The following is a sligthtly revised version of my response to the "Atheist Revolution" blog post "Why Can't You Keep Your Atheism to Yourself?"
Aug. 27 marks my 14th year of living as a retired American expat in
the Philippines which is probably the most devout Roman Catholic country
in the world. Yet I'm still more comfortable as an openly Jewish
atheist here than I was while living in California in the bright red
Inland Empire and working in Orange Country at a company where evidently I was the
only Jew and likely the only atheist among over 100 employees, many of
whom were Christian fundies.
Not once since I've been here have
I been seriously challenged about my ethnicity or godlessness, even by
my wife's family who are almost all devoted Catholics and who I'm sure
have seen my posts in Facebook stating my opposition to religious belief. My wife BTW is
also an atheist but not as outspoken about it as I am.
However,
even if I were rejected for my what and who I am, that wouldn't be a reason to
change my beliefs or even pretend to do so for the sake of appearance. But
being accepted certainly makes life a lot easier.
