So I was reading the Facebook profiles of people in my class, for fun, and I have found that many of them are Christians and proud to say so. But few people I know have put that they are atheist. Now, part of the reason, I’m sure, is that few people would be comfortable making such a strong statement against the existence of God — we just don’t know for sure. But there are (must be) others like me who actively think there is probably no God, or have reason to not believe in God. We just are afraid to admit it.
Part of it is the recognition that belief in atheism basically means you believe everyone with faith in God is wrong. You can do it in a harsh way, claiming that others are under a “delusion” (as Richard Dawkins’s book states). You can also do it in a milder way, which is what I usually do, by saying that, “Faith in God doesn’t work for me, but I think it can help some people.” Which is basically the same spiel I give for people who swear by ridiculous alternative medicine remedies. Another part of it is the fear that declaring atheism is the same as painting the words, “Save me” on my chest.
Atheists have got to learn to be proud of their beliefs. And at the same time, to be tolerant of other beliefs. I think that’s the major obstacle to atheists today.
