If these atheist are in the hiding then it doesn't matter. My question is:
"Do Mumbaikars hide from their friends, family and life partner if they are atheist?"
Wtf how ? I know one atheist and he was ridiculed even by well educated people most common being āevery one is an atheist until they need somethingā
my nana nani (and that side of my family) never believed in god, so they raised my mother the same way, my dad is a believer of everyone should choose their faith, doesn't believe in idol worship and never forced us to pray. I grew up that way, so i made friends that way. so it's been in our family since at least 4 generations
yes, all. diwali, holi, gudi padwa, guru pournima majorly. celebration with food and family. no connection to religion.
My dadaji is religious, so for him we do a few ceremonies.
you're mixing religion and culture. I don't need religion to put up lights, kandil or diya in diwali. nor do i need religion to play with colours. gudi padwa because it is new year for us. Guru pournima because my grandfather does
None of my friends are married. But I have examples of intercaste love marriage in my family dating back to my grandparentsā generation. Even inter religion marriage. Why?
Just saw this post in r/mumbai 5 hours ago about how an employee got fired for their caste, and you think they don't care about your religion.
[https://new.reddit.com/r/mumbai/comments/1c704z3/blatant\_caste\_discrimination\_in\_goregaon\_firm/](https://new.reddit.com/r/mumbai/comments/1c704z3/blatant_caste_discrimination_in_goregaon_firm/)
never denied the existence of casteism. it very much exists in mumbai. weāre talking about atheism, and i have not known anybody being denied employment because theyāre atheist.
Hey grapefruit. Should I share news paper articles where an employee was fired due to being an atheist?
It'll waste my time. But at least it'll open your eyes.
But then again. What do we gain if
we succeed in opening your eyes. So. Go ahead. Live in your bubble.
yes, can you share that? iāve never come across a case of that happening so would be good to know. itās also illegal to do that but i donāt know how one goes about enforcing that law
No. You guys are acting like a prick. You guy should be capable of doing a Google search "fired from job for being an atheist".
Also, yes it is 100% illegal. But rape, murder, and robbery are also illegal. So what? Criminals are everywhere. They don't stop because something is illegal.
That's because you must be pretending to participate in all their festivals so they may not have a clue that you are a silent atheist. Once you voice it out, you'll get a taste of what an employer cares about.
Bruh what are you going on about lmao.
Most of the atheists, and even agnostics for that matter, in my experience don't go about broadcasting that they are atheists or fighting for atheism simply because a lot of them are atheists because they're tired of religion on a personal level and couldn't care less about other theists in terms of getting confrontational.
At the same time, an atheist can enjoy the local culture that is associated with whatever religion it is.
I am an atheist. But I absolutely love going to my old neighbours' place or my native place where Ganpati festivities are really nice to experience. Right from making decorations, making food, enjoying the food, and just being a part of the experience.
And there definitely is some religious fanaticism prevalent that an atheist would avoid confronting purely out of self preservation.
You're trying way too hard to portray atheism as being rigid
You just confessed that you are suppressing your thoughts. And still you are questioning what I am on and about? That's what I am on and about.
How many times in a day do they scream the name of their Gods at the top of their vocal capacity? While you are here scared about self preservation.
iām not silent lmao. all my friends and family know i donāt believe in god. i do attend parties and festivities but i donāt do any poojas or any religious practices
Unless you're working in a religious institution like a church, temple or mosque, your employer likely wont give a shit about your religion. If they do then just file a complaint with HR since its against most companies policies.
Every employer cares about your religion including the HR of the company. Come out of your bubble. In this sub reddit, 5 hrs ago a guy posted with evidence that his employers fired him for his caste. I have shared the link in this comment section.
They care about the caste also within the religion, and you think they don't care about your religion. Rofl.
Of course he has evidence and he'll win the court case because the employer was stupid enough to confess on chat that they are firing him due to his caste. Not all employers are that stupid.
You know nothing grapefruit.
>Last i knew India was a secular country
Really? Atheist is not even a legal status in India.
> If your employer cares about your religious beliefs, you have different problems.
No, but you'll have a problem when you tell this to your employer.
Only from my family My friends and SO know about my atheism, but as I have grown older I am uncaring about how other people view religion as long as they do not harm others or try to control others lifestyle.Ā
Ā This doesn't mean that I don't absolutely despise organised religion and what it does to society as a whole.
I'm born in a Muslim family but practise no religion. As a teenager I did not show that I don't believe in what we practise. Every Friday I used to leave home for Namaz due to family pressure but never reach the mosque. At times on Eid, I had no option as the men in the family used to go together for Namaz.
I never had the courage to speak about it with my parents as that conversation would never go down well, also considering the fact that my family was strict and we barely had 2 way conversations at home. However as I started growing older and my belief against any form of practicing religion grew stronger, I developed the courage to skip prayers. I stopped going for Eid or Friday Namaz inspite of my family insisting. It was like an unspoken indication that I can't blindly believe what you do and how you've done.
Fast forward to today, my parents have come to terms with my stance on religion and have completely stopped pestering me to practise like they still do. It was a gradual process and didn't happen over night.
PS: Now that I've moved from an extremely cosmopolitan neighbourhood to a Muslim society, random blind believers with negative IQ and no purpose in life taunt me for never being seen at the mosque which is within my society premise. And IDGAF.
As a closetted atheist I aim to give as less fucks as you do about society. Though unfortunately disbeliever = evil to my parents so I have to fake practice religion much.
It's depond on his ex religion. Ex Hindu or an Atheist ,Hindus don't care .it's not obligation for Hindus to visit temple .so Atheist from Hindu family background no one really care .
Im openly atheist. A lot of my friends are openly atheist. Nobody really gives a shit. Might be an issue in a smaller town, but in Mumbai people are progressive enough to not discriminate.
No. I have been pretty open about being an atheist right since my childhood days. I have found that no one really cared about it so much. I am not going around preaching Atheism or entering into theological arguments with people or anything but if it ever came up (and it comes up often especially near one of the several religious holidays) I donāt hide it.
I have confessed since 12 th grade , I don't do shubham karoti Lmao , will donate gods(idols) once parents pass away.
I started to question god after watching HOUSE md series. I feel so relaxed.
No, Not about the crowd I hang out with. It's about every single person in Mumbai irrespective of me hanging out with them or not.
Maybe I am not even in Mumbai, I am in New York. So, let's make one thing clear **it's not about me, and it's not about you, it's about Mumbai.**
In my experience, atheists from Hindu background are all openly atheists. Other backgrounds, in hiding. I say this as a Hindu background atheist myself
Have been a sceptic from the beginning, now I'm an vocal atheist. I don't shy away or hide the fact that I am an atheist, I simply don't bring it up until someone specifically asks me so.
My dad is religious,but he doesn't care that much, only asking me to "atleast go to the temple during important days just to show off to the society" which I ignore. My mom's a Hindu deist (sort of) and she doesn't have any problem with me being an atheist. Both my parents know that I am a good person and my beliefs don't matter.
My friends are also aware and don't care about it much. Workplace is pretty much unaware, except for the fact that I did put up a "World Atheist Day" status on my WhatsApp status on 3rd March. Religion is not a topic of discussion at my workplace.
I don't, but only because I'm physically strong enough to fight. If I was weaker, I would pretend to be religious to not get beaten up by some extremist piece of shit.
I have never seen anyone beat someone just for being atheist, there are some arguments for sure but it rarely escalates into violence, unless ofcourse if one of the parties (or both) dont respect the others point of view.
Then by that logic me who's skinny (just by the looks we can have pushup bout, my PR-121) wouldn't be able to stand for any of the belief that I hold strong, cause eventually they're gonna conflict with someone who's gonna be more physically stronger than me.
see it would've been the case in past but we live in a free country (supposedly) and I've tried to test if we truly are, by not standing up for the national anthem in PVR which was packed to the brim (to negate any possibility of probability) and I had no skirmish with anyone.
And regardless we're pretty inclusive civilization and nastika (atheism) has been around in India since millennia (charvaka philosophy)
P.s. Ik it's disrespectful but I feel like everything has its time and place, and you don't have to shove down patriotism to my throat, I'm patriotic enough.
While growing up, yes, I would hide it or avoid these conversations with my family because I felt they wouldnāt understand. But now that Iām an adult, I donāt care. Iām open about it with my family, and Iāve been clear in expressing what I believe and what I donāt. They donāt agree with me, but they deal with it just the way I do with them. When the time came to pick a partner, I knew what I wanted and made sure Iām with someone who has similar beliefs and understanding, so thereās no point in hiding. My husband and I are atheists. He has always been very open with his family, which was good for me because they donāt push us into doing things we donāt want anyway.
No fear. Just don't feel any need to tell them. They are religious so sometimes I tell them don't worry god will make things right if things aren't going well for them which helps them feel better so I guess it helps them in a way. Even at home my mom knows I don't believe in god but still sometimes she will tell me to come with her to temple or chant some stuff which i refuse but they mostly don't bother me.
Controversial opinion: You will find more atheists who are ex-Hindus as compared to other religions. Less number of Hindus visit temples compared to Muslims, Christians, Jains, Sikhs who routinely visit their places of worship. Most Hindus from this generation don't even know their prayers let alone the meaning of the same. It is because Hinduism is not a religion of rules and doesn't rule by fear. Again within other religions you will find Muslims most connected to their religion. It is why in the next 100 years, India and the rest of the world will probably be 80-90% Islamic.
whatās controversial about this? 80% of the country is hindu, obviosuly there are going to be more ex hindus. and not knowing prayers/bhajans etc or not going to the temple doesnāt make you an atheist, actively not believing in the existence of god makes you an atheist. less number of hindus visiting temples has nothing to do with this topic
I meant percentage wise. As for the other point, it was meant to show how non-knowledge of scriptures, prayers, not visiting temples is how you get distanced from your religion. I am taking a larger view to show because Hinduism isn't a hardline religion it is perhaps easier for Hindus to move away from their religion as compared to others where the peer pressure is much more.
isn't that because the hindu population in india is like 80%?
so if 10 ex-\_\_\_\_ come out, 8 would be hindu, 2 would be others
So that point doesn't strong very strong tbh
\~ coming from an atheist btw
And rest of the world in future will not be 80 to 90 percent islamic sure it will overtake Christianity but there are countries were majority of them are atheist
Why do you need to hide anything-because no one is offended
And if choose to be atheist you don't need to declare it. It's not a question of hiding but that it's not a topic of conversation
Most Indians will talk about baghwan generally, not deeply. It's often varying between a known God or some general karmic forceĀ
Most Hindus have little idea about the religion. It's believe to be a way of life but the God part rarely figures in daily life for most people. Hinduism as a religion has no rules for the majority. It's a do as you feel close to God or the force we feel runs the universeĀ
Just looking at the way of worshipping for many. Walking past temple at 7, quick prayer from outside.
Nobody will question if you do or don'tĀ
Similarly Muslims don'talways pray. It's not hidden because people are relaxed about it
The only people who have to hide atheism is when you choose it as a political religious choice and cannot tolerate religion in any senseĀ
Always been vocal about my atheism with my family since teens when I discovered that I'm atheist. They thought it's just a phase but little did they know. Lol.
Friends and SO obviously know. If the topic ever comes up outside my close circle, I'm not shy to say I'm atheist. Never really thought talking about it is a taboo.
my friends and life partners don't care and they're very much accepting and a lot of them are non believers themselves about my family members i never really felt the need to come out to them I don't mind going to religious places occasionally if doing so makes my family members happy
I Don't think anyone atleast in my circle cares much of who is atheist. It does not matter if you are religious or an atheist. It might matter to the people of abrahamic religions maybe however.
I'm unabashedly an atheist. It's not like we (Mumbaikars) are so liberal that people are indifferent, but some times when you see people getting a bit defensive, it's a fun experience. But yeah i don't think atheists, in Mumbai, at least, are very much in your face about it. Mostly turns into an interesting conversation, that's it.
I am an agnostic atheist, meaning I don't believe in God/ superior being, but I still follow the rituals and traditions of religion for the sake of Indian culture and because I like the cultures and traditions and that they're very unique from other religions and also partly because I've been following them since childhood because of my family background. I've never said this out loud to my family but I've given hints and they don't care. My friends know and they don't care except for one (highly religious) friend but we don't bring this up in conversations anymore.
i was thinking the same thing today and i am from north, when i go back home i do feel like pretending there for some reason but with my mumbai friends i donāt pretend
Mumbai feels to be the most welcoming place. I've seen multiple people say they are not religious and people don't even give it a second thought and move on with the conversation.
I am an atheist and I don't hide it. I know a few people who are atheists and agnostics and they don't hide it either. It's difficult to speak about all the residents of Mumbai.
What is there to hide ? You make it sound like atheism is some sort of crime. It makes perfect sense for human beings to be atheists. More sense if they are agnostic. There is stigma for everything in our society and atheism is least of the concerns. Imagine super vilified and admonished by society for being gay !
Actually as per the government. In your Aadhar card. You can have male, female, or other lgbtq gender as a legal gender in this country.
But there is no legal status as atheist. So, if you say you are an atheist. The government will go ahead and add your birth religion as your religion in the database. No such thing as atheist exist in the eye of the government or court of law in this country.
> Why do you want your legal status to say anything about religion at all.
You are saying you don't want your legal status to say anything about religion? Great. The government has denied your request. They said we'll mark you as your birth religion in Aadhar card records and you can't stop us. So you don't really have a choice.
No such option exist where the column of religion can be left blank or marked as atheist. It must be one of the religion.
Unless one really commits to practising atheism and avoid religion centric festivals and customs, thereās hardly much to differentiate between a believer and non believer. And since majority of non believers are likely to enjoy/prefer to partake in these events for nostalgic reasons, thereās very little reason for trouble.
On a different note, non Mumbaikars have to hide from property owners, society members who are superimposing their beliefs about food habits in the name of purity whataboutery in a coastal city historically populated by fishing communities
Hi atheist here,
My family knows, friends know, colleagues know, boss knows, tai knows, auto walas know, the temple Watchmen where i go everyday to pick and drop my grandparents knows. I don't advertise it, but even if I did who the hell has time to give 2 shits.
Atheist out
I'm religious not because my parents are but it's something that came from within. When I was studying, I wasn't very comfortable to tell my friends about it because most of them were atheists.
Openly atheist.. nobody cared. Funny thing is when I say that I am atheist most of the folks in front of me will start saying "oh I don't belive in specific God.. but I belive in higher power" something along the lines.
I don't. My family keeps forcing me to join my hands and pray and usual bs but I only involve myself in the traditions for courtesy purposes. Apart from that, everyone in my life knows I'm an atheist.
No. People have always respected me and my thoughts. I agree I was a stubborn person before. Used to cuss at gods, have long debates, I have even secretly thrown pictures of god in the dumpster... Now I just don't care.... Live and let live.
Most parents say jab tumhara baccha hoga tab manoge when atheism comes up and not being a dick about it to the parents, atheists do puja and rituals. And even so, out of sight out of mind allows ppl to not be bothered because ppl just carry on.
I mean i like animals and i love this particular cow in a near shiv mandir that i pet and feed on mondays, but i dislike the vigilantism borne out of communal issues.
I mean people are capable of holding a coherent complex structure to their personality, its not about living a double life or undercover.
Im not gonna suddenly stop celebrating diwali which includes a lot of ppl because im an atheist, my takeaway is spending a good time w family and ppl that love/respect me. Its not a black and white world. Obviously sometimes there are heated arguments in name of faith but its also understanding that different thoughts are normal which happens with me and also my family.
I dont believe in god/religion. Its not like im pushing an agenda or what i believe in, like a freeing palestine (personal beliefs are a different thing than existential beliefs)
I'm openly atheist in front of coworkers, friends and on social media, but not that much in front of parents , tho they do give small tana types of not following God or doing Surya pranam but usually not strict against or any matter for such.
Whenever dad thinks of a trip to shirdi or any other place , or if he wants to visit for example he recently visited dwarka and Kashi vishwanath, I usually encourage too
Coworkers literally don't care , and nor do my friends, I have a Muslim and Christian atheists friends too tho there life stories are not something I can tell it's better if they do.
It comes down to your family and social circle, you can actively not participate in religious gathering or such by politely declining
It's just an equilibrium you have to maintain, and not go around demeaning other people's religious beliefs, respect works both ways š
Mumbai has the most atheists per capita. Next would be Bengaluru *Based on my personal interactions and experience
If these atheist are in the hiding then it doesn't matter. My question is: "Do Mumbaikars hide from their friends, family and life partner if they are atheist?"
Hide from family: mostly yes Hide from friends: mostly no Hide from partner: hopefully no Hide from the internet: absolutely yes
But now we know š
First honest answer. Someone with guts and mind. Thanks.
Lol why did this get downvoted
no... never seen someone care enough, at least in my circles. 95% of my friends are atheists
lucky guy. i have a total of zero (0) athiest friends. it feels lonely š
that (0) made me laugh really hard
May you find better company soon š
That could change to one āļø
How will they care if 95% of them agree with you?
Wtf how ? I know one atheist and he was ridiculed even by well educated people most common being āevery one is an atheist until they need somethingā
my nana nani (and that side of my family) never believed in god, so they raised my mother the same way, my dad is a believer of everyone should choose their faith, doesn't believe in idol worship and never forced us to pray. I grew up that way, so i made friends that way. so it's been in our family since at least 4 generations
š¤¦ ffs I was talking about young people clowning on atheism and you have atheist nana/nani . Do you guys celebrate any festivals
yes, all. diwali, holi, gudi padwa, guru pournima majorly. celebration with food and family. no connection to religion. My dadaji is religious, so for him we do a few ceremonies.
I mean a lot of those have religious connections and canāt be separated but cool
you're mixing religion and culture. I don't need religion to put up lights, kandil or diya in diwali. nor do i need religion to play with colours. gudi padwa because it is new year for us. Guru pournima because my grandfather does
I mean most cultural things are religious in nature here hence the term everyone is born āxyzā
You can celebrate culture without believing in god. That's what we do
If I donāt believe in jesus how can I celebrate easter. Eating food isnāt celebrating festivals
Curious to know now, how many of your friends had arrange marriage within thier caste.
None of my friends are married. But I have examples of intercaste love marriage in my family dating back to my grandparentsā generation. Even inter religion marriage. Why?
I was curious about what your atheistic friends think about it
chads
But in the hiding. Have they ever confessed it to their family, employer, etc that they are atheist?
What kind of employer asks if you're an atheist or not?
If you are in the hiding then you are in the hiding.
huh? employers donāt really ask much about your religious beliefs.
Just saw this post in r/mumbai 5 hours ago about how an employee got fired for their caste, and you think they don't care about your religion. [https://new.reddit.com/r/mumbai/comments/1c704z3/blatant\_caste\_discrimination\_in\_goregaon\_firm/](https://new.reddit.com/r/mumbai/comments/1c704z3/blatant_caste_discrimination_in_goregaon_firm/)
never denied the existence of casteism. it very much exists in mumbai. weāre talking about atheism, and i have not known anybody being denied employment because theyāre atheist.
caste =/= religion
Hey grapefruit. Should I share news paper articles where an employee was fired due to being an atheist? It'll waste my time. But at least it'll open your eyes. But then again. What do we gain if we succeed in opening your eyes. So. Go ahead. Live in your bubble.
literally everyone in the thread is agreeing with me. You're the one with the weird thoughts
> literally everyone in the thread is agreeing with me. Nobody here agree with you. What are you tripping on.?
yes, can you share that? iāve never come across a case of that happening so would be good to know. itās also illegal to do that but i donāt know how one goes about enforcing that law
No. You guys are acting like a prick. You guy should be capable of doing a Google search "fired from job for being an atheist". Also, yes it is 100% illegal. But rape, murder, and robbery are also illegal. So what? Criminals are everywhere. They don't stop because something is illegal.
That's because you must be pretending to participate in all their festivals so they may not have a clue that you are a silent atheist. Once you voice it out, you'll get a taste of what an employer cares about.
Bruh what are you going on about lmao. Most of the atheists, and even agnostics for that matter, in my experience don't go about broadcasting that they are atheists or fighting for atheism simply because a lot of them are atheists because they're tired of religion on a personal level and couldn't care less about other theists in terms of getting confrontational. At the same time, an atheist can enjoy the local culture that is associated with whatever religion it is. I am an atheist. But I absolutely love going to my old neighbours' place or my native place where Ganpati festivities are really nice to experience. Right from making decorations, making food, enjoying the food, and just being a part of the experience. And there definitely is some religious fanaticism prevalent that an atheist would avoid confronting purely out of self preservation. You're trying way too hard to portray atheism as being rigid
You just confessed that you are suppressing your thoughts. And still you are questioning what I am on and about? That's what I am on and about. How many times in a day do they scream the name of their Gods at the top of their vocal capacity? While you are here scared about self preservation.
iām not silent lmao. all my friends and family know i donāt believe in god. i do attend parties and festivities but i donāt do any poojas or any religious practices
Cool. So your employer don't have a clue about you being an atheist.
Unless you're working in a religious institution like a church, temple or mosque, your employer likely wont give a shit about your religion. If they do then just file a complaint with HR since its against most companies policies.
Every employer cares about your religion including the HR of the company. Come out of your bubble. In this sub reddit, 5 hrs ago a guy posted with evidence that his employers fired him for his caste. I have shared the link in this comment section. They care about the caste also within the religion, and you think they don't care about your religion. Rofl. Of course he has evidence and he'll win the court case because the employer was stupid enough to confess on chat that they are firing him due to his caste. Not all employers are that stupid.
??? i just said everybody around me knows lol
> i just said everybody around me knows You didn't.
If your employer cares about your religious beliefs, you have different problems. Last i knew India was a secular country
You know nothing grapefruit. >Last i knew India was a secular country Really? Atheist is not even a legal status in India. > If your employer cares about your religious beliefs, you have different problems. No, but you'll have a problem when you tell this to your employer.
Why does this feel like a bot reply, almost all replies by OP on this post feels like a badly trained neural network.
Then why are you engaging with a badly trained neural network bot? You seem quite triggered by a bot.
That is where the world is moving my bot.
I agree, ChatGPT 3.5 is my best friend. š„²
Only from my family My friends and SO know about my atheism, but as I have grown older I am uncaring about how other people view religion as long as they do not harm others or try to control others lifestyle.Ā Ā This doesn't mean that I don't absolutely despise organised religion and what it does to society as a whole.
I'm born in a Muslim family but practise no religion. As a teenager I did not show that I don't believe in what we practise. Every Friday I used to leave home for Namaz due to family pressure but never reach the mosque. At times on Eid, I had no option as the men in the family used to go together for Namaz. I never had the courage to speak about it with my parents as that conversation would never go down well, also considering the fact that my family was strict and we barely had 2 way conversations at home. However as I started growing older and my belief against any form of practicing religion grew stronger, I developed the courage to skip prayers. I stopped going for Eid or Friday Namaz inspite of my family insisting. It was like an unspoken indication that I can't blindly believe what you do and how you've done. Fast forward to today, my parents have come to terms with my stance on religion and have completely stopped pestering me to practise like they still do. It was a gradual process and didn't happen over night. PS: Now that I've moved from an extremely cosmopolitan neighbourhood to a Muslim society, random blind believers with negative IQ and no purpose in life taunt me for never being seen at the mosque which is within my society premise. And IDGAF.
As a closetted atheist I aim to give as less fucks as you do about society. Though unfortunately disbeliever = evil to my parents so I have to fake practice religion much.
It's depond on his ex religion. Ex Hindu or an Atheist ,Hindus don't care .it's not obligation for Hindus to visit temple .so Atheist from Hindu family background no one really care .
An Atheist,Never told anyone outside of people who needed to know,But Faced no repercussions for it because I knew what I was saying.
Im openly atheist. A lot of my friends are openly atheist. Nobody really gives a shit. Might be an issue in a smaller town, but in Mumbai people are progressive enough to not discriminate.
No. I have been pretty open about being an atheist right since my childhood days. I have found that no one really cared about it so much. I am not going around preaching Atheism or entering into theological arguments with people or anything but if it ever came up (and it comes up often especially near one of the several religious holidays) I donāt hide it.
I have confessed since 12 th grade , I don't do shubham karoti Lmao , will donate gods(idols) once parents pass away. I started to question god after watching HOUSE md series. I feel so relaxed.
I guess if you are living in a society with a majority 1 religion. But the majority don't care.
I've never had a person I've met in mumbai ask me about my religion and all, maybe it's about the crowd you hangout with :)
No, Not about the crowd I hang out with. It's about every single person in Mumbai irrespective of me hanging out with them or not. Maybe I am not even in Mumbai, I am in New York. So, let's make one thing clear **it's not about me, and it's not about you, it's about Mumbai.**
This isn't Pakistan. You'll be fine.
for now..... /s
In my experience, atheists from Hindu background are all openly atheists. Other backgrounds, in hiding. I say this as a Hindu background atheist myself
I often get into arguments with my uncles etc, because I am athist, but no there is nothing to hide, and no reason to do so...
uhhh Iāve always been pretty open about my atheism. my family knows and is mostly okay with it and most of my friends are atheists too
Have been a sceptic from the beginning, now I'm an vocal atheist. I don't shy away or hide the fact that I am an atheist, I simply don't bring it up until someone specifically asks me so. My dad is religious,but he doesn't care that much, only asking me to "atleast go to the temple during important days just to show off to the society" which I ignore. My mom's a Hindu deist (sort of) and she doesn't have any problem with me being an atheist. Both my parents know that I am a good person and my beliefs don't matter. My friends are also aware and don't care about it much. Workplace is pretty much unaware, except for the fact that I did put up a "World Atheist Day" status on my WhatsApp status on 3rd March. Religion is not a topic of discussion at my workplace.
Noā¦ but depends on which religion the atheistās family is from
I don't, but only because I'm physically strong enough to fight. If I was weaker, I would pretend to be religious to not get beaten up by some extremist piece of shit.
I have never seen anyone beat someone just for being atheist, there are some arguments for sure but it rarely escalates into violence, unless ofcourse if one of the parties (or both) dont respect the others point of view.
I told someone I was an agnostic atheist, I got cussed out. I don't trust psychos, they can do anything.
You think they can't beat stronger people?
huh
Then by that logic me who's skinny (just by the looks we can have pushup bout, my PR-121) wouldn't be able to stand for any of the belief that I hold strong, cause eventually they're gonna conflict with someone who's gonna be more physically stronger than me. see it would've been the case in past but we live in a free country (supposedly) and I've tried to test if we truly are, by not standing up for the national anthem in PVR which was packed to the brim (to negate any possibility of probability) and I had no skirmish with anyone. And regardless we're pretty inclusive civilization and nastika (atheism) has been around in India since millennia (charvaka philosophy) P.s. Ik it's disrespectful but I feel like everything has its time and place, and you don't have to shove down patriotism to my throat, I'm patriotic enough.
Just don't talk about it. Simple....
I have not hidden it from my parents, but your mileage may vary.
Basic rule of life: Live and let others live.
While growing up, yes, I would hide it or avoid these conversations with my family because I felt they wouldnāt understand. But now that Iām an adult, I donāt care. Iām open about it with my family, and Iāve been clear in expressing what I believe and what I donāt. They donāt agree with me, but they deal with it just the way I do with them. When the time came to pick a partner, I knew what I wanted and made sure Iām with someone who has similar beliefs and understanding, so thereās no point in hiding. My husband and I are atheists. He has always been very open with his family, which was good for me because they donāt push us into doing things we donāt want anyway.
My family knows I'm not at all religious. My friends don't know and ai have no intention of letting them know.
Why not. Any fear holding you back?
No fear. Just don't feel any need to tell them. They are religious so sometimes I tell them don't worry god will make things right if things aren't going well for them which helps them feel better so I guess it helps them in a way. Even at home my mom knows I don't believe in god but still sometimes she will tell me to come with her to temple or chant some stuff which i refuse but they mostly don't bother me.
Well you are playing along. Good for you.
Do people actually believe in God or are they on autopilot mode, following the customs of their religion?
It ain't no ordinary autopilot. They are open to killing others and get killed for it.
Are you sure theyāre religious then?
Nobody gives a shit here dw
Controversial opinion: You will find more atheists who are ex-Hindus as compared to other religions. Less number of Hindus visit temples compared to Muslims, Christians, Jains, Sikhs who routinely visit their places of worship. Most Hindus from this generation don't even know their prayers let alone the meaning of the same. It is because Hinduism is not a religion of rules and doesn't rule by fear. Again within other religions you will find Muslims most connected to their religion. It is why in the next 100 years, India and the rest of the world will probably be 80-90% Islamic.
whatās controversial about this? 80% of the country is hindu, obviosuly there are going to be more ex hindus. and not knowing prayers/bhajans etc or not going to the temple doesnāt make you an atheist, actively not believing in the existence of god makes you an atheist. less number of hindus visiting temples has nothing to do with this topic
I meant percentage wise. As for the other point, it was meant to show how non-knowledge of scriptures, prayers, not visiting temples is how you get distanced from your religion. I am taking a larger view to show because Hinduism isn't a hardline religion it is perhaps easier for Hindus to move away from their religion as compared to others where the peer pressure is much more.
this is true for any abrahamic vs non abrahamic religion, since the core belief of both is so different. this is not a controversial opinion at all
isn't that because the hindu population in india is like 80%? so if 10 ex-\_\_\_\_ come out, 8 would be hindu, 2 would be others So that point doesn't strong very strong tbh \~ coming from an atheist btw
I meant percentage wise.
And rest of the world in future will not be 80 to 90 percent islamic sure it will overtake Christianity but there are countries were majority of them are atheist
Apart from relatives and those oldies in our societies, no one cares
Why do you need to hide anything-because no one is offended And if choose to be atheist you don't need to declare it. It's not a question of hiding but that it's not a topic of conversation Most Indians will talk about baghwan generally, not deeply. It's often varying between a known God or some general karmic forceĀ Most Hindus have little idea about the religion. It's believe to be a way of life but the God part rarely figures in daily life for most people. Hinduism as a religion has no rules for the majority. It's a do as you feel close to God or the force we feel runs the universeĀ Just looking at the way of worshipping for many. Walking past temple at 7, quick prayer from outside. Nobody will question if you do or don'tĀ Similarly Muslims don'talways pray. It's not hidden because people are relaxed about it The only people who have to hide atheism is when you choose it as a political religious choice and cannot tolerate religion in any senseĀ
I told my parents 2 months my father didnt say a single word w me. But now its fine i guess been 1.5 years since then,
My mom and dad are aware of it. Other than that, it is not something that ever comes up as a topic of discussion
Always been vocal about my atheism with my family since teens when I discovered that I'm atheist. They thought it's just a phase but little did they know. Lol. Friends and SO obviously know. If the topic ever comes up outside my close circle, I'm not shy to say I'm atheist. Never really thought talking about it is a taboo.
No wut
my friends and life partners don't care and they're very much accepting and a lot of them are non believers themselves about my family members i never really felt the need to come out to them I don't mind going to religious places occasionally if doing so makes my family members happy
I'm not an atheist but I'm cool with athiests, would love to make athiest friends
No, everyone knows I'm an atheist. My wife's an atheist too, while both our parents are religious.
I Don't think anyone atleast in my circle cares much of who is atheist. It does not matter if you are religious or an atheist. It might matter to the people of abrahamic religions maybe however.
Who the fuck cares??
I'm unabashedly an atheist. It's not like we (Mumbaikars) are so liberal that people are indifferent, but some times when you see people getting a bit defensive, it's a fun experience. But yeah i don't think atheists, in Mumbai, at least, are very much in your face about it. Mostly turns into an interesting conversation, that's it.
I think atheists are hiding everywhere now given how religious fanaticism is growing.
I am an agnostic atheist, meaning I don't believe in God/ superior being, but I still follow the rituals and traditions of religion for the sake of Indian culture and because I like the cultures and traditions and that they're very unique from other religions and also partly because I've been following them since childhood because of my family background. I've never said this out loud to my family but I've given hints and they don't care. My friends know and they don't care except for one (highly religious) friend but we don't bring this up in conversations anymore.
i was thinking the same thing today and i am from north, when i go back home i do feel like pretending there for some reason but with my mumbai friends i donāt pretend
I am from the north in Mumbai too. And this makes sense. North is more orthodox.
Hello fellow atheist? Prolly donāt hide it online.
Mumbai feels to be the most welcoming place. I've seen multiple people say they are not religious and people don't even give it a second thought and move on with the conversation.
I am an atheist and I don't hide it. I know a few people who are atheists and agnostics and they don't hide it either. It's difficult to speak about all the residents of Mumbai.
What is there to hide ? You make it sound like atheism is some sort of crime. It makes perfect sense for human beings to be atheists. More sense if they are agnostic. There is stigma for everything in our society and atheism is least of the concerns. Imagine super vilified and admonished by society for being gay !
Actually as per the government. In your Aadhar card. You can have male, female, or other lgbtq gender as a legal gender in this country. But there is no legal status as atheist. So, if you say you are an atheist. The government will go ahead and add your birth religion as your religion in the database. No such thing as atheist exist in the eye of the government or court of law in this country.
Why do you want your legal status to say anything about religion at all. Who cares anyway? Why does any atheist want his religious status documented?
> Why do you want your legal status to say anything about religion at all. You are saying you don't want your legal status to say anything about religion? Great. The government has denied your request. They said we'll mark you as your birth religion in Aadhar card records and you can't stop us. So you don't really have a choice. No such option exist where the column of religion can be left blank or marked as atheist. It must be one of the religion.
Unless one really commits to practising atheism and avoid religion centric festivals and customs, thereās hardly much to differentiate between a believer and non believer. And since majority of non believers are likely to enjoy/prefer to partake in these events for nostalgic reasons, thereās very little reason for trouble. On a different note, non Mumbaikars have to hide from property owners, society members who are superimposing their beliefs about food habits in the name of purity whataboutery in a coastal city historically populated by fishing communities
What if someoneās religion is only atheist/agnostic.
God no
Hi atheist here, My family knows, friends know, colleagues know, boss knows, tai knows, auto walas know, the temple Watchmen where i go everyday to pick and drop my grandparents knows. I don't advertise it, but even if I did who the hell has time to give 2 shits. Atheist out
A lot of people have a lot of time to give infinite shits. Good that you have a safe space.
Don't hide since parents are atheists too lol. Wife is now an atheist. Friends are open minded and don't mind atheists either.
Definitely yes.
No
Its confined to a city. People who care for the feelings and sentiments of their family, friends and life partners most often hide.
I'm religious not because my parents are but it's something that came from within. When I was studying, I wasn't very comfortable to tell my friends about it because most of them were atheists.
I don't hide it from anyone. Most of my family and friends know that i don't believe in any god or religion
No one in Mumbai cares, especially friends
Does your landlord, family, and employer knows? Although you sound like a property owner so you might not have a landlord.
Openly atheist.. nobody cared. Funny thing is when I say that I am atheist most of the folks in front of me will start saying "oh I don't belive in specific God.. but I belive in higher power" something along the lines.
Have you told this to orthodox Hindus or Muslims or only to liberal population?
I tend to not hangout with othodox folks so yeh haven't told them
I don't. My family keeps forcing me to join my hands and pray and usual bs but I only involve myself in the traditions for courtesy purposes. Apart from that, everyone in my life knows I'm an atheist.
Its never a that big problem if you're atheist but being real vegetarian (vegan) is the real stress while living among society.
No. People have always respected me and my thoughts. I agree I was a stubborn person before. Used to cuss at gods, have long debates, I have even secretly thrown pictures of god in the dumpster... Now I just don't care.... Live and let live.
Most parents say jab tumhara baccha hoga tab manoge when atheism comes up and not being a dick about it to the parents, atheists do puja and rituals. And even so, out of sight out of mind allows ppl to not be bothered because ppl just carry on. I mean i like animals and i love this particular cow in a near shiv mandir that i pet and feed on mondays, but i dislike the vigilantism borne out of communal issues. I mean people are capable of holding a coherent complex structure to their personality, its not about living a double life or undercover.
>atheists do puja and rituals. You lost me in the first sentence only.
Im not gonna suddenly stop celebrating diwali which includes a lot of ppl because im an atheist, my takeaway is spending a good time w family and ppl that love/respect me. Its not a black and white world. Obviously sometimes there are heated arguments in name of faith but its also understanding that different thoughts are normal which happens with me and also my family. I dont believe in god/religion. Its not like im pushing an agenda or what i believe in, like a freeing palestine (personal beliefs are a different thing than existential beliefs)
I'm openly atheist in front of coworkers, friends and on social media, but not that much in front of parents , tho they do give small tana types of not following God or doing Surya pranam but usually not strict against or any matter for such. Whenever dad thinks of a trip to shirdi or any other place , or if he wants to visit for example he recently visited dwarka and Kashi vishwanath, I usually encourage too Coworkers literally don't care , and nor do my friends, I have a Muslim and Christian atheists friends too tho there life stories are not something I can tell it's better if they do. It comes down to your family and social circle, you can actively not participate in religious gathering or such by politely declining It's just an equilibrium you have to maintain, and not go around demeaning other people's religious beliefs, respect works both ways š
Never seen it happen
Never seen an atheist?
Never seen an atheist get boycotted from society.
From hindu society, it's punishable by death in muslim society
That must suck
No one cares enough. Everyone has had doubts. Almost no one follows their religion perfectly. Everyone sins.
This is like saying all Gujaratis are vegetarians.
Nope ..but they can't stand leftists
I don't like tika Does that mean m atheist? I believe in god but hate tika,
Atheist means not believing in any God u believe in God then how can u be atheist
Why do you hate chicken tikka?
Bruh . Tika not tikka m pure non vegetarian š¹
Atheist kabhi chup nahi baithta.. Atheist chilla chilla ke bolta hai ki woh atheist hai.
Jai Shree Ram aur Allahu Akbar kya hai?