First Post: I'll introduce myself, feel free to comment...
Offline Hi all,
Found this site just now whilst researching for a theological debate with a friend; and I instantly knew this would be a great place to share some views on, everything!
Background (I'll bullet point to keep it brief)
-Raised a Christian by my mother (Church of England) stopped going church, Christened as a baby (baptised)
-Went to a Baptist church for a few years (pretty hardcore), stopped going
-Persuaded my mum to go back to Church (C of E again) out of guilt/fear of hell, became a candle bearer and server then got confirmed (kinda like Baptism but for when you are older)
-Stopped going,for a combination of not believing and not liking what I "should" believe
-Met a girl at 15, she was mad religious, I went on alpha course (kinda a course inducting people into Christianity) and before I knew it I was into it in a BIG way. I remember arguing with my A-Level Biology teacher against Evolution, without a leg to stand on. (I wasn't set on Creationism funnily enough; at the age of 17 I was clearly better at blind belief, than accepting what is evident in front of me!)
-Broke up with GF, kept with religion for a year or so, then slowly started seeing the light.
Atheism became increasingly obvious to me throughout my degree (recently graudated with a Mathematics degree) and ahve been doign a bit of reading since. Read the God Dellusion (not regarded as strong atheist literature I'm told, but a good place to start), Brief History of Time and Hawking's new book "The Grand Design" (a must read btw). Am also reading more of Dawkins' books on evolution which are so far very interesting.
That's it!
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Great to have you, I'm sure you'll like it here. Lots of good ideas here and a few theists that come by to play.
The things we do for women.
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"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.
Other books worth mentioning -
The Demon-Haunted World: Science as a Candle in the Dark - Carl Sagan
Why People Believe Weird Things - Michael Shermer
50 Reasons People Give for Believing in a God - Guy P. Harrison
Tower of Babel: The Evidence against the New Creationism - Robert T. Pennock
Science on Trial: The Case for Evolution - Douglas J. Futuyma
Feathered Dinosaurs: the Origin of Birds - John A. Long
Nice to have you on board. Post early and often.
CJ, in Portland, OR, USA
edit: I nearly forgot
Evolution: What the Fossils Say and Why it Matters - Donald Prothero
-- I feel so much better since I stopped trying to believe.
"We are entitled to our own opinions. We're not entitled to our own facts"- Al Franken
"If death isn't sweet oblivion, I will be severely disappointed" - Ruth M.
I would say that is a fairly rational reason to become a bible thumper. Welcome to the forum.
If, if a white man puts his arm around me voluntarily, that's brotherhood. But if you - if you hold a gun on him and make him embrace me and pretend to be friendly or brotherly toward me, then that's not brotherhood, that's hypocrisy.- Malcolm X
Post early and often. Now about the ex-GF was she atleast hot enough to ignor the religious BS?
"Very funny Scotty; now beam down our clothes."
VEGETARIAN: Ancient Hindu word for "lousy hunter"
If man was formed from dirt, why is there still dirt?