In pursuit of happiness! What are my odds?

[saulgood]

Hi folks,

A little about myself.  I'm 34.  I live in Northern Ireland, a fine example of a wee country which has benefited handsomely as a result of the benevolent influence of Christianity.  I was born into a Catholic family and was taught in Catholic schools.  I'm fairly skeptical by nature but it was actually the open-minded teaching of a Priest that properly set me on the path to Atheism.  He wasn't your basic Catholic Priest but instead a very well educated Theologian.  He was very knowledgable about other religions (just not Christian sects) and was only too happy to teach us about their beliefs and customs.  He was even happy to discuss things like how the "miracles" of the loaves and the fishes and the parting of the red sea could be explained away with logical arguments!  Quite how the man was able to maintain his "faith" still baffles me and as ironic as it sounds I must say I am grateful to him for making me an Atheist!

So I guess I was agnostic by my mid teens and an avowed atheist a few years later.  When my belief in the Christian God disappeared I must say that I felt a bit bereft but then I guess I felt that way a decade earlier when I realised Santa Claus no longer existed (I hope there are no mini-atheists reading this!).  For quite a few years after that I wasted much time and mental energy pondering what exactly the "ultimate" purpose and meaning to human life was - well of course there had to be one... hadn't there... surely life wasn't just a cosmic coincidence/inevitability which, according to the laws of science, will eventually cease to exist! 

The more "militant" atheism of my earlier twenties has since faded to a softer agnostic atheism.  I accept that as I can not definitively prove that gods, fairies, goblins, vampires, leprechauns and ghosts don't exist, they may well do.  But on the basis of the evidence available to me I am more than confident to believe that they don't.  I used to be eager to enter debate with the religious in order "to show them the error of their ways" and confound their arguments but I can't really be arsed anymore.  Why?  Well, at the risk of being a little contentious, the chief reason is that I don't want to reduce their possibility of achieving happiness!

Now that was a long-winded Hello!

[Crow]

hello saulgood,

Good introduction hope you enjoy the forum. I'm the same when it comes to debating the religious on the matter of whether a god exists or not, though I do get sucked in sometimes then quickly regret not biting my tongue.

[Recusant]

...

Now that was a long-winded Hello!

Yes, but I've seen longer.  Yours was well-written and covered a decent amount of ground.  That priest is going to Hell! As for odds on achieving happiness, that would depend on how you define "happy" I think.

Hello, and welcome to HAF, saulgood; it's a pleasure to have you join us.

I hope you enjoy your time reading and posting here.

[Sweetdeath]

Welcome to HAF.
I am Irish myself and heard the country has more atheists popping up openly.  Makes me proud.

[BullyforBronto]

I was the same way in my twenties. Fresh out of college, I was ready to contend everything and confront everyone. Now, like you, I've mellowed some. These days, I'm just looking to kill time engage in thoughtful dialogues on the internet while my kids are asleep. Confrontations have subsided some; though, contentions have remained.

That was a great introduction. I look forward to the day when we reach the coveted 10 post requirement to engage in the other sections of this forum.

[Tank]

Hello Saulgood

Interesting introduction. Welcome to HAF.

Regards
Chris

[OldGit]

Now that was a long-winded Hello!

No, it was a good one.  Now we know something about you.
Welcome! 

[DeterminedJuliet]

Hi there! I'm ex-Catholic, too Welcome!

[xSilverPhinx]

Welcome! Last time I heard, the number of atheists was growing rapidly in Ireland?

[Sweetdeath]

^Yes, Awesomely enough!
Ireland <3

[saulgood]

Thanks very much for the uniformly warm welcome everyone!  I wasn't sure what to expect... Go Atheists!!

Last time I heard, the number of atheists was growing rapidly in Ireland?

From personal experience what I can say for sure is that the power of the Catholic Church in Ireland, the respect it is afforded and the size of church congregations it attracts has nose-dived in the last decade or more.

IMO this is due mainly to two main factors: the obvious one is the endless stream of child sex abuse cases that have been exposed and the horrifying level of involvement that the church hierarchy had in covering up what was going on in order to protect the church's reputation at the expense of the young victims.  As a result young people are turning away from Religion in their droves but this doesn't necessarily mean that they are turning their back on theist belief... that's a little harder to shake!  Even as an Atheist I have to say that I feel some sympathy for the confusion, shame and bewilderment felt by many Catholics as a result of the child abuse scandals.  This is especially true of the elderly who had unquestioning faith in the righteousness of their Catholic clergy.

The second reason is wealth!  Poverty and religion go well together.  When you "don't have a pot to piss in" its a comfort to believe that you will be rewarded with eternal riches in your afterlife.  With the advent of the Celtic Tiger in 1995 and a booming economy the Irish were too busy building big houses and shopping to bother with Religion!  Maybe that will change now as all the big houses are being repossessed!  Unfortunately another byproduct of the sudden wealth is that the simple, modest and genial Irish people are less friendly and more arrogant... especially the young.  A real shame as it's what the world loved about the Irish.

[saulgood]

Just as an indication of how irreverent the Irish have become with regard to the Catholic Church check out the following link:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c8OlD6w1rto

This is a compilation of comedy sketches from a series aired by the Irish State broadcaster RTE.

Now I wonder could you get away with anything like this on one of the big broadcast networks in the U.S. ?

[truthandwisdom]

Hello fellow newbie! I much admire that scoundrel Luke Kelly from your little island who was an atheist as well if I remember correctly.....       Also a former catholic here as well, so good company all around!