i will add that homeopathy is not a religion, and that while relying on it in lieu of traditional medical treatment regardless of circumstance would be foolish, learning about it as an adjunct to traditional medicine isn't a terrible thing; it's better than proceeding WITHOUT learning about it! i have medical issues that i treat with standard medications, and i also know that if i have a bout of irritable bowel syndrome, nothing the doctor gives me will help and a nice short program of goldenseal tea will. a little knowledge is a dangerous thing. a lot of knowledge is a lot better!

g

I never was much into dating and i certainly never dated anyone religiousl i would never have been attracted to a religious person and i suspect no religious person would have been attracted to me. my fiancé believes in god in a general, vague way, but is not religious. i have never lost a job over my atheism, though i have certainly lost at least one for being jewish. i have never lost a friend over my atheism, though i might be about to lose one if she doesn't stop praying to jesus over my fiancé; she KNOWS he's jewish! how rude! i have never run for office so i have not had to deal with the law some states have that forbid atheists from running for office. my family was not religious so i never had to deal with rejection for my atheism; indeed, i didn't even know what my parents believed (or didn't) until well after i had left home. i guess all in all i've been lucky.

g

There is a price to . Yes . The dating part is easy sir . Pretty much ask the right questions prior to one . U still might end up having coffee w someone that eats small kittens for breakfast , and I trust that u will leave asap . For rest of interaction world , the price / cost depends of how much u willing to open mouth . I keep mine shut . When younger , had the need to teach and show others my ways etc . Now I smile and say nothing . Still same price , mental notes of people and situations that will never be close to me , but minus the confrontation . Y bother . I can work for the religious or the stupid . Sure . I have been in meetings that " lord and Jesus " will bless us all . Absolutely . The line for me is when / if I personally have to harbor anything immoral ( my standards), criminal . Then bets are off . There is a reason I have very few close friends , and there is a reason I did not reproduced . That was the price I paid .

I think the problem is not your skepticism, which I strongly share, but your militancy and the lack of enough patience, compassion, and communication. One can be both confrontational and patient and understanding...

Because I value truth (things that can be tested) over faith (belief without evidence) I do not tolerate theistic women. When a theist (even really hot women) initiate a topic that explores an intimate encounter, I change the subject and express my lack of tolerance for anybody that uses faith to falsely assert faith based belief as reality. It is sad when they realize they are not acceptable to me but I would rather live alone (and probably will) then share my life with a woman I can not respect.

It cost me the companionship of a girl with whom I was in love.

Nothing, wait let me check. Okay make it nothing at all.

To be blunt, your actions are no different than those of a self righteous religious person.. I don't believe rudeness is justified by belief systems, religious or otherwise. I also wouldn't define being a skeptic as rejecting alternative ideas. I'm skeptical about many mainstream things, as well as many far out things. I would call your attitude biased, not skeptical. And I would say the cost you are paying is typical of people willing to reject others who don't believe the way they do. There are prices to pay for skepticism but they are far easier to accept than the price you pay for snubbing others who don't believe the way you do.

If I could put a price to it then it will be something like zero dlls & zero cents

$14.37

There is no cost to not believing nonsense. Only gain. Sure, I decided not to work at a place where my boss makes his students watch the movie "Vaxxed." I got a better job closer to where I live. I can't be a part of that. It kills babies. I don't date people who believe nonsense. A relationship with a person like that wouldn't work. Why waste my time?

It's been pretty affordable, only costing me the occasional stink eye or bitter comment about me from someone too insecure to address me. Just never got into religion deeply enough to accumulate the same level of detritus as some on this site, and for that I guess I should be grateful, but not sure to whom.

Nothing.

And I would say that it has also cost you nothing, given the examples you cited. In all those examples you saved yourself a whole lot of grief later.

I've missed out on so many pyramid schemes and work from home opportunities, and probably billions of dollars from Nigeria.

no personal cost at all really however Scotland,s NHS is the last in UK to still be using the quack science of homeopathy whilst the rest of the country has decided that throwing money at an at best placebo effect based solution is not the best use for a resource stretched service

Blissful ignorance.

zero cost

Nothing. Except dumping a lot of annoying people from my life, and getting rid of religion.

I've only lost the company of those I wasn't sorry to see go.

But I will say that cupping is just like a really intense massage. The bruising may look weird, but it feels really good, especially if the practitioner slides them over your muscles instead of using them in a stationary manner. And who doesn't like a good massage?

All it's "cost" me is my tolerance for the delusions of others.