Atheists Know Religion Better Than Religious

[mcm1610]

Re: teaching religions in school

People often incorrectly assume you can't teach about religion in school. As long as you're not preaching, but actually informing the students about what followers of that religion believe, then you're in the clear. But as soon as you start discussing Islam, some ultra-conservative starts throwing a hissy-fit and yelling about how "we can't have Christianity in schools, but they can preach Islam to our children!" It's ridiculous.

There is a world of difference between becoming familiar with a religion and following it. I read about other religions quite often, but don't believe in anything resembling a god myself. If you know about it, you can relate to people so much better on things regarding faith, bridge cultural divides, not sound like a raving lunatic when the issue of religion comes up, and, most importantly, just not be an ignoramus.

[brotherkyle]

I went to Catholic school too. That's the best way to get someone away from religion, send them to one for 9 years.

Backed. It was pretty brutal. I would rather have class than go to school mass every week. Hypocrites to the max. How ridiculous were your religion classes? Better yet, how awesome were your retreats?

[mcm1610]

I went to two years of a Catholic High School, and sophomore year religion I learned more about Judaism than Catholicism and I liked that they did that. I don't know if they venture further into other religions in junior or senior year though. (Freshman year was all about Catholicism/Christianity).

[bunnypuncher]

"Many Americans think the constitutional restrictions on religion in public schools are tighter than they really are," Pew researchers wrote.

This part surprised me the least. Religious people fucking love feeling prosecuted.

[birdwell]

silly Christians...

[controlthebleeding]

i just want to know.. do sober people mind being around people who are drinking. Not getting drunk per se. But having a few beers over conversation. or 8 drinks over conversation (depending on your tolerance).

justin, you're excluded because you go to fest, so i know your stand on it. I also believe some of you. My mom never drank a drop in her life, nor did any illegal drug or smoked a cigarette. the rest of my family on the other hand were drinking till death, and my dad was a recovering alcoholic (not by choice...more by ultimatum) So i don't find it hard to believe.

funny though that my great grandmother who smoked and drank (scotch or whiskey) all her life had no health problems till she dropped head first into the sink while washing dishes at the ripe ol' age of 94. Lady never even had arthritis or was even short of breath. Yet my mom is arthritic, has had cancer twice, had 8 strokes, a heart attack, and numerous operations and is completely immobile. Funny how things like that work out.

[goraiders]

http://www.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,2014332,00.html

[bunnypuncher]

i just want to know.. do sober people mind being around people who are drinking. Not getting drunk per se. But having a few beers over conversation. or 8 drinks over conversation (depending on your tolerance).

My bass player in my old band has been straight edge for 21 years (he's 37 now, and yes, he was into some heavy shit before he was 16). He was perfectly fine hanging out with and being in a band with me (drunk) and our drummer (drunk AND stoner). That seems to be the case with all the old Seattle edgers... they hang out at the same bars as the rest of their friends, they're just drinking "a tall OJ, no ice" (my bass player's drink of choice, haha).

[kyacrash]

i just want to know.. do sober people mind being around people who are drinking. Not getting drunk per se. But having a few beers over conversation. or 8 drinks over conversation (depending on your tolerance).

I'm straight edge and most of my friends at least drink and smoke weed. I have plenty of friends who do a lot more too. I've had parties at my house over the years where I've supplied the kegs and whatnot too. often times people find that weird, but for me it's normal. I mean my friends are real close, like family, and for me to not want to hang out with them because they drink or whatever isn't even fathomable. also, with the exception of my sister, the very few sXe people i've met over the years haven't been that cool, so it's not like us sober people hang out with each other because we're sober.

and as far as breaking edge goes, can't really speak for "most people", but I went through high school, college, and the military and none of that has caused me to start drinking or give in or anything. And trust me, everyone has tried to get me to. I don't like making "decisions for life", but I do have a razor blade tattoo over my heart, so I don't foresee myself drinking anytime soon (or ever) .

and for the record if you couldn't already tell, I definitely don't judge people for drinking/not drinking or breaking edge. if one day you wake up and want to drink, you should drink. if the only reason you don't drink is because you've been sober x amount of years, well, i think that's kinda dumb.

[user456]

http://www.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,2014332,00.html

That's the worst Time article I've ever read.

[lonesomexloveus]

i just want to know.. do sober people mind being around people who are drinking. Not getting drunk per se. But having a few beers over conversation. or 8 drinks over conversation (depending on your tolerance).

justin, you're excluded because you go to fest, so i know your stand on it. I also believe some of you. My mom never drank a drop in her life, nor did any illegal drug or smoked a cigarette. the rest of my family on the other hand were drinking till death, and my dad was a recovering alcoholic (not by choice...more by ultimatum) So i don't find it hard to believe.

virtually all my friends drink, and i don't mind it at all. most of them are actually really accepting of me not drinking; at a holiday party last year the host got me my own bottle of sparkling grape juice. one of my good friends is a bartender and whenever i go hangout when she's bartending, she makes me non-alcoholic drinks. i want people to respect my decision to not drink, so i respect someone's decision TO drink.

i do not, however, tolerate sloppy drunken behavior and people drinking until they are sick. i told my friends that i'll gladly help them out for any reason, at any hour UNLESS their problem is of their own doing because they drank themselves into a stupor.

funny story: i had the same roommate for 4 years in college and we're still good friends (in fact, i was just a bridesmaid in her wedding in may). she knew i didn't care if she was drinking, but i have a weird vomit-phobia and my only stipulation was that she couldn't get so drunk that she threw up in the room. we lived in a suite with our own bathroom so we didn't have to use the communal ones down the hall. one night she came home completely wasted, watched a rerun of ER with me, and went to bed. the next morning her boyfriend told me that he found her at 3am in the bathroom down the hall hugging a toilet. apparently, despite being obliterated, she had the presence of mind to run down the hall to barf several times during the night, ahahaha. best roommate.

[xjustinxschwierx]

i just want to know.. do sober people mind being around people who are drinking. Not getting drunk per se. But having a few beers over conversation. or 8 drinks over conversation (depending on your tolerance).

justin, you're excluded because you go to fest, so i know your stand on it. I also believe some of you. My mom never drank a drop in her life, nor did any illegal drug or smoked a cigarette. the rest of my family on the other hand were drinking till death, and my dad was a recovering alcoholic (not by choice...more by ultimatum) So i don't find it hard to believe.

virtually all my friends drink, and i don't mind it at all. most of them are actually really accepting of me not drinking; at a holiday party last year the host got me my own bottle of sparkling grape juice. one of my good friends is a bartender and whenever i go hangout when she's bartending, she makes me non-alcoholic drinks. i want people to respect my decision to not drink, so i respect someone's decision TO drink.

i do not, however, tolerate sloppy drunken behavior and people drinking until they are sick. i told my friends that i'll gladly help them out for any reason, at any hour UNLESS their problem is of their own doing because they drank themselves into a stupor.

funny story: i had the same roommate for 4 years in college and we're still good friends (in fact, i was just a bridesmaid in her wedding in may). she knew i didn't care if she was drinking, but i have a weird vomit-phobia and my only stipulation was that she couldn't get so drunk that she threw up in the room. we lived in a suite with our own bathroom so we didn't have to use the communal ones down the hall. one night she came home completely wasted, watched a rerun of ER with me, and went to bed. the next morning her boyfriend told me that he found her at 3am in the bathroom down the hall hugging a toilet. apparently, despite being obliterated, she had the presence of mind to run down the hall to barf several times during the night, ahahaha. best roommate.

that is impressively considerate.

[lonesomexloveus]

virtually all my friends drink, and i don't mind it at all. most of them are actually really accepting of me not drinking; at a holiday party last year the host got me my own bottle of sparkling grape juice. one of my good friends is a bartender and whenever i go hangout when she's bartending, she makes me non-alcoholic drinks. i want people to respect my decision to not drink, so i respect someone's decision TO drink.

i do not, however, tolerate sloppy drunken behavior and people drinking until they are sick. i told my friends that i'll gladly help them out for any reason, at any hour UNLESS their problem is of their own doing because they drank themselves into a stupor.

funny story: i had the same roommate for 4 years in college and we're still good friends (in fact, i was just a bridesmaid in her wedding in may). she knew i didn't care if she was drinking, but i have a weird vomit-phobia and my only stipulation was that she couldn't get so drunk that she threw up in the room. we lived in a suite with our own bathroom so we didn't have to use the communal ones down the hall. one night she came home completely wasted, watched a rerun of ER with me, and went to bed. the next morning her boyfriend told me that he found her at 3am in the bathroom down the hall hugging a toilet. apparently, despite being obliterated, she had the presence of mind to run down the hall to barf several times during the night, ahahaha. best roommate.

that is impressively considerate.

when i say 'best roommate' i really mean.....'best roommate EVER'.

i'm pretty laidback about everything, and that was literally the only thing i specifically asked of her. also, we had/have the kind of relationship where we stipulated in our mandatory roommate contract for the college that we had to be bridesmaids in each others weddings. and no seafoam green dresses allowed. (for the record, hers came dangerously close to violating the second stipulation)

[controlthebleeding]

yeah, i only ask this, because a friend of mine that tends to get annoyed with anyone drinking in front of him. he's made crazy stories up about our friends who drink just to prove his point. He says he was drinking young and stopped when he was 16. But no one who knows him ever remembers him drinking. Not his father, brother, friends. So i think he's basically straight sober and scared to even try it because he thinks everyone who drinks turns out like bukowski.

i personally never drink in front of recovering alcholics. well unless it's been years and i know they are fine with it. Then again i don't drink that often. and never to get drunk.

alison: what if they are not sloppy drunks, but somehow got themselves in a situation and were pissed drunk. I only ask because people will sometimes drink a bit too much and won't notice it until it hits them like a tank.

and you have a vomit phobia? me too. Well sorta. i can hear it, but if i see it, it's like the story in "Stand by Me" occurs. And i can clean up shit, piss, and blood, but vomit will make me hurl in seconds.

[xadamhudsonx]

I'm straightedge and work in a bar. While I don't necessarily like drunks (or cleaning up after them, you bastards) I don't mind being around people who drink or in that environment.

That's why I never understood the hardline mentality. What do I care if someone else wants to do it... or does it to the point where they don't know the difference between a $1 and a $10...

[mcm1610]

One of my best friends is a recovering alcoholic now and for a good year and a half wouldn't come near anyone with alcohol. Nothing against them, she just couldn't handle it herself. She's quite comfortable now and everyone is supportive of her, so she's doing well.

I drink, though, and I hate being around drunk people when I'm sober. It sucks.

[controlthebleeding]

One of my best friends is a recovering alcoholic now and for a good year and a half wouldn't come near anyone with alcohol. Nothing against them, she just couldn't handle it herself. She's quite comfortable now and everyone is supportive of her, so she's doing well.

I drink, though, and I hate being around drunk people when I'm sober. It sucks.

well i think being around sloppy drunks is bad news too. If it's a once and while thing i'm forgiving of my friends, as some of them can be tolerable. Others i don't want to be near. I don't mind be sober around people drinking. If i want to drink i will. if not i'm fine too.

[xxmartinxx]

In case anyone wants to take the quiz.

http://features.pewforum.org/quiz/us-religious-knowledge

I got 13 out of 15 right.

[garrygumguru]

I got 12/15...but mostly because I read this thread before taking it. Probably would have got 2 or 3 more wrong had I not.

I like how this changed into a conversation about straight edge/ drinking though. I don't mind when people drink around me, unless they're really drunk. But I hate going to shows where people insist upon bringing their overflowing beverage into the crowd and spilling it on everyone...that's not cool.

[goraiders]

11/15 with what he said.

The hardest ones are the christian ones, like its not that difficult to figure out vishnu sounds indian and ramadan sounds middle eastern (although I knew that one)

[controlthebleeding]

In case anyone wants to take the quiz.

http://features.pewforum.org/quiz/us-religious-knowledge

I got 13 out of 15 right.

10 out of 15. meh.

[lonesomexloveus]

15/15!

and i can honestly say that i didn't know the answer to one of the questions prior to reading this article. that's what i get for growing up with mostly jewish kids. and taking a religions class in college. well, that and all my art history classes, oddly enough lol.

[hankmurphy]

Yeah I took a a great Judeo-Christianity class at Penn State a few years ago so I could better understand what is the fucking deal with the Bible.

The deal is that the Bible is completely bogus.

[lonesomexloveus]

Yeah I took a a great Judeo-Christianity class at Penn State a few years ago so I could better understand what is the fucking deal with the Bible.

The deal is that the Bible is completely bogus.

HEARD.

i took a class called religion and violence, which was a free elective for me and solely taken because i needed more credits to graduate, but it was a really awesome class. it covered everything from the holocaust to iraq and then some, and we even watched a movie i recommended for the class.

[riddle350]

I got 13/15 as well. I missed the Jewish one and the Great Awakening which is especially embarrassing seeing as how I learned about it last year