Hello - an introduction
Offline I heard about the blasphemy challenge and got linked over here as well and decided to join up.
My name is Susan, I'm a registered nurse, on my way to becoming a neonatal nurse practitioner. I've been "out" as an atheist for about a year, and have been openly (to myself) atheist for a couple more than that. I was raised catholic and was a believer for a while. The more I thought, the more I studied, the more I looked critically at the world, I realized that there was no god. And on the off chance I'm wrong, I'll say straight out that he's an asshole and I want nothing to do with him.
In my line of work, I see hundred of babies die. Some of them after prolonged suffering. Now, if you take the belief that god is omnipotent (as pretty much most western religions believe) then he would have the ability to prevent their suffering. Some people say it is the devil or evil in this world that causes the suffering, to which I say "omnipotent - that means if he wanted it to stop, it would". Some people say these babies are teaching people lessons, or they are bearing the punishment for evil their parents did. Seriously? And that's someone people would want to worship? Someone who tortures babies as an object lesson to adults?
So, with lack of any reason to believe in god, and many reasons to think that the world just is and there's no big imaginary friend answering football players' prayers, I am an atheist. I believe that we are responsible for our own actions and how that impacts other people on this earth. I am a pacifist. I'm always striving to be the best person I can be, and that has nothing to do with god, just me wanting to be a force of good in the world and my society and family.
When I'm dead, I don't think I'm going to be going anywhere as a consciousness, just dispersal of my energy back into the world. But there will be people who will be still alive, who will hopefully have had their lives made somewhat easier or better by the fact I was somehow involved with them. That's true immortality.
That's my introduction. Hi.
"Shepherd Book once said to me, 'If you can't do something smart, do something right.'" - Jayne
Personally subverting biological evolution in favor of social evolution every night I go to work!
- Login to post comments
Welcome!
That was a great intro.
Enlightened Atheist, Gaming God.
Hi there! Sounds like you have a really tough job. You must really like babies.
Hello and welcome!
As GB mentioned, I can't begin to comprehend the psychological impact of your job. I hope that you find these forums to be a respite from the canned phrases and trite proverbs used to justify the realities you deal with on a daily basis.
Regards,
UE
Bienvenue!
Thanks everyone. It's honestly not as bad as you would think. We compartmentalize well, and have a black sense of humor, among other things.
Personally, I find peace knowing that we are a good unit, and if a baby dies, it's not because they weren't given a chance with good care, it's just that bad things happen sometimes. And knowledge that there isn't a big invisible dude in the sky doing it on purpose.
Honestly, more stressful is that most of my coworkers are fairly religious. To to the point that one night there was a poll and ~68% of the people on that night were creationists and did not believe in evolution *headdesk* It baffles my mind how people can be in science based careers and yet throw out so much of what science has found.
I'm looking forward to a place here where I can be an atheist without being treated like some curious specimen at a zoo, and maybe have a debate or two with theists that I don't have to work with the next day! *LOL*
Again, thanks for the welcome. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WAbEb_qxPCc is my blasphemy challenge entry :D
"Shepherd Book once said to me, 'If you can't do something smart, do something right.'" - Jayne
Personally subverting biological evolution in favor of social evolution every night I go to work!
Oh, and little funny re: atheism.
I attend ethics rounds, which has people from all fields (physical therapy, case managers, social workers, parent liasons, doctors, nurses, pastoral care etc) and we discuss case studies and talk about the ethical principles, to keep that in the forefront of our minds when dealing with these kids.
Ok.....so, one meeting, we were talking about spiritual beliefs and I admitted that I was an atheist. Everyone was a little fascinated and I let them ask questions, then we moved on.
Fast forward, we were talking about respecting people's religions, assuming they are not harmful to the baby. One doctor mentioned that he had dealt with self-identified satanists who wanted to perform some sort of ceremony with their baby, which was not harmful in any way. He was saying that even though he was a devout christian, it wasn't his place to judge the validity of their beliefs, again as long as it didn't hurt the baby.
Another doctor agreed, saying that we should respect the religious and cultural beliefs of other people, even if we don't agree, and he said "so if satanists wanted to "bless" their child, that's their business, and if atheists want to ....." he trailed off and everyone eagerly looked at me to supply what it was that atheists do.
"Medical journals. We read medical journals," was my answer. *L*
"Shepherd Book once said to me, 'If you can't do something smart, do something right.'" - Jayne
Personally subverting biological evolution in favor of social evolution every night I go to work!
SapphireMind:
Welcome! Get your snuggie and your slippers ~ get comfy and hang out awhile
That is awesome... !!
Slowly building a blog at ~
http://obsidianwords.wordpress.com/
Welcome to the forum, I think you'll enjoy it here.
I think I luff you.
Exactly! Hi, welcome!
Wonderist on Facebook — Support the idea of wonderism by 'liking' the Wonderism page — or join the open Wonderism group to take part in the discussion!
Gnu Atheism Facebook group — All gnu-friendly RRS members welcome (including Luminon!) — Try something gnu!
Ha! Awesome.
Wonderist on Facebook — Support the idea of wonderism by 'liking' the Wonderism page — or join the open Wonderism group to take part in the discussion!
Gnu Atheism Facebook group — All gnu-friendly RRS members welcome (including Luminon!) — Try something gnu!
That's one of the best lines I've heard in awhile.
I've worked in hospitals myself over the years, though I was a security officer. We had to see all the dead too, since we had the keys to the morgue. It can be rough when the bag is more of a pouch.
Enlightened Atheist, Gaming God.
Love it
God: "Thou Must Go from This Place Lest I Visit Thee with Boils!"
Man: "Really? Most people would bring a bottle of wine"
Myself, I was far more impressed by "just wanting to be a force of good in the world."
That's beautiful, and I strive to be the same.
R
Good to know you - I enjoyed your intro a lot.
Just try to ignore it when jumbo tells you on some future thread that coming down on the atheist side of the problem of suffering is an appeal to pity.
He hasn't evolved his empathy yet.
"Experiments are the only means of knowledge at our disposal. The rest is poetry, imagination." Max Planck
SapphireMind, Welcome.
Great response.
____________________________________________________________
"I guess it's time to ask if you live under high voltage power transmission lines which have been shown to cause stimulation of the fantasy centers of the brain due to electromagnetic waves?" - Me
"God is omnipotent, omniscient, omnibenevolent, - it says so right here on the label. If you have a mind capable of believing all three of these divine attributes simultaneously, I have a wonderful bargain for you. No checks please. Cash and in small bills." - Robert A Heinlein.
I'm glad everyone enjoyed the story. Not many people do that I know IRL *LOL*
And I don't know who jumbo is, but I'll keep that in mind
I am happy and at peace, so I let people's opinion of what I should believe/be roll off my back pretty easily.
And again, it's so nice to be with other atheists and people who realize that religion isn't necessary for being a nice, worthwhile person.
"Shepherd Book once said to me, 'If you can't do something smart, do something right.'" - Jayne
Personally subverting biological evolution in favor of social evolution every night I go to work!