Hi - feeling a bit isolated in my non belief...

[tubbyman]

but pretty sure I'll find the odd like minded person this board  wtf is that about?

A few reasons for the hardening of my convictions is the way I have witnessed my eldest child start to be indoctrinated into religion at school. It seems quite perverse to me, preying on the mind of a child who doesn't know any better - but I suppose thats how religion has prospered since the dawn of time.

Being an atheist has made everything a lot clearer for me - we get one go. do good things.

btw - great smilie  

[Recusant]

Hello and welcome to HAF, tubbyman.

I don't blame you at all for avoiding discussions of religion, given the circumstances you describe.  It sounds as if it would only serve to alienate family members, and probably would have little if any positive impact on your life and theirs.  That's one of the reasons places like this exist; here you can examine issues and discuss things that are on your mind without worrying whether it will bring unwanted heartache into your life.

I hope you enjoy your time reading and posting here.

[Cecilie]

Hi there. Welcome to the forum. Hope to see you around.

[terranus]

Bonvenon al la Forumo!
[spoiler:1wp0g72e]Welcome to the Forum![/spoiler:1wp0g72e]

[Tank]

Hi Tubbyman

Brilliant intro, hope to see a lot of you as you have a very interesting situation to discuss!

Welcome to Happy Atheists

Regards
Chris

[ForTheLoveOfAll]

Yikes, from a Christian family and married into a Muslim? I hope the families are both moderate in their faiths!

Either way, welcome to our ranks!  

[tubbyman]

.

[tubbyman]

thanks for the warm welcome, ahhh and breathe, nobody's going to drive a stake through my heart  :eek:

brilliant. The word 'charade' doesnt even begin to cover it.

It actually didnt mean anything to me - I didnt feel demeaned doing it, it was just hollow. like a dog doing tricks for a dog show. Of course I should have made a stand and declared my true feelings but for 5 minutes lip service I saved a lifetimes alienation - it's a tough call, do I deny my kids the opportunity to know their grandparents or actualy say what I feel?

My parents were a lot better and of course accepted my wife straight off - the whole 'one' god thing being a bit of a modern mantra etc....

My wife thinks that it's 'sad' that I'm an atheist. Shes a lazy theist: doesnt attend mosque or adhere to any rules (apart from booze and bacon!) but would rather just drift on with the same rubbish that has been shoved down the necks of her ancestors. It's OK though. She gets to go to paradise and have 70 virgins..... oh hang on...

Despite my bitching and moaning I actually love both cultures. If you remove god from the equation people get to be just people. My Egyptian family have really embraced me and I have a lot of love for them - we just clam up on religious matters  (and any questions about George Boooooooosh!)
My birth family just dont care anymore, my ma is dead, my dad is too enveloped in depression and my siblings juggling agnosticism and apathy (apart from one brother who is in the army).

Every day that goes by I get more and more comfortable with wringing every last drop of awesome out of the time I have here - I just wish those around me would do the same.

[tubbyman]

btw - save me a lot of noob trawling - why can I only post on certain sections? It seems that 'post reply' only appears on certain parts of the forum. After looking quickly on the rules I cant see why. If it's to prevent trolls getting wet then fair enough but I've wanted to reply to a few posts tonight with no luck

[tubbyman]

ok - got it. that seems a bit restrictive but hey, small price etc.....

[The Magic Pudding]

ok - got it. that seems a bit restrictive but hey, small price etc.....

Hello, anything particular you're keen to post on?
Egypt has been in the news, and the raising of children with religion always is.

[tubbyman]

Where is the forum based? I'm guessing the US?

Obviously being UK based I'm interested in the religious/political agendas regarding the UK - why are we blindly funding faith schools?

I'd love to get involved in lobbying for religion to be removed from the educational system altogether in the UK...(as for creationism...dont get me started)

On a wider palette I'm interested in why atheists are viewed with such ire from the the theist community as its not a feeling (as far as I'm aware) that's reciprocated.

As far as theism goes I'm happy to say I'd believe in God tomorrow if some irrefutable evidence popped up - but it hasnt  so I'll stick with where I'm at.

As far as Egypt goes, I'm sad for the country as I think it'll slip even further into the toilet, especially if the MB gain control. I wont be going back there or exposing my kids to that environment until they have proved they can play nicely with others again.
I've personally been provided with very few examples of any religion doing anything positive at all recently and it's served to strengthen my atheist view point.

[DirtyLeo]

Oh! Don't get me started with schools.

I live in Ireland and I have a few-month old son. My wife and I are already worried about what primary school we can/should enroll him into.
 
Here, Church has a very tight control over public schools and there's no real non-denominational school. I wish we had the French model where no religious token is allowed in public schools. If parents want to poison their children's minds with religious ideas, they can choose to do so after school hours in catechism classes.

I just hope that, one day, humanity will look back into these strange times and will laugh at these absurd bronze-age beliefs that poison everything.

[terranus]

as its not a feeling (as far as I'm aware) that's reciprocated.

Heh. You haven't seen my bumper stickers.

[xSilverPhinx]

Welcome!