Reply #24: Here's my feeling on the whole thing.

[Bouncy Ball]

I happen to believe in a Higher Power. That belief does not harm a single person, not even myself. If anything, it causes me to do good and to strive to be a better person. I DON'T believe a person HAS to believe in a higher power to be a better person, not at all. It just happens to work that way for me, that's all.

I don't tell people about my religious beliefs. The ONLY time I will do so is if I am DIRECTLY ASKED. Otherwise, never. (Obviously since this is the topic of the thread, here is an exception.) I was taught while growing up that it is rude to inject one's religious views into conversation. I guess that's not considered so rude anymore, but I don't care--I simply won't do it.

Nor do I ask anyone else about their beliefs. It is none of my frigging business.

Furthermore, if a person's beliefs don't cause any harm to anyone, then have at it. It doesn't matter to me if a person is atheist, agnostic, Jewish, Christian, Buddhist, Hindu, Muslim, or whatever! People are people.

I believe the vitriol is directed at fundamentalists. And deservedly so, in my opinion. Not at members of the religious/spiritual left.

Maybe people should just be more careful to say so. Also, there is such a thing as anti-theism. Being openly hostile towards any kind of belief in a higher power. And there are anti-theists here. I understand how they feel. And nothing they can say about me or call me can hurt me. I've been told I have an imaginary playmate, I've been told I am mentally ill for believing in God, etc. Actually, it is against DU rules to disparage like that. So you probably should hit alert on posts such as that. But as for me, I just blow it off. They are entitled to their opinion, just as I am to mine. It doesn't diminish how I feel in any way.

I have no defensiveness whatsoever about my beliefs. I don't belong to any particular church, I am not a fundie. So 99% of what is said here about religion honestly doesn't bother me.