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Permalink Reply by Kaye on July 12, 2008 at 9:54pm

Many, many, many times. Although sometimes it's quite amusing, such as when a coworker sneezes and everyone turns to me expectantly to see if I will say "bless you", to which i just reply "please stop dying".

Mostly people are nervous about it because they don't understand it. I'm a fairly sweet person in general, and it's confusing to them because they've been taught that atheists are mean, evil people and it's weird that they know i'm a nice person, but that there's no chance.

If someone asks you, it's best to just say "i'm not really religious" and leave it at that, change the subject if you must. It's an awkward situation and most people aren't nosey enough to criticize you about it in the workplace. Mostly because they could get into trouble. It's easiest to adopt a sort of "don't ask, don't tell" policy. In the workplace it's not hard, especially if you're a teacher. Just avoid the topic if you can and don't tell students creationism is stupid or the jerry fallwell rottweilers will be on your back.

For me, working in smaller businesses was harder because people are more close together, more intimate in their conversations rather than a big corporation where people are more at a distance from one another.

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Permalink Reply by Andrew on July 12, 2008 at 11:12pm

I worked at a place where I was the only atheist in sight. I like being one, so I wont hide it!! But in front of students, you might have to I think. But I think atheists should be more vocal in their beliefs! Why do we have to hide it?

I dont see anything wrong with saying bless you...I feel like its more of a cultural thing than a religion thing.

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Permalink Reply by Sarah on July 12, 2008 at 11:24pm

I say bless you but not god bless you. I also think it's more a cultural thing.

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Permalink Reply by Richard Knight on July 13, 2008 at 1:21am

If I say "Bless you," I go whole hog. I do the catholic cross with my fingers and throw in "In nomine Patris, et Filii, et Spiritus Sancti."

Usually I just say "Sneeze you," though.

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Permalink Reply by LeaT on July 13, 2008 at 8:51am

In Sweden we have the neutral prosit :)

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Permalink Reply by Jens Enzo Nyby Christensen on July 14, 2008 at 10:29am

goes for entire Scandinavia in fact.

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Permalink Reply by Undo on July 18, 2008 at 11:08am

I do the cross with my fingers almost every time someone says GBY. It really annoys the hell out of them and that makes me happy. I'll have to try the Latin too.

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Permalink Reply by Kerry on July 22, 2008 at 4:18pm

"Gesundheit" has always worked for me!

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Permalink Reply by Katherine on July 13, 2008 at 10:10am

I use the "don't ask, don't tell" policy. Where I live (North Carolina), it's kind of dangerous to claim to not be a Christian... I hate it.

I don't consider myself to be ashamed of my beliefs, but I usually don't go around advertising it unless I'm involved with some sort of religious conversation. I will always stand up for myself if needed.


I am also a fairly sweet person, so when people do find out about my atheism, it usually comes as a shock to them. Sometimes they don't even believe me : /

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Permalink Reply by vjack on July 14, 2008 at 6:24am

Great point about saying "I'm not really religious" instead of using the dreaded a-word. I've experienced this too. Saying I'm not religious or don't go to church is one thing. It will upset some people and does lead me to be condemned to hell sometimes, but it is nothing like the reaction I'd get for the atheist label.

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Permalink Reply by Richard Knight on July 13, 2008 at 1:14am

Depends on your field, I guess. In science and higher education, I've only had a couple of problems, but a lot of good support.

As a teacher, though, I think you'd better claim to be "not very religious" or otherwise evasive. (Go for deism, if you have to.)

There are too many small-minded people in a school's administration and among your colleagues who can make things extraodinarily difficult for you, not to mention crazy parents who will accuse you of failing their child without reason because they used the argument "because God said so" in a critical essay.

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Permalink Reply by Amanda on July 13, 2008 at 1:57am

Sometimes I wonder with teaching if I would have to pre-screen the books that I make available to the children. I can only imagine the parents talking to me about their children reading a colorful book about evolution. I hate the idea of keeping children from exploring their world, especially if they end up finding it facinating!

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