I don't understand S.E. Cupp (Conservative Atheist)
Вставка
- Опубліковано 16 вер 2013
- I don't understand S.E. Cupp (Conservative Atheist)
Hemant Mehta (www.friendlyatheist.com)
Join the conversation. Leave your questions and comments below and we'll try to address them in future videos. Don't forget to subscribe for more!
Also, follow us at ...
/ atheistvoices
/ theatheistvoices
plus.google.com/u/0/b/1066621...
/ theatheistvoice
www.theatheistvoice.com/
I think I understand S.E. Cupp. S.E. Cupp the person is not an atheist, but she created an atheist character from the perspective of a theistic conservative.
If that is true then I predict she'll "turn Christian" and make a big deal out of it at some time in the future. Probably at a time when her political career will stall/end and time will be ripe for publishing these "I was an atheist for XX years, but now I have found Jesus Christ and accepted Him as my personal savior." books and giving speeches in congregations and churches.
Tomasz Wota It's a pretty solid plan, and all these Christian Republicans will start to love her and her career will get a second wind.
She strikes me less as an atheist than as a theist suffering a crisis of faith. Intellectually, she cannot accept that a God exists, but emotionally she cannot accept that He doesn't.
Or she's lying. One of the two.
+Phil Savage
If she intellectually cannot accept that God exists than that = true atheism. One important reason the God delusion is pandemic is because it is rationally scary and unnerving to accept you are mortal, alone, and without divine parental protection and security. An uncomfortable atheist evinces candor and truth - whereas a comfortable atheist evinces pseudo-atheism and cognitive dissonance.
It is a ubiquitous human trait to fill in strong biological emotional or visceral needs with a God delusion. Many people that lack SEs level of rational faculty and philosophical or epistemological objectivity just abandon one God delusion (once they deem it discredited) for an alternative God delusion. Often the alternative God conveniently meshes more neatly with their normalcy bias and their preferred but false narrative. People of lesser cognitive integrity just swap out the God of Abraham of Christian myth for the Sate God of modern liberal myth.
It appears to an objective outsider perspective, but at a distance fettering clear detail - that SE struggles precisely because she cannot reconcile this evolutionary imposed mandate to find God via the common path of self-delusion. She struggles because she cant or wont swap one myth for another. Maybe SE cant find God because she recognizes the sound principles including many apriori truths inherent to conservatism and even more so libertarianism. Maybe she cant find God because once Christianity is rationally discredited - conservatism offers no alternative God (unlike modern liberalism) and Libertarianism does not really offer any God at all including the Christian God. I have empathy for her conundrum. Also did I mention that she is sizzling hot and so easy to look at - as well as listen to.
I'll help you understand S.E. Cupp.
She worships money. She will take the stance and image which works best for her and which will garner the most money. This way she can get the moderate young crowd to pay attention to her, even if they're on the right.
Better than worshiping government.
HumanRights4Everyone
Worshiping Fox News is WAY, WAY, way, way worse than worshiping government, what are you talking about...
Everytime I watch SE Cupp, she just feels so fake - like everything she claims she is is an act. She seems like a religious person's idea of what an atheist is.
It sounds more like anti Atheist propaganda.
I think her and Ann Coulter just play characters on tv.
I don't think she's really an atheist...
She should change her name to C Cup.
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA
Didn’t get it
I tend to think she is a fraud, the more I listen to her.
I feel like SE Cupp just calls herself a lot of things because she thinks it will give her some sort of credibility that she wouldn't have without her titles. For instance she also calls herself an independent woman but says marrying rich is more important than education for women. I don't mean to be ad hominem or anything but that seems to be what she does.
Sounds to me like she's a fraud who 'claims' to be an Atheist to try and get attention and appear open-minded.
You don't understand her because she's a created character, not a person. A created character of a person who can't possibly exist.
David Battle You could be right. She's obviously profiting off of her views, but most Atheists don't think religious people are crazy.
I once had an Atheist tell me that the world should be like Scandinavia. She honestly thought that this remote and very homogenous region was a great example of how the rest of the world should be. I have trouble believing anyone with beliefs like that can exist.
*****
Yeah, I understand in Sweden they are very welcoming of their immigrants with different beliefs.
Of course, there is a long history of racism, xenophobia and religious intolerance of immigrant groups, but lets say that Atheism is the one belief system that makes everything hunky dory, right?
I'm guessing that you don't believe that to be true. Do you believe that Atheists have special powers? Most Atheists I've talked to think that's the case. Most Atheists I talk to think that when a person doesn't believe in God their IQ shoots up.
I better not be presumptuous. Maybe you acknowledge that even the great Scandinavian's are human, too.
*****
There are probably cultural differences between us. I live in America. I've been told by Atheists that one of the greatest American heroes ever, Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., was not a well reasoned man. They said he couldn't be, because he believed in God. They dismissed his intelligence as well, suggesting that he was simply, maybe, a nice guy.
I'm not sure if you're familiar with Martin Luther King, but he gave his life fighting for and uniting American's, when America didn't want to hear it. He was, an exceptionally well reasoned man, and far more well reasoned than myself or these people who would diminish him because of his personal religious beliefs.
I applaud the success that you and your peoples have had in your far flung northern-most region. The suggestion that the rest of the world could be simply solved by emulating yous and your people, is exceptionally overly simplistic.
Religious tyranny is a plague, but first and foremost, tyranny is a plague. It's a well publicized one.
The less publicized reality is that massive groups of Muslims, Christians, Jews and Atheists live together peacefully in God's greatest nation.
God bless America!
*****
I'm not surprised that a man educated in history has a better understanding of the world and humanity than the average New Atheist on youtube. My apologies for assuming otherwise.
I have no problem with you or your opinions. I also respect the pride you have for your homeland... wherever that might be. I've met people who come from a Dutch heritage, and they are a fine people. I've even used your paint. I do find the Dutch oven thing pretty disgusting, and when I take a lady out on a date, I prefer to pay her way. Those things are minor, though. I wish you well, friend.
+N0rthT "Most atheists I talk to think that when a person doesn't believe in God their I.Q. Shoots up" I can certainly understand why; I felt like that, once I got over the pain of having my entire life's foundation ripped away from me,but I know that it's largely an illusion, probably because I wasn't used to actually thinking. I think that's how it is for most atheists who are formerly religious, especially if they had been fundamentalists of their religion before. Then some of them extrapolate from their own experiences and assume that all or most religious people were just as brain-dead as they had been. Then they repeat this speculation to others and, because atheism doesn't guarantee an aptitude in critical thinking, the myth gets spread around. While there are some studies that suggest that atheists tend to be more intelligent than religious people, there's no causative link there, and not enough information to assume one.
I honestly do not believe she is an atheist.
She is obviously not atheist .... since when we trust politicians ....
I can't figure out what it could be like to be a self hating atheist.
"I'd love to believe in something I don't" "I want to believe but I can't"?
Really, why would someone WANT to accept as true something they hold as FALSE?
To make it short: "I want to be wrong".
After being told their whole lives that the church brings out the best in people, it's easy to keep that belief even after becoming an Atheist. Therefore, a person could easily hold the belief that being a believer is better, event their beliefs are wrong. And while there are certainly more benefits to Atheism than Theism in the long run, that position is not entirely without merit. I personally became unmotivated for a long period when I became an Atheist. It took me a while to realize the world wasn't quite hopeless.
Thanks for putting this video out! You echo my sentiments.
Thank you!
I always have the exact same thoughts when seeing S.E. Cupp.
Excellent video!
Thumbs if you hate this new commenting system and feel like Big Brother just hijacked youtube ramming an invasive, manipulative and condescending interface down your throat. (I'm pretty confident this won't show under "best comments", proving that they don't know everybodys preferences, but hey, you could help prove me wrong on at least that score).
There's more of us than you think. I live in the middle of the bible belt, yet I know quite a few atheist conservatives, such as myself (anarcho-capitalist).
MURDR63 Same here. I've never thought of atheism as being a non-conservative thing.
Sure there are conservative atheists,but S.E. Cupp isn't one. She doesn't sound like an atheist at all.
Conservatives are often allied with politically motivated religious groups, but not necessarily. I am a liberal conservative and in my country the conservative party is secular and socially liberal (even though they pay lip service to Christian values, but that is more of a cultural thing). We have a Christian party, but they are economically centrist, and to the left of conservatives in many issues.
+MURDR63 sup. Been looking for more conservative minded atheists. Check out my channel :)
+MURDR63 The weird thing is not that she holds conservative political positions-- I know plenty of anarcho-capitalist atheist types too, and, while it's an ideology I abhor, it's an ideology that I think is at least logically consistent. The weird thing is that, on religious issues, SE Cupp doesn't sound like an atheist; she sounds like Kierkegaard: a theist who continually suffers crises of faith.
Spot on!
I’ve caught myself saying I wish I wasn’t atheist. Truth is you don’t choose what you believe. Sometimes I wish I still had my faith but, I can’t go back. I just don’t think that way anymore. I’m sure I have more work to go.
You're a good communicator, Hemant
Se cupp also said she's never vote for an atheist because she thinks that being a theist some how makes you more humble, accountable, open to change, etc. which isn't true, atheists aren't how she describes them. She said something like that at least.
It is possible for an atheist to wish that there was a God. They just don't believe it to be true. That is what caused Hitchens to coin the term "anti-theist". The "ant-theist" is actually happy that it isn't true. They prefer to take responsibility to find answers for ourselves. It is certainly the more intriguing and sensible option. Certainly better than wishing for "end-times" or fighting over which is the correct God or prophet.
She's a shill. It's an act.
She does what she does as pure marketing tactics. Like Coulter does. They're acting. They're marketing themselves by saying things that make themselves stand out and create controversy and get people like you to make youtube videos about it and spread their names around. Thats it.
Ooh, yup.
Totally agree with you on this bro!! She is so freaking weird. She's definitely suffering some sort of an identity crisis due to not being able to really "get" the core definition of an Atheist.
Yeah, I agree with much of what you say.
*_I think that S.E.Cupp is most likely what is known as a 'Judas Goat'._*
It is a term for a specific kind of decoy, one that is used to lead the other goats into a place that they would not (willingly or knowingly) go of their own accord.
In other words, just as the decoy pigeon or duck suckers other pigeons and ducks into the sights of the hunter, _a 'Judas Goat' leads all the other goats to the slaughter._
That would be the most compelling explanation for her paradoxical juxtaposition of opinions.
Im an Atheist and i go in Church... I like the atmosphere there... Its cooling me off...
She wishes she had faith because ignorance is bliss :D
She is the less convincing athiest ever
"She's a republican atheist, and the part that bothers me the most... is her atheism."
LMAO
I saw her talk about her parents still being believers and I think she capitulates because of her love for them. It explained to me why she says she wishes she was. At least that's how I see it?
I also wonder why the conservatives like Ayn Rand, who was very outspoken about her philosophy which included Atheism ? as Albert Einstein said "Never Underestimate Stupidity".
Hey, I also use the term 'militant atheist' and am an agnostic atheist. I use it to refer to people who don't use tact with dealing with issues of religion. I like to use a soft touch, so I would never call someone who believed in God 'delusional', for instance. I like to be friendly and persuasive, typically that means I like to avoid aspersions. I don't know if that is how she is using it, but it is how I use the term.
i saw her on bill maher.
I find SE Cupp very interesting I think it's wonderful that she is forthright about her political/(non) religious views. I'm pleasantly surprised that other conservatives tolerate her atheism. When she says that she would like to be a person of faith, but is not only goes to show me that even if some one wants to believe in religion it's just not possible. However, it does strike me as odd that she would not vote for a atheist president. I would think that she would embrace a president that shared her views on this matter. She might get a cabinet position if we had an atheist president.
"But I also wonder if the term "delusion" would fit to religious beliefs in general when these beliefs had huge benefits."
The real reason "delusion", as in the diagnostic term, doesn't fit is because an almost explicit exception is made for religion in the DSM IV in that something can't be a delusion if it's believed by a lot of people. If that exception wasn't stated, religions would fit the term perfectly though.
Yeah, I thought she seemed a bit strange in her opinions when she appeared on Bill Maher.
I've never heard her before, but I can think of reasons an atheist might want to be a believer. Perhaps, even as a delusion, she sees benefits from religion that she believes she'll never reap and wishes she could.
A book I read showed that various christian practices taught you humbleness, discipline, and honesty among other things.
Also, it's pretty sweet (and sometimes key to mental health) to believe that all the skeletons in your closet will go away if you confess them in church. Correct me if I'm wrong, but if you're a christian, God=morality, so if God forgives you then, all those things you regret doing are no longer causing you to feel guilt. Am I right?
I've been trying to see if there's a way to reap those benefits from Christianity without having to believe, but so far, it looks like it can't be done without somehow making myself believe those things.
Yeah she is like the ”liberal” on foxnews.
She is an actor playing a role within the media. She saw a gap in that market and chose to exploit it for as long as she can.
1) If only people with same wealth, religion, race... can represent you, nobody can represent the majority.
2) Would it be so bad to have an president who is lead by logical and scientific reasoning?
Would someone then please point me in the right direction. (I am a conservative atheist, and proud of my atheist beliefs.)
do a video on athiesm and liberertarianism
S.E. Cupp makes as much sense as me being sad that the flying spaghetti monster doesn't exist. I mean, if I was able to believe that the flying spaghetti monster was real, my life would be so much better. I should probably talk to someone who believes in the flying spaghetti monster and describe my experiences from a completely objective point of view (or whatever it was she said; i tried to forget as much of her as possible).
I wish that people wouldn't care what party somebody is or what religion somebody is. This would make America a so much better place, George Washington had the right ideas.
The "wishing you're religious" thing is something I kind of understand... The vast majority of communities I've lived in are very religious and there have been times when I wished I could make myself believe so that I could fit in with my friends and go to church without feeling hypocritical. I don't think that's where she's coming from, though.
There are several factions on the right. Only two of them is super religions: "religious right" and "Paleo-con." The "libertarian" and "neo-con" factions are secular.
I don't understand Cup either. That doesn't negate the fact there are hords of actual atheist conservatives that still feel they need to stay closeted from both Conservatives AND atheists. One says their not welcome and the other refuses to acknowledge their existence.
se cupp should make her own 2 girls one cupp video.
I'm not sure she even remembers what she set out to do at this point. Her vacillations have gotten to be so schizophrenic that I think she no longer has an endgame.
And actually, if you look at longevity statistics on whole countries it almost looks like the more atheistic a country is, the longer people live. Not that I'd suggest a causation in that direction. Most likely education + economic development leads to both better health and no religion in most countries.
2.
So that was how I understand her. That´s not exactly what I think myself.
First I would argue weather religion all in all has more benefits than disadvantages. I strongly daubt that.
And even if a religion or a belief was absolutely neccessary for someones life that doesn´t say anything about it beeing true or not.
But I also wonder if the term "delusion" would fit to religious beliefs in general when these beliefs had huge benefits. I tend to go with the term Illusion in the Freudian way.
I haven't seen much of her, but, from what I have seen, I agree with you. She doesn't sound like she even knows what atheism is.
Dude -- Presidents typically run representing less that 1% of the population. Presidents represented slave owners, the people who own military contracting corporations, bank owners, CEOs, etc., etc.
The two problems with a "represents only 5%" stance is that 1) there are > 8% atheists in the US, and 2) such a position would represent a radical *INCREASE* in representation relative to all viable presidential candidates of recent memory.
There is one thing for which I envy religious people: their coping with death, especially their own mortality. Years ago, I've been called out by a friend that it's probably hard for me because I find no solace in an afterlife - that for me the whole existence ends with death. And that comment - though I know he didn't mean it to - has repeatedly sent me into almost depressive moods.
Yet I won't pick up a belief - any belief - just so I can pretend we'll all go to Heaven/Hell, be reborn until we reach Nirvana (the state of being, not the band) or whatever other religions believe in.
I think part of that in people, is our natural instinct to survive. We don't want to die. We want to keep living. SO many people delude themselves into fantasy. I'd argue that doing so may seem easy at the end but in the meantime, it causes way worse things in the one life that we actually have. I'll end it like this, "instead of being 'born again', why not just grow the fuck up? I personally don't find it too hard to accept death. It's a part of life and without death, life would have no meaning. It's all about perspective.
I think if people were really honest with themselves, they would admit that they really don't truly believe that there is an afterlife. If they truly believed that, why would people be sad at funerals? If someone at your work was retiring to the Bahamas, and you knew that you would eventually retire to the Bahamas as well, would you cry and wear black at their retirement party? No. As much as religious people say "he/she is in a better place", their instinctual sadness shows that they don't really believe this.
olskoolsouljah And then there's this whole killing of children to send them to heaven before they sin.
Wouldn't that kind of parent be a hero instead of a villain if people actually believed that these children truly go to heaven? I mean, the parent sacrifices his own afterlife for 100% chance of eternal bliss for these children. Wouldn't that be a sacrifice at least worthy of recognition? Wouldn't Christian parent sacrifice everything for his/her children?
If she wants to be religious she should just be religious.
It's not like she has to actually do anything.
Like think or reason.
She and Pat Robertson will be throwing an "Atheist Pride Day." Should be fun.
1:36 she has a point if you are a big fan of democracy.
I understand she is MOTO MOTO!
The fact is no candidate can fully represent anyone. We have to choose our president based on what policies are most important to us. I’m a conservative atheist that believes in choice (spousal and birth). There has never been a presidential candidate that can fully represent me. So I vote for whoever supports policies that I believe are most important.
I can understand that some people out there might want to believe in things like god and the afterlife but find themselves unable to simply because they have to be honest with themselves. I do not think that S.E. Cupp is genuinely one of those people.
I considered myself a conservative-atheist, until I looked into issues for myself, stopped believing Fox, and found out how wrong I was on so many topics.
An atheist saying they wish they were religious is like an athlete wishing they were confined to a really fancy wheelchair.
If she misses having faith so much, then why doesn't she go back? Last I checked, atheists don't punish "apostates" with death, do they?
If this woman is an atheist, I'm Jesus Christ
I must say that I'd disagree with one thing, I would too say that I'd like to be religious. To believe that we'll see our loved ones after death in this wonderful place, for all eternity, is a sweet thought. If only.
So...being conservative means you can't be an atheist?? I mean people really dig into what conservativism is. Im more of a constitutional conservative which mentions both Natural born right and "god" given rights! I think atheist in the conservative movement could really empower it by embracing Free thinking!!!
Sounds to me like this woman you're talking about is an obvious attempt at discrediting atheism in the US. The only thing that makes me pause is that she is not on Fox News.
I have a headache
I wouldn't "lay money on it", but it's certainly possible. If she does have a conversion, cha-ching!
I don't really know the person you've mentioned since I don't watch TV :)
But I think it's perfectly fine to be an atheist and a conservative. I think the most prevalent reason amongst my atheist friends to be conservative is the conservative economic stance. They simply do not want a protective government, they want to look out for themselves and oppose the idea of welfare. I even know atheist people who claim they will teach their children religion because they think it benefits people. There is no one "true atheism" that all atheists should follow. because if there would be then atheism would be a religion.
I almost hope that happens because Bill Maher asked her that exact question, and she laughed at the idea.
That's something I think Hemant Mehta would object too. She's obviously not a theist, but she does know what her conservative audiance wants to hear, and she gives them it. Your comment smack of atheistic tribalism.
Yeah, exactly my point. No one believes that we came from monkeys, because we didn't. We evolved from a species that monkeys also evolved from.
Although it does occur to me that I cannot see the comment you were laughing at, for some reason.
I honestly don't see why this appears so far out too many atheists. I have a friend that gave me a ride to church for two years. He believed in no God and yet just so happens to believe that children should not be aborted, the trickle down theory, and tends to have a very capitalistic mind set in general. Furthermore, I have numerous friends that would do this. We have happily coexisted for years since my time in the Navy. Our religions and ideologies don't clash because we don't talk about them. The world isn't going to end if I see the swastika tattoo on my friends arm or if he sees the cross sticker on my laptop. TBH, american atheist/Christians not understanding the non-stereotypical is quite funny and yet sad. Children in a playground...
+Jay Alaska "The world isn't going to end if I see the swastika tattoo on my friends arm" No, but your friendship is........unless said friend isn't a nazi and just a victim of a messed up ritual phone game....
What's far out isn't her being a conservative atheist, but rather how she actively *puts down* atheism and seems to believe that religion is superior.
He hits the nail on the head: Cupp's identity as a 'Conservative Atheist' is nothing more than a "schtick". Her schtick is the only reason she is even part of the conversation. Otherwise, she's just another 'Hot Librarian Republican'. Is Cupp a TRUE atheist? I don't really know what that means. All I know is the woman comes across about as genuine as a $3 bill.
What! Oh no.
I doubt that she is an atheist. She simply brainstormed one day about what would make her stand out amongst all the other conservative pundits and it occurred to her that she could be TV's only conservative atheist. It's just a gimmick.
If say 80% of america understands s.e cupp, and 5% don't get her, wouldn't it be better for her to appeal to the greater masses if she later wants to involve herself in politics? i mean, she says that she's pro-Christianity. but is she really honest about that or does she have some sort of goal in this?
I’m a conservative atheist and I agree with you. I don’t think she is an atheist.
if we came to exist fom nothing and we will end up in nothing, why r we afraid of death ?? and why do we rush to hospitale if we r ill ?? why would us keep and protect a body that is going nowhere?? isn't it rediculious how athiests think?? finally if there isn't soul could anyone tell us the differnce between recent dead person and an alive one ??? surely they have thesame body but sth missing???
@BottleConcreteBlond
1Actually she didn´t say exactly that. If you mean this show watch?v=WFpKvhkXYrE
she said: "I don´t think religious people are deluded. I don´t believe in god but I´m not like mad at him."
Maher doesn´t get how she does not agree with him, which I think is kinda funny. Then she goes on and explains how studies have shown health benefits for believing people. If religion was just a delusion (like a mental illness) then why has religion psychological and social benefits?
(...)
The actual quot is "why are you SO mad at God"--and it's not the only time she's said it. I expect an apology for saying I misquoted it. Here's a clip of one of the times she said it. youtube-uc8GM3P8gPw
For example: A man kill another man (human nature, for wealth) and no one knows, no evidence, no clue left. Police cannot catch him to bring in justice. So please tell me how he gets punishment for hurting or killing other man? How that dead man get justice?
I disagree... I don't think she prescribes to a particular theism. Maybe Deist or secretly agnostic, but you just have to take her at her word until she says something really incongruent with atheism.
To be fair - I would have a hard time voting for an atheist in my country as well. But different reasons really - atheist politicians are usually pretty much pro things like public healthcare, high taxes, big role of government in the society, redistribution etc.
@1:40 When we hire politicians, they're supposed to represent everyone, not just the people with whom they agree. WTF is wrong with Americans that they don't seem to understand this? Don't they teach the Constitution in school anymore?
I never realized conservatives were such a minority among the non-religious.
I guess it would depend on which "conservative" views, or thinking you hold. I'm still conservative, in a fiscal, small government sense. But when I looked into a lot of typical liberal/conservative issues, I found my thinking changing when I looked into the facts myself. Like man-caused global warming. Like gay marriage. Like the death penalty.
Yes, I am sorry for not to come to your point.
A good person with lacking belief, but with all good deed and rightousness, what will happen to him.
To answer to this. I will say only Creator knows what will happen to him. I don't know.
It's not that she's conservative. It's the fact that she pretty much makes the same arguments of Fundies. Hell she even advocated teaching creationism in schools. That's my problem with her, I believe she's a Christian.
She makes a pretty good living arguing this schtick.
I think that pretty much explains her.
Describing one's self in a political sense with a single word is often problematic, whereas this is often not the case with religious issues. If I had to label myself with a single word for each, I would call myself a conservative atheist. This isn't an oxymoron, it's unsatisfactory because defining ones self as atheist is easy; you either believe in a god or gods or you don't (or you take no position - i.e. agnosticism), whereas defining a political position isn't so straight forward, which is what this video seems to be more about. Consider a person who is 'Conservative'. What exactly are they conservative about? What is a "Liberal", liberal about? I would, for example, politically call myself a Constitutional conservative, a fiscal conservative, but a social liberal. Some could call me a classical liberal, or even Libertarian, but lean Republican (or "right") in a sense that dismisses the religious aspect often associated with that label.
How are those not good reasons for not believing in a god that loves you?
Her catholicism didn't match reality so she decided to face reality.
Anyway, I once shared some of her views. I pretty much can't believe in god but I have envied faith. You can't decide what you believe and you may regret believing things that cause conflicts in your family, or legitimately believe faith does more good than harm.
I feel the same way when we're told there ought to be more women in congress, ostensibly to represent women.
That's not how it works.
S.E. Cupp is really funny.
It's not that difficult to understand. She isn't really an atheist.
By definition someone who "really aspires to be a person of faith someday" (yes, she actually said this) is not an atheist. Who plans to believe things one doesn't believe exists. Her scam is not that difficult to figure out.