Barney Frank has some advice for atheists

[RussBLib]

Barney Frank came out of the closet as gay long before he came out as an atheist, or at least a humanist. Just goes to show how much further this country has to go before it accepts atheists as "regular" people. The ice is gradually cracking. Very slowly.

Barney Frank Has Some Advice for Atheists — and Reveals Why He Stayed Silent on His ‘Nontheism’

article here

snip

Frank also offered advice for nontheists seeking to be involved politically, telling them not to “appear to be aggressive.” The former congressman encouraged nonbelievers to honor others’ beliefs in the same way that they wish to have their ideals honored.

“Don’t ridicule, don’t attack. Religion does a great deal of good, but when we have conflicts, religious leaders often make it worse rather than better,” Frank added. “But I’ve always acknowledged the good work that is done by religions.”

Read the entire interview here.

I guess if you are going into political office, sure, don't attack. It's only going to piss people off. But in your regular personal lives...bombs away, if the situation warrants.

[phantom power]

1. "avoid eye contact..."

[Warpy]

2. That's pretty much the line I've always acknowledged

that exists between me and the believers. Yes, we can work together and yes, religion can be a great source of comfort when you're under incredible stress. However, I don't share it and anyone who tries to force me to share it is going to get blasted, as is anyone who expects me to help them get their anti woman religious dogma into civil law.

It's just not going to happen.

However, we're all interested in things like peace and justice, especially economic justice.

[trotsky]

3. I wonder what LGBT activists would have thought about advice like that.

Don't "appear to be aggressive"? Yeah, right.

[RussBLib]

4. I suppose an "LGBT activist" and someone running for office would use different methods

Different groups of people
Different aims
Different constituencies
Different methods

[trotsky]

5. Frank did not restrict his advice just to those "running for office."

He believed it applied to any non-believer "seeking to be involved politically."

[RussBLib]

6. Indeed - n/t

.

[LostOne4Ever]

7. Did you HAVE to link to the blaze version of the article?

I don't want my clicks enriching Glen Beck in any way.

Sounds like his advice is to get back into the closet if you want to get involved in politics. From a practical point of view he could be right, but it sure does not help to make being a nonbeliever more socially acceptable.

I also fail to see how his comments of never being discriminated against have any weight as until just recently he was in the closet. Maybe a better way of saying that would be:

"I have was never discriminated against because of my atheism because I have always allowed people to think I was some sort of believer."

[RussBLib]

10. sorry - didn't realize that was connected to Glenn Beck

it's hard to keep it all straight sometimes.

[uriel1972]

8. Atheists: Know your place!... nt

[Curmudgeoness]

9. I half-heartedly agree with him.

I don't believe in acting aggressively or attacking and ridiculing believers. I have good luck with just letting people know that I am an atheist, so that they are aware that there are ordinary people who do not believe in god. I will talk about why I do not believe if they want the discussion, but in general, I just don't hide it. Everyone who knows me knows that I am an atheist, but I have never attacked them.

So that is my way of dealing with it. I have gotten aggressive at times, and I do avoid some situations where I would be subjected to religion, but I would say that the hostility that I am faced with when I am aggressive does nothing to further my cause of being accepted the way I am.