Boomhauer

I say Agnostic , which I sense is far worse than saying Christian. There is a lot , and I mean a lot, of intolerant assholes in the Muslim world in regards to Atheism and Agnosticism. I am not taling about the masses here, but educated and affluent types . Now , this isn't soo much the case with the nominal Muslims in the West.

mikewot

No everyone is born an atheist and, in general, their parents label them and brainwash them.

redShark

And what denomination of atheism are you a part? the hypocrites, the escapists, the jokes, or the real genuine ones?

britexpat76

I am Atheist and have been since I willingly went to sunday school as a child and hated everything about it from the men with beards and cardigans to the fact all the other kids were boring. My choice of bride and our choice of where to live in future does mean that one day I shall have to say a few lines in Arabic so in her country we are rocognised as married and I can buy property etc.

Will it make me any different, No. I will say though, I am tempted to study the peaceful side of Islam and use it against the more extreme types who are brainwashed. Seeing whitey from blighty giving them an educated argument about why they are wrong in so many ways is sure to wind them off the clock. Failing that I return to my ignorant atheist views as soon as her family and the soft drinks disappear and the happy house and alcohol arrive.

shiva

A few years ago I had quite a long discussion on faith with a few locals in al dhaid. Was looking at buying a car and out there most won't even give you a price until you sit and have coffee and a chat. Anyway the conversation very quickly turned to my faith and was I a Christian, upon answering no they got very interested and asked if I was a Muslim then. Again I replied no, I followed no religion. This threw them completely and I mean completely. The very notion of not having a religious faith was a complete anathema to them. At that point things got decidedly bizarre, how did I live my life with no faith, how could I make decisions wasn't I worried about the devil etc. these guys just couldn't grasp how life was possible for me without a god. It took a good while for me to explain that I had a moral code and ethical code that was like theirs but mine didn't require any god, they seemed to think I was insane but accepted that I probably wasn't a psychopath.

Really nice guys but it was clear that their entire lives they had been taught that no faith wasn't an option and that everybody was of some religious denomination.

We parted with an old boy telling me it wasn't good for a man to have no god and how everybody needs faith.

Very surreal but enlightening encounter.

RedDragon2008

Respect to people following their own conviction/faith

My experience of Islam has been through interaction with Muslims who I have developed a respect for. This may be different to others, but such is life we develop interpretations based on our own experiences.

I worked with a girl who converted. She did so because she was devoted to her husband (who I happened to play golf with) and she could only be with him if she converted. I have seen their lifes struggles with normal money etc issues but overall they are most definitely enriched by being together as a couple.

Paracletus

Always. It doesn't always go down well, but that's not anything particular to muslims. Though they seem to be the most aggressive on debating how their holy book has the answers to evolution. But it's mostly confusion, followed by questions like, 'what do you live for if you don't believe in a god' which I find quite worrying. Living to spread joy and happiness on earth is obviously not good enough.

Paracletus

There is plenty of authors and field specialists who have suggested the ability to believe in the religious myths of the abrahamic faiths is no different than suffering from mental illness. Would you show respect to someones mental disorder or leave it to psychopathology to diagnose someone bipolar? I mentioned these as I have some experience with them, and their ability to convince themselves of ideas in quite manic fashion.

I'm sure religion can be both positive and negative, but some 'beliefs' are just too much to be asked to be respected in the 21st century..like the 'well, Allah is perfect and that's that' as I very often get served as a concluding statement from my muslim friends.

Norm_uk

Can't argue with that. The more I study religion the more I am convinced it is at best a quaint delusion and at worst a dangerous mental illness affecting millions. All religions are not the same either...some are far worse that others.

N.

OriginalSunshine

Atheism isn't accepted here. So.... as a lapsed Catholic, I tell them I am Catholic and I find Islam such a lax religion. Then I get the WTF reaction, point out that divorce isn't an option in Catholicism, the 40 day fast at Lent, that priests and nuns aren't allowed to marry, you cannot have sex during one of the engagement periods, and you have to eat fish every Friday, can't use contraception, have to raise your children as Catholics, pray min 3 times a day 7 days a week... Etc... Then they freak and run away.

It's good fun.

Boomhauer

While atheism isn't publickly proclaimed, I'd say it's the dominant ideology amongst GCC locals, judging by their societies' treatment of working class expats.

OriginalSunshine

Most atheists I know are far more moral and charitable than those with a professed religion.

I find the statement that treating people like shit = atheism insulting.

Boomhauer

Sorry, didn't mean to make it sound as if shit people = atheist.
What I meant was that if they really believed in a higher power, they would fear punishment when they leave this world. They obviously don't fear punishment as evidenced by their attitudes so they must be atheist.

As an Agnostic I certainly don't mean to imply Atheists are immoral, and I do agree with the comment about everyday Atheists displaying far more humanity than self proclaimed theists.

Norm_uk

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Loaded_question

N.

Norm_uk

If people are only good because they fear a higher power punishment after death they are a sorry lot indeed.

N.