Questions about Latinas

[jm21-2]

Great posts!

I'm probably one of the youngest guys here, and have been slowly reading up on the different options available for marriage to a foreign woman, and trying to do as much thinking on what I want in a woman as possible. I can't seem to get over the looks of some Latinas though...they seem a bit more easygoing too. I'm sort of wondering about Asian girls because the penpals I've had and talked with long distance seem a bit too passive/non-argumentative for my tastes,  and a bit too zealous on the respect your parents thing (I told one that I live fairly close to my parents but only visit them a few times a month, and she told me not to have children. Do Latinas think the same way?). Of course, I could be way off on both of those with my limited experience. I've been trying to go through the posts on the Latin board here, but there are so many BS arguments, and debating the same thing over and over and over again that it gets sort of tiring. I hope you don't mind me asking a few questions I've been curious about?

How much truth is there to the "Latin flame?" I mean, are there really worse arguments than with an American girl? I've seen girls fight over some really damn stupid things state-side, and do some pretty cruel things, from sleeping with another guy to trashing his car or apartment...girls who like to break up with their boyfriend on purpose just to get him to make up to them, etc. Just curious how Latinas compare...the few I've met seemed pretty easygoing, but I think they were all raised in the states. I don't really mind hot tempers, but a lot of girls here seem to get way too great of a kick out of forcing a guy to get on his knees and pray for her forgiveness.

I was also curious if you've noticed any racism? I live in OR, and there is a lot of racism towards Mexicans here in some places, and considering the vast majority of people here couldn't tell the difference between a Mexican, Colombian, and an Eskimo, I was thinking that might pose a problem for a Latina transplant (especially if she didn't speak much English).

[On second thought, the last two questions you probably wouldn't know much about, sorry. Maybe someone else? This post just seemed much more productive than some of the others]

This has probably been asked and answered elsewhere, but what's your take on Colombianas and religion? Avid church-goers, non-practicing, or not religious? You think a girl might become more zealous/practicing after having kids? Doombug I think cited a figure of something like 60% of Colombians didn't practice their religion I think.

I would want a girl with at least a partial college education, but it seemed like people were saying most college-bound kids were the rich. Is there some truth to that, and if so, does being from a rich family have a negative effect on their personality (snobby, demanding, etc.) or willingness to relocate?

Thanks for any help you can give!

[papi]

i think you are over-thinking this. relax. If you really need help with some specific questions, please rephrase point by point:

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[sean126]

Well as far as the "latin flame" goes....I've dated one and I''ve been married to one for a year now and my experiences are:  They don't have a reputation for having a high spirited temper for nothing.  From what I've seen, they can give it back just as good as you can give it and in the end....they still love you just as much, whereas the American women I've fought with....they want to get mad, stay mad, hold a grudge and then hold it over you for life.  From what I've seen....the latina's I've been with are just a quick to forgive as they are to argue with you.  When they love you....your their's....the good parts and the bad parts.  It's hard to explain, but I get more angrier (inside) when arguing with a latina, but I'm also more secure in the fact that they still love me afterwards vs. my arguments and feelings afterwards with American women.

As for religion....my wife really keeps my head and heart where it should be.  I'm naturally high strung and she keeps me on track.  My relationship with God has grown much deeper now that I have her in my life.  He is a central part and the most important part of our marriage and she truly is my "helper".

My wife's family doesn't have much money (they're not poor, but not comfortable either),  but she went to college and it was paid for because she got such good grades in high school.  I would think it's only natural for the more affluent families to send their kids to college, but some of the ones who have less money also get there...with natural talent I think.

My opinions and experiences are based only on a few latinas, so it may be skewed.

[curranti]

Well as far as the "latin flame" goes....I've dated one and I''ve been married to one for a year now and my experiences are:  They don't have a reputation for having a high spirited temper for nothing.  From what I've seen, they can give it back just as good as you can give it and in the end....they still love you just as much, whereas the American women I've fought with....they want to get mad, stay mad, hold a grudge and then hold it over you for life.  From what I've seen....the latina's I've been with are just a quick to forgive as they are to argue with you.  When they love you....your their's....the good parts and the bad parts.  It's hard to explain, but I get more angrier (inside) when arguing with a latina, but I'm also more secure in the fact that they still love me afterwards vs. my arguments and feelings afterwards with American women.

As for religion....my wife really keeps my head and heart where it should be.  I'm naturally high strung and she keeps me on track.  My relationship with God has grown much deeper now that I have her in my life.  He is a central part and the most important part of our marriage and she truly is my "helper".

My wife's family doesn't have much money (they're not poor, but not comfortable either),  but she went to college and it was paid for because she got such good grades in high school.  I would think it's only natural for the more affluent families to send their kids to college, but some of the ones who have less money also get there...with natural talent I think.

My opinions and experiences are based only on a few latinas, so it may be skewed.

well said

[utopiacowboy]

Cuidado, Senor. While generalizations usually have some truth to them, they are frequently wrong when applied to any particular individual. My wife is extremely punctual, thrifty, a hard worker and more rational than emotional when it comes to relationship issues. If you applied the Latina generalizations to her, most of the time you'd be dead wrong.

[el_ruso]

Latinas, as other types of women are all different.  Further, there are significant differences in culture between strata and individual countries.

If there is significant racism in OR, it is sad, and frankly the anti-immigration movement is an excuse for the racists and gave them a "legitimate" cause to crawl out of their holes.  Not all anti-immigration movement supporters are racists, but all racists will support it.

Regarding the flame...  Latin people usually are very friendly and outgoing, and used to be comfortable displaying emotion in public.  Most Latin people (including women) I have met are very proud, and will not be shy to let you know if they are not treated the way they want to be treated.  So if the latin girl is not happy with you, she will most likely let you know, even if you are in public at the moment.  In my experience, the latin girls like to be given a lot of attention and to feel "adored".  If you can do that without coming across as wimp, most of them will be more than generous in return.  Well, at least that's my experience.  They are close to their families and with few exceptions will live with their parents until married.  The Latin culture puts great value on loving children and home, and pretty much all the Latin girls I got to know closely were home- and children-oriented.  Most colombian girls I have known were defenitely hardworking and enterprising, but the culture conditions them to make their goal having a family and children, rather than a career - and I love that element of their culture.  Also, Latin culture values - and expects - generosity. 

Again, individuals are going to be different.  You can't be certain how a girl will be or act just because she is Hispanic or Colombian.  If you are interested in pursuing this "avenue", you should put an effort into learning the culture, and act yourself.  If you are positive and learn from others' mistakes, you are bound to have success.

[jm21-2]

i think you are over-thinking this. relax. If you really need help with some specific questions, please rephrase point by point:

1.
2.
3.

Hmm. I tried to have each paragraph contain one topic, but I guess in my haste they contained too many for you. It seemed like if I made them much more specific there might actually be less useful feedback. I understand I tend to over-think things, and it especially seems that way when I'm writing a post on a forum rather than talking with a girl, but judging from the many posts I've read of yours, you may have a slight tendency to under-think things. Everyone has their flaws.

El_Ruso: unfortunately, groups such as the KKK, for some reason, decided to target the Northwest as some sort of white homeland. They were pretty active in Eastern OR when I was growing up. There was also some giant cult in eastern OR...both of those things confirm some of my suspicions about that half of the state, which I have been lucky enough not to live in (though the property values make it tempting sometimes).

I understand all your guys' comments about everyone being an individual and not to generalize too much, but my experience has been that different cultures have certain probabilities and some general characteristics. My aim is to figure out, through self-searching, what are the most important things for me, what are the "deal-breakers" that I absolutely have to have or could not live with, and where there is the highest probability of finding a girl who matches up. Of course, I wouldn't try someplace where I wasn't interested in the culture, or someplace I wouldn't want to visit, but my interests are pretty broad.

I'd mainly been looking at Asian countries (Malaysia, of which there is pretty much no info on this board, seemed like it might be the best bet, and a really fun vacation if nothing else)...Eastern Europe didn't seem like a place I'd be interested in for various reasons...

I'd ignored Latin and South America because..hmm...this is probably going to sound offensive to a lot of members on this board from the posts I've read, but I've said it before in the Asian section so what the hell...I just wouldn't want to live with a practicing Christian, and I had thought that was the vast majority of Latin/South America, a belief which I'm thinking might not have much of a foundation. Don't get me wrong, I have no problem with the religion, but I'm an Atheist, and if I had to give up traveling on my weekends so my wife could go to church, or if she insisted on making the kids go to church, it would drive me nuts. On the other hand, I grew up in a small, very religious town, and think I share a lot of the same values as some conservative Christians because of that. So I was thinking a non-practicing Christian wouldn't be such a bad idea, and after reading a bit, it seems like that may not be such an unlikely occurrence in South America. Feel free to criticize, but at least give me some credit for being honest.

EDIT: Oh, and your description of the so-called "Latin flame" sounds more good than bad Sean, thanks for the description. IMHO, better to get things out and get over them than dwell on them.

[Ray]

I live in OR, and there is a lot of racism towards Mexicans here in some places, and considering the vast majority of people here couldn't tell the difference between a Mexican, Colombian, and an Eskimo, I was thinking that might pose a problem for a Latina transplant (especially if she didn't speak much English).

    But Mexican isn't a race... It's a nationality

[papi]

this is probably going to sound offensive to a lot of members

well said, you can apply that to your entire post

[flipflop]

I dont know why you would say that. I think his inqiries are well written and interesting, just like his contributions on the Asian threads. Speak for yourself when critisizing others. If you dont have something nice to say....

[sean126]

EDIT: Oh, and your description of the so-called "Latin flame" sounds more bad than good Sean, thanks for the description. IMHO, better to get things out and get over them than dwell on them.

It seemed like the question you was asking was about the argumentative side.  It's been my experience that they won't be as easily intimidated as the American women can be in an argument.  If you make them mad enough...which has been my problem at times...they can go from Heavenly Angel to a bad ass in a matter of seconds.  My advice...speak your mind, but don't make them crazy.  LOL .
Don't make the mistake of thinking that because she's a foregin woman that she's timid.

How much truth is there to the "Latin flame?" I mean, are there really worse arguments than with an American girl? I've seen girls fight over some really damn stupid things state-side, and do some pretty cruel things, from sleeping with another guy to trashing his car or apartment...girls who like to break up with their boyfriend on purpose just to get him to make up to them, etc. Just curious how Latinas compare...the few I've met seemed pretty easygoing, but I think they were all raised in the states. I don't really mind hot tempers, but a lot of girls here seem to get way too great of a kick out of forcing a guy to get on his knees and pray for her forgiveness.

El Ruso's description of the other side of that coin is accurate, in my opinion.  They will treat you like a king and in doing so....as I said before, you are their's..so no funny business.  Of course, you can't treat them like dirt and be treated like this.  Like El Ruso, one of the things that I love is how "into" their families they are.  If you get a sincere woman who truly loves you...it's heaven on earth with her and her family (at least with my wife's family it is).  You could go on and on about the passionate things--side of the "latin flame".  

I apologize if my answer threw you off before.  I thought you was focusing on one aspect.

[utopiacowboy]

Jm21-2, one thing I can definitely say is that the vast majority of Latinas will be tolerant of a different religous point of view even if they are Catholic. Many Latinas are only nominally Catholic anyway so I would not let that stop me. My wife is a devout Catholic but she has a "live and let live" attitude regarding religion.   

[el_ruso]

JM,

Regarding the religion issue, I think you really have no grounds to worry, even though I don't know your background and beliefs. 

There are several guys who post here who themselves are protestant and seem fairly religious, and who made a point of seeking out women who are.  That does not mean that most (or even many) women in Colombia are practicing Christian, less than 10% I think, and probably well below that number.  Having said that, of all the Latin countries, the only country where it is realistic to find atheists is Mexico because their government was for decades very anti-religion.  Further, Malaysia (and Indonesia) are Muslim countries.  I doubt you will meet many atheists or non-religious women there.

I am a Jew, and have not had any major problems dating latinas, well, with one exception, and it was her loss.  Granted, I have not been married to one, and the whole wedding thing would be difficult to do because of the religion thing, but I am sure it will work out. 

I am not religious at all, and as long as she respects me as much as I respect her, it will not be a problem.  Colombians are catholic, and are raised generally to follow it, but they are not fanatic, including my girl.  There are not many protestant women there, in comparison to for example Salvador or Brazil.   

So, if the religion thing is what is stopping you, it shouldn't.  Trust me.

[doombug]

If there is significant racism in OR, it is sad, and frankly the anti-immigration movement is an excuse for the racists and gave them a "legitimate" cause to crawl out of their holes.  Not all anti-immigration movement supporters are racists, but all racists will support it.

Again (how much longer will these mischaracterizations have to be beaten to death?), anti-illegal-immigration is what irks most Americans, not legal immigration. A sentiment, by the way, which is not racism in disguise! I noticed that you tried just a wee bit not to equate the two, but it'd help to clarify these things further for those who don't know (or don't care to know) any better.

This might surprise the "socially conscious" liberal who can't resist labeling such patriotic groups as the Minuteman Project ("MMP has no affiliation with, nor will we accept any assistance by or interference from, separatists, racists, or supremacy groups.") as racist...or a KKK affiliate...or as border-nazis:

Organized, legitimized white supremacy is dead. About the only place these fruitcakes exist in any significant proportion is prison (alongside their brown- and black-supremacy aficionados. ) The KKK, itself, is practically nonexistent.


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ku_Klux_Klan

And unlike the "socially conscious" liberals (mostly high n' mighty, White folks), the MMP are a multiethnic bunch.

Don't misconstrue grumblings over loose borders and balkanization ("I still consider myself Mexican. That's where we're so different from other immigrants. We just can't give it up.") in your community as a ribbon-cutting ceremony for some new KKK chapter. Some supporters of illegal immigration, though, are obsessed with painting it as such:

From: Konradio martinez - konradiosounds@yahoo.com
Subject: Your campaign

I can't believe you brought back the kkk. You need to understand something "THIS IS MEXICO, NOT THE US! . "Your a pretty [snip]ed up person" and if you are religous may god have mercy on your soul.
sincerly yours,
Conrad the great II

http://www.minutemanproject.com/default.asp?contentID=20

It's about fair play, not race. Adopt a nation, stick with it, respect it, and support it. Otherwise, you are effectively giving the finger to your hosts and their laws.

Peace, my homeslices!

[papi]

anti-illegal-immigration is what irks most Americans, not legal immigration.

reverse discrimmination is also irritating with respect to latinos/gringos here on the border. this is america yet the gringo is a second class citizen on the border

[Ray]

 

 Well said, Doombug! 

[el_ruso]

I do not accuse the anti-immigration people to be racists.  But all racists will suport the anti-immigration movement.

Oddly enough, none of the "anti-illegal immigration" people that I have heard speak on TV insist on giving a reasonable opportunity to the mexicans and central americans to immigrate legally, so that they are not doing it across the border in such a way that it can't be controlled or screened.  Until that happens, I reserve a right to doubt their true motives.

There were people who were opposed to Irish immigration, then to immigration from eastern and southern europe, now it's mexicans.  The Irish or Italians or Jews have not undermined the nation, and neither do hispanics.

Re KKK, it is no longer socially acceptable for most people to associate with that organization.  But it does not mean that there are only 2,000 in the entire country either.  Although I wish it were to be a case.

[papi]

The Irish or Italians or Jews have not undermined the nation, and neither do hispanics.

the irish don't say you need to speak irish to work for us...regarding the Jews, speaking Hebrew is also not a prerequisite for getting hired

[doombug]

reverse discrimmination is also irritating with respect to latinos/gringos here on the border. this is america yet the gringo is a second class citizen on the border

"Calexico has the highest Hispanic/Latino percentage of any California city..."

"...95.29% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race."

I lived in Calexico for about four years in the mid-nineties. At one point, I even applied to join the Calexico PD. Written test; board interview. But it was a no go.

One woulda thunk that maybe they would have needed to fill a white-guy quota or somethin'.   (Okay, so during the interview, I did have an embarrassing smudge on my collar.)

[jm21-2]

Sean: Sorry, I meant to put "it sounded more good than bad" but got dyslexic late at night. Your comments have been great. I'm used to debating/arguing with friends and family, and sometimes my Asian penpals and friends throw me off with not wanting to argue at all. Like arguments can't be good for relationships. Your comments have been really encouraging. I was hoping to leave things pretty broad, but I went too broad I guess.

El Ruso: about Malaysia, only 50-60% of the population is Muslim (the Malays). There is a large Chinese population and a smaller Indian population as well. I lurked a bit on some Malaysian sites/forums, and the Chinese seemed ver modern (they control most of the money in the country I believe). Indian girls there still tend to have arranged or semi-arranged marriages I believe, so it seems like they might deal with having a courtship with relatively short in-person time better.

Ray:I must have worded that confusingly (I seem to have a knack for doing that on this forum). I meant there are a lot of bad feelings towards Mexicans here (illegal immigration being one of many of their reasons), and they tend to extend towards anyone who looks even vaguely like a Mexican, which develops into racism. So you get people discriminating against say, an Eskimo (that one always cracks me up, true story), when if they knew she was an Eskimo and not a Mexican they would be appalled at her being discriminated against. Hopefully that clears things up...I'm having a hard time explaining/wording this I think.

Doombug: When you have ignorant people who believe that almost all Hispanics are illegal Mexican immigrants (which describes many rural Oregonians viewpoint), and illegal immigration becomes a big issue, you have problems. There are many people who are not racist that are against illegal immigration, sure, but there are also people who twist the issues to support their racist views. And yes, there are still skinheads and the like. The ones who tattoo their symbols all over their body crack me up. How they don't get killed I can't comprehend. I don't know how you'd measure the KKK population accurately now as there are so many different tiny subchapters, after the Supreme Court kept breaking up the large ones. Then you have the neo-nazis and other extremists as well.

Papi: I have a friend/classmate from Southern Texas and he was surprised at the animosity towards Mexicans here. He felt there were many more illegal immigrants here due to the farms, and that's what caused it. I'm not sure everyone from down there shares your opinion. Did you grow up there?

All: I honestly think I just had a lot of stereotypes and ignorance about the region,and it seemed like there were a significant amount of pretty religious people here on the Latin forum. I've known some Catholic girls pretty well, and they seemed VERY firm about the need for kids to go to church (and some would force their husband to, no matter his beliefs). I personally don't care much about a girl's personal beliefs, it's just I don't want to go to church or be stuck at home on the weekends, and want to raise my kids in a way where they can choose their own beliefs to a large extent.

All the responses here have been really helpful in clearing things up. Sorry for being prejudiced. I think I had some really strong stereotypes. Hopefully some more browsing on here and elsewhere will help clear more of them up. Hope I didn't offend anyone too much.

A Brazilian girl randomly messaged me on Skype when I was talking with a friend, and it has been amazing how much mis-knowledge there is on both sides. Her opinion of Americans was that they started having sex around 13 and got it on all the time, we're all racist as hell, all support the war in Iraq, don't care at all about killing people from other countries, we're all taught an extremely biased view of history and never study any other cultures in high school or college...the list goes on...I felt horns growing out of my head, haha. Luckily she's very smart (a med student) and open-minded so I could convince her that at least some of us weren't blood/sex-crazed demons.

[sean126]

jm21-2,
you started a good post and I don't think anyone was really offended by you trying to clear things up in your head.   I, for one, didn't see anything that would be offending.  Good luck and I hope you stick around in the future.

[el_ruso]

JM,

you make good points regarding the religion issue.  I would not at all want my kids to go to church, especially regularly.  I have postponed the whole religion discussion with my girl until "better times" to be honest with you, but do not anticipate major problems.  My girl is not fanatic at all, and I sincerely respect her beliefs.  I am fairly open-minded when it comes to religion, but I do feel strongly that it should not be in the center of one's life, or that children should not grow up immersed in it, and I definitely will not allow my children to attend religious schools of any kind.  If they go to a service on main holidays (like once or twice a year), I would not like it, but can live with it, and I will not accompany them.  I realize that many people who post here take an opposite view, and I respect their opinion.  But when it comes to my kids, I want to raise them with a critical mind and devoid of any sort of ideology.

As far as I know, dating an Indian girl for a non-Indian guy could be very difficult because of the family pressure.  And their culture is typically very different, and I have not met any Indians who were atheist.  I frankly have not dated chinese girls, whether from here or abroad, so I have no idea in regards to how they feel towards religion.

Latin Americans enjoy religious festivals, and do tend to follow the Catholic religion.  The rites however are not so much an ideology, as part of their culture, their traditions.  However, they don't live on the rift of religions, and that makes them more open-minded towards other religions - based on my experience.  But again based on my experience it would be easier for a Latin girl to accept another religion than to accept no religion at all.  Frankly, my only bad experience in regards to religion and latin girls was with a salvadorean girl who was protestant, and wanted me to go to bible readings and stuff like that.

[doombug]

Oddly enough, none of the "anti-illegal immigration" people that I have heard speak on TV insist on giving a reasonable opportunity to the mexicans and central americans to immigrate legally, so that they are not doing it across the border in such a way that it can't be controlled or screened.  Until that happens, I reserve a right to doubt their true motives.

History provides reasonable enough proof to the contrary:









Take special note of those legal-immigrant figures.

Don't believe the hype. Believe the type!

Re KKK, it is no longer socially acceptable for most people to associate with that organization.  But it does not mean that there are only 2,000 in the entire country either.  Although I wish it were to be a case.

Why would a KKK member be concerned about social mores?

By the way, thanks to Ray, Professor of Smiley Ethnography.   To date, he's provided for the legal migration of thousands of smilies to the U.S. via these very boards.

Finally, to keep with the topic of the board, I've been with two Latinas in LTRs. One was a hot head; the other a calm head. One a Peruvian rocoto; the other a Mexican poblano.

Still, I enjoyed the company of both. Latinas are spectacular. Love 'em, love 'em, love 'em. They deserve special quarters in heaven. I'm sure God's got his arm around one right now.

[Ray]

Oddly enough, none of the "anti-illegal immigration" people that I have heard speak on TV insist on giving a reasonable opportunity to the mexicans and central americans to immigrate legally, so that they are not doing it across the border in such a way that it can't be controlled or screened.  Until that happens, I reserve a right to doubt their true motives.

ruso, what exactly do you consider a "reasonable opportunity"? I really think you should check your facts before making such outlandish statements.

Were you aware that Mexico has more U.S. immigrant visas issued than any other country on the planet?

Were you aware that Mexico has more non-immigrant U.S. visas issued than any other country on the planet?

Were you aware that temporary farm workers can come here legally under an H-2A temporary Agricultural Visa and that approximately 90% of those visas were issued in Mexico?

Mexicans and Central Americans DO have more than reasonable opportunities to come here legally!

[jm21-2]

JM,

you make good points regarding the religion issue.  I would not at all want my kids to go to church, especially regularly.  I have postponed the whole religion discussion with my girl until "better times" to be honest with you, but do not anticipate major problems.  My girl is not fanatic at all, and I sincerely respect her beliefs.  I am fairly open-minded when it comes to religion, but I do feel strongly that it should not be in the center of one's life, or that children should not grow up immersed in it, and I definitely will not allow my children to attend religious schools of any kind.  If they go to a service on main holidays (like once or twice a year), I would not like it, but can live with it, and I will not accompany them.  I realize that many people who post here take an opposite view, and I respect their opinion.  But when it comes to my kids, I want to raise them with a critical mind and devoid of any sort of ideology.

As far as I know, dating an Indian girl for a non-Indian guy could be very difficult because of the family pressure.  And their culture is typically very different, and I have not met any Indians who were atheist.  I frankly have not dated chinese girls, whether from here or abroad, so I have no idea in regards to how they feel towards religion.

Latin Americans enjoy religious festivals, and do tend to follow the Catholic religion.  The rites however are not so much an ideology, as part of their culture, their traditions.  However, they don't live on the rift of religions, and that makes them more open-minded towards other religions - based on my experience.  But again based on my experience it would be easier for a Latin girl to accept another religion than to accept no religion at all.  Frankly, my only bad experience in regards to religion and latin girls was with a salvadorean girl who was protestant, and wanted me to go to bible readings and stuff like that.

All I've really read on the Malaysian Indian population is one article from a guy married to one, and his take seemed to be they were more westernized than those in India. His take was that a bottle of whisky really helped in over-coming differences when interviewed by the parents. However, I read a couple web sites on Malaysian Indian traditions and the culture did seem very different, as you pointed out.

Haha, it's not like I'm such an Atheist I don't celebrate Easter or Christmas. The only real problems I've ever had dealing with religious people (aside from mere differences of opinion or belief), was when I was a kid. When a friend learned I was an Atheist they often had to ask their parents for permission to continue seeing me, and sometimes their family would try to convert me which was annoying as hell. I will never understand why people think taking someone to a sermon will convert them.
EDIT: Oh, and girls asking me out to church. That one really threw me off the first time it happened.


Actually, in a more mixed religious/political group, people sometimes think I'm a fundamentalist Christian, and are almost always shocked if they learn I'm an Atheist (I occasionally get things like "you Christians are always doing X," and I respond "umm, huh? I'm an Atheist," then they either are stunned or get angry at me for sharing a view with Christians, which I've always found a bizarre occurrence).

My experience has been that people judge your religion based on how you act, your political and moral views, mannerisms and speech, and that sort of thing, rather than actually ask you. I acquired most of mine from religious people so I think that's how people judge me. I'm sure it doesn't seem that way on this forum, but it seems to happen pretty frequently, except with very religious people or people who grew up around them, who seem to be able to detect I'm not up to snuff.