Hey guys,
I hope some of you can connect to my story, and I am going to tell it in a very censored way.
Hi, I am Jacob Goff, and my journey began at ten years old, and yes, I was once a theist; I was a Catholic born child that wasn't baptized: you may not know the difference between being Catholic born and coming to terms with Atheist enlightenment because you're parents are Atheists.
I am Christian born (born into a Christian family, and I use this term because both of my moms are from Christian families, and Atheist(s) being capitalized is giving us power into acknowledging ourselves just as religious as anybody else, or just, "enlightened," if you will). My mom who adopted me, which I call Mom, and my birth mom, which is the Atheist who raised me from the start, is the once I call Mama, or Mommy (that word's not just for little kids, it is respectful to call your parents with formality with how they are familiar with you calling them). My moms are a lesbian couple, met online, and got married 10 years ago after it finally got legalized in the first state ever, known as Massachusetts in the United States of America (US or USA). Mom was a Pagan for a while, and I convinced her that there is really nothing out there, not even a spirit because we do not have souls; The whole concept of souls is made up.
I believe in LGBT rights, which was my first let-down when I heard about Christians not accepting that my parents have rights; Mom is a trans-man, and still wants me to use female pronouns until she takes hormones and becomes the man he truly is. I believe in the Humanitarian ethos: do what is needed for the person to survive, not do what is irrational, but stay rational because all things that are able to be felt are natural.
Have you heard of the phrase: “I think therefore I am?” I am a big philosophy buff, and I am a freelance blogger, just look up my blogging names, such as my real name (Jacob Goff), my most recent pen name (Alexis Ange-Tory Goff, and yes you'll see other names linked to me). I think of things, therefore I must exist. God isn't proven, he is just a thought, so therefore he doesn't think, and therefore he is not proven, or even real.
Have you heard of the 3 maxims that I live by, and many other Atheist lives by that keeps us thinking morally; Maxim 1: Consequences mean just as much as the action in and of itself: therefore the outcome and action must be proven universally acceptable by either yourself (actions) or science/mathematics (consequences). Maxim 2: Everyone has their own free-will, and therefore must be their own moral agent; What this means is that we are ends, not means: in simpler terms – we are free to do whatever we want, but is it universally acceptable, and what about the consequences; How does the outcome look for you? I owe a big thanks to David Hume and Immanuel Kant for these last two philosophies that I can intertwine with each other. Maxim 3: I merged consequences with the actions, but insert one of them here, and you have 3 separate maxims (I condensed it, but it really doesn't matter what order you have read them in because they basically always apply in my eyes).
Have you heard of the scientific philosophy? I kind of observe it, and I should observe it more (not just literally, but metaphorically). I need to observe situations, question things, and act rationally, not irrationally; That is always my biggest downfall. People like me that have mental illness can really benefit from religion, as well as science, but I would rather study science because it is real, and it is cool as well.
Let's start with my schooling, shall we? I was ten years old, and in the fifth grade; I believed in God, His word, and His will. But, now I call it just a bunch of crud you find in the nonfiction section, but the Bible is the greatest piece of art of all time, yet it's considered to be real... I read it, study it, and only see is as historical, like the Iliad, or the Odyssey. I read it so that I can convince people that we are normal people too, and we are not, “immoral or angry,” I mean come on, have some decency to study the other side. I may not respect their religion, but I respect them, their thoughts, and I like to be friends with people who think differently; I need a good heated debate, but I am really careful that no-one's feelings get hurt. I set ground rules: no swearing, no slandering, nothing offensive must be stated to purposely hurt someone's feelings. And, above all else, the topic has a warning label on it: we may not be able to stop others from being offended, but we can aim not to offend them (come on, how would you like it if someone hurt your feelings?). I was on the Debate Team at only 10 years old, and a question came up: Does God exist? What do you think goes through a Catholic's mind at that point; I hit the buzzer, and I answered: I'm not sure – and this is in front of my Catholic grandmother. My Catholic grandmother then shouted, “it's okay to be atheist or agnostic honey, I'm not going to judge you.” I knew what these words meant because I was raised by an Atheist, and yes, an Agnostic as well.
So, I am sitting there, and I am frightened to be honest with myself. I then answered: “No, I do not believe God is real,” and my whole team, which I knew was Atheist, and I didn't want to get the Theist arguments that I wasn't familiar with arguing put down on us so that we'd have to score points for the Theists. I then went on to state: “If God is real, why are so many people dying, why is no-one coming back from the dead when they follow, “God's word,” why is science proven, and God isn't, what makes you think that you can prove the existence of something that hasn't even proven itself to this very day, Come on, God doesn't accept those whom of which he created in his own image, such as homosexuals, those who have sex before marriage, those who get divorced for legitimate reasons: they could have been abused, and you know what else, women don't even have rights in the religion of which I was born into, so why be a Catholic and a woman, you're just going to betray everything The People have fought for: our freedom of speech, and right to practice whichever religion tickles us fancy, how can we allow such piety to thrive? I was only 10, and I may not have used those words exactly, but I argued different stances for years on end until my mom told me that I am a true Positive Atheist. I never knew what that meant at age 15, and it had been five years that I went from Agnostic, to becoming a Strong Atheist. I started out as an Agnostic (aka a weak or implicit atheist, and I lowercase this because Strong Atheists know that there isn't a god or gods, and weak atheists aren't strong enough in their belief towards denying a god, but what the hey, let it go...
Five years later, after that Debate Club, I joined the Debate Club in High School, playing the game to score some points (Sophomores are the lowest grade class allowed in this club at RGA...). I was in the 10th grade, and I have read the bible over 5 times by now, and I knew what a crock of crap it actually is: I have read it 10 times since I was 10 years old, and I am 20 years old. The bible has some good stories that display somewhat of a morality out of their contradictory statements, and I won't deny that they can be good people; If being Christian and believing in the father, the son, and the holy spirit means a lot to you, all the more power to you, but if you believe in it because it stops you from committing horrific crimes, such as rape, murder, and petty theft, keeping you sane, then you are a bad person, and I do not want you're weak religious kind around my future children – all I know is that they might be a pedophile by telling me this; I would advise someone of any belief to stay the (beep) away from me.
My father was a very violent man, and yes, he was an Atheist; But, just like any religion, you will have someone that weakens themselves, and then someone else has to suffer because you got well known for the crimes, yet we aren't acknowledged for the good things that we do? Why the heck aren't we recognized for the goodness of our hearts; I overcame my father not being there, and the negativity he left on Mama, but I cannot erase our scars.
I am now twenty years old, and I live with my lovely moms in an apartment in Southern Massachusetts, in Worcester County. I have to say: people don't give me as much sh** as they would if I hadn't had the chance to prove them wrong; I proved my worth, and most people in my area know that I'm an Atheist and leave me the H.E. double hockey-sticks alone.
Thank you for listening to my spiel, and I will see you all on the flip side of me posting this.
I hope some of you can connect to my story, and I am going to tell it in a very censored way.
Hi, I am Jacob Goff, and my journey began at ten years old, and yes, I was once a theist; I was a Catholic born child that wasn't baptized: you may not know the difference between being Catholic born and coming to terms with Atheist enlightenment because you're parents are Atheists.
I am Christian born (born into a Christian family, and I use this term because both of my moms are from Christian families, and Atheist(s) being capitalized is giving us power into acknowledging ourselves just as religious as anybody else, or just, "enlightened," if you will). My mom who adopted me, which I call Mom, and my birth mom, which is the Atheist who raised me from the start, is the once I call Mama, or Mommy (that word's not just for little kids, it is respectful to call your parents with formality with how they are familiar with you calling them). My moms are a lesbian couple, met online, and got married 10 years ago after it finally got legalized in the first state ever, known as Massachusetts in the United States of America (US or USA). Mom was a Pagan for a while, and I convinced her that there is really nothing out there, not even a spirit because we do not have souls; The whole concept of souls is made up.
I believe in LGBT rights, which was my first let-down when I heard about Christians not accepting that my parents have rights; Mom is a trans-man, and still wants me to use female pronouns until she takes hormones and becomes the man he truly is. I believe in the Humanitarian ethos: do what is needed for the person to survive, not do what is irrational, but stay rational because all things that are able to be felt are natural.
Have you heard of the phrase: “I think therefore I am?” I am a big philosophy buff, and I am a freelance blogger, just look up my blogging names, such as my real name (Jacob Goff), my most recent pen name (Alexis Ange-Tory Goff, and yes you'll see other names linked to me). I think of things, therefore I must exist. God isn't proven, he is just a thought, so therefore he doesn't think, and therefore he is not proven, or even real.
Have you heard of the 3 maxims that I live by, and many other Atheist lives by that keeps us thinking morally; Maxim 1: Consequences mean just as much as the action in and of itself: therefore the outcome and action must be proven universally acceptable by either yourself (actions) or science/mathematics (consequences). Maxim 2: Everyone has their own free-will, and therefore must be their own moral agent; What this means is that we are ends, not means: in simpler terms – we are free to do whatever we want, but is it universally acceptable, and what about the consequences; How does the outcome look for you? I owe a big thanks to David Hume and Immanuel Kant for these last two philosophies that I can intertwine with each other. Maxim 3: I merged consequences with the actions, but insert one of them here, and you have 3 separate maxims (I condensed it, but it really doesn't matter what order you have read them in because they basically always apply in my eyes).
Have you heard of the scientific philosophy? I kind of observe it, and I should observe it more (not just literally, but metaphorically). I need to observe situations, question things, and act rationally, not irrationally; That is always my biggest downfall. People like me that have mental illness can really benefit from religion, as well as science, but I would rather study science because it is real, and it is cool as well.
Let's start with my schooling, shall we? I was ten years old, and in the fifth grade; I believed in God, His word, and His will. But, now I call it just a bunch of crud you find in the nonfiction section, but the Bible is the greatest piece of art of all time, yet it's considered to be real... I read it, study it, and only see is as historical, like the Iliad, or the Odyssey. I read it so that I can convince people that we are normal people too, and we are not, “immoral or angry,” I mean come on, have some decency to study the other side. I may not respect their religion, but I respect them, their thoughts, and I like to be friends with people who think differently; I need a good heated debate, but I am really careful that no-one's feelings get hurt. I set ground rules: no swearing, no slandering, nothing offensive must be stated to purposely hurt someone's feelings. And, above all else, the topic has a warning label on it: we may not be able to stop others from being offended, but we can aim not to offend them (come on, how would you like it if someone hurt your feelings?). I was on the Debate Team at only 10 years old, and a question came up: Does God exist? What do you think goes through a Catholic's mind at that point; I hit the buzzer, and I answered: I'm not sure – and this is in front of my Catholic grandmother. My Catholic grandmother then shouted, “it's okay to be atheist or agnostic honey, I'm not going to judge you.” I knew what these words meant because I was raised by an Atheist, and yes, an Agnostic as well.
So, I am sitting there, and I am frightened to be honest with myself. I then answered: “No, I do not believe God is real,” and my whole team, which I knew was Atheist, and I didn't want to get the Theist arguments that I wasn't familiar with arguing put down on us so that we'd have to score points for the Theists. I then went on to state: “If God is real, why are so many people dying, why is no-one coming back from the dead when they follow, “God's word,” why is science proven, and God isn't, what makes you think that you can prove the existence of something that hasn't even proven itself to this very day, Come on, God doesn't accept those whom of which he created in his own image, such as homosexuals, those who have sex before marriage, those who get divorced for legitimate reasons: they could have been abused, and you know what else, women don't even have rights in the religion of which I was born into, so why be a Catholic and a woman, you're just going to betray everything The People have fought for: our freedom of speech, and right to practice whichever religion tickles us fancy, how can we allow such piety to thrive? I was only 10, and I may not have used those words exactly, but I argued different stances for years on end until my mom told me that I am a true Positive Atheist. I never knew what that meant at age 15, and it had been five years that I went from Agnostic, to becoming a Strong Atheist. I started out as an Agnostic (aka a weak or implicit atheist, and I lowercase this because Strong Atheists know that there isn't a god or gods, and weak atheists aren't strong enough in their belief towards denying a god, but what the hey, let it go...
Five years later, after that Debate Club, I joined the Debate Club in High School, playing the game to score some points (Sophomores are the lowest grade class allowed in this club at RGA...). I was in the 10th grade, and I have read the bible over 5 times by now, and I knew what a crock of crap it actually is: I have read it 10 times since I was 10 years old, and I am 20 years old. The bible has some good stories that display somewhat of a morality out of their contradictory statements, and I won't deny that they can be good people; If being Christian and believing in the father, the son, and the holy spirit means a lot to you, all the more power to you, but if you believe in it because it stops you from committing horrific crimes, such as rape, murder, and petty theft, keeping you sane, then you are a bad person, and I do not want you're weak religious kind around my future children – all I know is that they might be a pedophile by telling me this; I would advise someone of any belief to stay the (beep) away from me.
My father was a very violent man, and yes, he was an Atheist; But, just like any religion, you will have someone that weakens themselves, and then someone else has to suffer because you got well known for the crimes, yet we aren't acknowledged for the good things that we do? Why the heck aren't we recognized for the goodness of our hearts; I overcame my father not being there, and the negativity he left on Mama, but I cannot erase our scars.
I am now twenty years old, and I live with my lovely moms in an apartment in Southern Massachusetts, in Worcester County. I have to say: people don't give me as much sh** as they would if I hadn't had the chance to prove them wrong; I proved my worth, and most people in my area know that I'm an Atheist and leave me the H.E. double hockey-sticks alone.
Thank you for listening to my spiel, and I will see you all on the flip side of me posting this.
(pester tibs via pm if you need invite) ![[Image: tmPmhjd.jpg]](https://images.weserv.nl/?url=i.imgur.com%2FtmPmhjd.jpg)
ex-catholic hi5
![[Image: obh63.jpg]](https://i.imgflip.com/obh63.jpg)
![[Image: 146748944129044_zpsomrzyn3d.gif]](https://images.weserv.nl/?url=i629.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fuu13%2FRXM843%2F146748944129044_zpsomrzyn3d.gif)
