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New to the forum
#1
New to the forum
Hello all, I am excited to say that I am now an atheist after being a baptist for my entire life. A brief intro about me. I am 23 years old and finishing up at University of California Riverside. In a sense I had always felt skeptical about religion but the support structure of my church was well designed to confront my disbelief with solidarity to keep me from questioning further. My deconversion happened ironically at a church retreat. On the last night everyone is usually pumped up with fervor and energy. There is singing, jumping, crying, etc. Usually I am part of it but I decided to just observe this time. I watched as the people held out their hands with tears in their eyes and shouting and yelping praise and I said to myself this looks just like North Korea. It didn't help that I went to a Korean church and everyone there was Korean. However not every deconversion is a single event. I went online and decided to research and like a lot of you here, Christopher Hitchens came up. That man changed my life. I started questioning god (I don't capitalize god anymore) and studying. I still have so much to learn and I hope you guys can help me along. Thank you.
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#2
RE: New to the forum
Welcome. Nothing wrong with capitalising the G in God anymore than capitalising the Z in Zeus.
Self-authenticating private evidence is useless, because it is indistinguishable from the illusion of it. ― Kel, Kelosophy Blog

If you’re going to watch tele, you should watch Scooby Doo. That show was so cool because every time there’s a church with a ghoul, or a ghost in a school. They looked beneath the mask and what was inside?
The f**king janitor or the dude who runs the waterslide. Throughout history every mystery. Ever solved has turned out to be. Not Magic.
― Tim Minchin, Storm
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#3
RE: New to the forum
Welcome.
Cunt
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#4
RE: New to the forum
Howdy ho stranger.



You can fix ignorance, you can't fix stupid.

Tinkety Tonk and down with the Nazis.




 








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#5
RE: New to the forum
(March 29, 2012 at 12:57 pm)ch3131 Wrote: Hello all, I am excited to say that I am now an atheist after being a baptist for my entire life. A brief intro about me. I am 23 years old and finishing up at University of California Riverside. In a sense I had always felt skeptical about religion but the support structure of my church was well designed to confront my disbelief with solidarity to keep me from questioning further. My deconversion happened ironically at a church retreat. On the last night everyone is usually pumped up with fervor and energy. There is singing, jumping, crying, etc. Usually I am part of it but I decided to just observe this time. I watched as the people held out their hands with tears in their eyes and shouting and yelping praise and I said to myself this looks just like North Korea. It didn't help that I went to a Korean church and everyone there was Korean. However not every deconversion is a single event. I went online and decided to research and like a lot of you here, Christopher Hitchens came up. That man changed my life. I started questioning god (I don't capitalize god anymore) and studying. I still have so much to learn and I hope you guys can help me along. Thank you.

Hi and welcome to my forum Big Grin

I quite understand your de-conversion but it seems to be that the ordinary and everyday myths that `normal` religion teaches have poisoned your mind against the true divine nature of the Cosmos. Keep your mind open and sincerely ask the Cosmos for guidance in this troubled stage of your life.

I feel a connection between us and I will light a candle for you darling.
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#6
RE: New to the forum
(March 29, 2012 at 1:09 pm)Bueller Wrote: Hi and welcome to my forum Big Grin

I quite understand your de-conversion but it seems to be that the ordinary and everyday myths that `normal` religion teaches have poisoned your mind against the true divine nature of the Cosmos. Keep your mind open and sincerely ask the Cosmos for guidance in this troubled stage of your life.

I feel a connection between us and I will light a candle for you darling.


I thought this would be an amusing reply.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ssC77hapv0g

Before you piss you pants, I'm not totally serious.
Cunt
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#7
RE: New to the forum
Evidently the choice in Buellers case was disbelief, or go wackier.

Just think, if everyone believes your case that its all aliens, you'll be the normal religion yourself, and people will have to out-wacky you.
My votes on transdimensional mice as the next progression.
Self-authenticating private evidence is useless, because it is indistinguishable from the illusion of it. ― Kel, Kelosophy Blog

If you’re going to watch tele, you should watch Scooby Doo. That show was so cool because every time there’s a church with a ghoul, or a ghost in a school. They looked beneath the mask and what was inside?
The f**king janitor or the dude who runs the waterslide. Throughout history every mystery. Ever solved has turned out to be. Not Magic.
― Tim Minchin, Storm
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#8
RE: New to the forum
Hello, 31.

Enjoy yourself...watch out for the nuttier theists who show up. Fortunately, they are as noticeable as a fly in a bottle of milk. Most are harmless. A few are batshit crazy.

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#9
RE: New to the forum
(March 29, 2012 at 12:57 pm)ch3131 Wrote: Hello all, I am excited to say that I am now an atheist after being a baptist for my entire life. A brief intro about me. I am 23 years old and finishing up at University of California Riverside. In a sense I had always felt skeptical about religion but the support structure of my church was well designed to confront my disbelief with solidarity to keep me from questioning further. My deconversion happened ironically at a church retreat. On the last night everyone is usually pumped up with fervor and energy. There is singing, jumping, crying, etc. Usually I am part of it but I decided to just observe this time. I watched as the people held out their hands with tears in their eyes and shouting and yelping praise and I said to myself this looks just like North Korea. It didn't help that I went to a Korean church and everyone there was Korean. However not every deconversion is a single event. I went online and decided to research and like a lot of you here, Christopher Hitchens came up. That man changed my life. I started questioning god (I don't capitalize god anymore) and studying. I still have so much to learn and I hope you guys can help me along. Thank you.

Welcome to the forum. If you have any questions, or have any wisdom you'd like to share, don't hesitate to speak up.
'The difference between a Miracle and a Fact is exactly the difference between a mermaid and seal. It could not be expressed better.'
-- Samuel "Mark Twain" Clemens

"I think that in the discussion of natural problems we ought to begin not with the scriptures, but with experiments, demonstrations, and observations".

- Galileo Galilei (1564-1642)

"In short, Meyer has shown that his first disastrous book was not a fluke: he is capable of going into any field in which he has no training or research experience and botching it just as badly as he did molecular biology. As I've written before, if you are a complete amateur and don't understand a subject, don't demonstrate the Dunning-Kruger effect by writing a book about it and proving your ignorance to everyone else! "

- Dr. Donald Prothero
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#10
RE: New to the forum
Welcome to the OP - Nice intro, there are some very smart people here who really know their onions




(March 29, 2012 at 1:09 pm)Bueller Wrote: Hi and welcome to my forum Big Grin

I quite understand your de-conversion but it seems to be that the ordinary and everyday myths that `normal` religion teaches have poisoned your mind against the true divine nature of the Cosmos. Keep your mind open and sincerely ask the Cosmos for guidance in this troubled stage of your life.

I feel a connection between us and I will light a candle for you darling.

Bueller you remind me of a certain Storm Wink



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