Heritage Album

Should an atheist have pictures of Christian religious items if they are family heirlooms.?

my husband say i am a hypocrite for having these things on the wall. I enjoy the memory they bring me.

Public Comments

1. I have a tiny statue of Mary in my house. I got no problem with that. It's just a heirloom kinda....
2. your hubby is calling you a name, that doesn't help understanding. of course it's ok for you to have them. but you need to talk to him more about what the images mean to you and to him and try to understand his point of view a lot better. you need to find out what is bugging him about it. good luck.
3. Yes, me too. They are not religious objects, they are the only things that i still have from my grandparents.
4. I'm sure he's a hypocrite himself.
5. i carry the pope on a key ring, it dose not bother me one bit. there only pictures
6. Well sure! It's not about the "religion" if they are family heirlooms. Regardless of your beliefs, they are memories of your family. Having them up is respectful to their memory if the items meant a lot to them.
7. If it is of sentimental value to you, why is it hypocrisy? I see kids wearing devils and skull accessories as a form of fashion. I don't think they seriously worship them too. Your husband should take things in perspective.
8. You would only be a hypocrite if you had made statements about not having "religious stuff". The only thing that atheism states is that we have no believe in gods. We do not have any rules about superstitions, religious articles, books, etc. I think that having traditions (as long as they don't harm you or others) and family memories is a very good thing.
9. I have my Grandfathers Bible, I use it as a reference when arguing with creationists and other science deniers here on Yahoo answers, my favorite is Prov. 1;22: "How long, ye simple ones, will ye love simplicity? and the scorners delight in their scorning, and fools hate knowledge?"
10. sure, why not? Your husband might be an idiot.
11. Displaying possessions that include religious images does not mean an atheist worships them for their religiosity , but for their art and/or sentimental value. Appreciating the art of the Renaissance masters, for example, does not a hypocrite make of an atheist or any other non-believer. Your husband does not understand the true meaning of "hypocrite."
12. it's just art... unless you attribute more meaning to it
13. As long as it does not comes to life as what believers claimed, which creeps the hell out of me, its a good supplementary room decoration.
14. No burn your religious items and you house it is contaminated now. You may have to dig your eyes out to because of looking at these things. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year Your husband knows better then we would he knows you !
15. Is a Christian a hypocrite for having a non-religious picture on his wall? No. You can have whatever you want. What they represent is not what matters, their meaning to YOU is.
16. It is a connection to the family past. It would be hypocritical to not hold onto those things.
17. you need to talk to him that they are not just religious material but they are family heirlooms that are precious to you.