My religious upbringing was so milquetoast that even when I was really young and hadn't decided that the whole god thing was made up, I would lie in bed at eight years old and try to wrap my head around what it was like to be dead. The idea that there is a soul that lives forever hadn't penetrated the worldview I had created through observation even when my skepticism hadn't fully developed.

no not at all i was more afraid to believe such things were true to a point before looking into them.

I was never apart of a fear cult. God is one nasty notion, but without the prick there is no hell to bother worrying about, nor are there any unwanted stalker eyes watching everything I do like a sick pervert.

(December 9, 2014 at 2:38 pm)Nope Wrote: This thread makes me realize that I need to move to Europe.

You're only just realizing that?

I've long fantasized of moving to a sane, progressive country. A man can dream, right?

(December 10, 2014 at 2:27 pm)Elskidor Wrote: ...nor are there any unwanted stalker eyes watching everything I do like a sick pervert.

except the NSA of course.

And Google. And Facebook.

And me. I have eyes everywhere and I can see what you're all up to, you disgust me!

(December 10, 2014 at 7:06 pm)robvalue Wrote: And Google. And Facebook.

And me. I have eyes everywhere and I can see what you're all up to, you disgust me!

He knows when you are sleeping,
He knows when you're awake,
He knows when you've been bad or good,
He's a fold , old creepy perv.

All of the anecdotes I've read in this thread and in others make me real happy I was born, raised, and continue to live in New England. Yeah, we have your run-of-the mill Catholic angst all up and ins around here, but none of the fearing yourself, hallelujah house, bible thumping madness. At least, not in anything above a fringe capacity.

It was a process of many years that brought me to this point. To Fear God is central to most any christian religion. To fear yourself and what you may do...I don't believe I ever feared myself. I don't need a book to tell me not to rape, pillage and burn. In many ways to have faith in oneself as opposed to giving the control over to something else is much harder.

I would say that the most significant difference between Christian me and atheist me is that I no longer have the ability to rationalize the fact that the whole of the religion is Swiss cheese made entirely of holes, and my unwillingness to ignore the myriad crimes and atrocities against other people that are the result of inherent aspects of that religion.