Ask an atheist...

[skyguy2007]

Interesting article, and of course being an atheist since the 4th grade I like it...

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationwo...,7375137.story

[voodoo1215]

pretty interesting

[NoAngel2u]

So why would an atheist know more about religion than a Christian?

I tried very hard in my 20's to confirm that I was a Christian, but made the mistake of reading the bible twice from cover to cover; posing tough questions to clergy that could not answer me satisfactorily; studying world religions in the context of the culture, linguistics and time frame of their origin, and so by the time I was 30 I had concluded, by reason of deduction, that I was an atheist. lol Of course, that is the short of the long of it, but I finally found my peace of mind. lol

Thanks for the article.

[skyguy2007]

Appreciate your story NA...here is the quick version of mine.

Being raised as a strict catholic and attending the local catholic school, I always wondered from the first time I can remember if all this stuff was real, candles, statues, latin, incense, hail mary's, our fathers, confessions and on and on...it just all seemed unreal to me and made little sense. I was in the 4th grade going to church on a Sunday, it was cold and windy blowing my little hat off, my mom said that was probably my punishment for being bad that week, and I remember thinking..."Heck, I was bad last week and nothing happened, this is all just a big show"

Of course I wondered for a while if I was correct, at least for me, and by my teens was 100% sure it was my way of thinking.

That being said, my parents accept and respect my thought processes, just as I respect theirs, I've watched them lose two sons and know their belief and faith has given them strength.

[NoAngel2u]

I made my peace with religions, and have come to appreciate the tools with which they use to find peace of mind as well. Ritual and prayer, I think, are very soothing and do bring ones mind to focus, and I believe for the most part that focus is with peaceful and loving intention. I'm a fan of quantum physics, and believe some of their theories are bringing to light why prayer/focus seem to have effects when applied with intention, in particular string theory. I believe that the things we perceive as supernatural, are quite in fact natural.

BTW, at my husbands funeral, I invited my grandmother's Christian pastor to give the opening prayer (his & my family are Christian) and friends of ours who are pagan/native american provided music. A beautiful native american burial song opened the service, and afterwards we drank yoohoos, had pulled pork sandwiches, listened to Willie Nelson and smoked a joint in Mike's honor. (all of his favorites) Ok, just to be clear, the pastor and funeral director had left by then. lol

[NoAngel2u]

Appreciate your story NA...here is the quick version of mine.

Being raised as a strict catholic and attending the local catholic school, I always wondered from the first time I can remember if all this stuff was real, candles, statues, latin, incense, hail mary's, our fathers, confessions and on and on...it just all seemed unreal to me and made little sense. I was in the 4th grade going to church on a Sunday, it was cold and windy blowing my little hat off, my mom said that was probably my punishment for being bad that week, and I remember thinking..."Heck, I was bad last week and nothing happened, this is all just a big show"

Of course I wondered for a while if I was correct, at least for me, and by my teens was 100% sure it was my way of thinking.

That being said, my parents accept and respect my thought processes, just as I respect theirs, I've watched them lose two sons and know their belief and faith has given them strength.

Did you ever tell your parents that story?

[skyguy2007]

Yes...right away, I was grounded for 10 years!

I told them the story when I was 23 or 24, and they said it was ok, god works in strange ways!

[wubders]

interesting article....and comments....I go with agnostic, because I feel it doesn't discount others beliefs as much as atheist, and I am just one person who doesn't attend church, so I am not really in the position to tell anyone religion is wrong, when so many good things come out of it for peeps.

I attended Sunday School and Church until 13 and then church till 16, then mostly stopped...my father was not attending all during that time.

The services(Methodist) never inspired me like some, and that is what it comes down to, really I think

[NoAngel2u]

Here's one for ya Fubbers

"I don't know & you don't either." "Militant Agnostic" bumper sticker

I like this one a lot

"Live a good life. If there are gods and they are just, then they will not care how devout you have been, but will welcome you based on the virtues you have lived by. If there are gods, but unjust, then you should not want to worship them. If there are no gods, then you will be gone, but will have lived a noble life that will live on in the memories of your loved ones. I am not afraid." Marcus Aurelius, Stoic philosopher and Roman Emperor during the 1st century CE.

[wubders]

but I never thought he was god, either--lol