Atheism to Paganism (Here ya go Whitney)

[Brizz]

Welcome to the forum. When you get the time, could you please start a thread on why you went from atheist to pagan? I think quite a few of us would find that interesting.

My dad died when I was young. The Church told me he went to heaven but I know he didn't. He was not a Christian, the Bible tells me he should have went to hell. My dad died a Taoist. We're white, but my dad was a Catholic-Protestant-Buddhist-Taoist over the course of his life, he had quite a library of religious books.

He was not a hippie, he was just always looking for truth. Just like I am. When I became an atheist it meant my father was worm-food. Nothing more, nothing less. I would have the same fate one day. We are all worthless and we all die. We are all forgotten.

I did not like that at all. I always liked the idea of customs, but the Christian ones sucked. Time to celebrate? No, time to sit in church.  There is no happiness here.

Many smartasses (Including me) have said that Christmas was originally a pagan holiday. I met a bodybuilder who told me he was a pagan. He didn't try to convert me like every other religious person, he just told me what it was about.

There are a few feasts every year, to mark the change of the seasons. The one in November coincides with Remembrance day and marks the passing of warriors. Warriors?? There were none of those in Christianity, only pussyshit priests.

I had always wondered where everyone goes when they die. Baptists told me even the Tibetan Monks went to hell. Bullshit.

I thought of my dad sitting in a mead hall, drinking and laughing heartily. That is where he was. Not worm-food, but with his brothers. That is where he was.

And I knew that one day, I would join him.

[Will]

Sounds like you went from Christian or apatheist to pagan.

Sorry about your dad.

[Whitney]

Thanks for sharing.

So, for you, religion is a matter of personal preference since it is tradition/customs rather than the truth?  Or am I understanding you incorrectly?

[Brizz]

Sorry about your dad.

Haha, it's been 8 years. I know he's in a good place.

[Brizz]

Thanks for sharing.

So, for you, religion is a matter of personal preference since it is tradition/customs rather than the truth?  Or am I understanding you incorrectly?

Well it's both. I was a Buddhist for a while but I didn't like it. I have some of his Taoism in me, I feel all life is connected. Not equal, but connected. Truth....truth is organized religion sucks!

[Ninteen45]

One Part Preaching, One part Eye Opener.

I never knew there still were pagans, I thought they are killed off in the 1600's.

Also, I find that it is great for you to be at piece.


(I'm waiting for the regulars to start with the converting to atheism stuff, seriously, every new religious member gets themselves ripped to sheds by those guys after posting once! Jeez!)

[curiosityandthecat]

(I'm waiting for the regulars to start with the converting to atheism stuff, seriously, every new religious member gets themselves ripped to sheds by those guys after posting once! Jeez!)

Really? Here?

[Brizz]

(I'm waiting for the regulars to start with the converting to atheism stuff, seriously, every new religious member gets themselves ripped to sheds by those guys after posting once! Jeez!)

So atheists try to get everyone to think like them? To adhere to their system of beliefs? How...familiar

[Whitney]

(I'm waiting for the regulars to start with the converting to atheism stuff, seriously, every new religious member gets themselves ripped to sheds by those guys after posting once! Jeez!)

So atheists try to get everyone to think like them? To adhere to their system of beliefs? How...familiar

I don't know where Ninteen45 got that comment from...the only people who get ripped are the trolls.

[PipeBox]

Though some of us (me) admittedly have our bad days.  I tend to get overly inquisitive on such days, knowing full well I'm asking questions that the theist cannot answer satisfactorily, with the intent of undermining their beliefs to push them towards reason or failing that, to convince them to gtfo.  For what it's worth, I'm normally only that way around Christian Scientists, Creationists, and the various other kinds of fundamentalists.  And, for what it's worth, it's not because I want more atheists (though I've found the company to be top hat), I want less people who live with a drive for ignorance.

You don't strike me as such a person.  You have broad experience in religion, and I daresay you know what you're doing finding one that fits you.  I also doubt that you would trade objective fields such as science and medicine in favor of your beliefs.

[Brizz]

Haha, I love science but I honestly think the world would be better off without medicine.

In the evolutionary sense, the strong will survive and multiply. The weak will die. Unfortunately in this society, the strong are taxed and the weak receive welfare. People who make no contribution to society, people who are a negative force in this world live fine. And they breed like rats. An upper class family has one or two children while a fat slut on welfare has 6. Those 6 will all have vermin of their own.

That became a rant but I feel animals like bears and wolves are better than a growing amount of people

[AlP]

I suspect you are a man who will appreciate Nietzcshe. I recommend his Twilight of the Idols, an introduction to his philosophy. He was German but the link is an English translation. Nietzcshe was awesome.

[Whitney]

If anything you read makes you want to talk about health care or social darwinism....see split topic:  viewtopic.php?f=5&t=3798

[Brizz]

So any questions on this front?