Okay, I understand why you would hire somebody who has religious beliefs to do drone work, but why would anybody risk their entire company by hiring somebody into a leadership position who has such a HUGE flaw in their ability to look at the universe with rational thought?

If they aren't mature enough to face the reality that there is no god they aren't mature enough to do anything but take orders from other smarter people.

Sandra: Thank you for your post. You said very well what so many of us non-believers feel about atheism and morality. Not having morality dictated by a supreme Judge of sorts requires us to think rationally about how our decisions and behaviors impact ourselves and the world around us. Because most of us want the best lives possible, we strive to make choices that are consistent with that goal. Not only can atheists/agnostics be moral people, they can even be far more principled that believers who follow rules simply because the rules are proscribed by their respective religions.

As for the LW's delimma, I can totally relate. He/she sounds much like my 20-year old self (10 years ago). My advice would be to only 'come out' to people who really need to know. And by that I mean people very close to you, such as parents and siblings. Maybe a close friend or two, if religion played a big part of the friendship. There's no need to advertise to the world. The reasons I would argue that those people I mentioned need to know are: (A)You cannot have a close or authentic relationship with people you are actively deceiving, and (B)Pretending to be someone you aren't, or pretending to agree with something you don't, can be emotionally exhausting.

I understand that some people think that you should just try to keep the peace and be quiet, but I disagree. I want the people I'm close to to know the real me. That they may disapprove of that person is a risk I'm willing to take. I value honesty and authenticity too much to live a lie.

I was brought up in a protestant evangelical family, and had doubts for years. While in college, after much thought and research, I forced myself to admit that I just didn't believe anymore and that I couldn't magically manufacture that belief. It took me about 3 years to finally come out to my parents. I had to tell them because they kept inviting me to church everytime I came home from college, and they always wanted to talk about God and the Bible. I always made excuses not to go to church, or else I made it a point to drive back to college early sunday morning. I didn't want to tell them because I knew how upset they would be.

When I finally did tell them, they both completely lost it. It was awful. There was shouting, crying, calls to the pastor... and I felt like the most horrible daughter on earth. For the next couple of years, our relationship was strained - to say the least. They were not upset because of some bizarre superiority complex; they genuinely believed that I had just signed my own eternal death warrant, and they were devastated. No amount of logic/reasoning could make them see otherwise. Now, things are much better. Sadly, my dad passed away a few years ago. But long before he died, we had regained much of our previous closeness. We eventually just all agreed to disagree. My mom still occasionally tries to re-convert me. When she does, I just tell her respectfully that I'm not interested in having that conversation. She thinks that belief without evidence (i.e. blind faith) is valid; I don't. Also, she asks me to listen with an open mind, while saying that nothing I could ever say or do would change her mind. If I'm expected to listen with an open mind, I expect that same courtesy in return. If I'm not going to get it, I'm not having the discussion. period. There's no way my family and I are ever going to agree on the subject of religion, so I would prefer to find ways in which we can connect and not focus on our differences. I think I made the right decision to be honest.

Now, if anyone ever asks me what my religion/worldview is, I typically just say that I'm non-religious. If pressed, I'll tell people that I don't believe in any gods or goddesses. Usually, they let it go at that and just think I'm a little weird. My soon-to-be husband is a bit more vocal about his atheism, though not ever in a way that is rude to religious people. Beyond immediate family and a few friends, I think you should just tread very cautiously for a while.

Look for a group of non-believers in your city, and try to read some books about atheism. Authors to look for: Richard Dawkins, Bertrand Russell, Carl Sagan (about critical thinking), and Dan Barker (former pastor who became an atheist). Also, check out the website www.americanatheists.org

All the best to you.

The statement that beliefs are BS is a monumental cop-out. Of course you have beliefs - I think it's probably impossible for a human being to function without beliefs of some sort, however tentative or provisional those beliefs are. You may not want to call your beliefs by that name - but you have them nevertheless. For better or worse, your beliefs guide your conduct, and the fact that they may change tomorrow does not make them any less real.

The church used to call people who lived as if there were no god or supernatural phenomena "practical atheists." I think this nicely captures the fact that you don't have to have an intellectual commitment to atheism to be a de facto atheist.

It may make you feel superior to think that you have transcended beliefs - but obviously you haven't, otherwise why would you bother posting on an on-line discussion board?