To All My Christian Friends:

[Rhea]

I love you. And none of it has anything to do with your religion. I’d love you if you lost god, because your god doesn’t make you who you are. If you lost your god, you would not become a liar and a thief and a murderer. You’re not good because you’re christian. You’re good becuase YOU are good.

So when I speak my piece about religion, which I find harmful and hateful and cruel, I’m not associating that with you, because you skip those parts. And when you skip them I love you. And if you skipped all of it, I’ll love you exactly the same.

And I feel the world will be better off without the bad parts of relligion and not miss any of the parts you call “good.”

 

[Jobar]

Practically all my family are Christians, except for one nephew. Not all of them attend services, but many do.

If I hated Christians just because of their religion, I'd have mighty little love in my life.

And, you know, most of them have learned to love me, despite my lack of religious faith- because my actions prove me a good person. Actions always speak louder than words.

 

[steve_bank]

I have run into the love is between Christians sentiment. Not always, the non believer is often treated as an outsider.

 

[fast]

No hostility.

I find that I can say just about anything. So moody am I, which is a funny way of saying so moody I am, which isn't as good as I am so moody, but surely better than I am moody, so. That was weird, but what I really want to say is that I'm not feeling particularly moody at the moment, thanks to those few posts.

 

[southernhybrid]

I too have many Christian friends. I love them too. Most of them are very tolerant of me, even though most of them know I'm an atheist. We never let that stand in the way of our friendships. Besides that, I love my mother, despite the fact that she indoctrinated me into a harsh version of Christianity. She did what she thought was best, so I just consider her a victim, and when I told her I was an atheist, she eventually accepted that. There is not reason not to love someone just because they have a different worldview than your own.

 

[steve_bank]

I understand the feeling in the OP. I have a problem with the idea of being socially tolerated by Christians. To me it is a deeaning position.

I knew a guy who married a Catholic and eventually converted. He did it so he could attend social functions with his wife.