Did Being Homeless Make Me an Atheist or Did Being an Atheist Make Me Homeless?
My Answers to a Question People Often Ask Me About Atheism and Homelessness
Some religious people have told me that not thinking God is real caused all of my (well-deserved in their opinion) suffering. I believe that my difficulties were not a punishment from a God - since I don't think God is real, how could I think that? Many people who are devout believers have even worse lives than mine so that logic doesn't hold up. Additionally, if I analyze what happened in my life, I can pretty well see why things happened the way they did.
As an atheist, I believe that autism is a real thing. I ascribe to no ideology that causes me to reject the existence of learning disabilities and emotional problems as real. Having been diagnosed with autism, I tend to believe I am autistic. There is a known connection between inability to perform in social interactions and autism. In fact, that's almost the definition of autism. My autism was not properly treated when I was a child and, like almost every other autistic who receives no special assistance, when left completely on my own I experienced difficulties. I was a stranger in a strange land. I had no familial support and had formed only the most inadequate of friend support structures in school.
When this left me homeless, I was the perfect victim for predators. I was incredibly naive and socially inept. I had no "common sense" to keep me from dangerous situations. I reacted to harmful stimuli (beatings, rapes, and other frightening encounters) by withdrawing into myself instead of reaching for help as most people do. That entrenched me more deeply into homelessness - a shell-shocked autistic isn't the best at navigating the hard road out of homelessness.
So that's what I think was the reason I was homeless.
As to whether or not being homeless and suffering assaults and ill-health made me an atheist - that question is much easier to answer. I've never thought God was real so becoming homeless and getting assaulted, hurt, and sick didn't impact my absence of belief. In fact, being homeless and unwanted made me want to believe. Unfortunately, I am not able to believe in anything I don't think is real.
Sources:
My life experiences.
http://www.squidoo.com/Atheist-Issues
Published by Kylyssa Shay
Kylyssa Shay spent 18 years as a professional floral designer and has aquacultured marine life for fun and profit. Ms. Shay is a freelance writer, an atheist and an avid life-long learner with unusual life e... View profile
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- I believe that my difficulties and homelessness were not a punishment from God.
- Being homeless didn't make me an atheist because I already was one.
- Being an atheist didn't cause my homelessness.
8 Comments
Post a CommentI really enjoyed reading this because I have been there. I am now a Christian because I asked God if he is really there, to show me. He gave me peace that passeth understanding. I know him. You did great!
My heart goes out to you for all you have suffered.
Any god that would inflict those things on you because of a simple disbelief is a cruel, heartless SOB undeserving of praise, worship or anything but a swift kick in the gonads. Anyone that would tell you "god did this to you" should get on of their own, too.
Thank you for sharing this with us. I believe too, that no God was involved in your sad adventures.
I hope you are well now and that you will have a nice life from now on.
This is indeed a very powerful message from Kylyssa. She was a victim of society and became an overlooked group (homeless)for a time, yet later overcame that obstacle.
This is an amazing piece of writing. Very powerful.
It's like my mom trying to say that maybe becuase I'm not christian that unfortunate things happen to me. I told her that that wasn't the case. It was my choices that brought on the misfortune, religion had nothing to do with it. After all, look at the puritans. If thier house burnt down they just thought it was a punishment from God becuase they weren't being faithful enough or did something that made him mad. I may not be religious but I don't like that they made God out to be vengeful. Why would anyone worship a god that punished you? While other Christians say that God doesn't put you in a situation he doesn't think you can overcome? It's just too muchof a mess to me to use religion as an excuse. Faith is not a bad thing, I will say that. But not wanting to believe what may not be there isn't either.
A very thoughtful explanation of how two different parts of your life can get conflated to fit other people's mythologies..