I hope this group is active!
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FinallyFatToFit
Posts: 37 Member
Hi, I'm on and off my weight loss journey, I have a lot to lose and I'm dealing with some other issues. I'm on another group for losing a lot of weight and all I hear is 'prayers' being sent. I like the group because losing this much weight has challenges different than other groups (none of it is easy, just that challenges faced by bigger folks are specific to us). But I need a group where I am not going to be hearing about how blessed people are. I saw a few other groups labeled as atheist but none were active. I hope this is active and full of decent (e.g. NON TROLLS) people!!!!
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You might have noticed that it isn't very active, but you can help change that...
The whole thing about "sending prayers" really bothers me too. It is slightly better to "send positive vibes" or to say "I'm thinking about you" as ways to show empathy. Awhile back, one of my MFP friends posted constantly about how we should "pray for x" constantly. Of course, I know that "prayer" might help the person praying to feel better; yet prayer contributes nothing to real problems. So when this person posted to Pray for France back when they had the terrorist attacks, I responded to point out that prayer doesn't really help and if she wanted to make a difference, there are things that actually help. So then she gets defensive, we go back and forth, and she un-friended me (I'm better off).
I live in a conservative and very xtain town in the midwest, so being an atheist here is rough. I'm also childfree (meaning I neither have nor want kids) and liberal in most all of my opinions, so it is especially rough where I live. So the atheist groups (mostly Facebook) are one of the places I can socialize without getting death threats.2 -
I SO get this. I am liberal and work in a super conservative place. Being an atheist is probably worse than killing someone since for that latter I can at least atone (though wouldn't the person I killed be in heaven too and be pissed to have to hang out with me). Anyway.....I did the same thing about France (and so many others) and said I'm sure it would be more valuable to donate blood to your local blood bank. I post similar things on 9/11 anniversaries, not to talk about it but do something good. I would pit my charity donations against any of those folks (tithing doesn't count!). Sorry, I'm ranting, I usually save that for facebook too (my local atheist group had to go 'private' because people in there weren't all 'out' to their families so trolls came and tried to out people). So people have to be invited to join now which isn't helpful but it's necessary.
Thanks for responding. As for MFP how is someone blessed because they lost weight? The 'holidays' are coming up (in quotes because we all know which 'holiday' is implied) and I'm a freaking basket case then and I know these boards will (not literally) kill me.
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I visit this page occasionally but usually keep fairly quiet. My real name is on line and I know if it becomes widely know that I consider myself an atheist a lot of people will treat me differently. I am glad however that there are like minded individuals on this page.
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I visit this page occasionally but usually keep fairly quiet. My real name is on line and I know if it becomes widely know that I consider myself an atheist a lot of people will treat me differently. I am glad however that there are like minded individuals on this page.
I don't think it would be a huge surprise to people who know me IRL. It isn't like I'm visiting some tax-free building every week and talking to someone that doesn't exist. Many probably already know.1 -
I am lucky. I live in a country that although it is considered Christian Most people don't really care. Not many people go to church and most don't really care what you believe as long as you don't push it on others. I can only imagine how hard it must be to live in a community/family where you're considered a lesser person because your belief system does not follow the majority.0
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Finally! a great and sane place to go to get away from all of the prayer. I need to lose weight and get in shape without the dogma, A humanist page(s) would be really wonderful too. Hello fellow free-thinkers. I've been low carb up to now and have a friend who is working on the Starch Solution regimen .. other than that just reasonable portioning and loads of veggies. I need to move more but have issues with 2 kinds of arthritis, and degenerative disks in my spine. Have a great day everyone
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Hi! Just signed up today and found this group. YEA! I am very open about my atheism more and more but it has been very isolating and my friend base has become nonexistent, I live and work in a very christian community and they don't like my responses when they talk about their imaginary friend (I don't bring up religion, it's usually them but then I don't stay silent and so I'm the problem?). That, plus the new order that began in the US (where I live) has been so hard. So I've been very depressed and isolated and shoved food in my face. So glad to be here with folks who get that I don't need prayers but actual support to get healthy! Thanks in advance!!!2
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Coming from the UK I can not imagine what it is like to live all of my life in a place where religion is really pushed down your throat.
How can people believe in this utter garbage in this day and age?
What there is a man in the sky with a big beard who makes everything, knows everything. He allows children's cancer, the Holocaust, Hitler, Stalin and Trump???
Do not give me the old Free will argument. It is BS.
Do not try telling me that he created dinosaur fossils, why for what reason?
Do not brain wash our children that evolution is not true and the crap that is Intelligent design is anything more than a ridiculous theory of a dying idea that should have been buried 000s of years ago.
Oh yes hello to all others who can think for themselves and who do not need a mythical crutch to be good people.3 -
Very excited to find this group. I'm a closet atheist at the moment because around here people just assume you're a bad person if you're not a Christian. Haven't even told my close friends because I'm afraid of judgement. It's refreshing to see that there are others out there who believe the same as me, sometimes I forget that living here. I'm also mostly liberal; not terribly common around here either, but most of my co-workers and friends share those opinions, they consider themselves liberal Christians.1
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I came out to my Irish Roman Catholic parents when I was 12 years young. I now live in France where 40% of the population are fellow traveller’s.1
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Awesome to see new reasonable rational free-thinkers joining!! yayyyyyyyyy LOL .. a place of sanity in a world gone crazy. I'm Canadian (where easily 49% of the population are humanist/atheist) .. but I live in Alaska and am drowning in bible-thumpers. Math science and the cosmos are so amazing and wonderful in themselves - its surprising the number of people who still believe ancient superstitious fiction written by desert dwellers (written when fully only a fraction of 1% of the worlds population could read or write) about a childish selfish imaginary all seeing all knowing invisible man in the sky who loves you, but will send you to burn in hell for eternity if you don't love him back (or eat fruit). I was raised by my mum, a staunch atheist, after she rescued us from my abusive father when I was 6. She passed 2 yrs ago - I miss her every day.1
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I finally "came out" last week, and it has been freeing. My husband and I are both athiests, but work for a Catholic hospital, surrounded by people of faith, in a very small town, so it has been a very big deal for me to announce to all that I dont believe in their fairy tales. My hubby is not ready to do this for fears of repercussions from our bosses, coworkers, and so called friends, but I cannot live a lie anymore. Im tired of having to look busy at work every morning so people wont look at me funny cause Im not praying when the chaplain comes on overhead to lead us in prayer. Im sick to death of people blessing me, or saying they'll pray for me if Im having a hard day. Im sick to death of their snide comments about our patients, who may be gay, black, drug addicted, or just poor....so very christian right???? I know I am a more caring, moral, accepting person than they are....because thats who I am....not who a mythical diety has told me to be. I have been deleted by some "friends", and some are just praying for my soul, but I am happy to say....I am finally myself...love me or leave me...4
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No need to come out for me as most people here are not very religeous to start off with. I have a really high threshold when it comes to hving everybody believe whatever they want to believe. Fairy godmother, great deity on cloud, flying spaghettimonster, go for it if you want to. I'd rather think for myself.
But I have to admit that I have a new co worker - of the Dutch overthreetimesatleast reformed church or something to that extend and she irks me to no end.
It is just that this lady - well no other word comes to mind - is sactimonious and that I really have an issue with. Her beliefs are no more important that that of any of our department and her idea that we are all christians, though we don;'t all attent church (ahem the majority in the department would say agnostc or atheist)
I suspect we'll have a run in on that one at some stage.1 -
"I hope this group is active!"
So, no.1 -
Testing
*kitten*0 -
Nope. They kept asparagus0
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It looks like they went back to kitten. I prefer kitten.0
