New to Atheism, New to Hawaii

Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Calvin on June 18, 2009 at 7:23am

Aloha Ken,
Welcome to Hawaii and to our little community of heathens. I’m not sure what to say to you as a new atheist? I was raised as a Buddhist so not believing in a God was just a normal part of life. But as far as being new to Hawaii, well I hope you like to eat, we have some really great eating places here, but you got to be willing to try new things with an open mind. Just let us know what you have a craving for and I’m sure someone here will have a recommendation for you.

Permalink Reply by Ken on June 18, 2009 at 1:25pm

Thank you so much for the reply! I have a large family and yes we love to eat. I look forward to experiencing more of Hawaii. As far as being new to Atheism.. I saw the light (pun intended) about a year ago now. At the present time I am trying to reach out to fellow Atheists because I recently realized that I do need that social support network (I am an introvert by nature). I think that was the genius of organized religion- they satisfied a human need to be a part of a network and community; by providing this to people they could turn a card trick... never mind that everything they said or believed in regarding god is crap... forget about the fact that religious people are responsible for some of the worst crimes ever. Anyway.. thank you so much for letting me be a part of the group!

Permalink Reply by Armen Martirosian on June 22, 2009 at 1:46pm

Welcome to our small but dedicated atheist group. 30 years may seem like a long time, but it's never too late to free oneself from the chains and mental enslavement caused by religion and its cohorts. Constant critical thinking is an active and involved process. The resolve to continue to think critically however is one of the greatest developments we can achieve.

Permalink Reply by Ken on July 1, 2009 at 6:37am

Armen..... you are correct. However I would like to share with the group how difficult it has been for me personally to accelerate the de-brainwashing- the brainwashing that took place over those thirty years, i.e. I still catch myself saying "my god" occasionally. We are in a struggle with the zealots... but also the so-called moderates. At times it seems abstract but in reality I think that it is a most urgent problem. They are set on their idiotic agenda... to perpetuate their senseless and crazed rhetoric... and I think it is working with some circles. All I am trying to say is that I am very concerned. We must fight religious ideologies. It is refreshing to know that other free thinking people are out there.

Permalink Reply by Calvin on July 3, 2009 at 9:43pm

Hey Ken, I can’t imagine how difficult it must be to move pass something that was pounded into you for so many years. I have a really good friend that I’ve known for over twenty plus years from collage. She is really intelligent and rational about everything in her life except religion. We really don’t talk about religion anymore; I remember the few times the subject came up she got very defensive because she was unable to justify her beliefs. She knows her beliefs are irrational, but she still wants to hope that it may be true. I believe that is how a lot of moderates think.

Permalink Reply by Dylan P. Bozlee on February 2, 2010 at 2:59pm

As I said at our last meeting, people are capable of simply not listening. With subjects such as these you must be very careful and gentle in what you say. Never get to the heart of the matter, but make a statement or two they'd be willing to accept and unravel their faith slowly, like peeling off the layers of an onion.
She says a biblical line, bring up the fact the line contradicts another. She says she believes in certain morals point out how her morality doesn't come from the bible. The main thing is to say what you have to say and move on- if you try to continue the conversation she will avoid you and simply shut her brain off.
You say something, let her say what she will then go on- this does work. Those ideas you tell her will settle in and appear latter on whenever she goes over that area of faith.
Perhaps this is getting too long winded- I can go over my whole conversion technique at another one of our meetings. I don't feel I have the writing ability to describe it the necessary detail.

Permalink Reply by Dylan P. Bozlee on February 2, 2010 at 2:48pm

I have a sure-fire way to get off prayer. Change the prayers and sayings you shout out without a thought into secular ones, then in due time- when these sayings have no meaning what so ever- just drop the custom entirely.
Being catholic I used to says 45minutes of prayer a day(three rosaries for those in the know) and constantly ask for protection from demons afflicting me(haha, I laugh at that time). Even after becoming an atheist I still said these prayers, so I changed them.
Grace became thanking farmers for food, asking god for help became asking myself for strength, and I replaced words like god and Mary with flying spaghetti monster and Dylan Bozlee(my name).
The new prayers tend to be Ego-theistic- I ask that my will be done, for my will is good beyond all others, and it does good for all to do my will(this is based off a real prayer I said as a Catholic, wishing for angelic possession, or what they call "grace").