Dr. Terence Meaden

Male

Oxford

United Kingdom

Profile Information:

My URL
http://www.stonehenge-avebury.net
About Me
“Gods are all in the mind. They are the imaginations of wishful thinkers who do not think enough because they have not learned enough. In short, gods exist only inside the head, and not outside of it.” Terence Meaden. Atheistweb 17 February 2008

A declared atheist since the age of 6 when I discovered the deception that is Father Christmas. By the time I was 7 or 8, I was convinced that the biblical stuff coming my way, chiefly through school, was largely mythical and therefore nonsense too. The bible was nothing but a collection of largely unlikely stories either fabricated or exaggerated and with only a few being possibly factual.

As a boy, I was soon deeply interested in the true ORIGINS as with cosmology, stars, Sun, Earth, Moon, Evolution, Life and Humanity. With the passing years as a freethinker in a Christian school and being a deeply curious enquirer, I had come to conclude that Jesus was probably a historical figure about which little was truly known, but about whom much had been grossly exaggerated—and that indeed a complex mythology had built up about this man and his ordinary parents.

By contrast, I respected and admired the discoveries of all the scientists, and that in them dwelt the real truths about our world and the universe.
So by the age of 14 I was determined to be a scientist or archaeologist.
At 15 I told the teachers that I hoped to do archaeology at Oxford but I was not allowed to try because Ancient Greek (not taught at my school) was then a requirement of the entrance examination. So I did physics and mathematics for the entrance exams age 17.

In my Oxford college I was at once dismayed to find a high number of evangelical Christians among the non-scientists. How could these people swallow the nonsense of superstitious dogma with which they had been fed? What made them prostrate themselves before scenes of human torture and make out they were drinking the blood and eating the flesh of Jesus!? What weakness of the brain had allowed otherwise bright children to be indoctrinated thus? Of course, the answer was that they had been ‘got at’ when very young, first by their parents and then by school and church.

Posts at Oxford, Grenoble (France) and Dalhousie (Canada) where Associate Professor of Physics.
Founded the Tornado and Storm Research Organisation (TORRO) in Britain 1974. Editor The Journal of Meteorology 1975 to 2002. By 1981 I was studying archaeology again, and got degrees at Oxford to M.Sc. level.

Married, French wife: 1 son, 2 daughters, 6 grandchildren.

Special interests: Archaeology, astronomy, atheism, classical music, commonsense, cosmology, evolution, languages, low temperature physics, meteorology, Neolithic and Bronze Age monuments and beliefs, palaeontology, physics, prehistory, solving Stonehenge, storms, tornadoes. I am also a diarist.

I offer my sincerest thanks to my parents for sparing me from the time-wasting world of the irrational beliefs that constitute religion and religious practice.

In Atheist Nexus on 15 September 2008 I founded the group ORIGINS which discusses fundamental origins from the Universe to Life, from simple cells to humans and their beliefs.

“Ignorance more frequently begets confidence than does knowledge: it is those who know little, and not those who know much, who so positively assert that this or that problem will never be solved by science”. Charles Darwin, The Descent of Man.

“Disbelief is the only solution to the religious paradox. Unfortunately, many men and women are not rational enough to understand—they will not listen. Years of indoctrination have seen to that. Each shelters with friends and relatives inside their cocoon of belief, and close all ears to what is impregnable criticism.
It is fundamental that atheists do not believe in gods for the straightforward reason that there aren’t any.
Gods exist only inside human heads.
Religion is but a human fancy. It is as simple as that.” Terence Meaden: July 9 2008 Atheistweb
School/College/University
Trowbridge Boys High School (Wiltshire) / Oxford University
Profession
Academic physicist, consultant meteorologist and archaeologist
Age Group
60+
City and State (For Member Searching)
Oxford and Bradford-on-Avon (Wiltshire)
Country (For Member Searching)
UK

Comment Wall:

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  • James Gibson

    Thanks Terry

    I heard about the site on a podcast so  I thought I should check it out.

    Jim

    Dec 14, 2012

  • Matthew Newman

    Dear Terrance;

    I'm half way done my MMS at the moment.  The book will be short, so might it garner some of your attention, perhaps for a chapter or two?  I estimate being finished it ahead of schedule.  I know another Oxford-educated prof who's willing to take a gander... but I'd appreciate as much involvement from as many people as possible.  RSVP!

    Dec 17, 2012

  • anh143

    Thanks for the welcome Terry!

    Dec 17, 2012

  • Morgan Lamberth

     Thanks.

    Dec 17, 2012

  • Jeferson Navarro

    Ok, thanks for the invitation. I'll take a look at the group.

    Dec 23, 2012

  • Ken E.

    Thank you for the welcome Terence. I added part of my real name because FrustratedAtheistDad was getting a bit too long for conversation. I will check out the group you posted. Thanks.

    Dec 24, 2012

  • Armanda Desiato

    Hi, Terry,
    Thanks for the welcome! Do you think Atheists need a written set of ethics and values to live by? I'm basically a realist how can one be anything else living on Social Security? Yet, I also lean toward idealism.
    I was raised Catholic, at 18 I saw the terrible flaws, lies and superstitions, yet some of the good values are still with me. I read "The Age of Reason", this book alone is convincing if anyone questions. I read all the time any subject that catches my interest. I'm interested in any Science, Evolution, Earth etc. I will not insult anyone's religion, I feel anyone who still needs to be told how to live and how to think hasn't evolved to the point of letting go and thinking for oneself. I feel if Atheists set examples this might help some people see the truth and embrace freethinking.
    Love to hear from you.
    Mandy

    Dec 24, 2012

  • A. M.

    Thank you for the welcome, Terry, I appreciate it! :-)  And thanks for the pointer to the group. I'll definitely check it out.   

    Dec 24, 2012

  • Dennis Kelley

    Thank you for the welcome, Dr. Meaden, i look forward to the discussions!

    Dec 25, 2012

  • James Kz

    Dr Meaden,

    I particularly enjoy corresponding with folk who have a real education, since I've none beyond high school.

    I might have gone into physics (like my best friend from the US Navy did after he was disabled and the Veterans Administration set him up with college, and even sent him to CERN last summer on the government dime for an internship), but the VA declared me unemployable and took my college benefits.

    So now I am married to a woman (BethKz here) with two college degrees (computer science and business administration). She has one for each of us.

    Dec 25, 2012

  • Gamma Atheist

    thank you for welcoming me, greatly appreciate all the support and what everyone does 

    Dec 25, 2012

  • Elliott Zaresky-Williams

    Thank you for the warm welcome!

    Dec 25, 2012

  • Francois

    Thanks for the welcome!

    Dec 28, 2012

  • Francois

    Hi. If I may, could I ask you a question?: What is your answer to the Theists argument re the fine-tuned universe & how something could come from nothing?
    Thanks!

    Dec 28, 2012

  • Francois

    Sorry! Forgot this one: How can I update my profile info?
    Thanks!

    Dec 28, 2012

  • Sel Healy

    Thanks for the welcome.  I will stop by when I have time to catch up on the topics being discussed.

    Sel

    Dec 30, 2012

  • Ligia Hougland

    Thank you! I already joined your Origins group. :-)

    Dec 30, 2012

  • Todd Skaggs

    Thank you for the warm welcome. I enjoyed reading your story and look forward to being a member here.

    Dec 30, 2012

  • Joe Smith

    Thank you.

    Dec 30, 2012

  • Paul K

    Thank you for your welcome. Glad to be here!

    Dec 31, 2012

  • Steph S.

    Happy New Year Dr. Meaden!

    Hope you have a wonderful 2013.

    Jan 1

  • Dennis Michael Pennington

    Thank you, Dr. for welcoming me to Atheist Nexus. I'm not online a lot but hope to read and also ad to the blogs, etc.

    Jan 2

  • Chad Kreutzer

    Thank you, Dr. Meaden, for that welcome. I am happy to join your group and hopefully I will be able to make useful contributions to it.

    Jan 4

  • Laars Zwarte

    Thank you for your welcome Dr., I hope to learn from you as well as others.

    Jan 5

  • ankit nayak

    thanx dr.....really feeling good about all....hoping to see a world where humans are engaged in some creative works rather spreading nonsense....thanks again...

    Jan 6

  • Ron Chernick

    Thank you for your kind welcome. I will check out Origins.

    Jan 6

  • Caleb Fincher

    Thank you for the invitation, Dr. Terrence.

    Jan 7

  • BDE Drah

    Thank you for the warm invitation, Dr. Meaden. I would be very glad to join your group and see yours and others viewpoints.

    Jan 8

  • Ashley West

    Thanks for the welcome and the invitation. I joined right away even though I haven't been able to post. I look forward to learning from this group and the others I've joined. 

    Jan 9

  • Miles Harrison

    Thanks for the Welcome, Terence. Good to be here.

    Jan 9

  • Hope K

    Thanks for the welcome. :) Wow, rationality. What a concept! lol After my upbringing, it's a breath of fresh air.

    Jan 10

  • Gao Yong Hao

    Thanks Terry!

    Jan 11

  • Eddie Bailey

    Thank you Terry.  I'll check out your group this evening.  I appreciate the warm welcome and invitation and look forward to meeting some great people here.

    Jan 12

  • Morty Rjbi

    Thanks for the welcome and the invitation.

    Jan 12

  • Liam Jensz

    Thanks for the welcome message!

    Jan 19

  • Amanda Hendrix

    Thank you for the welcome note, happy to be here!

    Jan 21

  • Stephen Brodie

    Thanks for such a warm welcome i hope to be an active member

    All the best stephen

    Jan 22

  • Alex Mack

    Thanks for the welcome, good to be here.

    Jan 22

  • Rory Young

    Hi Terry,

    Thanks for the welcome!

    One point I have to differ with you on. The word Religion comes from the Latin for "re-connecting". Religion need not be theistic as many Zoroastrians have believed for millenia. There is a fast-growing community, of which I am one, who believe in am atheist religion. The Synthesist Movement is strongest in Scandinavia and believes that man has a need for religion without the god part.

    Cheers,

    Rory

    Jan 23

  • Nina Quinta

    Hello :)
    Thank you very much for the warm welcome. I am looking forward to get to know this site soon. It's very nice to have so many freethinkers around.
    Kind regards,
    Nina

    Jan 23

  • omariann

    thank you very much for sending me that lovely message.

    I wrote sentenced to death to give an idea about me because the decision of leaving religion makes me a dead person, according islam every person who leaves religion should be beheaded, and now my blood is due for muslims bcoz am no longer one of them :) 

    Thank you !

    Jan 26

  • Fiona Hawke

    Thank you for the lovely welcome.  I look forward to getting to know the site.

    Fiona

    Jan 26

  • David metzler

    Thanks for the warm welcome

    Jan 27

  • Dana Connolly

    Man, thanks for the welcome, I've never met such a nice online community!

    Feb 2

  • Kimberley

    Thanks so much for both the welcome and invite. I look forward to both learning and discussing from and with you all.

    Feb 2

  • Lonna Duzan

    Thank you, just joined! Thanks to the welcome, Terry - and thanks to my friend, Darrel Ray, to turning me onto this site!

    Feb 3

  • David M Silverman

    Thanks Terry. Very glad to have found you. Seems like a great community of like-minded people who value truth more than tooth fairies.

    Dave

    Feb 3

  • Nighty's Estranger

    Terry,

    Thanks very much, I look forward to utilizing the tools this site has to offer.

    ~Jack/Nighty

    Feb 3

  • Cori Renee Williams

    Thanks for the warm welcome :D  Happy to be here

    Feb 4

  • Robert Holt

    Thanks, I appreciate the welcome and look forward to some amazing conversations and ideas to be shared and expressed.

    Feb 4