Hey everyone! 
Since I’m new to these forums, I thought I’d take a moment to introduce myself. I’m a 17 year old guy living in a tiny town in the middle of the Alabama Bible Belt. I have lived in big cities from the East Coast to the West Coast my entire life, and definitely say that I never want to live in a small Baptist-run town again! Currently, I’m a senior in high school, and I can’t wait to graduate (I really hope I get a scholarship!).
While my real name is not Jonah, there is a significance behind my user name. For the first 8 years of my life, I was always in church. One of the first times I questioned my faith in Christianity was when I heard the story of Jonah in Sunday school when I was 8 years old. I had just learned about the digestive system in my science class, and remember wondering how Jonah did not get digested after being in the stomach of the whale/big fish/giant sea creature for 3 days. Right around my 9th birthday, I moved to a new city, and my parents did not take me to church for the next 3 years; it was during this time I learned about evolution and lost my “active” faith.
I never really considered myself an atheist until about December of last year. It was around this time I found AtheistForums. After reading some of the posts, I became enlightened to atheism and how well it correlated with my own beliefs. Because I know how well this forum helped me, I’m looking forward to being an active member in the community.
I didn’t mean to write a book, but I just had to say what I needed to say (yes, I am making a John Mayer reference!). XD
Since I’m new to these forums, I thought I’d take a moment to introduce myself. I’m a 17 year old guy living in a tiny town in the middle of the Alabama Bible Belt. I have lived in big cities from the East Coast to the West Coast my entire life, and definitely say that I never want to live in a small Baptist-run town again! Currently, I’m a senior in high school, and I can’t wait to graduate (I really hope I get a scholarship!).
While my real name is not Jonah, there is a significance behind my user name. For the first 8 years of my life, I was always in church. One of the first times I questioned my faith in Christianity was when I heard the story of Jonah in Sunday school when I was 8 years old. I had just learned about the digestive system in my science class, and remember wondering how Jonah did not get digested after being in the stomach of the whale/big fish/giant sea creature for 3 days. Right around my 9th birthday, I moved to a new city, and my parents did not take me to church for the next 3 years; it was during this time I learned about evolution and lost my “active” faith.
I never really considered myself an atheist until about December of last year. It was around this time I found AtheistForums. After reading some of the posts, I became enlightened to atheism and how well it correlated with my own beliefs. Because I know how well this forum helped me, I’m looking forward to being an active member in the community.
I didn’t mean to write a book, but I just had to say what I needed to say (yes, I am making a John Mayer reference!). XD
"If your god has to make peace with me in my final hour when he has my whole lifetime to prove his existence to me...do you think I should bother?"
"But the happiness of an atheist is neither the vacuous enjoyment of a fool, nor the short-lived pleasure of a rogue. It is rather the expression of a disposition that has ceased to torture itself with foolish fancies, or perplex itself with useless beliefs." - Chapman Cohen
"But the happiness of an atheist is neither the vacuous enjoyment of a fool, nor the short-lived pleasure of a rogue. It is rather the expression of a disposition that has ceased to torture itself with foolish fancies, or perplex itself with useless beliefs." - Chapman Cohen
