Hey guys, this is a sincere question.

I like to look into concerns that people raise regarding Christianity.

Also, if there were any compelling reasons that prompted you to transition into atheism from Christianity I would be very interested to hear those as well.

Thanks for your time and responses.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e7cry-4pyy8

Why aren't you a Muslim?

Because I love the darkness and I am evil, and I am afraid of the light, lest my works be exposed.

(September 20, 2012 at 7:25 pm)Reasonable_Jeff Wrote: Hey guys, this is a sincere question.

I like to look into concerns that people raise regarding Christianity.

Also, if there were any compelling reasons that prompted you to transition into atheism from Christianity I would be very interested to hear those as well.

Thanks for your time and responses.

Yeah, sure, np. I find the very core of christianity to be abjectly horrid and I would not be christian if it were more than a collection of fairy tales. I am not a scapegoater, I do not worship scapegoating gods, and I do not trust or enjoy the company of scapegoating people (or people who think it's just swell).

My sincere answer to your sincere question is: do I have to be? While of course belief isn't a matter of choice, I nevertheless have the freedom, the latitude if you will, to follow the dictates of my conscience and not be tied down to rigid dogma. I do not give belief lightly; to a faith system I give it not at all, particularly one which necessitates the subjugation of my intellect, my learning and my moral compass.

To give my perspective a bit of context, consider the counter-question "why aren't you a Muslim/Sikh/Hindu/etc?" In fact, while I have your attention, "why aren't you an atheist?"

Edit: I see Rayaan beat me to the counter-question. Note to self - must type faster.

I will answer in all seriousness tomorrow. It's good you are seeking both sides Jeff.

(September 20, 2012 at 7:54 pm)Stimbo Wrote: Edit: I see Rayaan beat me to the counter-question. Note to self - must type faster.

You're getting old(er).... you'll never type faster, no matter how many notes to self you make!

You can always try to learn:
http://keybr.com/

I read the bible, and I'm the owner of a functioning brain.

The question that kept echoing in the back of my mind whilst I was trying to be a xtian: Even if there was a god, what makes this one the one true god?

I had the cognition from a very early age that people who worshiped other gods felt just as passionately about their gods as the xtians felt about their own god. When I sat down to read the bible, sure it would convince me the the xtian god was the one true god, all it did was made me want to fucking hurl. I kept reading it, and out loud, I would exclaim "YEAH RIGHT!".

I had all these facts gathered in my head, and everything I read in that book just sounded to me like made up bullshit that a bunch of ancient dickheads wrote to explain the things they couldn't understand, push their personal political and moral agendas, and control the masses.

I know some seemingly intelligent people who are self-proclaimed xtians. The only thing I can attribute that to, as a professional in the psychological field, is fear. Casually, it's called "The Blankie Complex".

I'm an atheist because I'm smart enough to know religions are all a bunch of made up nonsense, and I am not a fucking baby anymore. I don't need a blankie, I need truth, even if it's unsettling...

(September 20, 2012 at 8:31 pm)pocaracas Wrote: You can always try to learn:
http://keybr.com/

Interestingly, I took Typing at school. Well, they called it the more formal Typewriting, but I came away with an RSA Grade 1 (Distinction) and that was with manual typewriters. Can't remember what my typing speed was but it was based on touch-typing working from existing text... if I took the time to compose what I wanted to type, like I do now, I'd most likely still be sitting there in the exam room, surrounded by a load of eighteen-year-old schoolgirls.

Oh.