A lot of my coworkers are very religious. I don't know if that's because a lot of Americans in general are, or a lot of healthcare workers, or just that there's some overlap between religious people and the type of people who want to work with Alzheimer's patients.
But the other night at work, another coworker asked me whether or not I go to church, and like always, I said no. Actually my favorite exchange on this topic was when a coworker said "Polly, you love the Lord, don't you?" and I responded with "Oh, no, I don't have one." But they've all been very surprised that I can manage to be nice/kind to both my coworkers and the old people we take care of while still being an atheist.
I guess it's a charming compliment that they like me so much they assume I must draw strength from the same place they do?
But to share an FYI for anyone of any religion that's reading this: No matter what you hear from your church or fellow churchgoers, atheists are nice too. We don't kick puppies. Shoot, I don't even eat animals! And I don't kick my old people either, I give them hugs. Whether or not someone is nice is kind of a crapshoot.
And atheists can be good people, too.
I still don't tell many people I am an atheist. You're right, a lot of people think if you don't believe in some kind of higher power, you must be the devil himself. Usually when I am confronted by "I need your prayers" or "Ask God and he will give you what you need" I usually just smile and nod.
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