Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Onotheo on January 4, 2009 at 1:55am

The way others' treatment towards me with the knowledge that I'm atheist isn't exactly something that would make me feel cool. I however could see why some would claim to be atheist just to feel as if they're 'cool'.

Permalink Reply by Dean Hovey on January 26, 2009 at 4:09am

Hi R3n311,

It doesn't take an Einstein to realize that religion is bunk, however it does take a certain amount of independant-thinking 'outside the box' to come to the realization that everything in life has a natural explanation.

One important thing that we need to keep in mind is that all people -- theist or atheist -- have the same basic human needs and so becoming a godless thinker does not make us superior on a human level but only on an intellectual level in some critical ways.

That's "cool" I suppose, but we are still left with our own individual strengths & weaknesses. The same goes for theists; many of my theist friends are very smart & talented people -- except when it comes to religion.

Cheers! :-)

Permalink Reply by Annie Roark on January 27, 2009 at 12:27pm

High school and college are precarious times in one's life. The cliched "coming-of-age", "child into man/woman", "loss of innocence" time. So amongst all that time rebelling or fitting in, there are individuals that really question where they are coming from, including their faith. And by process of elimination, the "cool" ones will revert to their old habits at the sign of confrontation while others will stick to their guns and be what they want to be.

I'm saying this because I decided to stop being a catholic in (public) high school on my own. Though I've kept it to myself most of the time for fear of retribution and reduce aggravation.

Permalink Reply by Ian Baltazar on February 3, 2009 at 2:22am

I agree with much Dean has to say. If only this "cool" neo-atheism mentality could become a factor in reshaping the minds of the next generation of Filipinos in finally discarding the lies of religion...

Permalink Reply by Manny Espinola on June 1, 2009 at 2:32pm

The time when I first told the person looking back at me in the mirror "You big homo" was roughly the same time I quietly told myself "I'm an atheist----BUT NO ONE MUST KNOW." Coming out of the gay closet set me free; no more lies, no more duplicitous lives. I terminated right then and there my "sexual orientation naturalization experiment," where I vowed to do three straight years of women and avoid good-looking men. I sort of looked at being straight as like a wealthy foreign country, and if I could just migrate and stay there for the required length of time I will become a "naturalized citizen." Noooot!! After about seven months of nothing but tits and p*ssy I was ready to slash my wrists. I pigged out on men (I liked 'em muscular and hairy) the next day, and I've been telling this story ever since to every newbie who came out to me. Being gay is not cool, but it especially sucks big time if you're in the closet. Coming out is cool, and it only gets cooler the more you meet your own kind. At first I'd stop digging at just being gay and not push my luck, but when after years of looking and not finding a gay person who is also an atheist, what started out as flaky loneliness finally crashed into downright depression. At that time (70s and 80s and half of the 90s) the best intellectual aspirin I could find for my ailment was the likes of Ayn Rand and Nietzche, because I found out early that, while scornful of religion, Marx and Mao were also devout homophobes. I mean, it figures---two butt-ugly commies from opposite sides of the world can't get a second look from any self-respecting homo anywhere. And so, it turned, out (or so they say) was Ayn Rand. Her female lead characters liked rough sex. As for Nietzche, well! That inglorious basterd's crazy! In the 90s someone gave me a book by Camille Paglia---a lesbian and atheist---yessss! And she loves homos! Double yesss!!! And then she started singing the praises of fundamentalist Christian Sarah Palin and I went....oh dear god in heaven I've been licking melamine off a dirty plate because I'm hungry. I'm done doing COOL HOMO, I'm just learning to crawl now as an atheist. And crawling is cool only if you're a baby. Sniff. Nobody's called me baby in 40 years. I think I hate my life, but I still have hopes of meeting Mr. Atheist Poofstah someday. And hope is cool.

Permalink Reply by Rj Opulencia on October 22, 2009 at 4:18pm

they are not true atheist its just another way for them to be noticed.