Even as an atheist, when my mother died, I willingly chose to - TopicsExpress

John Gray Williams

Even as an atheist, when my mother died, I willingly chose to participate in all Christian rituals surrounding her dying process, and ultimately her death. We sang Christian songs, said lots of Christian prayers, read Christian poems, had a Christian church service, etc., and I did it all. Why did I participate willingly in all of this? BECAUSE IT WASNT ABOUT ME. It was about her. I happily participated out of respect for HER, and HER faith that she had during her time on the Earth. My beliefs were not important in that moment--it was about what was important to her, and about doing what she wanted. This man couldnt have made it more clear and widely known that he was an atheist, and yet the reporter, who did not intend to cause harm, inadvertently invalidated his beliefs in one fell swoop. In just a few short words, she reinforced the notion among all her readers that atheists have got it wrong, and that she knows the truth about him. For religious leaders, this may be more understandable (though still annoying), but its totally inappropriate for a secular newspapers reporter to do. We should honor the dead by celebrating THEIR life, and honoring THEIR beliefs... not our own. And we need to do it in a way that isnt condescending. #microaggression

Posted on: Tue, 18 Nov 2014 23:26:39 +0000

Even as an atheist, when my mother died, I willingly chose to - TopicsExpress

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