Greetings

[Big Mac]

Dude, he's Aussie, not Youra-Peeing.

[Woody]

Allah Akbar! Jihada!! Praise Allah for defeating the infidel!!

Just kidding, so Woody, what do you do for hobbies and such? Or as you brits call it, Time users.

Big Mac, thanks for asking. My main interest is music.  I play whistles (penny whistles) and flutes (but mainly whistles), and I do it mostly for my own satisfaction.  I play traditional Celtic music from Ireland and Scotland, for the main part.  I enjoy quite a variety of music and wish I could have been a jazz musician, but I have no natural talent in that area!  I once heard a traditional musician say he became a traditional player because he wasn't good enough to be a classical musician.  I kind of sympathesize and identify with that position!  I've played a fair bit of music from the Baroque era in years gone by, and enjoyed it, but I think I enjoy what I play now even more.

I also like to get out into the natural world.  I used to like to go hiking around the national parks in the north of England - mostly the Yorkshire Dales.  I'd still like to do more but health problems over the last few years have got in the way somewhat, but I am far from totally incapacitated and so do get out and about.  I enjoy hills and mountains and I used to love heading off alone in to quiet places.  And though I am a Brit, I am married to a U.S. citizen, from Montana, so I get to enjoy the mountains and the prairie over there too, now and again.  We might even depart the U.K. and move to Montana in a few years, but the religious right over there scare me a bit.  Fortunately, my wife is an atheist too, but from what I've seen, so many people in the States just assume you are a follower of the Christian God.  It feels so weird to me when I talk to people in the States and they bring god into their everyday conversation.  It really doesn't happen here, at least not in the circles I mix with.  There are religious nuts here of course, and there are people who still identify with the religious beliefs they inherited, but by and large this really does feel like a post-religious culture.   Things have changed a lot during my life time, and that is encouraging, but there is no cause for complacency!

Well, look, I appear to drifting off course and such discussions should probably be held in another thread, but I think this does fall into the context of an introduction still.

Feel free to let me know a bit about yourself, Big Mac, and that goes for anyone else who cares to jump in.  I probably need to find time to read your earlier posts, but finding the time isn't always easy.

Woody

[Aullios]

Why wouldn't you discuss your interests in your introduction thread?

Anyway, welcome, Woody.

[Woody]

Hi Woody,

Welcome to the "Club".  Nice to meet another European in this forum.

Ciao,

Tom

Hi Tom62, and thanks saying hello.  I was over in Germany in '99 to see the total solar eclipse.  Watched it from a spot not far from Stuttgart, and I believe that isn't a huge distance from Darmstadt.

Glad to join you here!

Woody

[Big Mac]

Welll I worship satan and eat slow-moving children. Then I have a blood orgy to Kalima.....and then beat that fedora-wearing man! Then I plot world domination in grand Machivellian schemes......

And I vote REPUBLICAN!!!

[Woody]

Welll I worship satan and eat slow-moving children. Then I have a blood orgy to Kalima.....and then beat that fedora-wearing man! Then I plot world domination in grand Machivellian schemes......

And I vote REPUBLICAN!!!

Wow, I'm shocked that you vote Republican.  

[Big Mac]

Eh, you Aussies are alright. Seen any dingos lately?

[Whitney]

Feel free to let me know a bit about yourself, Big Mac, and that goes for anyone else who cares to jump in.

You know what's kinda odd...I never actually introduced myself to the forum properly other than giving part of my story on why I went from Christianity to atheism.  So, now's as good time as any.  I'm an architecture student about to enter my last year of undergraduate studies.  I should also easily have a minor in philosophy by the time I graduate; just need to find out if a philosophy based architecture class will count towards the minor or not.  I plan on getting my masters in the future, but would like to get accredited as a real architect first, that takes about 3 years of work to fill requirements plus a multi-part test.  I hope to eventually specialize in something related to environmental design, city planning or a mix of the two...with the environment the way it is today; specializing in green architecture is almost a must.  Anyway, so that's what I'm doing in school...if I disappear for a few days sometime this semester it will likely be due to having to work on a project.

I live in Oklahoma, it's part of a series of states which is referred to as the bible belt here.  If you look at religious demographics on a map of the USA, you can see why they call it the bible belt...the colors indicating the most religious people flows right down the middle of the country....only, with the growing Mormon population in Utah it's more like a bible hook now than a belt.  Everyone does pretty much assume you are a Christian here and some people look down on anyone who isn't; including my mother (I haven't figured out a way to tell her yet nor do I really feel the need since she doesn't try to drag me to church when I'm around her).  I do make sure to correct her when she starts talking badly of all atheists just because her atheist coworker pissed her off that day...it's not good to judge a whole group based off the actions of one person.  My dad is non-religious, maybe an agnostic or atheist, I really don't know because we don't discuss religion that often.  The last time we talked about it he asked me you don't buy into that Jesus crap, do you?

So, um...hobbies.  I don't really have a specific hobby I pursue regularly, but do mess around a lot on the computer trying to get better at web and graphic design.  My current pet project, other than this one, is www.cheapcustomgraphics.com ; it still needs some work (I'm probably going to completely redesign the site) and I haven't really gotten it set up to draw in business yet although its google rank is climbing...so that will help when I get it set up like I want.  I also like camping but it's been way too hot this summer to do that...I need air conditioning if the temp is above 95; it's been averaging around 103 lately.

So, that's a bit about me...sorry for rambling.  My bf is also an atheist and you'll see him on here from time to time under the name Amor Fati.  Our 'kids' are Corbu and Nietzsche...they are stupid little fur balls that help make a big mess of the place.

[Woody]

Thanks for sharing some personal info laetusatheos.  I wish you well with your studies and your chosen career.

    It sounds like your dad has made his mind up about religion too! I wonder how many closet atheists there really are? I think my dad is the same way as yours. I've not spoken much with either of my parents about religion, but my dad has given hints that he thinks it's crap too. Not so sure about my mum, but neither of them show any interest in religion and haven't done so for many years.  My dad is now in his 80s. Actually, they stopped attending church soon after I refused to go anymore, when I was in my teens.  Maybe they only ever went to church because they felt they had to do so for my benefit.

    My background is Roman Catholicism. In this day and age I don't know how anyone with half a brain can be taken in by such absurd nonsense, but there are a lot of Catholics in the world! I used to have Catholic dogma drummed into my head when I was a child. It never made any sense to me, but the priests put the fear of god into me, as they did with all my Catholic peers.

    I do understand how it is difficult for some people to take that step out from their religious prison and out into the real world because they are held back by fear; even to question the truth of the Church and God puts your immortal soul in jeopardy, and no one likes to be in the smite-line of The Lord! I'm glad I had some clarity of vision and the good fortune to find what I needed, when I needed it; my transition to godless heathen was pretty swift.  Of course, nothing is that simple.  The truth is, I rejected christianity and the crazy notion of a personal god but ventured for years through the realms of eastern mysticism.  I still feel that the problem of the duality of consciousness and the material universe has not yet been satisfactorily answered, but I'm convinced that the truth of the matter has nothing to do with any religion and I'm optimistic that science will eventually provide a solution.  In any case, science is our only hope for moving forward.

[silviakjell]

Well, welcome Woody. Actually I really shoudn't be welcoming you because i pretty much just joined this forum myself. I like to play RPG on the internet. I like building things, or basically creating things, whether it is cooking, woodworking, or sewing. I also like robots, they completely facinate me. I have played piano for 8 years now and won a couple of competitions. Right now I'm staying in Shanghai but I'll be returning to America in a couple of weeks. What else? hmmm, oh yeah, I'm pretty good at drawing, especially at- darn, what's that word? My grammer, spelling, and vocab have deterioted since I came to China. Umm, I guess it's sketching? but not rough and sketchy, very detailed but only using pencils of different shades.

 I can't wait to hear what my eigth grade Language Arts teacher will say about me.  

[Tom62]

I was born into a non-devout catholic family. We never had any urge to practice our "believes" in church unless  we were "socially forced" by our relatives (due to funerals, marriages, etc.). My 3 brothers and I (no sisters) have been atheists since we were very young. Basically we'd put god and jezus in the same category as santa claus and the tooth fairy. I believe that my father turned atheist after the death of my mother (approx 20 years ago), although I suspect that he had been a "closet" atheist for much longer. My wife unfortunately "suffers" from a light form of catholism but (lucky, for me) with agnostic tendencies.

[Woody]

Well, welcome Woody. Actually I really shoudn't be welcoming you because i pretty much just joined this forum myself.

Thanks for the welcome, silviakjell.  You raise an interesting point about forum manners...how long should you be a member before it's deemed okay to welcome newcomers? :-)   Welcoming new members soon after becoming one yourself might be equated to entering a stranger's home and then welcoming the next person who walks in through the door as if it were your own place.  I am of course being less than totally serious, as I'm sure we are all free to be hospitable and friendly.  In any case, I welcome your welcome!

You are obviously a very smart young woman and I'm sure your teachers will be more than happy with your work.

Robots are fascinating, I agree.  I wonder if you have ever checked out 'Big Dog' ?  Watching this robot sends a bit of a chill through me!  It's quite something.  Here's the web link:

http://www.bostondynamics.com/content/sec.php?section=BigDog

[Woody]

I was born into a non-devout catholic family. We never had any urge to practice our "believes" in church unless  we were "socially forced" by our relatives (due to funerals, marriages, etc.). My 3 brothers and I (no sisters) have been atheists since we were very young. Basically we'd put god and jezus in the same category as santa claus and the tooth fairy. I believe that my father turned atheist after the death of my mother (approx 20 years ago), although I suspect that he had been a "closet" atheist for much longer. My wife unfortunately "suffers" from a light form of catholism but (lucky, for me) with agnostic tendencies.

It's heartening to see weak faith atrophy, leaving in its place a fully-fledged atheist.  Without exposure to the rantings of priest and religious fanatics, and where intelligent free-thinking is encouraged and nurtured, I would like to think it can only be a one-way street.  You were lucky to have had the right conditions in which to realize the true nature of god and religion at such a very young age.  Three cheers for weak faith!

[silviakjell]

Thank's a lot, for the compliments and the site! and i welcome your welcome's welcome!

[Woody]

Thank's a lot, for the compliments and the site! and i welcome your welcome's welcome!