Questions tagged [religion]

Questions pertaining to issues of understanding, respect, or tolerance of the faith-based practices of others. It also can address issues relating to the interaction of people of different spiritualities and belief systems.

Around the world there are various different religions, and often religions can disagree (or disagree with people who are faithless). Questions here are about dealing with issues where religion plays a key role in the problem.

Should also be used with tags such as and also location tags such as however the specific religion/religious opinions of the issues should be described in the question.

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My best friend has become increasingly xenophobic towards Muslims. What do I do?

My best friend (let's call him Bob for potential answerers) whom I have been friends with since childhood (around 15 years) has become increasingly xenophobic recently. He's a great person and genuinely means no harm (also leans slightly to the left…
94
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16 answers

How to address a double standard where my religious colleagues consider it OK to discuss religion, but then ask me not to?

I'm working in a small office of about ten employees, all of whom are religious apart from myself. Although I'm open about my atheism and write about it on my blog, I am careful not to discuss religion at work. That is, I will not bring up the…
69
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How to tell friends something goes against my religion?

I am currently in middle school, and as many of you know, profanity is thrown around in middle school like clothes in a dryer. My religion prohibits me from being profane, how can I tell my friends to stop swearing so that I am not influenced by…
baranskistad
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How do I tell my parents "I don't want to go to church" over the holidays?

This is a little bit of a complicated problem. My mom and dad are both Catholic, and they have a tradition - every Easter and Christmas, they take the immediate family (themselves, me, and my sister) to Church. There's just a few small problems:…
Thomas Ward
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What is the most respectful way to respond when invited into a prayer circle or other religious activity I don't believe in?

I live in a part of the United States where Christians are a strong majority. I frequently find myself in social situations that involve everyone being asked to join in prayer. I'm not religious, and I'm not Christian, and the prayers are…
Beofett
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How do I tell my mother that I'm an atheist?

I live with my mother, my grandmother and my cousin, who is also an atheist. I've had a feeling for a couple of years that I should let my mother and my family know that I no longer believe in God, but I haven't done so because I feel that this…
Guy who types fast
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How do I get someone to call me by the name I prefer?

Let's say my name is Fred. My family and friends call me that and when I introduce myself I use that name. Well, of course you can imagine that I'm registered as Frederick, but nobody calls me that. I don't like that name because I don't think it…
clueless
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How can I offer my prayers to an atheist colleague facing a serious personal situation?

A colleague of mine commented me the other day he is having a serious family issue. (An important sickness brought a relative very close to death.) As a Christian, I believe in the power of prayer. As such, I want to offer to him my prayers for his…
luchonacho
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How to tell a non-muslim friend that "Inter-faith Marriage not gonna work"?

I had a pretty religious (Christian) friend from the UK (of the same age as me - late 20's) and we often used to talk about Quran and Gospel (she had knowledge of both and so did I) and it leads to often very interesting discussions and new…
Failed Scientist
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Moving away from Christian faith: how to retain relationships?

I grew up in a pretty religious (evangelical) family. Naturally, I believed what I was taught: the actual religious stuff like love your neighbors and enemies, be humble and kind, and so on. But also that evolution is a hoax, sex before marriage is…
user32413
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How to peacefuly deal with a loud religious group

This problem mostly has to do with me and my family against another religious group. About a month ago a Pentecostal "church" opened about a mile from our house. We live in Uganda, a very Pentecostal country, with the majority of the people here…
E. Huckabee
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How to tactfully ask if someone is from the same ethno-religious group as I am?

I am an ethnic and religious member of a certain ethno-religious group. (You can probably guess which one, but I thought the question might be broad enough to apply to other ethnic/religious groups too). It's also not just specific to either…
LangeHaare
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Saying "No" to my brother's demand without causing an argument

Bit of background on my relationship with my brother: ever since my teenage years, I could not bear him. I know it is common for siblings to have arguments and misunderstandings, and that's been the case with both of my siblings. However, this…
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How to deal with highly superstitious and religious parents?

Here's my situation : I'm 16, I live with my parents. My parents are somewhat religious. That's completely fine with me, despite the fact that I am an agnostic atheist. My mother however, is somewhat of a weird case. Generally speaking, she tends…
Rumble down
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How to deal with a religious relative who keeps assuming that I am similarly religious?

I know a very similar question was asked only recently by @Bradley Wilson, and another similar question was asked by @Beofett over a week ago, but the specific situation and also the cultural context are very different here, so please don't close…
English Student
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