pain6batch9
Chronic
- Aug 25, 2024
- 184
A woman pulled me up in the street today. She said, 'Did you know? Jesus loves you.'
I replied, 'I'm sure he doesn't.'
She was insistent, 'He really does!'
I replied, 'Well, I'm sure he doesn't.' (Leaving the unsaid part, 'because I'm an atheist and don't believe he exists' floating in the air.)
This was one of those rare occasions when I know exactly what to say at the time, but in this case didn't want to have the conversation, again. This happens so much where I live. Maybe it has something to do with the number of churches, not sure. It's happened to me twice this year already.
I don't want to call it wrong for someone to want to talk about their beliefs. I'm not a militant anti-theist. I wouldn't do it myself. But my thoughts turned to the idea that this sort of interaction is solely the remit of religious people. I began to wonder, why you never see people 'preaching' for atheism. It made me laugh to think of somebody stopping you in the street and saying, 'Hey, did you know? Organized religion is a scam?' But it never happens.
I replied, 'I'm sure he doesn't.'
She was insistent, 'He really does!'
I replied, 'Well, I'm sure he doesn't.' (Leaving the unsaid part, 'because I'm an atheist and don't believe he exists' floating in the air.)
This was one of those rare occasions when I know exactly what to say at the time, but in this case didn't want to have the conversation, again. This happens so much where I live. Maybe it has something to do with the number of churches, not sure. It's happened to me twice this year already.
I don't want to call it wrong for someone to want to talk about their beliefs. I'm not a militant anti-theist. I wouldn't do it myself. But my thoughts turned to the idea that this sort of interaction is solely the remit of religious people. I began to wonder, why you never see people 'preaching' for atheism. It made me laugh to think of somebody stopping you in the street and saying, 'Hey, did you know? Organized religion is a scam?' But it never happens.