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Permalink Reply by Jack Harris on June 20, 2010 at 11:25am

An atheist for 45 yrs! Man, what was that like back then? I've been an atheist since the mid 90's living in a smalish southern town my whole life and I thought I had it bad. Bad as in lonely

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Permalink Reply by Geraldo Cienmarcos on June 20, 2010 at 11:40am

Dear Jack,

I've had an active life, but slowed down the last 10 years in terms of being engaged in the effort to change society. Atheism was never an issue. I never joined an atheist organization per se. I find the commitment or NON-commitment to social change to varied and the political philosophy of the atheist organizations by name have a political spectrum of people from right wing followers of Ayn Rand, political Zionists (who think Israel can do no wrong), and some further to the left (like me). I've talked to people here from small towns of the mid west or the south. Uniformally they say it was a sniffling mono culture and they fled! and not just to find work. But I'm from this area. Trust me, diversity also has it's discontents. Finding one's way and community can be difficult in this huge cosmopolitan mix.

Good luck in your quest for truth and a richer life. When you find committed people to be with, whether environmental issues, sexual and gender liberation, economic change, opposing war and militarism, or whatever, atheist is not an issue. In fact, in Los Angeles, I would say, being an atheist is almost only an issue for atheists. I'm a humanist. I'm for improving the human condition. So I stay focused on that.

http://www.atheistnexus.org/profile/GeraldoCienmarcos

thanks for contacting me.

Gary the Grouch

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Permalink Reply by Patricia on June 20, 2010 at 2:53pm

Welcome. I'm 63 & began the doubts as I learned to read, so I guess I've been atheist for 55 years, or thereabouts. We live in a small Canadian city which isn't too bent on religion, & although there are lots of churches here, we live with very little preaching. I have a sign on my door though to ''repel'' the JWs, & mor(m)ons!!! I can't be bothered wasting my time with either of them, & I was raised mor(m)on until I refused to go anymore. Am not well educated, but read a lot, & nobody has the right to tell me how to live my life as long as I'm within the law.

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Permalink Reply by Geraldo Cienmarcos on August 4, 2010 at 9:53am

Hi Patricia,

These social networking web sites are akward and it's hard to keep up. But I like atheistnexus.org better than Facebook, which is a disorganized intrusive mess!!

You need not to refer to yourself as uneducated. You are self educated. Serious readers are relative rare in American Society, Canada, I haven't a clue. So congratulate yourself for being aware and educated.

Check out these web sites:

http://www.autodidactic.com/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Autodidacticism

peace,

Gary

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