Losing Friends Over Religion

Brianne Bilyeu, , ,

I’ve never lost a friend or family member over my religious beliefs, but I’ve spoken to many people who have. It’s a major blow to the gut whenever I hear these stories. I always feel incredibly lucky that since identifying as an atheist I haven’t had to deal with this kind of personal loss.

I found this Facebook exchange on Twitter from @AtheismNews:

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Losing Friends Over Religion

About the author

Thoughts from a Minneapolis-based nerdy, liberal, humanist progressive on topics such as science, skepticism, religion, atheism, critical thought, politics, and local and global humanitarian and equality efforts. Biodork <3's geek culture, groan-inducing puns, world travel, cultural exchange and sharing and listening to stories.
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160 thoughts on “Losing Friends Over Religion”

  1. ellenlundgren
    Reply
    1

    This makes me sad too. I’ve had this happen once, but they ended up not un-friending me, thought they said they would. Keep up the blogging! I think you’re nuts for blogging on the move but you’re doing great! 😀

  3. Erin
    Reply
    3

    man, that kind of exchange is hard to read. Not even willing to “agree to disagree?” Its so frustrating. Yesterday, I backed away from an argument with a Ph.D. holder about how the word belief shouldn’t really be used in the sense that atheists “believe” there is no god. This is a person who is incredibly intelligent, holds a 20-year tenured position, and cannot admit that the comfort she gets from her energy-healer is from the peace and relaxation during the session, not the crystals that are being hovered over her body. The ability to simply believe in whatever one wants is in no way the same thing as tested, falsified and self-correcting scientific method.

    But it is an easy comeback for ridiculous people. “Well you believe in Atheism, that’s your dogma” No, that’s my understanding of the evidence that has been tested.

  6. Stephen A
    Reply
    6

    You see this is not a ‘debate.’ A debate is like this. Two guys quarrel in the street as to whether that bright thing in the sky is the sun or moon. Here they may begin a rational, scientific process of determining whether it is the sun or the moon. ‘Does it give out any heat?’ ‘How fast is it moving?’ ‘Is it perfectly round?’ and so on.
    If they agree to partake in a rational process they will arrive at a rational conclusion. In this way they are capable of ascertaining whether they observe a star or a satellite.
    Now if we imagine that one of them carries the conviction that the object is monstrous laser powered disco ball suspended from an astral sphere of glass, then we can see that rational debate is not part of the process. It falls flat on its face at the first hurdle. It is simply then one preconceived belief system confronting another.
    We should not dignify this kind of confrontation with the word ‘debate’ because it does not reach the criteria of rational argument.

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