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Started by markmcdaniel, May 17, 2012, 01:30:40 PM

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markmcdaniel

May 17, 2012, 01:30:40 PM
Howdy, my name is markmcdaniel. I am an atheist / recovering Christian with no relapses on the horizon. How I became an atheist is a long story. The short version is that I arrived at this junction via a series of mistakes. Mistakes such as deciding to think for myself, discovering science, and actually thinking about what I was being told. The last was of course the death blow to a promising career as a theist.   
It appears to me (whether rightly or wrongly) that direct arguments against Christianity and theism produce hardly any effect on the public; and freedom of thought is best promoted by the gradual illumination of men's minds which follows from the advance of science - Charles Darwin

I cannot imagine a God who rewards and punishes the object of his creation, whose purposes are modeled after our own -- a god, in short, who is but a reflection of human frailty. Neither can I believe that the individual survives the death of his body, although feeble souls harbor such thoughts through fear or ridiculous egotism. - Albert Einstein

Religion is a by product of fear. For much of human history, it may have been a necessary evil, but why was it more evil than necessary? Isn't killing people in the name of God a pretty good definition of insanity. - Arther C. Clarke

Faith means not wanting to know what is true. - Friedrich Nietzsche

OldGit

#1
May 17, 2012, 01:38:48 PM
Welcome, Mark!  This is just the place for you: we think you're on the right path and we'll support you and help you as best we can.  Also, we have a lot of fun.

The Magic Pudding

#2
May 17, 2012, 01:40:37 PM
Quote from: markmcdaniel on May 17, 2012, 01:30:40 PMThe last was of course the death blow to a promising career as a theist.   

Oh commiserations, I hear those careers can be very lucrative and you get to have your moment of fame at the centre of a bizarre sex scandal.  Ah well never mind at least you have us, welcome.

Buddy

#3
May 17, 2012, 01:57:19 PM
Welcome to the forum Mark! We are a happy bunch here. More likely to get into a deep debate over shampoo than the Bible.  ;D
Strange but not a stranger<br /><br />I love my car more than I love most people.

Amicale

#4
May 17, 2012, 02:52:16 PM
Hi Mark, a warm welcome to you! Glad you've joined us! I made many of the same mistakes you did, and a few others  ;) and haven't regretted them. Jump right on in, the water's fine.  :)


"Our lives are not our own. From womb to tomb we are bound to others. By every crime and act of kindness we birth our future." - Cloud Atlas

"To live in the hearts of those we leave behind is to never die." -Carl Sagan

Tank

#5
May 17, 2012, 04:42:21 PM
Hi Mark

From this and other posts I think you're gonna fit in here perfectly.

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

Welcome to HAF.

Regards
Chris

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Some threads you might find interesting.
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If religions were TV channels atheism is turning the TV off.
"Religion is a culture of faith; science is a culture of doubt." ― Richard P. Feynman
'It is said that your life flashes before your eyes just before you die. That is true, it's called Life.' - Terry Pratchett
Remember, your inability to grasp science is not a valid argument against it.

Tom62

#6
May 17, 2012, 04:47:52 PM
Welcome to HAF.
Have fun here
The universe never did make sense; I suspect it was built on government contract.
Robert A. Heinlein

Hector Valdez

#7
May 17, 2012, 07:12:57 PM
Mistakes? I don't particularly like associating that term with discovery in thought. I'm more inclined to think a mistake is a mistake, only if it is regretted by he who does it.

Anti-antidisestablishmentarianism

#8
May 17, 2012, 09:31:19 PM
Welcome to the forum.  Sounds like what happened to me.  I got so good at arguing about the ridiculous things that bible thumpers told me that at one point they had no explanation except don't argue with Jesus!  :o  I considered that quite a victory.
"All murderers are punished unless they kill in large numbers and to the sound of trumpets." -Voltaire
"By all means let's be open-minded, but not so open-minded that our brains drop out". Richard Dawkins

xSilverPhinx

#9
May 17, 2012, 10:51:46 PM
Welcome!
I am what survives if it's slain - Zack Hemsey

Ali

#10
May 18, 2012, 08:30:52 PM
Hi and welcome Mark.  Boy oh boy, you HAVE made mistakes in your life.  Dabbling in science, critical thinking; next you'll be reading books and watching Nova and there will be no reasoning with you.   >:(

;D ;D ;D

Welcome, and I hope you enjoy your time here.  We're mostly an inane lot, but we're here for you.

markmcdaniel

#11
May 18, 2012, 09:32:09 PM
Quote from: Ali on May 18, 2012, 08:30:52 PM
Hi and welcome Mark.  Boy oh boy, you HAVE made mistakes in your life.  Dabbling in science, critical thinking; next you'll be reading books and watching Nova and there will be no reasoning with you.   >:(

;D ;D ;D

Welcome, and I hope you enjoy your time here.  We're mostly an inane lot, but we're here for you.
I already do. I'am doomed, doomed, dommed.
It appears to me (whether rightly or wrongly) that direct arguments against Christianity and theism produce hardly any effect on the public; and freedom of thought is best promoted by the gradual illumination of men's minds which follows from the advance of science - Charles Darwin

I cannot imagine a God who rewards and punishes the object of his creation, whose purposes are modeled after our own -- a god, in short, who is but a reflection of human frailty. Neither can I believe that the individual survives the death of his body, although feeble souls harbor such thoughts through fear or ridiculous egotism. - Albert Einstein

Religion is a by product of fear. For much of human history, it may have been a necessary evil, but why was it more evil than necessary? Isn't killing people in the name of God a pretty good definition of insanity. - Arther C. Clarke

Faith means not wanting to know what is true. - Friedrich Nietzsche

Sweetdeath

#12
May 18, 2012, 11:21:00 PM
Science tends to bring out the bullshit in religion. As well as logic.


Glad to have another atheist around. Welcome to HAF!! :)
Law 35- "You got to go with what works." - Robin Lefler

Wiggum:"You have that much faith in me, Homer?"
Homer:"No! Faith is what you have in things that don't exist. Your awesomeness is real."

"I was thinking that perhaps this thing called God does not exist. Because He cannot save any one of us. No matter how we pray, He doesn't mend our wounds.

kitty

#13
May 19, 2012, 10:40:21 AM
hi mark. looking forward to hearing alllll about yr terrible 'mistakes'!
i'm in the same boat as you, as a 'recovering' (like the term) christian.
x
Isn't it enough to see that a garden is beautiful without having to believe that there are fairies at the bottom of it too? (Douglas Adams)
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