What has been the weirdest or worst response you have received from telling someone you are an atheist/nonbeliever/freethinker etc?
A few years ago a local United Methodist was gathering items for victims of a tornado. I got into a conversation with the pastor. I went to his house and was unloading the items with him until he asked to which church do I belong? When I said I am Agnostic, he IMMEDIATELY turned around said if I had anything else to give don't hesitate AS HE HEADED FOR THE DOOR AND CLOSED IT BEHIND HIM!!!
My 11yh grade homeroom teacher threw me out of class for doing an imitation of Billy Graham selling Christ Elixer. I didn't even show up for class that day, either. She told me, a 16 year old, that one day I was going to "get it" and not meant to mean understand. I said by who, your god, and out I was sent. At 16, I did a pretty good imitation of a drunken Graham.
I was born and raised in the Philippines, which, as you may know, has a huge Christian population. That's more than 86%, followed by an eclectic list of native, indigenous, and global cult variations. My mother--a cheapskate who isn't aware of the value of quality education--put her openly atheist son in a Born-Again Christian high school. I butted heads with the Director many times because I was an annoying, cocky teenager and was elected class president soon after I'd joined the Junior High class. I was shiny, I was influential, I was an ATHEIST. Once, she was lecturing me about my Hell-bound ways when I decided to roll my eyes back and convulse. Her eyes got SO BIG. Another time she brought a man whom she'd claimed was a plastic surgeon to school. After introducing us, she said he would work on my facial burns for free if I converted to her lame-o cult. I know, right? WOW.
My grandmother gasping and muttering under her breath "oh, no".
Why do you hate God? That was from a friend and neighbor. It is about as strong as one would get here. Most people are on our side here.
A person said, " so you worship Baal" . I explained to her that Baal was a God, just like her God was. Being atheist means I don't worship any God or goddess, so worshiping Baal isn't an option.
@Crimson67 People also think I am Wiccan, because I am Pagan. I explain constantly, that I am atheist pagan, not Wiccan, since I do not worship any gods or goddesses. They can't wrap their heads around that.
Lost a couple of friends, but I guess that really means they were never true friends anyway!
I don’t think that I’ve ever told anyone that I’m an atheist - because I’m not. I don’t disbelieve that god exists because I cannot prove that any god exists or does not exist. I believe in the christian god as much as the Norse god or Klingon god. What I don’t believe in is someone telling me their stupid beliefs are better or more correct than my stupid set of (non) beliefs. Now when someone asks if I’m christian and I get a condescending reply of “That’s sad” when I say no, I find that annoying, but not the worst. Worst or weirdest would be that woman on Wife Swap that had a meltdown because someone doesn’t share her insane thoughts, glad I haven’t experienced that in my life.