How many atheists in Nigeria, are open about their disbelief? Are family members or close friends and colleagues aware? What are the challenges?

It has not always met much approval?

The good thing about atheism is that it is unbelief and not belief in anything. You can just carry on like nothing is happening. Dodge many religious rituals or do them to keep appearances. Thing is atheists are looked upon as some kinda devilish people who have no godly psychomotor. Unfortunately, atheism is turning into a systematic set of unbelief and they'll soon be asserting their rights to assembly. It's becoming a religion

I do like to know the % of atheist in Nigeria if it could be compared with those of deists, that will tell its popular(atheism) in Nigeria os not

"If you are not for God, you are for the devil" says my mother, so I'm an atheist in the closet although family members are beginning to notice.

Dolemite, I feel for you. Though I'm not atheist, I can't imagine telling my parents my spiritual orientation. Not even my younger brother who I'm closest to in the whole wide world. It would only bring him hurt. Don't be too obvious.

Here in Europe I am an atheist, I do not carry it as a badge though, back in Nigeria I still go to religious gatherings just to gain acceptance because Nigerians are too close minded, fetish, fearful and indoctrinated as a result they can not even understand what it means when somebody says that there is no God. . . . . .Or that all the Gods they worship are a creation of other men like them. . . . . .

i'm not open about it but there are suspicions. i would eventually come out though.

vescucci:

Unfortunately, atheism is turning into a systematic set of unbelief and they'll soon be asserting their rights to assembly. It's becoming a religion

what would be discussed in an atheist assembly? would our pope be stephen hawkings? a large amount of atheists are loners.

Well, your sarcasm may turn out to be true. There are already atheist websites and books. It shows a need to gain proselytes. Indeed I don't know an atheist on nl from elsewhere other than the religious section. Atheism like religion is opium. A true atheist shouldn't care what crap you choose to believe. It's just human nature to want people to see things your way

I think its one of common interest, especially where there is open hostility. There is the need to keep our status.

Well, maybe its time I came out into the open myself

You? Lol. If you're a closet atheist, then I'm aryan and fascist.

Why profess something u cant be associated with openly? I rem when i was still in celestial church of christ, with my level of education&despite mockery, i openly walk on the street bare footed each time i wore my white garment. If im an atheist, i should be proud to say so not on the internet but the real world gathering, when associating with pple. Sometime in 2001, i can recall one of my management lecturer in LASU(a prof) he said, 'dont join any society on campus that ur activities in that society will be secretive' well some of us heeded&some of us that did otherwise had to go about our activity in secret. Its a shame sha that we couldnt come openly becos of fear of rejection&abuses

When atheists fill forms and come to the part whr they include their religion,what do they fill out. Just curious

They'll fill in atheist na. What else?

Serious?then,i'v never met an atheist all my 80yrz on earth!

Atheism is a shameful thing. They ought to be ashamed of themselves, only an insane fellow is not ashamed of folly.

Odunnu:

Serious?then,i'v never met an atheist all my 80yrz on earth!

How  do u know u haven't met an athiest yet? If u met met i'd lie to you that am a christian just to avoid u thinking am the devil a witch etc

Just like toba said,one should be proud to defend his convictions.Y wud an atheist lie that he's xtian?dats absurd.

Odunnu:

When atheists fill forms and come to the part whr they include their religion,what do they fill out. Just curious

christianity of course

vescucci:

They'll fill in atheist na. What else?

thats a lie. They will fill christianity. At least more than 60% of them would do so

Odunnu:

Just like toba said,one should be proud to defend his convictions.Y wud an atheist lie that he's xtian?dats absurd.

Atheism is really a shameful belief,thats y apart from those boastful online, hardly will u find atheist on the street of Lagos being proud of hs/hr conviction. Judging by the responses of some atheists on this thread, u can never tell of one atheist if u ever found one on the street in ur neighbourhood.

There's nothing shameful about atheism. It is prejudice of people that make it hard to admit. Even in the U.S. the bastion of freedom, people still look upon them like some sort of freaks of nature. Like it's more sensible to be a shaman than have no belief. If atheists hide, it because of intolerant people who bother them

Atheism is really a shameful belief,thats y apart from those boastful online, hardly will u find atheist on the street of Lagos being proud of hs/hr conviction. Judging by the responses of some atheists on this thread, u can never tell of one atheist if u ever found one on the street in your neighbourhood.

I am sorry, but the same can be said about Christians in many parts of Northern Nigeria and very many predominantly Muslim countries. Please do no equate an aversion to violence and bigotry with shame. In fact, I would say that your personal views are a part of the problem of making Nigeria as a whole that much more of an intolerant place to live.

I have been asked if atheist do marry? as if i was extraterrestrial

Odunnu:

When atheists fill forms and come to the part whr they include their religion,what do they fill out. Just curious

what forms require you to state your religion? that's typically against the law in most places besides a census form.

Image123:

Atheism is a shameful thing. They ought to be ashamed of themselves, only an insane fellow is not ashamed of folly.

lol hilarity

thats a lie. They will fill christianity. At least more than 60% of them would do so

and how do you know this

Just like toba said,one should be proud to defend his convictions.Y wud an atheist lie that he's xtian?dats absurd.

would you proudly claim to be a jew in nazi germany? think people

Open atheist, but I don't bring it up unless someone asks me or cares about it. It's just another (sometimes small) facet of the whole that is me, that I don't need to wear it on my sleeves.

vescucci:

The good thing about atheism is that it is unbelief and not belief in anything. You can just carry on like nothing is happening. Dodge many religious rituals or do them to keep appearances. Thing is atheists are looked upon as some kinda devilish people who have no godly psychomotor. Unfortunately, atheism is turning into a systematic set of unbelief and they'll soon be asserting their rights to assembly. It's becoming a religion

I think of atheism more as a lack of or non-belief in the existence of gods. That wouldn't necessarily preclude belief in other things. Atheist assemblies already exist. Humanism is also an atheistic religion that features meetings, etc.

Odunnu:

When atheists fill forms and come to the part whr they include their religion,what do they fill out. Just curious

It depends on the form and the options provided, but atheist, no religion, or other

toba:

Atheism is really a shameful belief,thats y apart from those boastful online, hardly will u find atheist on the street of Lagos being proud of hs/hr conviction. Judging by the responses of some atheists on this thread, u can never tell of one atheist if u ever found one on the street in your neighbourhood.

There's nothing shameful about atheism or any lack of religious beliefs for that matter.  But in a society where people begin to think you're nuts, or that you're some devil for not beliving in what they believe, then it becomes really difficult to admit one's belief, or lack of it.  The same can be said of Christians living in the midst of intolerant Islamic fundamentalists.

As for me, most of my friends know that I am irreligious (I'm not an atheist though), and though they're not cool with that fact, we all still get along REALLY well.  But my family?  Not at all.  Though my sibblings suspect I've deviated 'slightly' (and I'm the youngest), there's no indication of my unbelief that really bothers anyone.  As for my parents, they got not even the slightest hint, and it'll rightly remain so till they're gone, lest, I send them to an early grave, courtesy heart attack.

Odunnu:

When atheists fill forms and come to the part whr they include their religion,what do they fill out. Just curious

I was born into a Christian home, and I'm simply used to filling in "Christian". But then, it depends on the kind of form, and the purpose. Since I stopped being a Christian, I've only had to fill a form (a questionnaire actually) that requested my religion, and I ticked "None".

Early christians had to hide their beliefs. But not in shame but rather from fear of violence and abuse from an intolerant society. All the stupiid nonsense said above about atheists hiding from shame can be applied to the early christians. I find so many christians in Nigeria so utterly pathetic in the way they reason.

^^^ But Pastor (unless I have misinterpreted your post - - - plz correct me if so) - The fact is that there is no threat of violence to be suffered by the atheist for the fact of his atheism in contemporary Nigeria. I am therefore inclined to believe that for the man of true conviction, there is no reason to hide your genuine perspective. I am entirely irreligious and I do not attend any form of religious events. I can tell you the following confidently -

1. My parent is aware that I do not accept religion, go to church or believe in Jesus being God, son of God etc.

2. ALL my siblings are FULLY aware of my perspectives.

3. ALL my colleagues at my previous and current places of work are fully aware. Although my current boss is a female Swedish Atheist, my former place of work was swarming with fire brand Pentecostals who viewed me as the devil incarnate for my views - did I give a s.hit? No! Instead I actively propagated my world-view with increasing ferocity, lol. My current HR manager has described me as an anti-Christ and is aware of my views on NL. Do I give a hoot? Nah.

4. Most importantly, my fiancée is fully aware and informed. Now this is key because in Nigeria it is extremely difficult to find a wife if one denounces religion entirely, especially for the fire-brand pentecostal lot - a man who is hardly interested in Jesus is viewed as demonic. . . . and every Christian woman wants a "God-fearing" husband. At some point in the earlier days when i met her i seriously considered keeping quiet about my views, and simply giving eye service to church attendance at all times necessary. However when I realized i actually wanted to marry her, I felt it would amount to criminal and reprehensible deceit not to inform her. Today she is well aware of my views and and we have no problems. I have a strong conviction that a philosophical conviction that is hidden is NOT a conviction at all (unless of course it is hidden on account of a threat of violence, etc). I would like to imagine that I am a man of strong and clear conviction.

5. Most critical of all, when I went for my first interview with a really big law firm, I sat before about 35 lawyers including 5 partners (the deciding partners were all tough fire-brand Christians). Toward the end of the interview one of them asked me if I was a "born again Christian." I responded telling him that that would depend on his definition of the word "Christian" - and that if he meant one who subscribed to the beatitudes as preached by Jesus, I would indeed call myself a CHRISTIAN - but that if he meant one who went to church, believed Jesus was God, etc, then i would certainly not describe myself as Christian. A slew of questions ensued - some bordering on mysticism, and someone even brought up the Grail Movement and Eckankar into the discussion. I have no doubt that I got the job partly because they were impressed that I could look them in the faces and tell them what I thought about their religion.

Although Nigeria is a deeply religious (and oft ridiculously so) society, there are many enlightened minds around, and a society as blessed as we are with brilliant minds cannot remain eternally in the doldrums on the philosophical field.

Things are changing, and a surprising amount of people will accept an atheist in-law sooner than they would accept an in-law from another faith.

These days, I have lost count of the amount of open atheists I have come across in pubs and bars in Lagos, openly denouncing and ridiculing religion.

vescucci:

There's nothing shameful about atheism. It is prejudice of people that make it hard to admit. Even in the U.S. the bastion of freedom, people still look upon them like some sort of freaks of nature. Like it's more sensible to be a shaman than have no belief. If atheists hide, it because of intolerant people who bother them

@ bolded. stop yanning crap. i live in the US and they're way more people i know in real life who dont give a crap about all that god, devil, heaven, hell bullcrap. infact its the other way round, most religious peeps are thought of as nut jobs. maybe apart from in the deep south where they're as religious as they're racist

as for naija, thats a whole noda story. superstion is deeply embedded in the core of the average nigerian. all that binding the devil, mammy water spirit, witchcraft coven, ogbanje bullcrap is like a mixture of western christianity n african tradition. they even have people who call themselves prophet of god and some mumus take em seriously when they're no longer prophets in even israel itself; even paul, john the baptist were not even referred to as prophets. i bet it was the same way before the advent of the white man if you dont believe in the power of some tree or evil forest n all dat bullcrap

Me.