Can't wish wonderful Mr Carlin anything, 'cause he's dead. I can just say, watch his stuff on Youtube and laugh for awhile, and think, and laugh some more. He was a brilliant, funny man.
I was having a martini with some friends and one of them told another that I was an atheist. I guess it's like bragging that you have an exotic pet or a rare disease to have a friend who's an atheist. Anyway this newly notified person said in complete sincerity,
"Aren't you afraid of hell when you die?" And I said,
"Okay, you just heard that I'm an atheist and you don't ask me if I feel bereft of God's love, or forgiven of sin, or lonely without God's presence. You ask me if I'm not afraid when I die. What does that say about your belief if the first thing you think of is fear of retribution? And no, I'm not afraid of when I die. I'll be dead, it will be over, that's it."
To be honest, this Catholic friend admitted that it was interesting that her first thought was about hell. We seem to be at the point with atheism where African Americanism was 20 years ago, and where being gay was 5 years ago; you can be an atheist as long as you're clean, polite, and shut-up about it until a believer kindly brings it up. Then wan smiles all around, a timid question or two, and it's back to "normality"
1 comment:
The irony, Audrey, is that as a Christian, I often have the same experience. Many of my friends and family are atheists or agnostics, so my beliefs make people slightly uncomfortable. My brother once announced to a girl he was dating that I was a Christian, like it was some sort of rare disease. I know he didn't mean any harm... he just doesn't know what to make of my faith.
I have gotten very used to the awkward silence when people find out. They are afraid to say anything or ask any questions because they worry that I will start trying to convert them!
It's interesting that we are on two ends of a spectrum, and yet experience the same thing.
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