Just to say hello

Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Gerald Scott on April 6, 2011 at 10:24pm

Welcome Anita.  I not sure, but I like being a closet atheist. I would love to be an new atheist and shout in everyone's face, but, that's just not me.  My friends are mostly atheist. I really don't like christians and don't associate with them unless I have to.  My Jewish friends are awesome.  They really don't seem bothered that I'm an atheist. I'm rambling.  Welcome.

Permalink Reply by Mary O'Grady on April 6, 2011 at 10:25pm

I don't feel free to be "out" about my atheism with just everybody.

Permalink Reply by Richard Goscicki on April 7, 2011 at 4:02pm

Anita, what a wonderful website this is.  Most of us know exactly what you've been going through because we share similar experiences. 

 

The universe just is.  The universe just is.  The universe just is.  The universe just is.

 

Why the fuck can't these religious assholes just accept this simple truth.

 

Anyway, welcome to this great website.

 

Permalink Reply by Anita Slaughter on April 7, 2011 at 7:27pm

Thanks Richard!  Yes it is a wonderful website and it's such a relief to meet likeminded people.  I get really angry because around here religion is practically crammed down your throat.  It's like EVERYONE is christian. The ones that crack me up the most are the ones that drink, curse, talk shit about their own kin,  wouldn't give a nickel to a starving person, yet they live on their religion high horse.  The mantle of, "I have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ."   Bahhahahahahahah.  The person that posted this on my local FB not only made me want to puke,  but I wanted to say,  oh,  was that him I saw you having dinner with the other night???? Get real.  Yes,  it feels so good to express myself,  to be able to say what I think and feel without recriminations.   Thanks to all!!!! 

Permalink Reply by Rhonda Boyer on April 10, 2011 at 9:38pm

I am new on here too.  I found this just a few days ago.  It is funny, because I have been atheist longer than I was admitting it to myself.  I think a lot of the things I was raised with in Christianity have a lot to do with why I took a long time.  I was raised basically baptist, and I married a Catholic who never goes to church.  Between my mother telling people who she thinks are people who are going hell, and my mother in law telling me what I would do if I was a good Catholic, I had my fill of it all before I told anyone. 

I think for me, the beginning of admitting what I believe, which is there is no proof there is a god, was when my daughter began to tell everyone, including both of her grandmothers, that she was an atheist.  The kid has guts, and would not mince words. She is who she is, and had thought it all out carefully.  It made me look it all over.  I didn't have the nerve she did for a long time.

Anyway, here I am.  I still haven't told my mom, or my mother in law, because they won't like or accept that I am, in their eyes, going to hell.  Since I don't think there is anything after this, I don't believe in hell.   My hubby is just glad that I don't force anything on any one.  He still doesn't go to church, but he also still hasn't gotten to the point of not believing in god.  Things take time. 

Thanks for letting me join, and letting me vent.

Permalink Reply by Anita Slaughter on April 23, 2011 at 1:30pm

Hi Rhonda,  nice to meet you.  I've been a nonbeliever for many years,  but I wasn't able to tell anyone.   Here in the heart of the bible belt,  you will do well to not let anyone know.  I've aluded to friends that I don't exactly believe everything the bible says,  and some of them have stated they don't believe everything it says either,  but I've never openly said,  I'm an atheists.  My husband is also an atheists,  and we raised our daughter (21)  free from church, religion, the bible.  We've always encouraged her to think for herself.  If she had chosen to become a christian we would have been okay with it.  That's how most atheists are,  we don't try to shove anything down the throats of others.  My daughter is agnostic.   I am so glad to be able to come here.  It's liberating!!!

Permalink Reply by L.Hunter on May 9, 2011 at 8:52am

A belated welcome as I've been a little busy. I hate it when ppl say they're rambling. I think most of us are interested in the stories if those who have broken free from religious bondage...I know I am. These forums are our way to communicate the many frustrations we have. Nobody else wants to listen and we need to get this off of our chests. So ramble away. Even if nobody reads it...its therapeutic anyway.

Permalink Reply by Kimberlee Williams on May 10, 2011 at 3:45pm

Wow Anita!! Your story is so powerful...I definitely agree that facebook annoys me so much with all the religious friends posting who is praying for who and how god has blessed them with this or that!!! I hate it!!! It's so tough....but if you could survive it, then I guess I can too. I will share my story with you one day and it will make you laugh!!

Permalink Reply by Anita Slaughter on May 12, 2011 at 8:55pm

Thanks Kimberlee!  I have joined a small group based in my own county.  They are atheists/agnostics.  They are a secret fb group.  I have so enjoyed being a part of this group.  Most of them live in my hometown.  We are planning some get togethers, etc.  That has helped me a lot.   Any time you're ready to share your story,  I'm ready to listen.  :)

Permalink Reply by Darrel Ray on May 15, 2011 at 9:32pm

A warm welcome Anita. That is why we are here, because many of us are surrounded by religionists and have no one to talk to or share thoughts, ideas and frustrations with.  Hope you find some friends here. We are always interested in hearing others stories.  Feel free to share as much or little as you like.

 

Dr. Darrel Ray, author of The God Virus : How religion infects our lives and culture, founder of Recovering from Religion

 

 

Permalink Reply by David J Root on May 15, 2011 at 10:42pm

This is a great testimonial and is easy to relate to, Anita.  I've started to call myself a nontheist in only about the last year. I had doubts for a long time, but when my christian faith really started falling apart was when I started to consciously look for the truth.  I even prayed for the truth and it seems to have revealed itself to a much better degree than before.  One of the first things that's easy to run into is that nobody knows who wrote the book of genesis.  to me that ruins its credibility instantly. Another is the commandment "thou shalt not kill" but the rest of the bible sure has a lot of killing for a lot of reasons.  There's lots more but I don't have to convince anyone here.  So, I started looking at other forms of spirituality, some eastern and other more western occult type disciplines. I actually still enjoy tarot, not that I think there's some ju ju making the cards do things, but it can be a good tool for introspection or looking at issue's from other angles.  It's an old world type of psychiatry as far as I can tell.  But the more I looked at various spiritual ways of thinking, it all started to seem just flat out false.  You can see where one religion became another, the early christian church was saturated with what fundamentalists now would call witchcraft, and on, and on, and on.  The last straw was going through some financial and personal crisis, (which I'd like to keep private) and I thought to myself, "Isn't god looking out for me? I've worked hard and saved. Why did this situation happen to me?"  The evident truth, that I had been looking for, for a number of years was there isn't a big guy in the clouds to help me or hurt me. I wasn't being punished for being a bad person so being resentful would be useless.  I would just have to be a bit sharper about my dealings in life.

This, to me is a really cool discussion group. Thanks, Anita and everyone else for a spot to say what's on my mind.