In Nairaland as with many online forums, atheists are very vocal and aggressive. Their numbers are also very considerable, and sometimes out-number the total number of other denominations put together. Yet, the same cannot be said of real life, where an average citizen can rather identify with one religion or another than publicly proclaim his atheism.

In a religious country like Nigeria, it's understandable, because of the stigma that a non-believer might be subjected to, but in a secular nation like the United States where 98.5%(77% as Christians) of the population identify with either the Christian faith, Judaism, Islam, and Buddhaism, one couldn't help but wonder where in the blue moon are the same atheists that are making so much noise online?

Could it be that most of Nairaland atheist internet champions(I don't want to mention names) are closet atheists? And why?

Personally, I have never seen or meet a real life atheist.(Everyone around me says they are either Christian or Muslim)

What do you think?

It's not that easy in a place like Nigeria where Religion Revivalism is at it's Peak, the likes of LB gan no dey Nigeria sef, You'll be Ostracized by people , you can only but Show a high level of Religious Tolerance but not The Extreme end Atheism..( Deprogramming Ain't Easy.) It took Tai Sholarin almost 30 yrs to be totally free.

shol: It's not that easy in a place like Nigeria where Religion Revivalism is at it's Peak, the likes of LB gan no dey Nigeria sef, You'll be Ostracized by people , you can only but Show a high level of Religious Tolerance but not The Extreme end Atheism..( Deprogramming Ain't Easy.) It took Tai Sholarin almost 30 yrs to be totally free.

At the bold, their are many of them here in Nairaland that are very vocal and aggressive and obsessed with anything religious, but are not really atheist in real life. I think that is hypocrisy of the highest order.

It would be pure suicide to come out in nigeria where there are religious nutcases everywhere.

Beretta92: It would be pure suicide to come out in nigeria where there are religious nutcases everywhere.

Are you an atheist?

In a more serious note however, In United States, and United kingdom which are both secular nations, atheism is also very uncommon among the population. There are no "religious nutcases" as you put it in those countries, at least not in the Nigerian standard, why then are fewer people identifying with atheism everyday?

Just one question for the OP,

Are you aware that sizeable number of atheists/agnostics reside in Iran and Pakistan (They even have vibrant facebook groups profile).
Will you say they are hypocritical if they do not come out publicly as atheists in their country?

cyrexx: Just one question for the OP,

Are you aware that sizeable number of atheists/agnostics reside in Iran and Pakistan (They even have vibrant facebook groups profile).
Will you say they are hypocritical if they do not come out publicly as atheists in their country?

Yes, I would. If they are bold enough to create Facebook profiles detailing their faith or lack of thereof, what then is stopping them from going pubic with it? What are they afraid of? The inevitable whip lash from the public or from their families that doesn't patronize the social media, perhaps? That can only be construed as double standardness from the so-called atheist, if you ask me.

I don;t know about others, but I'm not a closet atheist. My whole family knows I'm atheist including my extremely religious mom. Most of my friends know, and so do most of my co-workers.

I only lie about my lack of faith when I feel its likely to hurt my career e.g when a senior person who I don't trust to not behave like a bigot asks me. Even then, I'm pretty sure they suspect it since its common knowledge that I don't go to church, I hold controversial, non-biblical opinions on many issues and I never speak christianeze like everybody else.

FrostyZonn:

Yes, I would. If they are bold enough to create Facebook profiles detailing their faith or lack of thereof, what then is stopping them from going pubic with it? What are they afraid of? The inevitable whip lash from the public or from their families that doesn't patronize the social media, perhaps? That can only be construed as double standardness from the so-called atheist, if you ask me.

O my, it's obvious that you know nothing about bigotry and extreme religious fundamentalism in places like Iran or Pakistan and even Nigeria. And thus I see no reason to continue this discussion with you.

With this I rest my case.

Cheers.

Is the op a nigerian?

There are plenty of open atheists in the country, you've never heard of tai solarin i suppose.

And anyway, how e take concern you.

cyrexx:


O my, it's obvious that you know nothing about bigotry and extreme religious fundamentalism in places like Iran or Pakistan and even Nigeria. And thus I see no reason to continue this discussion with you.

With this I rest my case.

Cheers.

Bye, bye.

tpia@:
Is the op a nigerian?

There are plenty of open atheists in the country, you've never heard of tai solarin i suppose.

And anyway, how e take concern you.

Yes, I'm a Nigerian.

@the bold, can you give me a list, please? What you see online is not what is in evidence in reality. Atheists are simply not that much and extremely hard to identify.

And why shouldn't it concern me? When an atheist calls me out online, I'd like to know the sincerity of the challenge and the challenger.

@Op, I am not and never have been in
the closet(both literary and figuratively), and rarely go around proclaiming my beliefs. it is often useless or counterproductive. Thank you.

FrostyZonn:

Yes, I'm a Nigerian.

@the bold, can you give me a list, please? What you see online is not what is in evidence in reality. Atheists are simply not that much and extremely hard to identify.

And why shouldn't it concern me? When an atheist calls me out online, I'd like to know the sincerity of the challenge and the challenger.

Lol.

musKeeto:

Lol.

Lol at what? Please kindly elaborate.

FrostyZonn:

Lol at what? Please kindly elaborate.

Ok, I'm a bit bored..

What do you mean by closet atheism?

FrostyZonn:

At the bold, their are many of them here in Nairaland that are very vocal and aggressive and obsessed with anything religious, but are not really atheist in real life. I think that is hypocrisy of the highest order.

What exactly are you expecting an atheist to do in public, evengelise?

Unless you happen to get into a discussion on religion with your next door neighbor, you may never realize that he is an atheist.
Thats the way it goes.
Many of my friends and relatives do not know that I am an atheist simply because we have never had discussions or debate about religion.

plaetton:

What exactly are you expecting an atheist to do in public, evengelise?

Unless you happen to get into a discussion on religion with your next door neighbor, you may never realize that he is an atheist.
Thats the way it goes.
Many of my friends and relatives do not know that I am an atheist simply because we have never had discussions or debate about religion.

Damn... I was getting there....

FrostyZonn:

Yes, I'm a Nigerian.

@the bold, can you give me a list, please? What you see online is not what is in evidence in reality. Atheists are simply not that much and extremely hard to identify.

And why shouldn't it concern me? When an atheist calls me out online, I'd like to know the sincerity of the challenge and the challenger.

no , i dont have a list, but like i said, tai solarin was one.

i dont really think anyone has to prove anything to you, this seems too much like the where is your church thread, you folks are scouting for information for reasons beside what you type here.

Dan_de_Numeruno: @Op, I am not and never have been in
the closet(both literary and figuratively), and rarely go around proclaiming my beliefs. it is often useless or counterproductive. Thank you.

Very true in theory, but since you have no problem doing so online, what's stopping you from doing so in real life.

I say this because, every religion out there flaunt their faith in the face of whoever cares to listen. So what make atheism an exception? Could it be online atheist are ashamed to go public or something? One one has yet to really tackle this question and I will continue to Stress it till someone does.

FrostyZonn:

Yes, I'm a Nigerian.

@the bold, can you give me a list, please? What you see online is not what is in evidence in reality. Atheists are simply not that much and extremely hard to identify.

And why shouldn't it concern me? When an atheist calls me out online, I'd like to know the sincerity of the challenge and the challenger.

Well, you have said it yourself, atheists are hard to identify. We do not have a dress code, we do not have a meeting place, we do not have a sacred text. So how do you expect to identify an atheist in public?
And for what purpose?
Most Nairaland atheists are very aggressive and vocal due to the many many religious absurdities and problems being witnessed in Nigeria.

tpia@:


no , i dont have a list, but like i said, tai solarin was one.

i dont really think anyone has to prove anything to tyou, this seems too much like the where is your church thread, you folks are scouting for information for reasons beside what you type here.

Lol, Paranoid much?

No, there is no secret agenda behind the creation of this topic whatsoever. I only want to know the real atheist and the online ones, that's all.

FrostyZonn:

Very true in theory, but since you have no problem doing so online, what's stopping you from doing so in real life.

I say this because, every religion out there flaunt their faith in the face of whoever cares to listen. So what make atheism an exception? Could it be online atheist are ashamed to go public or sometimes? One one has yet to really tackle this question and I will continue to Stress it till someone do.

Ashamed? That is very silly.

Many have asked you here, what exactly would be the point of an atheist wanting to be indentified in public in a religious hot zone like Nigeria?

unlike religious folks, an atheists has no need to constantly re-affirm and revalidate his worldview.
Atheism is not a drug that one has to take every sunday, then again at midweek service, then again on Friday night vigils.
There is no imaginary sky or land daddy to placate.

An atheists walks self-assured and does not earn any after-death credits for spreading the good news.

@OP, Atheists have no dogma to sell so what exactly do you want them to flaunt?
9ja is a very bigoted country and therefore they are wisely keeping their controversial opinions to themselves in public for fear of discrimination. Man must survive and adapt. . .

By the way, i think what you want to arrive at is that atheists are hypocrites and cowards. Abi?

musKeeto:

Ok, I'm a bit bored..

What do you mean by closet atheism?

When an atheist don't identify as an atheist in public but do so in private...

FrostyZonn:

Lol, Paranoid much?

No, there is no secret agenda behind the creation of this topic whatsoever. I only want to know the real atheist and the online ones, that's all.

The online ones are the real ones, thats all. Although some are not even that loud online too.
Listen man, there's no sky daddy anywhere that commanded the atheists to go and spread the good news to the world. So what exactly do you want them to do in public? Wear atheists T shirts?

Guys, I'm preoccupied at the moment. I will be back later to tackle all your comments. Thanks

plaetton:

What exactly are you expecting an atheist to do in public, evengelise?

Apparently not. But there you go again, skirting around the issue. Obviously, I don't expect an atheist to evangelise, but I don't expect them to shy away from their belief or lack of thereof, either. A genuine atheist stands his ground in the face of oppositions and hostilities. Like the saying goes "What doesn't kill you, makes you stronger"

plaetton: Unless you happen to get into a discussion on religion with your next door neighbor, you may never realize that he is an atheist.

Lol at that! Very witty. Actually I talk with my next door neighbour all the time, and from every indication I can garner from our discussions, he's obviously not an atheist. Maybe a closet one, but not a real one.

plaetton: Thats the way it goes.
Many of my friends and relatives do not know that I am an atheist simply because we have never had discussions or debate about religion.

There you go! Finally an honest response.

FrostyZonn:


Are you an atheist?

In a more serious note however, In United States, and United kingdom which are both secular nations, atheism is also very uncommon among the population. There are no "religious nutcases" as you put it in those countries, at least not in the Nigerian standard, why then are fewer people identifying with atheism everyday?

Even in these secular countries,you still have more theists than atheists.Not all irreligious persons like to go with the tag "atheist".

plaetton:

Well, you have said it yourself, atheists are hard to identify. We do not have a dress code, we do not have a meeting place, we do not have a sacred text. So how do you expect to identify an atheist in public?

Very easy. Through your national ID card, Visa, Curricum Vitae, University ID Card, etc.

plaetton: And for what purpose?

For demographic purposes and such.

plaetton: Most Nairaland atheists are very aggressive and vocal due to the many many religious absurdities and problems being witnessed in Nigeria.

True, but it's hypocritical to say one thing online and do the opposite in real life.

There is a Nigerian saying that goes like something like this: An evil spirit after murdering a man disguises itself as a man, and then joins the throng of sympathizers to the burial site...or something like that.

Beretta92: Even in these secular countries,you still have more theists than atheists. Not all irreligious persons like to go with the tag "atheist".

Exactly! A lot of people identifies as theist(believing in possibly of God or gods) rather than be known as atheist(pagan).

@op
The fact u haven't come across atheist in real life, doesnt mean they r all closet atheist.

I personnally knw so many atheist in real life who are very vocal. Inshort the first day u meet them is the same day u will knw their religious beliefs. -myself inclusive!

Even @ my place of work, we have dem, in my neighborhood and my Family. They tell u bluntly who they are and they don't give a darm.