Guest thespankguy Posted February 4, 2008 Share Posted February 4, 2008 my journey to becoming an atheist from an evangelical christian who attended a charismatic church and regularly witnessed speaking in tongues, miracle healing and apparent possession of gay people by demons started about two years ago. it was then when i was in a german literature class at ohio state. while we didn't necessarily discuss religion or the existence of god, we did learn about history and how it was connected to the literature of the time. history was oral and passed down from generation to generation by the older people to the younger ones. the true history was embellished to make it more memorable and more interesting material was added. play the telephone game with a class of 3rd graders and you get the same thing. history in biblical times was very oral and not always written down. we also learned about the "grail quest" (pursuit of something greater than oneself) and the "hero's journey" which is common in a ton of literature. it involves being called to adventure, seeking the adventure, going through trials, and some other stuff that i can't quite remember but it does involve leaving this world and coming back. it was only later that i tied this knowledge into the other stuff that i had learned. i took a psychology class after that. i learned about many mental disorders including schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, even epilepsy. i learned that the mind can play crazy tricks on human thought. my teacher was at the time regularly counseling a woman who swore she had been to the moon and aliens were coming to get her. from this i came to the conclusion that demons don't possess people and make them shake when holy water is thrown on them, they are epileptic and require medication. people also go crazy. they see things that aren't real. they believe things that aren't physically possible. i also learned in depth about the placebo effect and the power of suggestion. if people can convince themselves that they are sick or that they are no longer ill, they can surely convince themselves that they saw a man rise from the dead or be cured of blindness. After that, I was sitting in my second astronomy class where I learned so much that was almost contradictory to what I had learned growing up. Over the course of the rest of the class, I added all the new knowledge on the size of the universe and how we are all "star dust" to things I learned in the previous classes. This began rational thinking in my life. I still can't get it across to my mom that I didn't choose to stop believing, I just starting thinking for myself. I'm more into the science of how things happen than the logic side of the debate, so I read David Mills' 'Atheist Universe' and was blown away. I even purchased 'The God who Wasn't There'. Now I no longer think gays will burn in hell or that there is some invisible cosmic battle between good and evil. (I think I could have been a counselor at the camp in 'Jesus Camp'.) I'm just so glad to be out of that mindframe where I had to constantly tell myself that all of the new discoveries and even time-tested theories were lies from the devil. I now regularly tell people that I'm an atheist and am not ashamed by any means. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bellsybop Posted February 4, 2008 Share Posted February 4, 2008 Welcome to the boards.. we're glad to have you. Just remember, society is harsh towards non believers. Keep your faith in yourself. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SWIM Posted February 4, 2008 Share Posted February 4, 2008 I now regularly tell people that I'm an atheist and am not ashamed by any means. Depending on the mindset of the people in your area, this can be a dangerous thing. Religion is NOT founded or grounded in logic, it is a brainwashing and a mental condition known as "delusion". You have been taught to "share" your faith as an xtian. You are under no such obligation as an atheist. Be VERY careful you don't make your life a living hell. Believers WILL discriminate against you. Remember WE are the most HATED minority in the entire world. Do not take that fact lightly. Where I live you can literally be lynched for being an atheist. Just a word of caution. Welcome to ex-c! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MathGeek Posted February 4, 2008 Share Posted February 4, 2008 Not where I live, Michael. Shunning is about the worst thing one can do. People tend to keep to themselves where I am at. Nice avatar, by the way. As for thespankguy, welcome to the boards. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest thespankguy Posted February 4, 2008 Share Posted February 4, 2008 Depending on the mindset of the people in your area, this can be a dangerous thing. Religion is NOT founded or grounded in logic, it is a brainwashing and a mental condition known as "delusion". You have been taught to "share" your faith as an xtian. You are under no such obligation as an atheist. Be VERY careful you don't make your life a living hell. Believers WILL discriminate against you. Remember WE are the most HATED minority in the entire world. Do not take that fact lightly. Where I live you can literally be lynched for being an atheist. Oh I understand. I did mean that I tell people when I'm walking through Wal Mart. I meant that I tell friends and family without thinking twice. Besides my mother, no one seems to think anything of it. I've had a few debates with people, but all good-spirited. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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