I am a 30 year old agnostic-going-on-atheist from DuBois PA. Converting to an atheist point of view has not been an easy road for me. I was born into and subsequently raised in the Presbyterian church. I even attended seminary six years ago in an attempt to find out all the answers. Seminary, I soon found out, was the worst possible place to become closer to God, for in order to do that, you pretty much had to ignore all you were being taught in your Bible classes, particularly when it came to the Old Testament. Soon I discovered I could not allow myself to believe in a God who was so petty and judgmental. I knew I wasn't going to Hell on a technicality for using my God given brain and neither should anyone else. So that's my story in a nutshell. Anyway, I hope my time here is both informational and entertaining.
Welcome fellow Pennsylvanian! Thanks for the background. Seems the more I studied the bible the less I could count on it being the truth as well.
Hello and welcome to HAF, aldy115. I've heard stories similar to yours more than once, including the part about attending seminary. I guess one reads the Bible at the peril of their faith. (https://www.happyatheistforum.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimg826.imageshack.us%2Fimg826%2F4195%2Flolbymissbangles.gif&hash=a459a670b2fef67538964246ce892a4b5f7d96e2) Then again, we had a member here recently who said that he had been a non-believer until he read the Bible. That same fellow also insisted that he wasn't a Christian, so. . . *shrugs*
I hope you enjoy your time reading and posting here. (https://www.happyatheistforum.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimg830.imageshack.us%2Fimg830%2F860%2Fsmilew.gif&hash=8238eab24d16418eb1c8cd60d971239ab1363c74)
Welcome!
Morning aldy115
I was fortunate to have been brought up by a Christian Mum and an atheist Dad so had a balanced world view from the get-go, and came out on the side of a naturalist rather than supernaturalist world view.
Welcome to HAF. (https://www.happyatheistforum.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimg32.imageshack.us%2Fimg32%2F2922%2Fcheersi.gif&hash=d22c932723fd55512134b1ae98b018246ccbb424)
Regards
Chris
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Where did you get your username from? (http://www.happyatheistforum.com/forum/index.php?topic=5133.0)
10 Things About Yourself (http://www.happyatheistforum.com/forum/index.php?topic=4940.0)
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Non-religious pet peeves (http://www.happyatheistforum.com/forum/index.php?topic=6917.0)
How to tell your family you are an atheist. (http://www.happyatheistforum.com/forum/index.php?topic=5111.0)*
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Hi there! Hope you enjoy the forum. And is it just me, or are we getting a lot of new people lately?
Quote from: Budhorse4 on November 17, 2011, 03:05:26 PM
Hi there! Hope you enjoy the forum. And is it just me, or are we getting a lot of new people lately?
A little more than average, but it goes in phases. As the evenings get cooler and darker in the autumn, forums tend to pick up more members as there are more English speakers in the Northern hemisphere.
welcome aboard aldy. Any god that would want to punish someone eternally for simply not beliving in it is a very pathetic little deity indeed, and not worthy of anyone's time. Of course, really it's the god's followers who believe these things that would like to torture all of us non-believers, just like they used to hundreds of years ago...
Welcome, aldy115. I'm sure you'll enjoy this place.
Thank you all. I also should mention that I come from a very religious family. Everyone I know is a believer or seems to be a believer, with very few exceptions, which makes my honest lack of belief hard. When I was in seminary, briefly, my mother (sorry Mom) even told me the reason I was having doubts about it was because Satan didn't want me to succeed! My mom is an otherwise intelligent, intuitive person but I just marvel at the rift between my beliefs and those of my family (and everyone else.) What are other people's experience with family members and belief?
Quote from: aldy115 on November 17, 2011, 06:39:35 PM
Thank you all. I also should mention that I come from a very religious family. Everyone I know is a believer or seems to be a believer, with very few exceptions, which makes my honest lack of belief hard. When I was in seminary, briefly, my mother (sorry Mom) even told me the reason I was having doubts about it was because Satan didn't want me to succeed! My mom is an otherwise intelligent, intuitive person but I just marvel at the rift between my beliefs and those of my family (and everyone else.) What are other people's experience with family members and belief?
I moved to the US from Sweden, which is known for being non- religious. When I came here, I was shellshocked by how many people believed in god, even the adults. I can't say that I have any problems with my family, but I do have some issues with peers being a basic fundie. That's why I came here in the first place.
Quote from: aldy115 on November 17, 2011, 06:39:35 PM
Thank you all. I also should mention that I come from a very religious family. Everyone I know is a believer or seems to be a believer, with very few exceptions, which makes my honest lack of belief hard. When I was in seminary, briefly, my mother (sorry Mom) even told me the reason I was having doubts about it was because Satan didn't want me to succeed! My mom is an otherwise intelligent, intuitive person but I just marvel at the rift between my beliefs and those of my family (and everyone else.) What are other people's experience with family members and belief?
Some people have large families and send 1 or 2 children to the seminary, and if they really don't believe they have to fake it. I'm sure some ministers don't believe, but they continue because it's a job for them.
Quote from: Budhorse4 on November 17, 2011, 03:05:26 PM
Hi there! Hope you enjoy the forum. And is it just me, or are we getting a lot of new people lately?
Maybe us newbies are psychically linked!
OK, maybe not. :-\
Welcome Pennsylvanian friend! :) Seems like religious-based school never do anyone any good at getting closer to God, unless they are completely brain-dead.
Quote from: aldy115 on November 17, 2011, 06:39:35 PM
Thank you all. I also should mention that I come from a very religious family. Everyone I know is a believer or seems to be a believer, with very few exceptions, which makes my honest lack of belief hard. When I was in seminary, briefly, my mother (sorry Mom) even told me the reason I was having doubts about it was because Satan didn't want me to succeed! My mom is an otherwise intelligent, intuitive person but I just marvel at the rift between my beliefs and those of my family (and everyone else.) What are other people's experience with family members and belief?
Good to see you Aldy115! Like you, I am new here, too. Unlike you, my parents were never very religious, and both were atheists for the last 20 years of their lives. So...I have never faced down a parent over the issue. But...I've seen what bad things religion has done to cousins and friends, so I can appreciate your experience.
Hello, my parents forced me to go to church. It was a constant battle, they even dreamed of my becoming a priest. They sent me to expensive religious schools, and they visited religious places with me. Now, thirty years later, my dad is the biggest atheist and my mom just laughs at the silliness that she ever had a "god". Life is funny
welcome
Jose
Quote from: Jose AR on December 08, 2011, 06:05:22 PM
Hello, my parents forced me to go to church. It was a constant battle, they even dreamed of my becoming a priest. They sent me to expensive religious schools, and they visited religious places with me. Now, thirty years later, my dad is the biggest atheist and my mom just laughs at the silliness that she ever had a "god". Life is funny
welcome
Jose
I love that your Dad is now a atheist as well. There is hope for us all yet.
Quote from: aldy115 on November 17, 2011, 06:39:35 PM
What are other people's experience with family members and belief?
Welcome, Aldy. I have a lot of relatives from PA but I won't hold that against you. As for the question, I've been lucky in that for me it's been a case of "the people who matter don't mind, and the people who mind don't matter". All of my relatives are religious to a lesser or greater (usu. greater) degree but the ones I'm close to don't fuss about my atheism.
There have been some interesting clashes of worldview tho --for instance my step-mother telling me she feels my dad's spirirt is physically close to her and she knows I feel this too. I feel no such thing but, altho I would have discussed the point with someone else, if it comforts my step-mother to believe it I'm fine with that.