The 'Violent Atheist'
Stereotype Is A Lie
Erica Hines
From: "Erica Hines"
To: "Positive Atheism" <editor@positiveatheism.org>
Subject: Positive_Atheism_Letters_Section
Date: Tuesday, June 06, 2000 2:38 PM
to cliff:
you guys dont know how happy i was to find this website!!!! finding other atheist are like finally finding other people that speak your alien language!!!! i do want to compliment you on such a rational and positive website, i feel like it intelligently shows that the violent stereotype, that atheist have no decency and will rape and ravage the world (if given a chance), is a lie and that there is so much more to us.
its so hard to find someone to talk to about atheism so im wirting to you for some guidance into my beliefs. im young (early twenties) and still somethings are unclear. i was raised atheist and that is the "title" that i give myself. however i do have certain beliefs which im not sure are consistant with my "title". first i defineately dont believe in the great sourcerer, or divine hit-man as i like to call "him" in the sky. i believe that we are all energy, that goes into our surrounding (or universe) when we die, in turn our bodies replenish the earth. i think that everything is energy manifested in different forms. as far as cause and effect,i feel that the intentions and energy that you put out in treating others will come back to in a boomerang type way. where we come from i dont know, i dont believe in the big bang theory or a lot of scientific stuff, to me their discoveries are forever changing and contradictory especially in the medical field. i have a very high respect for nature and all life, i believe that the universe is perfect, for lack of a better word, and everything we need is already here in its natural form.
another concern is that with strangers im "a closet atheist" ive heard other atheist refer to this as being a bad thing. dont get me wrong i dont go around shouting halliluliah (however you spell it) are saying that i believe in god, but i will hold hands in their prayers or bow my head for grace. i do this mainly because i dont want to deal with the ignorant reaction of not doing so, the stupid circular arguments and because (this sounds bad) i think that they are weaker in a sense and whatever gets them up in the morning, makes them feel better about life, or helps them be a better person i dont want to take from them. even though religionS (not just christianity) are constantly being shoved down my throat, i leave them alone about theirs like i wish they would to for me about mine. bhuddism is very appealing to me, i guess because of very little to no mentioning of a god and their more concerned about getting intouch with yourself and being at peace. ok to sum it all up i guess, besides wanting to finally get this stuff out, are my feeling in accordance to the basic atheistic beliefs and is being "in the closet" an inconstistancy in atheism?
i know this is long and i do appreciate you reading this. hopefully what i wrote makes some kind of sense and you can point out what in your OPINION is non-logical. thanks for the help!!!!!!
Material by Cliff Walker (including unsigned editorial commentary) is copyright ©1995-2006 by Cliff Walker. Each submission is copyrighted by its writer, who retains control of the work except that by submitting it to Positive Atheism, permission has been granted to use the material or an edited version: (1) on the Positive Atheism web site; (2) in Positive Atheism Magazine; (3) in subsequent works controlled by Cliff Walker or Positive Atheism Magazine (including published or posted compilations). Excerpts not exceeding 500 words are allowed provided the proper copyright notice is affixed. Other use requires permission; Positive Atheism will work to protect the rights of all who submit their writings to us.