Assumptions: We all make them, and we've all heard what making them does.

Sometimes assumptions are based on actual personal knowledge about someone we know.

Many times, however--especially when dealing with the big world of people who live inside the internet--assumptions are made based on nothing other than the 'About Me' box we read on someone's blog. That opinion, formed in the space of seconds, is backed by our personal feelings about certain descriptive words that the blogger may have used in describing herself.

In my 'About Me' box, I deliberately typed 'non-theist' instead of 'atheist' because I hope it causes someone to stop and think about what that means. I think people see the word atheist and start making assumptions that the person behind the word is a depraved being who worships Satan. (If you're one of those people, we don't believe in Satan, either.) I wonder if the emphases were equally on the first and second syllables, if that would cause people to view it differently...if it were pronounced A-THEE-ist instead of A-theist. I wonder if all the assumptions surrounding that word would suddenly shift a little, because the meaning might become a little more clear.

2 comments:

my sil is aetheist...this bothers my brother a bit...here's why..my brother (as do i) believe that what you believe is, that is how it is for you, after all, who are WE to tell YOU what to believe....he believes in reincarnation/eternal life...however my sil, being aetheist, believes that she will be worm food and end of story, and this upsets him because he won't have her with him...i did wonder what non-theist was, and i figured if i read enough, i'd learn, so thanks for explaining it to me...

I have heard that theory before. Does he believe they would be reincarnated together if she believed as he does?

I don't feel upset about not believing in an afterlife...it just makes me want to make the most of my life now, to develop and enjoy the relationships that are important to me.

No one really knows what will happen; we can theorize, but that's it. Maybe our energy exists onward in some capacity, who knows?

Daydreams & Night Things

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Bleu is a scatter-brained woman who daydreams too much and stays up too late. She is a liberal, non-theistic humanist attempting to single-handedly raise three children while trying to remain grounded and centered. But she's not bitter. *wink*

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