Hello!!

[Anti-antidisestablishmentarianism]

  Hello My name is Robert!! I am an Atheist from Illinois who moved to Georgia so I am kind of going a little nuts.  I am basically on here to meet other happy Atheists and get to know that people can have morals and be happy without the need for religion.  I was raised in a household with a crazy grandmother who was christian, but never went to church and would frequently swear.  Baptized Catholic when I was a baby, I decided to learn more about my religion when I turned 23. So I read the bible. After getting to a certain point, however,  I said to myself Oh no I can't believe all this! Ridiculous! So I turned to Atheism after trying a few other things.  First I tried modified Christianity until they told my that you have to believe all of it, because it is the literal word passed down.  Okay so how did they get 2 panthers and kangaroos over to Africa now? I'm a bit confused by that and many other things I won't mention for fear of the preaching rule!!  So I tried a deity without religion.  That just seemed pointless so I switched to Atheism.
I must admit I tried another site first.  I won't say which one, but it involved a man named Anton.  Then I realized how crazy that was when I believed in nothing, and that It was highly unlikely that I would find any nice Atheists on a site like that.  Wouldn't you know it I was right! So, once again, I am on here trying to meet new people with the same beliefs as myself who are just nice, down to Earth people.
Anyways hello all!!

[Tank]

Hello Robert

Yet another RC who found their way out of superstition by reading the Bible! You're in good company here although I personally have never been a believer.

Thanks for making the effort to sign up and join in.

Welcome to HAF.

Regards
Chris

Notes for new members.
The Rules.

Users who comply with forum rules will graduate to full membership after 10 posts. Till that time your ability to post is limited to the "Getting to Know You" section of the forum. It is our hope that this small restriction improves the overall atmosphere of HAF.

Some threads you might find interesting.
Where did you get your username from?
10 Things About Yourself
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Non-religious pet peeves
Pets...what do you have?
Favorite Song, with video
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[Recusant]

Hello and welcome to HAF, Robert.  I think I can decipher your clue, but can't use it to narrow it down to one site (not that I care to). I never saw much point in that path, but I suppose if I had met an intelligent woman who followed it (with whom I shared other interests) I wouldn't have been hard to convince. 

I hope you enjoy your time reading and posting here!

[Anti-antidisestablishmentarianism]

Thank you for the welcome. Reading the bible was quite the eye opener for me.  The thing that really got to me was the fact that a friend from HS who is another intelligent person was the one who told me that you had to believe in all of it.  I am going to be 27 in a week and I figured that people in my generation would have some common sense when it came to that.  I was never able to believe the things I heard when people preached to me. It just didn't make any sense. I have, however, been slowly getting other people to see my view. Just this past year I actually found out that my 45 year old Uncle quit believing when a preacher told him that even though his friends who are Jewish are very good hearted people, that they will burn in eternal hellfire.  He said to me "yeah that was when the Catholics and I parted ways."
 I am by nature a pretty sarcastic person.  I have been trying to be nice to people, but it is hard.  One problem I am having is holding my tongue on the bus.  I hear preaching constantly, but figured I should at least be safe on the bus.  WRONG! I should have know better in Georgia. There is a man who refuses to say hello to anybody.  It's god bless you to every single person he walks by.  It is insanely hard for me to not say "I am atheist, and I didn't sneeze so keep it in church dude."
Well hope that tells you a little more about me. I'm sure I will have more funny things to say.  I love making people laugh. Like I said I also love making people see my view.  I told my twin cousins about my views and started getting into the contradictory nature of our family's religion.  Soon after they took a class in High School on Medieval Europe. They are now Deists.  Oh well it's a start right?!?!
  I see that someone else has replied to my post already.  You guys are pretty quick to welcome people on here.  I won't be back on till tomorrow bc I don't currently have my own computer, but thanks for the welcome guys! 

[Tank]

Good on you Uncle too. Does he want to join up too? 

[OldGit]

Welcome,Robert!  Seems to me that catholicism is the hardest brand of christianity to break loose from, so congratulations.

When this idiot blesses you, you could say, 'may you be touched by His Noodly Appendage and bathed in His healing sauce'.  If that would get you lynched, say it inwardly to cheer yourself up. 

[Buddy]

Welcome to the forum Robert! I think you have come to the right place. I mean, this is Happy Atheist Forum!  

[kimberlyfaith81]

Boy do I feel your pain!! Being an atheist in the Bible Belt is no easy feat.  Mississippi girl here.  Extricating yourself from religion is hard enough, but surviving the onslaught of fundamentalist warfare is an everyday battle.  Welcome to the forum!  Look forward to hearing your perspective. 

[Sandra Craft]

Reading the bible was quite the eye opener for me.  

Yeah, I think reading the bible has created more atheists than any other book or experience in the world.  It was certainly the beginning of the end of my Xtianity.

[Crocoduck]

Baptized Catholic when I was a baby, I decided to learn more about my religion when I turned 23. So I read the bible. After getting to a certain point, however,  I said to myself Oh no I can't believe all this! Ridiculous!

It kinda makes you think maybe thats a big part of why the Catholic Church fought so hard to keep the Bible from being translated into the languages of the people. 

There is a man who refuses to say hello to anybody.  It's god bless you to every single person he walks by.  It is insanely hard for me to not say "I am atheist, and I didn't sneeze so keep it in church dude."

I always take that kind of thing with a grain of salt. When I was a Christian I used to hear people say it who I didn't think of as being real Christians. It also never made me feel God was blessing me so it's never struck me as being anything more then a greeting.

Anyway welcome to Happy Atheist Forum Robert.

[xSilverPhinx]

Welcome! Interesting story you have there

I don't thing the anti preaching rule means that you can't give examples of being preached at, they're mostly to keep theists who want to come here and convert us without reasoned argument or based on anything substantial away. Preachers come here and start throwing bible versus around and constructing circular arguments based on them, as if that would have any effect.

[The Magic Pudding]

I am on here trying to meet new people with the same beliefs as myself who are just nice, down to Earth people.

Nice is nice but I do reserve the right to drift away from the Earth at times.

'ello.

[Anti-antidisestablishmentarianism]

Noodly appendage!! I must say that I am relieved I can talk somewhat about the crap I hear down here, but I will save it for another time because I am in a hurry and don't want to get into a rant.
My Uncle would join this site, but I don't think his wife or daughter who go to Catholic church 800 times a day would think very highly of that.  It amazes me how many educated people read and understand that book and still believe it. My friend in the Army ROTC is Catholic, but doesn't really believe any of it.  I got him to call the bible by the name I gave it.  Jewish Mythology.  He thought it was funny. What do you guys think?  Yeah I know it's part greek too, but they already have a mythology so they can bite me!!

[caleb6828]

lolol yea i agree with robert, thats what some of my atheist friends told me at first.. just read the bible then you won't believe haha. never did but what really convinced me it was false was how if you use the time frame the bible says when the great flood took place there was no evidence of all civilization being wiped out it indeed showed the opposite.

[unholy1971]

Welcome Robert. I look forward to getting to know you.