Dagery wrote:
Girl: Oh, you're such a good Christian. I'm so glad the Lord was with me today when he sent you. You should come to my church some time!
Me: No thanks.
Girl: Why not?
Me: *Casually* I'm an atheist.
Girl: Oh, Jesus have mercy on you, then.
The important thing in this exchange is to realize that for many, their religious beliefs are first. You see this in the most devote believers of most faiths. While this can be irritating for many, true believers have no real choice because true belief is spreading the word. Your exchange with this girl was:
Girl: I believe God is watching over me, and I'm fishing to find out if we might have similar beliefs, since you are so nice.
You: I'm not really interested in your religion.
Girl: Why not?
You: I don't believe there is a God.
Girl: I can't imagine living without my certainty that God is with me, and I feel sorry for you that you don't have that in your life.
Dagery wrote:
But the thing that got me thinking was that many, if not most, religious Americans really believe that in order to be a good person you have to believe the same (for lack of a better word) bullshit that they do.
She probably sincerely felt pity for you. That's how she believes, and true believers are "fishers of men." And, IMHO, you did well to walk away without trying to convince her that she's stupid. Why would you try to take away someone's belief, anyway? You think she believes in fairy tales. That's fine. But, if those fairy tales make her life happier, why take them away?
inb4: But, dooj, they're pushing their shit on me! Why can't I fire back? Because you are entering an fruitless argument. It's better to simply "be happy for them in their certainty."
Dagery wrote:
Apparently, this girl's prior teachings held that unless someone believed in their god, they were evil and should be ostracized for their nonbelief. Or at least that's what I assume.
First off, she didn't say you were evil. She also invited you to her church, which is certainly not an attempt to ostracize (although, I'll admit that you'd have likely been ultimately unwelcome there if you continued in your disbelief).
Dagery wrote:
So, people of FUBU, what are your views on how religious influences have supposedly affected morality --- to be specific, since the second millennium BCE --- or vice versa? It's something that I've already decided on, but I'd like to read up on some opposing viewpoints if any are available.
My personal views are that religious teachings are guidelines for people to live by that will reduce the inevitable conflicts that men are so prone to have. These teachings are much like Aesop's Fables, or Grimm's Fairy Tales; stories with morals/lessons. I personally read the bible, but I believe most of it to be metaphorical. So, my opinion is that, overall, religion improves morality, even when you factor in the zealots from every faith who use religion for evil.