Godless Mom in the Bible Belt

You owe no one an apology for your screen name. If someone is offended, that is their problem. Would you be offended if someone named ChristianDave posted a comment on your blog?

We have to deal with Christian sloganeering and iconography everywhere we go, and yet some have the nerve to say your name is offensive or meant to be controversial. This is merely an indication of an incredibly narrow-minded theocentrism and deserves to be ignored.

Don't change it, it's who you are to the people who respect your opinions and who enjoy your blog. I also don't think it should prevent you from commenting on someone else's blog, anyone that thin skinned has bigger problems than your screen name. I think you owe it to those who know you and respect you not to make a cosmetic change for a few people who can't seem to escape the feeling that they are in a persecuted majority.

I completely identify with this post. In Florida they have "chose life" liscence plates, not stickers, but ACTUAL plates. There isn't one that says "pro-choice" and I've been fighting with the DMV since I moved here.

I also hate the "Proud to be an American" bumper stickers. So am I. I'm just ashamed of my fellow Americans. I want a sticker that says that. Besides that, I don't to be confronted with someone else's god every time I park, turn a corner, etc...

This year at work a woman asked me if I would buy some candy from her son for a school fundraiser. I asked what school he went to and it was Christian, so I said no. She, of course, asked why, and I gently explained to her that we don't contribute to organizations we are ideologically opposed to (not having those Girl Scout cookies is the true test) and for the rest of the PUBLIC school year I was ostracized by members of the staff who were devout Christians. I got prayers in my mailbox, a book about "Unshakable Foundations" for Christmas, and every move I made was directly reported to the principal. I was constanly explaining myself and I NEVER said or did anything inappropriate in my classroom.

I live on a cul de sac. One of my neighbors, just last night, mentioned that she hand't seen me leave for church in a while and asked if I was feeling okay. Confused, since I NEVER go to church, I asked what made he think I had been going. I worked for my husband's catering business when he was short-handed and we often work on Sundays. She saw my husband and I leave the house dressed vey nicely at about the same time every Sunday. We had been catering Sunday brunch. The job ended, and we stopped leaving on Sunday mornings, which obviously concerned our neighbor as the ONLY reason, she stated, that she would miss church was if she was gravely ill, and so she wanted to know if I was okay. When I told her I don't go to church, she got indignant and asked me all sorts of personal questions about my faith and how I was raised. No being a rude person, I handled the questioning for a minute, then told her I didn't feel comfortable discussing my religion. She continued to press me, walking me to the door of MY home while asking me very pesonal questions. My husband, hearing through the door hat something was going on - I was beginning to raise my voice, opened the door. She then began attacking him for not being a good enough man or husband to make sure his family gets to church. Then she puntuated it with how disappointed his RECENTLY DEAD (Catholic) parents, whom she hardly knew, would be in his lack of faith.

And people wonder why people like you and I don't like Christians. Sorry this was so long.

your name doesn't bother me in the very least (although, granted, i too am 'godless' and from britain, a country where i feel generally it would be less likely to offend)

i hope you don't change your name - the people who it bothers are probably not worth bothering about

hope you have a snot-free weekend!

UC

DON'T CHANGE YOUR NAME!!!!! (Although Georgebushcankissmywhitesuburbanass does have a nice ring to it.) I don't know which sites find your name offensive but like you, I am always annoyed when Jesus is thrown in my face (although, thankfully, apparently not like in Texas -- ugh!). Jesus is not my lord, and that is not going to change no matter how many bumper stickers I see.

And like Scott said, what if someone named ChristianDave commented on your blog? Would you make a stink about it? I seriously doubt it. Unlike these obnoxious Christians (no, not all Christians are obnoxious), you are not trying to force your beliefs on others. Please, please, please DO NOT change your name!!! It makes me sad that you feel bullied enough to even consider it. You have the right to express yourself just as much as they do.

No need to apologize at all. You have a right to your beliefs and your screen name belongs to you, just as this blog does, and to nobody else.

In fact, we are the ones who are thankful to you for your posts and for who you are, and not vice-versa.

I applaud your courage and honesty.

Hope the headache goes away quickly.

I hope that you hang in there and keep the name. The general public needs to hear words like "godless" and "atheist" so they can get used to hearing them without being offended, kind of like how swear words seap into our vocabulary - they might shock us at first but after awhile of hearing something regularly it's not such a big deal.

I am an ex-christian, now an atheist, and I had been taught to be offended by words like that all my life to the point that it was difficult for me (after the spell of superstition wore off) to even say aloud, "I am an atheist" without wincing a little. Here's what Dubya's daddy said: "I don't know that atheists should be considered citizens, nor should they be considered patriots. This is one nation under God."
Now THAT is offensive. Check out this page that I found through J-Walk's blog:
American Taliban

Scary stuff! And to think that you and I are the ones who are being driven into the closet by stupid idiots with power like these people. Sheesh!!

PLEASE DONT CHANGE YOUR NAME!!

please please please!! its your choice on what your name is, i think it is a brill name and a necessary one at that. if some bible bsher is offend, who cares? me personally i intend to cause such friction. i think myself lucky, living in britain where approx 1/3 of the country are athiest like me. i hate to think what it would be like for myself in the states. probably suicide. i find it difficult enough in this country.

I think your screen name is great. Your thoughts, your posts, define you. Let the name stand!

I like "GeorgeBushCanLickMyWhiteSuburbanAss". It has a nice ring to it. And talk about making a statement!

And it is ture, Florida has the choose life plates. There is also a "family values" plate. And about 100 others. Floirda has more special plates than I have cat hairs on my clothes.

But no planned parenthood plate. And when 15 people complained about a vanity plate that read "ATHIEST" the DMV was pressured to recall the tag (they did not recall it by the way).

I just ignore things now. You have to consider that the judo place probably has the fish and standard "proud to be american" sign because the business owner thinks it will generate more money.

But I would go one step further. I would sell "Judo Jesus" action figures, with kung-fu action grip and karate chop arm movement. Instead of those sticks attached by a chain, Judo Jesus would skull crack with bibles attached with a chain. Throwing stars? how about Thorwing Crosses!

p.s. you can't change your name, especially as i just published the last of my 'serious' posts with you very much in mind! (hope you read and enjoy it!)

Keep your name if YOU like it. It ain't nobody's business what you decide to call yourself. That is, unless you are forcing them to read it.

If we live our life trying to be politically correct and pleaee everyone, we will live no life at all and please no-one.

I love your name.
My pen-name is confusing and potentially offensive. People have thought that I was Indian until I started placing my actual name on my blog.
Mine is actually quite personal and is the name of the part of me that speaks.
Your name belongs to you alone. The christians do enough to try to define you, me and all the other heathens without any help.

I like your screen name. I think it says it all. You're throwing the "godless" thing in our faces -- the way the Bible Belt is throwing Christianity in your face. Seems fair to me!

It's your blog, name it what you want. It this what you are all about? What do you want readers of your blog to know? We all know that you are not religious, what else do you want us to know? I'm not going to stop coming to your blog because you don't belive in Christ/God. Since I have been blogging I have met several people who I like that are not religious. I happen to believe, but that doesn't mean we can't be friends.
As I have mentioned before, my daughter went on her mission in Utah. One of the things that she was appalled at was that the members of the church wouldn't let their children play with non-members. Growing up in Houston,it was the other way around. Most of her friends were non-members and it didn't harm her testimony. It was real culture shock for her. She evidentualy got over it and met some really nice people.
We should not be judgemental of non believers. I have a feeling that you know both sides and you have made your choice.

I hope you don't change your name. This is exactly the kind of thing that pisses me off about the bible beaters. Some of them think they have a right to tell people how they need to live life.

So much judgement from people who are prohibited (by God) from judging people, yet they spend most of their days doing just that!
God is going to be PISSED when he talks to them in the afterlife about this stuff & I believe several of them may get a one way ticket downstairs.

Several of the "freaky christians" think it is their biz to confront people who don't live life their way...PLEEEEEEEZE!!!

I lived in Houston for 13 yrs so I do understand how it is there.
Please don't change your name.

I hope you are feeling better soon.


Shelly

Though it pains my Christian sensibilities to type "godlessmom", at least there is truth in advertising! I would be more upset if you called the blog "super moral mom in the Bible Belt" and then shared your godless, blasphemous views. But you warn us in the title. Thank you! Praise be to Jesus!

There are two reasons I continued to read your blog the first time I came across it. You are in Houston and your name was Godless Mom. I thought, "Now I'm going to love this blog!" and I do. Don't change your name.

As a fellow Houstonian, it is nice to know that besides my small circle of friends, there is someone else out there in this city who gets annoyed with all the forced religion and patriotism in this area. Thanks for the great blog!

I live in a fairly liberal part of Houston, Montrose on the edge of South Hampton, there are some W stickers around and some fish signs. But I have NEVER run into the likes of a neighbor like polanco did, and I admire the fact that she did not do the neighbor any harm.

Valerie, there are more of us in Houston than you might think!

I recently saw a bumper sticker that said 'Vote Freedom First', I didn't quite know how to take that, but assumed the person driving the large Lincoln probably eats freedom fries.

It gets scary out there. If you do change the name, the new one rocks.

i LOVE your screen name. and totally understand what led you to it. I have many of those days.

A nice elderly woman that I work with told me that I was a real Christian woman one day after I'd given her another ride home. It was the second time she had had called me that, and I "confessed" that I wasn't Christian. She still thinks I'm a good person.

And, oh, Polanco - Girl Scouts do not require any particular faith or belief from the girls. While the word "God" is indeed in the Girl Scout Promise, leaders are supposed to let the girls know that they may subsitute another word or skip it. It's the Boy Scouts that kick you out if you say that you're atheist (or gay). Girl Scouts put out a statement years ago that essentially said it wasn't their business as long as the adults behaved themselves.

Huh, well Polanco Consulting... what a gross generalization to say, "we don't like Christians". I would never harrass anyone anywhere about believing or not as your ignorant neighbor did! It's not us humans you have to answer to anyway. And Godless, I think you SHOULD keep your name. It obviously fits you and catches the eye of other said non-believers as a warning of what they're in for within the content of your blog. That way, they wouldn't have to waste their time reading something that "looked interesting", only to find out it was a trick. After all, it helps me know not to return to your blog even though I found a lot of it interesting until the "christian bashing" started! It would scare me to death to be so blatent about your anti cross displaying self. Not that I display one, but I'd be afraid of lightning bolts after loudly denouncing any belief in God. To each his own, so I'll just take my "narrow-minded theocentrism" ass and go now. Good luck with that! Oh, and Sedona or some place like that probably would suit you better Ms.Godless Mom.

I usually like to make my posts and let the comments fly. I occassionally put in an additional clarification or comment but it is the exception and not the rule. However, there are a couple of observations that have been made here in the comments of this post that I think deserve some thought and clarification on my part.

First, Sum Kinda Princess, I appreciate your comments and I'm sorry that you feel Christians have been bashed at this blog. I assure you it is not my intent to bash anyone. I don't hate Christians, most of the people I love are Christians. I see how you may have gotten this idea after reading the last sentence from Polanco Consulting's comment but please remember I did not type those words. Polanco Consulting is a very interesting and itelligent person who has her own thoughts and opinions. Those thoughts are always welcome here, as are yours.

The day I wrote this post I had been "bashed" by several people at another blog, not because of the opinions and ideas I had expressed but because of my lack of belief in a diety, they had judged me soley because of my screen name and nothing else. I had also experienced something similar in real life on the day that I created this blog (hence the story contained in this post.)

I would imagine that the feeling was similar to what Jews and Muslims feel at Christmas time in America or what a Mormon might feel if they inadvertantly found themselves in a bar on Friday night. Sometimes we all feel alone in a crowd for one reason or another. That is how I felt when I wrote this post.

You said in your comment, "It would scare me to death to be so blatent about your anti cross displaying self. Not that I display one, but I'd be afraid of lightning bolts after loudly denouncing any belief in God."

You fear lightning bolts because you believe in God. I do not believe and hence have no fear. It is a fundamental difference in the way we approach life. I'm not saying either of us is right or wrong, just different. I am not bashing your beliefs just because I think differently. All I ask is the same in return.

As an atheist living in Texas I am surrounded by the symbols and ideology of something that just doesn't click with me. Hence the name, Godless Mom in the Bible Belt. I'm not trying to trick anyone or make anyone feel uncomfortable but I won't pretend to be something that I'm not.

You also stated that you think I would be more comfortable in Sedona. Sedona is a beautiful place, but I think you are refering to the spiritual community there when you say I would be more comfortable living in that area. The New Age community there isn't generally Christian but they tend to put a lot of stock in the power of crystals and reincarnation, the alignment of planets and the power of Shirley McClain type thinking. Again I'm not bashing these folks, there spirituality is there own and has nothing to do with me but I find it curious that you think an atheist would be better served by one form of superstition (New Age)over another (Christianity.)

Again, I'm sorry you were made to feel uncomfortable here. If you read through my blog you will find that it very seldom has anything to do with atheism. I am an atheist just like I am a mother, a wife, a daughter, an American and a human being. It is part of who I am but it is not ALL of who I am.

I hope you will come back. I value opinions of all sorts.

I absolutely love your name. it was the whole reason i decided to check out your blog. (i saw your name on a comment of another blog i read). I have been reading thru your posts and i read all the comments on this post. amazing how stirred up we all get at the mention of religion. I would say i am a spiritual person- i beleive in something beyond this life and this world, but nothing that fits into a specific, organized mold of religion. I feel your frustrations of being confronted by "christian" on a daily basis. (by "christian" i mean the ones who have to tell you they are a christian at least twice in the convo even tho it doesnt really fit in with what you are talking about)...It gets old sometimes to be told you are wrong so many times and to be judged when as good christians they are supposed to leave that to god. Makes me wonder what kinda christian they really are; the ones trying to look good for all the people they know, or the ones who are just trying to look good for god. (the latter dont usually bother me as much). I am glad you havent changed your name so far. Blog on.