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EP3: In the Shadow of Religion - Hidden Faces, Hidden Faiths, and Hard Decisions
🕑 Added 2017-10-22 23:02:41 +0000 UTC Atheists live around the world – but not all are free to express their opinions, and some are even in danger, whether from society or their own family. In this episode, you will hear the stories of nine brave atheists around the world – each in a different situation. From Mecca in Saudi Arabia, Nuro fears for her life. Living in the holiest city of Islam in one of the most repressive theocracies in the world, she risks death if her apostasy is discovered. In Nigeria, the situation for Chguzi Okebo is not so dire, and he praises Atheist Republic for our diligent work – Thanks, Chguzi! Across the Mediterranean in the small South-East European nation of Kosovo, Liro shares his experience in a country split between those of Christian and Muslim faiths. Liro’s older Muslim family members have a strong faith, and he himself held a strong belief – until his father opened up to him and he started exploring information online. Now he struggles to come to terms with his new, atheist beliefs and leaving his old ones behind. Speaker four presents an interesting case: can atheism and religious beliefs ever be reconciled and combined? Asking whether the belief of religion can be combined with the logic of atheism, the speaker seeks compromise for a world that’s moving forward, rather than trapped in the current argumentative, even violent duality. Speaker six lives in a secular country – but one still rife with the political correctness of protecting archaic beliefs. Determined not to base their life on others’ fictions, the speaker fights to find a way forward in a world where religion lurks around every corner. In the United Kingdom, Stu, a gay, lapsed Catholic shares his story of his close relationship with God as a child and the struggles he had at 13 when he discovered his sexuality – and how he lost his faith as a result. Finally, in Wisconsin, USA Adam expresses frustrations with a friend – who, despite his ambivalence, still plans to bring his son up into Christianity, a pact and promise he believes that it is purely down to social pressure. Share your story with the Atheist Republic Community today, or support us by donating – you are not alone out there! Go to http://www.atheistrepublic.com/podcast
