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Permalink Reply by David LaDeau on September 22, 2020 at 8:40am

I have missed you! A/N died what about 2-3 years ago. I found there was not much activity so I putt my focus on other things like my YouTube channel. I tried agnostic.com which I am very active in but now thanks to you and others I have more of a teaching role there as the site does not have many of the intellectual calaber of A/N. I hope I can again resume interactions with people like you that challenge me! Reasearching is great but interaction with others where I get questions I have not thought of is where understanding comes from. I hope to be active here!

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Permalink Reply by Edward Trickett on August 17, 2021 at 5:42am

Hello all, new here

I am from the UK, I am 37 years of age and I have been atheist since I was 19, I was raised Methodist and believed EVERYTHING taught to me until I questioned it aged 12 and then had a crisis of faith and it was scary! I knew that the bible made no sense but I didn't have the mindset to see past my indoctrinated thinking... so I prayed, sought help from my mother and reverend and read the bible... it didn't help

I then met a family through a boy I befriended on holiday when I was 13, it was a rainy Sunday afternoon and I was playing board games in my friend's caravan with his mum, dad and sister. My friend's mum asked what I would normally be doing on a Sunday if not on holiday, I answered attending church.... my response was one of expectation, like everyone attended church as it is what every does... my friend's mum replied that they didn't and that is because they do not believe in the existence of God and that they were atheist and what it meant. There was no attempt to change my mind or "convert" me , she stated it matter of fact

It was an epiphany for me, I had these feelings but no word to describe them

I didn't de-convert immediately, I wrestled with the idea for about another year, so I was in a state of flux if you will. I attended a Roman Catholic school and there was a bible worship group who came when I was still 13, they sang songs, did activities and workshops..... this caused me to question things again. I decided to give religion another chance, so I studied the bible again but it made even less sense and just felt wrong....

I then became more of an agnostic, denying the existence of the biblical God but holding on to the concept of there being "some God" out there, but it just being that I couldn't explain it

I studied science more as the years ticked by, aged 19 I reached the conclusion that science can explain so much, with evidence and that what it can't it is at least honest about. This led me to conclude there is no God at all, no entity responsible for the creation of the universe, this planet or life.. and that science can and will find these answers out in the fullness of time

I have since been atheist, learnt more about critical thinking, logical fallacies and the true destructive nature of religion in all of its many forms globally. I turned 37 October 31st last year and shortly after decided that I am anti-theist, I cannot reconcile the existence of religion with the continuation of humanity

I am very active on Facebook on pages, forums and groups, debunking the plethora of erroneous thinking people have about atheism

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Permalink Reply by Mrs.B on August 17, 2021 at 1:37pm

Good to meet you. I also didn't have the word when I was a kid, but I never could buy the gawd thing, nor believe mormonism was the right religion while all others were wrong. Good to see you found reality.

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Permalink Reply by Davy on November 8, 2021 at 3:09am

G'day Edward and welcome.
There is one thing one about science that the majority overlook and that is you don't have to believe just accept what it says, think about it for awhile then move on then when new evidence comes to hand you do the same again and change your view to suit the new update and move on once again.
I will leave you a few quotes for you to ponder on

What is religion? Compassion for all things that have life. – Hitopadesa.( Sanskrit text )

All wise men are of the same religion, and keep it to themselves. – Lord Shaftesbury.

There are two, and only two, forms of possible gospel or "good message"—

one, that men are saved by themselves doing what is right:

and the other, that they are saved by believing that somebody also did right instead of them.

The first of these gospels is eternally true and holy; the other eternally false, damnable, and damning.

– John Ruskin.(1819 – 1900)

I am quite aware of the effects of religion. Also aware why religion is prominent in your Societal Structure to keep the lower echelons of Society in place and bow down to the upper echelons. That structure is what will destroy humanity more so than religion as it is just tool of the Social structure. 

I know you may disagree but every person has questions that science cannot  explain nor can organised religion. It is these questions that create your own internal religion as you seek the answers to them.

Anyhow have a great life and leave this thought from the Stoic Epicurus

If the gods listened to the prayers of men, all humankind would quickly perish since they constantly pray for many evils to befall one another. – Epicurus

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Permalink Reply by Ian Mason on December 21, 2021 at 11:22am

Hello. I made it over here, almost by accident after A/N stopped. It's very good to be here. 

I was raised with a Church of England background but never really 'belonged' to any religion. For many years religion didn't really matter that much; the world I knew was 'live and let live' for the most. Old people, perhaps a few younger and some immigrants went to church/mosque/temple and that was fine by me. There were church things on the radio and TV but early morning, late at night and Sundays and it was easy to change channel. Then other people's religions started demanding attention. In some parts of the world they gained or grabbed power. The only example of that I had evey seen was from when I worked as a printer and we had to stop press and remove condom adverts from Irish editions of magazines. Very funny, we thought. Now they were literally bloody serious. People were going to prison or dying. A stand had to be taken so I joined in.

Times have changed. In the 70s we used to delete those condom adds because of Irish law. When I was in Ireland in 2015 there were celebrations because marriage equality was now law and, for the first time ever as the result of a national referendum! Atheists aren't an organised party or even a united movement but our influence is felt.

Where I now live, in Denmark there are archaic relics: 75% of the population (children included) are counted as members of the state church and the adults pay 1% of their income to the church in tax but mostly for the sake of tradition: baptism and confirmation are big family events, 'just because' there's some sort of peer pressure. On top of that, one has to actively leave the church, fill out forms etc. so people don't bother. Only about 40% of the Danes would really describe thereselves as 'religious' in any sense and identity as 'christian' is mostly based on hostility to Muslims. Anti-immigrant feeling is unfortunately very strong.

So, that's a bit about my situation. I'm glad this forum exists - and it's international!

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Permalink Reply by Mrs.B on December 21, 2021 at 1:50pm

Yes, quiet but good place here, Ian.

The condom ad thing is good for a chuckle.

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