I don’t think about atheism much. Except when I’m on this Forum. Then it’s pretty prevalent-by default.
I used to try and argue with theists and maybe convince a few. Now…not so much. I just don’t care.
In fact, recently I lied to theists and claimed I was a theist too. I forget why, but it was to avoid awkwardness
in some social setting. They put me on the spot about faith, and it wasn’t the time or place to tell them I was an atheist and I thought their
ideas were ridiculous. It was just more expedient to go along with them.
Now some of you might say “Oooh. How could you? You’re betraying your atheist code.” Or some such nonsense.
“You didn’t have the cojones to just tell them and stand up for Intl. Atheists of The World!”
Or you just might say, “How could you lie in the first place? About anything?”
That kind of lie had absolutely no value to me. Why should I care about lying to people who are deceiving themselves or are deceived anyways.
Especially if my lie is only to go along with their deception in the first place?
I relished it actually. It was the first time I had done that in 30 years or so. I used to have to do it for my grandma
when I was in my teens. She was fragile and sensitive and an Italian. It would have broke her heart, and I wasn’t into doing that.
She had a bad heart to begin with. Understand that by the time I was Confirmed in the RC church- I was an atheist.
But I had to get Confirmed. I protested it to my parents and had told them I was an atheist many times. It didn’t matter.
Tradition was tradition. I still lived under their roof, you gotta follow the rules. It was no big deal. One mass, a walk up the aisle I think, maybe a few money envelopes from relatives. A little party.
Anyways…yes. I relished deceiving these religious folks. Why should I care. I know I am an atheist.
I can’t remember the setting. Maybe grace at some supper…
But anyways…F**k 'em!! Who cares? It kind of made me feel like I was the devil. I was looking them straight in the eye and saying
oh yeah, I’m a christian. Inside I was just laughing. They had some faith based bond with me, some identity that I could barely remember from age 8 or so.
Who cares how theists perceive me? Conversely, I would love it if a christian or jew or muslim or hindu did the same to me.
I would get a real kick out of that. If they pretended to be atheist and fooled me.