Hello! share with me your opinions and stand about atheism!

[GuiltyAngel]

Hello everyone! so I'm new here and I haven't been an atheist for long. I think for almost a year. I was born and raised in a "born again christian" family. I grew up having this "faith" in what they call a god. I've been active with church activities and stuff. Then years later, my mother became a pastor. Oh! the burden I had because of people's expectations that I have to be perfect and stuff. Anyway enough of that religion crap. When I studied college and took up a medical course, I started to love and learn science. The more I understood how important explanation to things we believe in. It then made me realize that all that religion stuff I believed in, were RIDICULOUS! They're just opinions and how high people see themselves because of the "high faith" they have.

Now being an atheist in the family, it's also a secret because my parents, especially my mother is a religious PSYCHO, I have to live in pretense that I'm still that "christian girl" (hence the name GuiltyAngel) and it's hard to stay like this though my stand has already been strong. I still have some confusion though but now I really have lost that faith and belief in a god.

Maybe you guys can share with me some of your opinions and stand about being an atheist. I would really love to hear your reasons why you chose to be an atheist. Thanks guys! Lotsa love!  :heart:  :)

[NitzWalsh]

You should tell your mom that women are supposed to be silent in church, see how she justifies that scripture. 1 Corinthians 14:34.

You can explain all kinds of things, it's the evidence that backs it up that I'm looking for.

I was actually Mormon. The reason I'm an atheist now though is because I couldn't justify my beliefs with evidence, and no other theistic claims have either. The reason I'm anti-theist is because I see the harm that religion does, even to the more moderate and liberal believers out there.

[GuiltyAngel]

You should tell your mom that women are supposed to be silent in church, see how she justifies that scripture. 1 Corinthians 14:34.

You can explain all kinds of things, it's the evidence that backs it up that I'm looking for.

I was actually Mormon. The reason I'm an atheist now though is because I couldn't justify my beliefs with evidence, and no other theistic claims have either. The reason I'm anti-theist is because I see the harm that religion does, even to the more moderate and liberal believers out there.

My mom already has an explanation for that why women in the corinthians weren't allowed to preach. Remember, she's a pastor. She know's almost anything in the bible. My mom is a tough one to beat though. Whatever you say against her, she will always find a loophole. My mom's no longer a part of my concern. I just wanna hear people's stand about atheism too. Makes me feel I'm not the only one. :D

What kind of harm do you mean?

[Sleeper]

As a teenager I left the Christianity in which I was raised, only to crawl back to it in my early twenties... only to leave it again. I actually joined this site as a Christian looking for a fight. I'm less than a full year into my atheism (though I guess it's about 7 years cumulatively). The one thing I keep going back to about my years as an apologist was how far out I had to go to defend and justify what I believed. I was blind to the fact that I was simply attempting to confirm what I had assumed from the get-go. Confirmation bias is a killer.

I could go on, but it seems that, uh...

Anyway enough of that religion crap... I started to love and learn science.

...you've got the gist.

[NitzWalsh]

You should tell your mom that women are supposed to be silent in church, see how she justifies that scripture. 1 Corinthians 14:34.

You can explain all kinds of things, it's the evidence that backs it up that I'm looking for.

I was actually Mormon. The reason I'm an atheist now though is because I couldn't justify my beliefs with evidence, and no other theistic claims have either. The reason I'm anti-theist is because I see the harm that religion does, even to the more moderate and liberal believers out there.

My mom already has an explanation for that why women in the corinthians weren't allowed to preach. Remember, she's a pastor. She know's almost anything in the bible. My mom is a tough one to beat though. Whatever you say against her, she will always find a loophole. My mom's no longer a part of my concern. I just wanna hear people's stand about atheism too. Makes me feel I'm not the only one. :D

What kind of harm do you mean?

Intellectual harm. Emotional harm. Many of these religions are sex oriented, and by that I mean they make you feel guilty about things that are perfectly normal and natural. Homosexuality, masturbation, pre-marital sex. They apply the label sin and constantly put into a persons head how horrible these things are and how they are making their god weep when they do these things. Not all do that, but the more liberal believers use the same books as the fundamentalists which gives them support for what they do. The Mormon's would actually tell there members that if they sin you are adding more physical pain to what Jesus experienced in the Garden of Gethsemane, and nobody wants to hurt Jesus.

[the_antithesis]

.. I have to live in pretense that I'm still that "christian girl"

[youtube:5fw9fm0q]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SxHkJH0SiUA[/youtube:5fw9fm0q]

[_Xenu_]

In short, extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence. All Christianity offers is faith, which is quite laughable when you think about it. Welcome sweetheart, to your oasis of sanity.

[leo]

Welcome ! Religion is bullshit .

[GuiltyAngel]

As a teenager I left the Christianity in which I was raised, only to crawl back to it in my early twenties... only to leave it again. I actually joined this site as a Christian looking for a fight. I'm less than a full year into my atheism (though I guess it's about 7 years cumulatively). The one thing I keep going back to about my years as an apologist was how far out I had to go to defend and justify what I believed. I was blind to the fact that I was simply attempting to confirm what I had assumed from the get-go. Confirmation bias is a killer.

I could go on, but it seems that, uh...

Anyway enough of that religion crap... I started to love and learn science.

...you've got the gist.

I did had that feeling, to go back because I'm always exposed to church and stuff(just to meet up to people's expectations of me and avoid a huge and I mean HUGE conflict). I had that urge but whenever I think about it deeply, there really is so sense to it.

[GuiltyAngel]

You should tell your mom that women are supposed to be silent in church, see how she justifies that scripture. 1 Corinthians 14:34.

You can explain all kinds of things, it's the evidence that backs it up that I'm looking for.

I was actually Mormon. The reason I'm an atheist now though is because I couldn't justify my beliefs with evidence, and no other theistic claims have either. The reason I'm anti-theist is because I see the harm that religion does, even to the more moderate and liberal believers out there.

My mom already has an explanation for that why women in the corinthians weren't allowed to preach. Remember, she's a pastor. She know's almost anything in the bible. My mom is a tough one to beat though. Whatever you say against her, she will always find a loophole. My mom's no longer a part of my concern. I just wanna hear people's stand about atheism too. Makes me feel I'm not the only one. :D

What kind of harm do you mean?

Intellectual harm. Emotional harm. Many of these religions are sex oriented, and by that I mean they make you feel guilty about things that are perfectly normal and natural. Homosexuality, masturbation, pre-marital sex. They apply the label sin and constantly put into a persons head how horrible these things are and how they are making their god weep when they do these things. Not all do that, but the more liberal believers use the same books as the fundamentalists which gives them support for what they do. The Mormon's would actually tell there members that if they sin you are adding more physical pain to what Jesus experienced in the Garden of Gethsemane, and nobody wants to hurt Jesus.

I get the point! It only makes you feel so bad of yourself because you're supposed to be "righteous" and doing things that they consider a sin would eventually torment you. I had that feeling before. Gosh! You're right. Haha! I heard that thing about hurting jesus more crap.  

[GuiltyAngel]

In short, extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence. All Christianity offers is faith, which is quite laughable when you think about it. Welcome sweetheart, to your oasis of sanity.

 :-D OH~! That is so sweet. Thank you so much. I really do feel more sane now. haha!

[GuiltyAngel]

Welcome ! Religion is bullshit .

..and full of nonsense! Thank you for the warm welcome fellow atheists. :)

[commonsense822]

Welcome to the club!

I kinda miss the first few years of being an atheist.  Every single discovery of religious bullshit, logical fallacies, or scientific information was exciting.  Enjoy it, it's a good time.

[Sleeper]

As a teenager I left the Christianity in which I was raised, only to crawl back to it in my early twenties... only to leave it again. I actually joined this site as a Christian looking for a fight. I'm less than a full year into my atheism (though I guess it's about 7 years cumulatively). The one thing I keep going back to about my years as an apologist was how far out I had to go to defend and justify what I believed. I was blind to the fact that I was simply attempting to confirm what I had assumed from the get-go. Confirmation bias is a killer.

I could go on, but it seems that, uh...

Anyway enough of that religion crap... I started to love and learn science.

...you've got the gist.

I did had that feeling, to go back because I'm always exposed to church and stuff(just to meet up to people's expectations of me and avoid a huge and I mean HUGE conflict). I had that urge but whenever I think about it deeply, there really is so sense to it.

It takes more courage to stand up for the truth when you're alone than to make life easier by joining the crowd and living a lie. Just remember this: if and when you do decide to "come out," take notice of how many people respond from reason vs. how many respond from emotion. Then you'll see where they're really coming from. Nothing suffocates reason more effectively than emotion, and religion exists by emotion alone.

[the_antithesis]

Atheism in a nutshell: "What's a god?"