How vocal are you about your beliefs (or lack thereof)?

[O Latin]

The what's your religion thread got me thinking about this, because a lot of times someone will mention how it's hard to be (or not be) a certain religion in their family/community/area of the country and I just wonder how does anyone even know what religion someone else is? So I'm curious. Do you make a point of telling others about what you believe? Do you only bring it up if asked. Does anything about your appearance (i.e. the way you dress) make your religion/beliefs obvious? Do you try to convert others?

I will go first.

I usually make a point of NOT bringing up my beliefs unless someone outright asks, which doesn't happen very often. In my family/community/area religion is just not something people really talk about. But if I talk to anyone for more than a couple of minutes, my involvement in church choir usually comes up. I can't help it. I spend half my life there. It comes up in conversation. And I don't even usually mention that it's a church choir, but I'll say something like, "This lady in my choir blah, blah, blah," and the other person will say, "Oh, what choir do you sing in?" and I have to tell them that it's my church choir. I sort of don't like admitting it, because I don't want people to make assumptions about me because I go to church, but I literally cannot keep my mouth shut about the choir.

[doggie]

as long as you are not witnessing we can forgive you. :whistle:

[Kitchen Princess]

I live near the Duggars in Arkansas and I have to be very careful what I say to whom. I can't talk about drinking, my kid living with his girlfriend, gay marriage, being pro-choice, or even unschooling without risking real consequences. I don't really care what people think, but I am in a position of responsibility in a visible community organization, and I do not want to cause any kind of scandal that could taint the organization. I also like doing what I do so I don't want to be shunned, either.

Further, I would like for the kid who is still at home not suffer any consequences as a result of my views. As a kid who didn't go to school here, he's already an outsider, and he doesn't need any strikes against him. He has plenty of friends, though. There are some very poignant bumper stickers that I have really wanted to put on my car, but I like not having my tires slashed (I don't really think that would happen, but one never knows).

I confine my comments on FB and such to neutral subjects, except when it comes to advocating for kinder, gentler, non-spanking parenting, which I go at with full bore. If I really just can't hold my tongue (I posted a special comment about gay marriage by Keith Olberman on FB yesterday), I lock out the list of people in my town that don't know the real me.

My term with the organization is over soon and I am looking forward to not biting my tongue anymore.

[dirtyhippiegirl]

I hate talking politics or religion. If anyone asks, I am "not very religious" and "no, I don't agree with what Obama is doing right now" (He's not the liberal I voted for). I live in Kansas and most people seem satisfied with those answers. Arguing with people that I barely know isn't going to change their opinions and it certainly isn't going to change my opinions, so why bother?

What makes me angry/sad is that my sister has been out of the closet for nearly twenty years and in a relationship (married both in a house of God and legally in Canada and Vermont) for almost fifteen to the same woman and she's not allowed to say *anything* about her spouse on Facebook. Because she's an elementary school teacher is a very conservative district. Certainly can't bring her to functions. Her spouse is a very, very, very high ranking officer in the Reserves and has been awarded several medals -- but my sister cannot attend these functions for fear of outing her spouse. Her spouse did two tours in Iraq and my sister had NO military resources to rely on. Not even the informal email chains that wives (and husbands) put together for support...

[FaustianSlip]

Ugh, dirtyhippiegirl, that's awful about your sister. Has she noticed any change since the repeal of DADT? I know it's got a ways to go before the repeal is formally implemented.

I'm relatively vocal about being Jewish (probably because I love being Jewish, and the fact that I am Jewish is still a relatively new development, so the shine hasn't quite worn off yet), but we're not a proselytizing crowd at all, and I'm definitely not out to convert anyone or anything like that. Usually it comes up in contexts of, "Hey, try this pork dumpling!" "Can't, it's not kosher." That said, if people have questions about Judaism or why Jewish people do XYZ, I'm happy to talk about it, and I generally like talking to people of other religions, because I've found comparative religion fascinating ever since I was a kid. As long as the context is one of discussion and not proselytizing, I usually find those kinds of conversations really rewarding.

I'm fortunate in that the environments in which I've worked and lived, my religious status has never been an issue. I'm not sure what I would do if I moved to either a place in the US or somewhere like Saudi Arabia or something where I might have to hide my beliefs. I'd probably just say, "Screw it" and be true to myself and what I believe; I said I was joining the Jewish people for good, bad or indifferent, and I've always thought it's best to just let your freak flag fly.

[Gizmola]

I am private about being an atheist as I live in the Bible Belt and many of my coworkers are religious. If pressed I usually will only admit to being raised an atheist and then, perhaps, if pressed will admit to being agnostic. It keeps the church invitations to a minimum.

When I was living in OK (very religious area) I made the mistake of blithely saying I was an atheist. I was greeted with hysterical laughter by my coworker who exclaimed, "There's no such thing!" After that I just give up trying to be honest.

[FaustianSlip]

"There's no such thing"? WTF? How cloistered do you have to be to honestly believe that there's no such thing as a person who doesn't believe in a deity? That's just.... Wow. I don't know how I'd react to someone telling me that.

[Gizmola]

I was flabbergasted by the rudeness and basically mumbled something and went back to work. I did go to her church once. I got freaked out because she didn't warn me that people would be speaking in tongues. I never went again and she finally dropped it.

[DamnPrecious]

I'm not, it's really nobody's business.

[terranova]

If someone asks, I'm not shy about telling them, in a respectful way. But I don't go around picketing churches or whatever. Luckily I live in a pretty liberal area in a liberal country, so no one really takes offence.

[dirtyhippiegirl]

Ugh, dirtyhippiegirl, that's awful about your sister. Has she noticed any change since the repeal of DADT? I know it's got a ways to go before the repeal is formally implemented.

No. She hasn't.

Unfortunately, my sister in law would get quite a lot of money should she retire through her pension. She's been with the Reserves for 20+ plus years. Any reason for her to be dishonorably discharged is a reason for the military to not have to pay out a pension...etc. etc. :)

[uber frau]

Thankfully, I live in an ebul, librul country where it is decidedly uncool to wear your religion on your sleeve. I fit right in.

[Sola]

That actually varies. Mostly in real life it just isn't an issue at all. I live in the UK and we do secular far better than the USA even through we aren't an official secular country.

Online it tends to be a different matter; but really it is only online that I am told that I am going to hell, I worship satan (!) and/or I am an evil person for being an atheist. It obviously goes with the territory of my browsing habits; I tend to hang out on atheist forums and for entertainment value - Ray Comfort's blog. When I hear the stupid, I tend to challenge it.

I do have a very good offline friend who is a Christian and we do debate religion, our beliefs or lack of them. However she is what I would term a good Christian (in fact in my group of friends we refer to her as the GCW (good Christian Woman)). She is pretty far removed from the 'True Christians™ ' that we see online!

[maybeizfundie]

My clothing makes it obvious, but I don't go after people. If religion comes up in conversation, I'll talk about it, otherwise not.

My dh's favorite occupation is chasing down Jehovah's Witnesses to debate with them, though. :)

[darareaksmey]

I generally only bring it up if asked. If people ask what I did on Sunday, I will truthfully answer, ''"I went to church, and then I came home and got in the pool and drank beer the rest of the afternoon."

[FaustianSlip]

Hey, at my shul back home, they have whiskey laid out right next to the Manichewitz at coffee hour. That's how you know it's worth showing up!

[Effie]

I don't usually tell people that I'm an atheist just because I'm afraid of offending anyone. It's the same when meat-eaters discuss how they cook meat, I pretend I know how to eventhough I don't really know because I don't eat meat. For example: "Black pepper goes well with red meat". Yeah I'm a coward. However if people would ask me directly if I'm religious or if I do eat meat or whatever, then I will tell them the truth.

[zcccrv]

I talk about my (lack of) belief as much as I can without being rude or pushy. I think it's important to talk about one's spirituality whatever it may contain and I'm a big believer in openly discussing issues. Where I live the majority of people are conservative but fundies as such don't really exist. If you're inclined to study the Bible with a passion you become a priest or a nun. I'm not gay but I walked in the Gay Pride parade. I'm not vegetarian but my best friend is and I don't hesitate to talk delicious meat around her.

[buddingmedievalist]

Mmm, I'm pretty quiet about my beliefs. I'm Catholic and I live in the Bible Belt, so that has a lot to do with it. I wear a Miraculous Medal most days, so anyone who knows what that is knows I'm Catholic. If I'm asked directly about what I believe, I'm more than happy to explain, but I'm not out "witnessing" like the fundies do. I'm a proponent of just quietly living my beliefs and being open to what other people have to say.

Part of my reluctance to be vocal, though, is that I was homeschooled for 10 years and when we first started, the only homeschooling group in our area was Baptist. From kindergarten on I was told that I was an evil Catholic and going to hell because of what I believed. In the second grade, one of my fundie friends "saved" me three times by "baptizing" me in the swimming pool because she wasn't sure I was really a good person. So, having been on the other side of zealous conversion efforts, I try to respect other people and not put them through what I experienced.

[GenerationCedarchip]

I don't wear my religion on my sleeve, but if anyone ever asks me, I'll give them an honest answer. I live in an area where you have people of all religious backgrounds from athiests up through superfundies, so being a mainline to fundie-lite protestant really isn't going to raise any eyebrows.

[DistantStar]

My brother made the mistake in middle school in Georgia of telling people he was an atheist. Oops. Poor kid. :(

I'm pretty quiet about it. I can't figure out what I believe right now anyway. I still can't get over "What church do you go to?" being considered a perfectly polite thing to ask a total stranger at first introduction. I'm far away from that part of the country now, but it still seems weird.

[dormouse]

Most people know my lack of belief and don't mind, even my Anglican (Lite) in-laws. The only time I had a problem was at a job, most of my team was evangelical and I made the mistake to come out as an atheist during a discussion: the TV was on during a quiet day between Christmas and New Year, and the news were talking about those atheist ads on buses such as "this Season, celebrate Reason", and the girls from my team started saying how stupid it was, that atheist didn't need to be so vocal, and I said that if there were Christian billboards, we were allowed our billboards too. You can't imagine the reactions. I left soon after because of psychological harassment. They even invented that I was a racist (I was the only caucasian person in my team in addition to being the only atheist, so it was a convenient thing for them to invent... they even said my celtic triskell necklace was a swastika). My co-workers at my current job are mainly atheist/agnostic/Buddhist, but I'm very careful not to talk about religion if there are new employees around whose beliefs I don't know yet.

[pomology]

I'm pretty vocal about the fact that I'm Jewish.

I'm much less vocal about what being Jewish means to me. Like that I don't believe in God (though I don't exactly call myself an atheist anymore, I know vastly prefer Golda Meir's quote ''I believe in the Jewish people, and the Jewish people believe in God.") I don't volunteer that information unless I'm sure that the other person will understand what I mean and why I practice Judaism at all, why I practice it the way I do, and won't harangue me about the apparently disparity between my beliefs and the way I live my life.

[fundiefan]

I'm not vocal about it at all. I have no need or desire to convince someone to agree with me. If it comes up in conversation, I will say something appropriate or that clarifies. If someone asks, I'll answer. Otherwise, I say nothing. Mostly, it doesn't even come up.

[valsa]

I usually don't bring up my beliefs, unless I'm in a conversation about religion.

However, if I'm asked, I'll tell. I also correct certain things which give away some of my political beliefs (ie- if I hear "murder unborn babies", I will correct to "you mean fetuses" and if I hear a spiel about gay marriage being evil, I'll correct that as well)