A question about when.

[LostOne4Ever]

1. Im the same way

Last edited Mon Mar 10, 2014, 10:10 AM - Edit history (1)

What start out as short posts turn into mini-essays. Fortunately, im not as bad as one of my friends who turns simple ideas in multi-volume works of prose

Anyway, I think the best answer to your question lies in the principle of reciprocity. If you were the person who made the comment how would you want to be treated? Would you be accepting of someone making that criticism of what was meant to be nothing more a statement of comfort or relief?

This does not mean that you need to be quiet though, just that you should be tactiful and diplomatic in how you respond. Maybe you could say something like:

"I don't know about any god or gods, but I get the sentiment you are trying to express and I like to add to it by giving thanks to all the doctors and medical professionals who worked so hard to bring about this recovery."

By saying something like that, you acknowledge the persons benevolent intentions while at the same time expressing yourself and what you believe.

Atheism is not a "negative dark cloud," but I believe it can often appear that way to believers due to how we have a tendency to contrast ourselves with them. We just need to find our own way of expressing ourselves in our own terms. For example, I find many believers see our lack of belief as dark and moody. To them, not having meaning in life is a negative. To me, it means I get to make my own meaning which is empowering and positive.

I guess the TLDR version of what im saying is try and be considerate of the person and their feeling if all they are doing is trying to be nice, while finding a way to express your opinion in your own terms and not on theirs.