an emotionally draining experience. Most of us feel bad about deliberately lying, and really bad about deliberately lying to our close friends, family and loved ones. But staying in the closet requires precisely that. This generates loads of guilt, and carrying around that kind of guilt is pretty unhealthy from an emotional point of view. Making matters worse, you have to expend a great deal of mental effort to maintain the facade, a task made even more complicated by the fact that you are attempting to fool those who know you best, and thus are the most difficult to fool. 2. Staying in the closet tends to isolate you from the atheist community, and get you more involved with the Christian community than you might want to be. People naturally gravitate towards people who are like themselves. We tend to choose friends who share our interests, our values, and our beliefs. But if everybody thinks you are a Christian, then atheists will tend to stay away, while Christians will want to get closer to you. This is the exact opposite of what you want. By coming out, those around you who are atheists will be more likely to befriend you, providing you with much-needed emotional support. And in a society that is 90% Christian, we need all the emotional support we can get. 3. Staying in the closet steals away time. When you pretend to be a Christian, it is inevitable that you will have to participate in Christian events such as going to church, attending prayer meetings and kinship groups, and the like. This sucks away time that you could be using for working, studying, playing or just sleeping in. Atheists know better than anybody that our time is finite, so why waste it practicing primitive superstitious rituals? 4. You run the risk of being found out. If this happens, the people you are trying to fool will be far less likely to give you the benefit of the doubt. If your spouse confessed to having an affair, you would be more likely to forgive your spouse than if you found out about it second-hand. By the same token, your friends and loved ones are far more likely to tolerate your atheism if you admit to it than if they happen to find your copy of "The Case Against Christianity" when you're not around. Try this simple thought experiment. Imagine confessing your atheism to your friends and loved ones. Picture their reactions. Make it a worst case scenario. It's probably a scary scenario, isn't it? But if you are found out, their reactions will be even worse than what you've just imagined! Not only will they be angry at you for becoming an atheist, but they'll be angry at you for lying as well. (And unlike atheism, lying is a legitimate thing to be angry at.) One other thing to keep in mind is that unless you only have a year or two left to live, you will be found out. Nobody can keep up that kind of facade for very long. In the long run, coming out will be significantly less straining than staying in. 5. Coming out is a powerful way of promoting tolerance for atheists. Remember that your Christian friends and family have had their heads filled with stereotypes about atheists by their pastors and fellow Christians. By coming out, you can show that these stereotypes are bull. Indeed, you may be the only atheist they know, and thus the only person capable of dispelling the stereotypes. And if they ever become interested in atheism themselves, they'll know who to turn to when it comes time to ask questions. There are some people who stay in the closet because coming out could mean losing a job, or being kicked out of the house, or even being beaten or killed. Such people should probably stay in the closet, at least until they can get a new job, or find a home of their own, or move to a locale that isn't socially retarded. But even these people should come out eventually, after they have arranged things so that it is safe to do so. And those who stay in solely to avoid offending friends and family would be better served by coming out now. In the short run, it will be hell, but in the long run, it's the only way to go. The only real alternative is a lifetime of hypocrisy, self-loathing and fear. I myself came out shortly after my deconversion. I haven't lost a single friend because of it. I am on excellent terms with my family and in-laws, most of whom are Christians, and many of whom are fundamentalists. In fact, in the case of my parents, I've actually noticed their Christianity mellowing out over the last few years, and I think my atheism may have had something to do with this. (Then again, maybe they just wised up on their own.) My then-girlfriend actually thought the atheist me was a big improvement, and went on to become my wife. I've never lost a job or been publicly humiliated because of my atheism, and I commonly drop casual mentions of my atheism in conversations with friends and coworkers without fear of trouble. Coming out has had tremendous benefits for me, and very few disadvantages. The American public (and pretty much everyone else, for that matter) has a long way to go, but there has nonetheless been a great deal of progress for atheists. There was a time when coming out of the closet meant social and financial ruin, and shortly before that there was a time when coming out meant being executed. We have an incredible amount of freedom compared to atheists of the past, and I think we owe it to their memory to take advantage of it." - Robby Berry Rick
__________________
Out of the closet and into the streets!
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#3
02-05-2009, 01:42 AM
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Atheists hate mail:
Date: 8/08/2003 From: Anonymous Mr. Atheist: When I read your site I am sickened by your bitterness and unsensored hatred. All you damned atheist think you know it all don't you? Well I got news for you: you don't! If you don't accept Jesus in your heart now/today/this minute you'll be facing eternal punishment. You know in your heart God and Jesus are real. We all feel it deep inside and cant deny it unless we tell a lie. That's right you're lying and sinning each time you say there isn't a God. I can't help wondering how good life would be in our wonderful country if you atheists didn't infultrate the government and take away the great Christian nation that our founding fathers gave us. You people have killed this country you know that! Do you think God let 9/11 happen because of all the good Christians? My friend, you and I both know deep down why 9/11 happened. Atheists and queers and witches are turning this whole country against God, and God tried to show you some of the things to come. 9/11 was a glimpse into the future. Think! It is so obvious! What is life like over there in Iraq and all those other countries over there? Terrible that's what it's like! Know why? Because they reject Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior! You KNOW this and I know you know it. We all know it but we can't say it because it isn't politically correct--one of the worst atheist liberal inventions ever. Politically correct. What about God and morals and the Ten Commandments? Do you want to live a life like those lost souls in those other countries? Find Jesus, if you don't youll suffer and always regret it. I don't even want to know how much you hate yourself and your life because you're an atheist. Life must be so pointless to you. I bet you make your family miserible. That's another thing. I read your rant diary thing and I'll tell you what: that premature baby you got? I want you to know you did it. You almost killed your own baby because you reject the One True God! The sins of the father will fall unto his flower I tell you that much! How does that make you feel to know that because you hate God that you caused this tragedy in your family? If you still have a little spark of Jesus you should feel bad right now. If not it might be too late for you becaue the Devil has eaten your heart to peaces.
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#5
02-05-2009, 04:15 AM
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Quote:
 This is insane. It's sad that some Christians/Other religious people refuse to accept that some people choose other religions and/or lifestyles. That is the atheist's/person's choice...nobody else's. As I've posted, I was raised Christian/in church. When I was 17, I started seeing my first serious boyfriend (now my husband.) He was/is the coolest person I've ever met. He's respectful, kind, hilarious, and has good morals. My dad and stepmom didn't approve. Why? He's an atheist. Ridiculous.
__________________
If it's bitter at the start, then it's sweeter in the end.
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#6
02-05-2009, 04:17 AM
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Quote:
Quote:
__________________
If it's bitter at the start, then it's sweeter in the end.
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#7
02-05-2009, 09:40 AM
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Interesting
That Dawkins has benefitted from the gay rights movement insofar that he is tailoring his message in the way that he is, using the word out. He even takes pains to say that no one will be outed.
Not only that, he is also using imagery from The Scarlet Letter- a big A. It's kinda like gay people taking back the word queer. However, in this case, its not a word being reimagined, but a symbol. Dawkins is appealing to those with intellect. After all, the Scarlet Letter is a literary work. If you haven't read the book- and only see the world through TV- you might not understand the reference.
__________________
Be the love you seek.
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#8
02-07-2009, 08:39 AM
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Quote:
I read the book. It's the second worst book I've read in my life. Gennee
__________________
'Be who you are.' Let no one define who you are.' blog:www.difecta.blogspot.com www.epistle.us
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#10
02-05-2009, 12:18 PM
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Everybody who knows me knows that I'm gay. But the only ones who know that I'm an atheist are the people on this forum who read my entries, my brother, my best friend, and another friend of mine who is also an atheist. That's it. Everybody else just assumes that I'm a Christian and I never correct them.
So when I say "we're coming out," what I really mean is that hopefully someday I'll feel comfortable to speak openly about my beliefs without fear of being rejected by family and friends. I open up on an atheist forum called the Rational Response Squad but the Soulforce forum is the only non-atheist place that I talk about my beliefs openly. The fact that I'm in the closet about my atheism is something I try not to think about much because I feel like such a hypocrite. I ask myself how I can tell LGBT people to have the courage to live their lives openly when I'm afraid to express my life beliefs to anyone but a handful of people? I have family members that I know would never associate with me again if I told them how I really feel about the world. That's why I speak out about it so much on this forum. It just feels good to be able to talk about what I think to others. I know that it offends a lot of theists. I know what that feels like. When I was a Christian I thought atheists were lost, disturbed people who were empty inside. I hated their opinions. Sometimes I even hated them. I remember in the spring of 2006 when I began to question my Christian beliefs; I went to the supermarket one afternoon and a thunderstorm was coming up. I walked across that store parking lot terrified that a lightning bolt was going to kill me. My best friend is a Christian. He and I talk about politics, family, work, and life in general. But we never talk about religion because it's too touchy of a subject for the both of us. When my atheist friend comes to town he usually drops by and we sometimes talk about religion. But he's in the closet too and I think it's very difficult sometimes for him to talk about it. I'd really like to tell my niece. She and I talk on the phone every week. She deals with my being gay just fine but not believing in Jesus is another thing entirely. I live in the South so being openly homosexual has been a difficult struggle in a world of Southern Baptists. To many Southern Baptists, being an atheist homosexual would be like being Satan himself. I can't believe I'm actually writing these words. I've always tried to be a man of courage and conviction. How do I dare talk about courage anymore? Rick
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