Despite a Roman Catholic upbringing that included church twice a week and sometimes three if you count the occasional Novena mass on Tuesday nights, as well as two years in service of the "Lord" as an altar boy, I managed to divest myself of my religious programming pretty effortlessly by my early twenties. That was about twenty years ago and my non-faith is more unshakeable than ever. The longer I'm an atheist, the more convinced I am that religion isn't just a crock, it's a monumental pile of steaming bull****.
Worshipping magical deities is what people do when they believe an illness is something caused by evil spirits. How can a nation of people in the 21st century still be holding onto a prinitive superstition based on the desert scribblings in a 2000 year old book? What other "knowledge" from 2000 years ago do we still hold to as accurate? The world isn't flat, it's not okay to kill a man if he works on the Sabbath, and you shouldn't beat your slaves for any reason...in fact, it's probably best not to own slaves at all.
Because 2000 years ago much of the human race was still about seven hairs away from being apes. This is evident in much of what the bible itself states. This is not to say the wisdom of the ancients isn't factual, it clearly is given the amazing accomplishments of many ancient cultures, Egyptians, Romans, Greeks, however, the authors of the bible don't fall into this category. There's a great deal more to marvel over in the ruins of the Coliseum than in the nonsense in the book of Genesis.
Anyway, hello to you all. I hope you've enjpyed my introductory rant. I have many more and I look forward to reading yours. :)
- Bomr
Well, hello thar. Welcome to the forum. Care to tell a bit about yourself? ;D
Your rant was interesting, and raised a few good points.
Quote from: MadBomr101 on December 03, 2011, 03:32:00 AMI hope you've enjpyed my introductory rant.
Oh ye, it was OK.
I would have liked a bit more action.
Sea monkeys in the baptismal font, rude scribblings in a Gideon's bible, writing Xmas, refusing to capitalise the "c" in christian.
Welcome.
Quote from: Budhorse4 on December 03, 2011, 03:39:00 AM
Well, hello thar. Welcome to the forum. Care to tell a bit about yourself? ;D
Well, I'm middle-aged, about 432 years old, I was chosen by God to build a giant treehouse in the forests outside the Gidron Valley and assemble all the women of loose morals there for a kegger.
Wait, I'm sorry, that's me if I were a bible character.
I'm a guy in my 40s, I work for a big, soulless company in a role that doesn't really challenge my creativity much so I indulge that on my own time by building websites for extra cash and by working on my portfolio of digital graphics and illustration. I'm a Libra, married, I'm short but built, I'm bald but it works on me. Turn-ons include fresh baked cookies, ice cold beer and hi-def d/l porn. Turn-offs are corporate greed, political corruption, mean people, and war.
I also don't believe in Gd but I'm guessing that was understood. ;D
Quote from: The Magic Pudding on December 03, 2011, 04:20:48 AM
Quote from: MadBomr101 on December 03, 2011, 03:32:00 AMI hope you've enjpyed my introductory rant.
Oh ye, it was OK.
I would have liked a bit more action.
Sea monkeys in the baptismal font, rude scribblings in a Gideon's bible, writing Xmas, refusing to capitalise the "c" in christian.
Welcome.
Golly, I don't know about all that. That sorta thing might piss off the christians during xmas. :o
Welcome!
Quote from: xSilverPhinx on December 03, 2011, 04:29:39 AM
Welcome!
Thank you!
So, as a general question to all, are there many theists around here? Folks of a like mind assembling together is great but it's conflict that makes things interesting. Are there many lively discussions with believers to look forward to?
Hi MB101
We have a handful of theist members and we get new ones every now and again some are Christian some are Muslim. And the debates can get lively but should be good mannered and honest.
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
Notes for new members.
The Rules. (http://www.happyatheistforum.com/forum/index.php?topic=1522.0)
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" (http://www.happyatheistforum.com/forum/index.php#2) 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? (http://www.happyatheistforum.com/forum/index.php?topic=5133.0)
10 Things About Yourself (http://www.happyatheistforum.com/forum/index.php?topic=4940.0)
Tell us A Bit About Where You're From (http://www.happyatheistforum.com/forum/index.php?topic=8215.0)
Photography (http://www.happyatheistforum.com/forum/index.php?topic=7607.0)
Non-religious pet peeves (http://www.happyatheistforum.com/forum/index.php?topic=6917.0)
Pets...what do you have? (http://www.happyatheistforum.com/forum/index.php?topic=7.0)
How to tell your family you are an atheist. (http://www.happyatheistforum.com/forum/index.php?topic=5111.0)*
*You will need 10 posts before you can add a post to this thread, but you can read it at any time.
Greetings and welcome, MadBomr101. You're exactly my kind of atheist - though I have to agree that Pudding's embellishments would have livened up your excellent rant even more. ;D
The Asmo welcomes you to the forums, and for your rant, awards you a seal.
(https://www.happyatheistforum.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Ft1.gstatic.com%2Fimages%3Fq%3Dtbn%3AANd9GcTJPMOl2MWFWs8c9oWcwTGZYaQxzx1lwPny3tN3LXu7oBUHIJKBEOHHMHjsUg&hash=7f3194173f5c10c8310e58de7945791818c527d8)
Hello from a fellow ex-catholic once upon-a-time altar boy girl.
There are a couple of theists around. The regulars are normal and reasonable contributors, but every now and again we get a couple of nutso types that roll through and they can be pretty entertaining.
Welcome mate. :D Your rant made for an interesting read, methinks you'll like it around here.
Thanks one and all. :)
I need your help to get the remaining five posts to meet my minimum requirement so feel free to ask me anything. In fact, here's a few possible suggestions or just make up your own. These are all phrased to remain on topic.
- What food do you prefer to eat while blaspheming god?
- Who is the kookiest xian you've ever met?
- Who is the kookiest xian you've never met but know of?
- If heaven were real, what's your vision of what it would be like?
- What is the one question you'd ask god if he weren't, y'know, bull****?
Quote from: Asmodean on December 03, 2011, 12:18:15 PM
The Asmo welcomes you to the forums, and for your rant, awards you a seal.
(https://www.happyatheistforum.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Ft1.gstatic.com%2Fimages%3Fq%3Dtbn%3AANd9GcTJPMOl2MWFWs8c9oWcwTGZYaQxzx1lwPny3tN3LXu7oBUHIJKBEOHHMHjsUg&hash=7f3194173f5c10c8310e58de7945791818c527d8)
I shall treasure your seafood themed approval for eons to come, my friend.
Quote from: MadBomr101 on December 04, 2011, 04:44:39 AM
Thanks one and all. :)
- What food do you prefer to eat while blaspheming god?
I used to have a tradition of stopping for a steak sandwich on Good Fridays while travelling to the Murrumbidgee River.
There was a bit of blasphemy involved, F*** god I'm having a steak sandwich, that kind of thing.
It was mostly about the sandwich though, they are so much better than those MacDonalds things.
So what is your preference?
Quote from: The Magic Pudding on December 04, 2011, 05:13:39 AM
Quote from: MadBomr101 on December 04, 2011, 04:44:39 AM
Thanks one and all. :)
- What food do you prefer to eat while blaspheming god?
I used to have a tradition of stopping for a steak sandwich on Good Fridays while travelling to the Murrumbidgee River.
There was a bit of blasphemy involved, F*** god I'm having a steak sandwich, that kind of thing.
It was mostly about the sandwich though, they are so much better than those MacDonalds things.
So what is your preference?
I prefer something lighter when denouncing the all powerful space daddy. I like to munch on caramel popcorn. The combination of sweet, salty, and sacreligious makes for an irresistible taste treat while hurling my anti-religious diatribes. It's low in fat too.
Quote from: MadBomr101 on December 04, 2011, 04:44:39 AM
- Who is the kookiest xian you've ever met?
I was dragged along to a stadium to see a visiting US evangelist with big hair, talking in tongues and healing.
I don't think he was the kookiest, he was probably making a fortune and would later fly home in his private jet.
The guy that dragged me there was pretty kooky, but there were heaps more kooky people there.
They give 10% of their income to the church, crazy ha? but it's true.
OK share your kookiest please.
Ken Ham would be the maxi-moron theist for me. An absolutly insane fundy science-denying nut job.
I think Fred Phelps would have to be the top of the list for me. Not just because of the whole homosexual thing, but because apparently all Swedes are going to hell. Really? Now you're just being an a**hole, Fred
Quote from: The Magic Pudding on December 04, 2011, 05:36:22 AMOK share your kookiest please.
I once knew a Xian who insisted he was being stalked by demons. He thought they listened in on his phone conversations and were trying to steal his soul. He slept in his closet because he believed that was the one place he could hide from them. This is not a joke. He eventually became homeless. However, I don't consider him to tbe kookiest, he was genuinely disturbed and needed medical help. He eventually got it.
No, the truly kookiest one who didn't have the defense of being mentally disturbed (in the clinical sense at least) is a guy I work with currently who rejects science, doesn't observe any holiday because that distracts from worshipping god, he won't drink, gamble or engage in pre-marital sex so a weekend in Vegas is pretty much out of the question, and all of this makes perfect sense to him.
You've probably guessed he's a Jehovah's Witness.
The only religion kookier than the JWs is Scientology, but, since I've never met a Scientologist, the JW lands the number one spot for kookiest Xian for me.
Here's the kicker, he's a great guy. He's got a good sense of humor, he's likeable and pleasant to have around except that the minute you want to do anything fun, he typically excuses himself to go home, pray and read his bible. He's the Jekyll and Hyde of social interaction.
Quote from: Budhorse4 on December 04, 2011, 06:00:59 AM
I think Fred Phelps would have to be the top of the list for me. Not just because of the whole homosexual thing, but because apparently all Swedes are going to hell. Really? Now you're just being an a**hole, Fred
Fred's an a**hole with every breath he takes. Literally. He inhales oxygen and exhales a**holeness.
Oh look, I just need one more post to reach ten...hey, here it is! ;D
great intro, and welcome to the forum I think you've got the Bible and Christianity bang to rights. They were written by fairly backward people even for 2-3000 years ago, the Jews and Christians weren't the intellectual powerhouse of the ancient world!