Filter
Seasoned Citizen
An opposing thumb has made all the difference!!
Posts: 221
|
Filter
Sept 21, 2004 16:32:14 GMT -5
Post by Filter on Sept 21, 2004 16:32:14 GMT -5
I used to venture onto the Closet Atheist board (now defunct). Nice to have another forum of like-minded people. When confronted by a Theist's argument, I guess I have to just shrug my shoulders. There are so many former Christians out there - that if there was a defining moment when it could be revealed to a person that religion is man-made then we would have passed that information on long ago and we could have been well on the way to developing a truly ethical society. I am really more interested in discussing the feelings and challenges of being an enlightened person living in a "Demon Haunted" world (love that book!). I have strong ties to religion through friends and relatives. I have the long path from my religious upbringing and fanciful coping mechanisms. Birth, conciousness, love, legacy, death. The one thing I value about my religious upbringing, is the insight it has given me into the evolution of thought. Emerging from the religious dogma has taken me through a thousand years of cultural development. I can relate to the past. I am just thankful that I was not consumed beyond help.
|
|
|
Filter
Sept 21, 2004 16:46:42 GMT -5
Post by AuntieSocial on Sept 21, 2004 16:46:42 GMT -5
Welcome to the board, FilterI used to venture onto the Closet Atheist board (now defunct). Nice to have another forum of like-minded people. I'm glad you found us and I hope that you get what you are looking for on this forum. There are times when I simply shrug my shoulders too. Most of the time, I shake my head in disbelief that people still hold their faery tales near and dear. I definately agree that a secular society is a more ethical society, as it (ideally) treats all citizens as individuals, equally. Secularism allows for individual thoughts, beliefs, etc, but doesn't allow for the intolerance often seen coming for the so-called 'moral majority' Feel free to participate in any of the on-going discussions, and if you have a topic that you would like to discuss that isn't currently represented on the board, feel free to start a new thread (try to keep the threads in the appropriate forums.) I come from a long line of ordained preaching, hymn writing, 'spirit seeing,' missionary types. That's a wonderful perspective.
|
|
|
Filter
Sept 21, 2004 16:58:21 GMT -5
Post by AuntieSocial on Sept 21, 2004 16:58:21 GMT -5
I just noticed your signature, Filter. If you are interested, Maverick is looking for people to write a paper on how they journeyed away from religion. You can get more details in the Pathways ... thread in the Volunteer Initiatives section of the board.
|
|
|
Filter
Sept 21, 2004 17:05:25 GMT -5
Post by Griffey on Sept 21, 2004 17:05:25 GMT -5
Heya, welcome aboard! ;D Your thoughts on religion are refreshingly optimistic and positive--you don't seem embittered by your religious upbringing at all. I agree with what Auntie said, that is a very good way to look at things.
Good thing you like discussion, we do plenty of that here. Hope you enjoy your stay!
|
|
Filter
Seasoned Citizen
An opposing thumb has made all the difference!!
Posts: 221
|
Filter
Sept 21, 2004 17:15:30 GMT -5
Post by Filter on Sept 21, 2004 17:15:30 GMT -5
There are times when I simply shrug my shoulders too. Most of the time, I shake my head in disbelief that people still hold their faery tales near and dear. Thank you for the welcome. I appreciate all of your response, but let me highlight just this in particular. As one who was formally in the whirlpool, I can tell you it's not so much the fairy tale standing on its own, as it is the coping mechanism (life after death) searching for something; anything to keep it propped up. They believe their coping mechanism is the path (to sanity?). The fairy tale is the denial that sustains the coping mechanism. My struggle is to define and then share what brought me to this point. Was is courage? Was it reason? Was it apathy? Hunger? Boredom? I can't really say - but I will keep searching (my soul?? ) Was it as simple as coming to the realization that I can be a sane concious being without the guarentee of life everlasting? (my best guess at the moment).
|
|
Filter
Seasoned Citizen
An opposing thumb has made all the difference!!
Posts: 221
|
Filter
Sept 21, 2004 17:26:48 GMT -5
Post by Filter on Sept 21, 2004 17:26:48 GMT -5
Heya, welcome aboard! ;D Your thoughts on religion are refreshingly optimistic and positive--you don't seem embittered by your religious upbringing at all. Thanks! 10-4 on not being imbittered. Who coud blame our ancestors for surviving! For thriving? For having hope? For promising themselves that justice will prevail in an otherwise horribly random world? All we can do is move forward; improve and build on the knowledge base. This is probably the one area that motivates me to fight for rationalism! Keeping society from sliding backwards. No more Dark Ages (but yet no regrets for surviving them either!!).
|
|
Filter
Seasoned Citizen
An opposing thumb has made all the difference!!
Posts: 221
|
Filter
Sept 21, 2004 17:30:12 GMT -5
Post by Filter on Sept 21, 2004 17:30:12 GMT -5
I just noticed your signature, Filter. If you are interested, Maverick is looking for people to write a paper on how they journeyed away from religion. You can get more details in the Pathways ... thread in the Volunteer Initiatives section of the board. Thanks, that is exactly what I hope to understand. Not so much for myself... but I feel I owe it to the indoctrinated. (throwing a rope back down the hole?) You know I am not convinced abandoning religion is for everyone. but we do have to make sure their religion is declawed from time to time... we wouldn't want anyone to get hurt by them!
|
|
|
Filter
Sept 21, 2004 18:28:46 GMT -5
Post by AuntieSocial on Sept 21, 2004 18:28:46 GMT -5
As one who was formally in the whirlpool, I can tell you it's not so much the fairy tale standing on its own, as it is the coping mechanism (life after death) searching for something; anything to keep it propped up. They believe their coping mecahnism is the path (to sanity?). The fairy tale is the denial that sustains the coping mechanism. I agree, religion is definately a coping mechanism, and some people need this in order to survive. If wouldn't dream of stripping someone of their only way of dealing with life, however, I also think that most people are capable of pulling themselves out of religion if they have the tools available to them. There are alternatives to 'religious hope'. There are many of us (and the number is growing) that are capable of facing challenges and overcoming obstacles without transferring the responsibility to an unknown. I love that view ... declawing indeed! I could launch into a huge discussion on the state of affairs in the world today, but this isn't the time or the thread ... Anyway, welcome again. I look forward to having further discussions with you on the board.
|
|
|
Filter
Sept 22, 2004 16:11:46 GMT -5
Post by Theodore Doxford on Sept 22, 2004 16:11:46 GMT -5
Hi and welcome ...Hope you have a good time here
|
|
Filter
Seasoned Citizen
An opposing thumb has made all the difference!!
Posts: 221
|
Filter
Sept 23, 2004 12:07:09 GMT -5
Post by Filter on Sept 23, 2004 12:07:09 GMT -5
Hi and welcome ...Hope you have a good time here Thanks, I love your tag "If I'am wrong ...I'm in deep sh!t......." I have an athesit's wager I am working on, called "Rumsfelds Wager" - stay tuned!!
|
|
Filter
Seasoned Citizen
An opposing thumb has made all the difference!!
Posts: 221
|
Filter
Sept 23, 2004 12:11:24 GMT -5
Post by Filter on Sept 23, 2004 12:11:24 GMT -5
|
|
|
Filter
Sept 23, 2004 14:43:28 GMT -5
Post by droskey on Sept 23, 2004 14:43:28 GMT -5
Hey there, Filter. Welcome to the board. Like you I was a Christian for a long time before I decided that I just didn't believe it anymore. I was a Christian for about 20 years. The last 5 years I was kind of working on losing my faith (though not consciously). It took a good five years and a couple episodes of wrestling with doubt before my faith gave up the ghost two years ago. Anyway, welcome. I look forward to reading your posts.
Cheers. Dan
|
|
|
Filter
Sept 24, 2004 10:56:50 GMT -5
Post by Maverick on Sept 24, 2004 10:56:50 GMT -5
Filter
I ventured onto that website before becoming an atheist. I hope you'll find what you're looking for here. If you have any suggestions (ex: things you saw on the Closet Atheist board that you might want to try here), feel free to let me know.
Filter
I can say much of the same about myself. My religious upbringing has given me much insight too. Would you mind if I asked what your religious upbringing included? I'm always interested in hearing about how people were raised with religion and (for atheists) how they later rejected it.
Welcome aboard. Let me know if there's anything you need.
|
|
Filter
Seasoned Citizen
An opposing thumb has made all the difference!!
Posts: 221
|
Filter
Sept 24, 2004 11:21:39 GMT -5
Post by Filter on Sept 24, 2004 11:21:39 GMT -5
The last 5 years I was kind of working on losing my faith (though not consciously). It took a good five years and a couple episodes of wrestling with doubt before my faith gave up the ghost two years ago. Very similar. Wish I could nail down something more specific on what brought me about, but so I far I can only generally say "need and time" were the biggest factors.
|
|
Filter
Seasoned Citizen
An opposing thumb has made all the difference!!
Posts: 221
|
Filter
Sept 24, 2004 11:49:58 GMT -5
Post by Filter on Sept 24, 2004 11:49:58 GMT -5
I can say much of the same about myself. My religious upbringing has given me much insight too. Would you mind if I asked what your religious upbringing included? I'm always interested in hearing about how people were raised with religion and (for atheists) how they later rejected it. Thanks again to everyone for the welcomes. As to my upbringing it was as an Episcopalian, which is generally one of the more liberal churches, definitely not literal on the Bible - though I was exposed to those people very often. Religion was a crutch, a philosophy, a gathering of people with a common value system (well relative to each's interpretations!). In difficult times prayer was my meditation, my comfort, my connection to loved ones far away. Religion seemed good for me. (although who could say I wouldn't be better yet without!?!). I was private about my religion for the most part (not very "evangelical") and I even eventually got on the board of a church. Being a technical person, and a lover of science, I've always had a problem with the Bible as a literal document. When push came to shove, I would always discount its contents. "Written in another perspective" I usually excused it as. I used it in pieces to support what I needed the church to do for me. To supply a God, to listen to my prayers, to preserve my soul, etc. It wasn't a disdain for religion, or any wrong done to me that turned me, just the realization that it wasn't true. At some point I had to acknowledge that as beneficial as it might be in some regards to "believe," I need to seperate the truth from the "stories." The longer I have been an atheist the more I see real and actual problems the church creates (and the need to contain it), but I'm not so much on a crusade against the church as I am against the roots of any failing policies or practices. (The mindset of the religious zealots transfers quite nicley to other groups as well.)
|
|