Hi!
I'm living in Buffalo, NY; I've been in the area for a couple decades now. I'm 47.
At age 12, I walked into the kitchen and, after some hesitation, said, "Mom, there is no god. I'm an atheist."
She was surprisingly accepting, especially considering she had convinced her husband to convert and raise us all Catholic. My family has never given me a problem about my atheism. I realize that this is often not the case, and to those of you who had/have struggles with non-accommodating people my heart goes out.
Anyway, I considered myself an atheist until at age 26 I decided to use Christianity (non-denominational) as a crutch. For 12 years I did so, in a cultish church here in the Buffalo area. Then I left and, after going to another non-denominational church while calling myself an agnostic for a while, I finally left the last church of which I will ever be a member (unless I discover a good atheist church).
In April 2015, I had sent a letter to the bishop of the parish in which I had been baptized as an infant and on the 28th I received a formal letter of defection. This was the single best move I have made in my entire life to date. (Getting married will be the only better move; I haven't quite gotten to that yet. Wish my girlfriend and me luck! So far the chance looks excellent.)
In the meantime, I have been participating increasingly in on- and offline atheist groups. Atheist advocacy has become a passion of mine. I am not the most active activist, but I have progressed at least slightly beyond slacktivism.
I look forward each day to learning more about the real world and dismissing all the falsities I may have.
Cheers for now!
~Jeff
I'm living in Buffalo, NY; I've been in the area for a couple decades now. I'm 47.
At age 12, I walked into the kitchen and, after some hesitation, said, "Mom, there is no god. I'm an atheist."
She was surprisingly accepting, especially considering she had convinced her husband to convert and raise us all Catholic. My family has never given me a problem about my atheism. I realize that this is often not the case, and to those of you who had/have struggles with non-accommodating people my heart goes out.
Anyway, I considered myself an atheist until at age 26 I decided to use Christianity (non-denominational) as a crutch. For 12 years I did so, in a cultish church here in the Buffalo area. Then I left and, after going to another non-denominational church while calling myself an agnostic for a while, I finally left the last church of which I will ever be a member (unless I discover a good atheist church).
In April 2015, I had sent a letter to the bishop of the parish in which I had been baptized as an infant and on the 28th I received a formal letter of defection. This was the single best move I have made in my entire life to date. (Getting married will be the only better move; I haven't quite gotten to that yet. Wish my girlfriend and me luck! So far the chance looks excellent.)
In the meantime, I have been participating increasingly in on- and offline atheist groups. Atheist advocacy has become a passion of mine. I am not the most active activist, but I have progressed at least slightly beyond slacktivism.
I look forward each day to learning more about the real world and dismissing all the falsities I may have.
Cheers for now!
~Jeff
I do not ask that you respect religion, but we need to respect the religious, because they are rational humans just like us atheists. I was rational when I was a Christian. I believed because of indoctrination, not lack of intelligence.
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