New to Happy Atheist Forum

[mjchexum]

Hi. I'm new to the Happy Atheist Forum. I joined so I could interact with other people who share my views, or even people who do not share my views but would like to discuss them. I'm 24 yrs old, I'm from St. Louis, MO. I was raised Catholic, attended a Catholic highschool, and have been through a few years of college but sadly never graduated. I turned to atheism because after taking a few world religion classes (and of course many Catholic religion classes in highschool) I realized that atheism was the right choice for me. However part of why I joined this forum is because I feel guilty about it. I feel guilty about the hurt look my mother gives me when we talk about my lack of faith; even though she supports my beliefs, I can tell it disappoints her. I guess I'm looking to connect with other people who share my views so that I can better understand atheism, and so I can stop feeling so guilty about it!   Can't wait to start talking to people!

[curiosityandthecat]

Welcome! I'm sure you won't be disappointed.  

[gwyn428]

Welcome to the board!  

[mjchexum]

Thanks for the welcome!

In response to gwyn428, it was a public school, I just unfortunately ran out of money!

[DennisK]

Welcome.  I'm sure you will find some good info here.  I've found most discussions to be intellectual and/or interesting.  I must admit that I represent the lower echelon of intellect (or maybe a-intellect), so even remedial posts are a stretch for me.  Fortunately for me, there is no IQ minimum required. I'm probably not making a very good case for the integrity of this forum.  I probably should erase what I have written thus far so I can leave you to later determine my a-intellect level.  Note to self:  don't forget to erase this paragraph and stop typing out what I'm thinking.

Anyway, I too was raised catholic, although I wasn't subjected to catholicism in school, thank god.  From my experience, guilt has been a nasty byproduct of my indoctrination that has been difficult to shake.  Though I no longer harbor any guilt with my mother (a devout catholic) for "not believing", it still effects many areas of my life.  For your health, I would say you need to try your best to minimize the guilt.  Maybe repeat the mantra to yourself in the mirror expressed by Robin Williams in Good Will Hunting to Matt Damon, "It's not your fault, it's not your fault..." on a daily basis.  Seriously, it is acidic.

[Whitney]

Hi mj, welcome to the forum.

[wazzz]

hi there it's a wonderful forum believe me