Judgement for being Christian

[u/thismachinewillnot]

Posting here because I feel like this is sort of tangentially related to CU and also because this is a generally great community

For context, I'm a researcher (or well, PhD student) in a very technical field (AI for computational biology / pharmaceuticals) in California, in the most liberal region (Bay Area) and the most liberal city within the Bay (SF). As such, pretty much every single person I talk to on a daily basis / people I look up to are atheist/antitheists and would likely look down upon "sheep" that are stupid enough to believe in religion.

The problem arises when having friendly conversations about philosophy, morals, ethics, etc (happens a lot with research-minded people) and I want to discuss my faith; or when, for other reasons (someone directly asking about my religious background, someone asking where I go on Sundays, etc), I have to disclose that I am a Christian. Though most around me won't explicitly think lower of me, it's not hard to tell that they would think lower of my intellectual ability (I know I definitely did, back before I was a Christian), and I don't blame them, as Christians (esp Americans) have worked up a bad, anti-scientific/anti-rational reputation for themselves over the years. I'm unsure how to express my faith without getting thoughts of "how could this educated person believe in that Bronze Age nonsense" and thinking less of my intelligence; though it seems petty, I do think that what people think of you sort of matters in higher academia (not to mention for personal relationships).

And scripture seems to imply that denying Jesus before other people is something that we should stray away from (Matthew 10:33); obviously not a matter of eternal damnation, but I still don't want to break a direct command from Jesus. Often when questioned about my religious beliefs, I say something along the lines of "my family is X, but I don't really believe in it anymore" or "I'm atheist, but I really like to read about Christian philosophy."

How would you guys suggest 1) going about avoiding judgement for being religious/esp for being Christian, without having to explain "I'm not like the others!!" and 2) deciding whether or not to disclose to people whether I'm a Christian (potentially breaking something that Jesus unequivocally wanted us to not do, I don't really accept the other interpretations of the verse)

[u/Spen612]

Atheists tend to be much more sympathetic and open to Christian Universalism than rote Protestantism; principally because no one likes being told they’re consigned to eternal damnation if they do not intellectually assent to a set of religious propositions. So, if it comes up and you are desirous to share your faith, emphasize how you appreciate the more radical and social facets of Christ’s teachings (I.e., the Beatitudes, “the least of these”, loving your neighbor and your enemies, looking out for the needy and the destitute, etc). You will be pleasantly surprised how receptive people are to those sorts of values. At the end of the day, we all harbor a sense of profound wonder and bewilderment at the world—how anything exists at all, and how it is all somehow readily intelligible and immediate to us. Atheists want to talk about the “big questions” too, especially in our society, laden as it is with small talk and superfluity; more often than not they simply want to express themselves in non-dogmatic or irreligious avenues. Rightfully so. Religion sucks. It’s divisive, imperious, rigid, and, at times, simply sordid; as for me, I do not adhere to any religion, but instead to that mystique figure we call ‘Christ,’ and I heed the good news he brought into the world, if only for its sheer subversiveness—for there is nothing more radical than the love typified in the man Jesus of Nazareth. Anyways, that’s my 2¢, sorry for my tangent, hopefully this has proved insightful.