Next to homosexuals and feminists, atheists are probably the most misunderstood people anywhere you go. Generally regarded with anything from nagging suspicion to outright shock, it’s not easy being an atheist in a country overflowing with extreme religious fervor. Because once you say that you don’t believe in God, there will always be people flooding you neck-deep with some annoying questions and advice. Here are 10 such pretty common ones.

1. “But WHY?”

Staunch believers cannot even begin to imagine a world where there might be individuals who have the audacity to deny the existence of their gods. Given such an emphatic question, one wonders whether to get into another debate or cut it short by saying, “Because he’s not real. Get over it.”

2. “If there is no god, who do you think created the universe?”

One of the worst things an atheist can do is get into a debate about the creation of the universe and the theory of evolution – because they usually don’t mean squat to the devoutly religious kind, and it basically entails shouting in vacuum.

3. “So you don’t believe in any god? Not even so-and-so?”

In a religion like Hinduism where there are well over 33 crore gods – it is pretty understandable why an atheist might be subjected to a query like that. However, it does not matter if the god is an A-lister or an obscure one, atheism pretty much rejects everything.

4. “Who do you pray to when you are feeling sad or troubled?”

Atheists do not really feel the need to pray when the going gets rough. They are more inclined to do something about what’s bothering them, than let an invisible being take care of their problems.

5. “If you don’t believe in god, does that mean you do not believe in spirits as well?”

Um, yes. Because – with all due respect - gods, ghosts, Santa Claus and Spiderman kind of fall in the same category.

6. “Did you not believe in god as a child either? Why did you stop? Are you angry with him?”

Religious people tend to believe that atheists are basically angry people who stopped believing in god at a certain point in their life because of some tragedy. Not necessarily. Yes, all kids brought up by religious parents will swallow whatever they’re told – but once they start thinking for themselves and see there is so evidence to back up their faith, some simply shed off their faith. Simple as that.

7. Parents: “Where did we go wrong in their upbringing?”

It’s sad, really, to see some parents blaming themselves for the way their ‘kids turned out’. As if there was some major mistake in the way they raised them. On the contrary, folks. Be proud that you raised kids who learnt to question things without taking everything for granted.

8. Haters: “Oh, you’re too cool to worship God, are you?”

While there are some young people who turn to atheism as a fad, non-believers are actually pretty normal people who just have different views from the religious ones. We’re not trying to be cool – hell, we do not even want to breach that topic unless provoked.

9. “You can’t prove that God does not exist.”

The same way one cannot prove that pink unicorns do not exist – yes. One of the weakest arguments ever given by a believer to a theist has to be this.

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10. “You should read your Holy Book; you’ll realize you are wrong.”

In all honesty, atheists actually know more about the religion than your average fanatic – which is exactly the reason why tend to disavow it, even surveys have proven that. The gaping loopholes, the ludicrous and partial understanding by followers and the current situation of the world despite holy books is exactly why atheists are pretty sure they are right.

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