Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Erica Tracy on August 28, 2012 at 2:50pm

I know I felt relieved.  I didn't have to live knowing I was inherently evil.

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Permalink Reply by Loren Miller on August 28, 2012 at 3:06pm

Fact is, as a young, 20-something, I was remarkably indifferent initially.  The church I was raised in was very much on the liberal end of the spectrum (Protestant Congregationalist), very mild, not obscenely preachy, quite friendly, actually.  My problem, as I've stated elsewhere, was that there was no experience or evidence to support or verify what the church and the bible said.  Probably the hardest thing I had to deal with initially was the recognition of my emerging bisexuality in the face of what I had learned, less through the church than through society, about the taboo of man-on-man sex.  For the rest of it, though, I was quite apathetic toward church, religion, the whole schmeer.  I would not have called myself an atheist at that point, though.  Someone coined the term, "apatheist," and it actually fits where I was at then pretty well.

Almost forty years of history since that time have shown me a lot of the underbelly of religion, though, from the Christian Coalition and its relationship with Ronald Reagan in the 80's through 9/11 and its roots in Wahhabi islam to the current efforts by evangelicals to dumb down education, push pseudo-science, and generally co-opt the US government in favor of its obviously christian agenda.  That and participation in fora such as this one have pretty much pushed me over the edge.

I am an atheist ... and I am proud to say so.

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Permalink Reply by Pat on August 28, 2012 at 6:41pm

How did I feel? Liberated!

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Permalink Reply by Lillie on August 28, 2012 at 8:25pm

A 100 pounds lighter.  Like I had laid down that terrible burden of negative dogma I had been carrying around.

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Permalink Reply by Steph S. on August 28, 2012 at 10:29pm

I felt free like a burden had been lifted! True freedom!

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Permalink Reply by Jessica Chen on September 5, 2012 at 11:41am

I felt good and relieved, leaving all the nonsense behind

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Permalink Reply by John Aultman on September 5, 2012 at 4:28pm

Like most people growing up in South Mississippi I was saved and baptized as a Southern Baptist.  I was twelve years old and my aunt convinced my parents to go to her new church.

 There I heard my first hell fire and damnation/come to jesus sermon from Brother Williams and it scared the shit out me, especially when seeing my parents crying and going to the alter to be saved because they were convinced that they were born as sinners because a talking snake coned Adam and Eve into eating from the tree of knowledge.

That was 51 years ago and the reason I am an atheist today is because christianity despises knowledge, science and reason and glorifies ignorance, myth and superstition.  

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Permalink Reply by Dr. Terence Meaden on September 5, 2012 at 4:52pm

"christianity despises knowledge, science and reason and glorifies ignorance, myth and superstition."

Wow, in just 9 words (together with 3 ands) you have put together a fine new quotable quote.

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Permalink Reply by John Aultman on September 6, 2012 at 8:39am

Thank you Terence.

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Permalink Reply by Dr. Terence Meaden on September 6, 2012 at 9:25am

Excellent. Then I propose adding your words (+ their origin) twice in appropriate places in two of my newly completed books (which I call Testaments) and which constitute four parts of a New Bible (it is a Bible of Truths, as perceived by atheists).

i.e. once in Chapter 21 of Testament 3 (history of humankind), and once in Chapter 34 of Testament 4. The latter is a book of quotations.

Is that OK?  

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Permalink Reply by John Aultman on September 7, 2012 at 4:53am

I am humbled by your request and yes you many use it. 

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Permalink Reply by John Aultman on September 7, 2012 at 12:45pm

Sorry Terence that should have been "may" use it.

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