Blondie, I'm sorry I've been away for a moment; I had to go run some errands. Back, now. With food! 
My major was also pre-med biology with a minor in chemistry (and a second minor in history). I went on to a year of a Master's program in viral genetics, but had to drop out to get a "real" job, since I was supporting myself and the stipend just didn't keep up.
However, our classes seem to have taught very different things! What I learned in Invertebrate Zoology and Comparative Anatomy alone taught me enough to recognize that all animal life on earth shares common ancestry, let alone my courses in genetics and biochem.
Again, I want to reiterate what I said in my previous post; I think you're the victim of some malicious programming by people with a religious agenda no less sinister than that of the ultra-nationalist Zionists in Tel Aviv, or the Imams of Mecca. The reason I am taking the time to explain these things to you is because I think you are telling the truth, and you are honest enough to consider elements you may never have looked at closely, before. I also want to repeat what I said before, when I pointed out that my fiancee is still Christian who is currently teaching her Sunday School class, and also a working geneticist.
Finally, I want to point out that few of us left because we were angry at something in our church. I was angry to learn that I had been systematically lied to, yes, but my experience in the church was wonderful. I knew lots of great people, got to have a lot of amazing experiences as a result (yes, even Cross Lanes Baptist Church), especially with the Louisiana All-State Baptist Youth Choir. No one was mean to me, I never felt excluded, and my whole family remain churchgoers except for my two siblings (sister converted to Paganism and my brother became an "Ijustdontgiveafuckist", as he puts it, and he married an atheist whom I loathe). The only issue was that I grew up without a television, and so I read a LOT of books, and managed to pick up enough science that I could spot the mistakes preached to us by a Creationist evangelist who came to speak at our church. When I asked questions to clarify, I was told that "man's knowledge" was suspect, and I should "just believe". This was utterly the WRONG thing to say to me. I looked into it more deeply, and realized this version makes a LOT more sense... and I understood why it was so important for the church leaders to keep us in the dark without us realizing we were being kept in the dark. If someone has to teach you to fear knowledge or treat education as suspect, it's a good bet you're in a cult.
When you repeat the common slander spoken to us almost every day here (and often in real life), that we must have a reason for disbelief (such as sin or willfulness) other than "that belief appears to be totally wrong to me", it comes across as bigotry, and people who have prejudiced things said to them tend to react fairly bitterly. Can you grasp why that would be so in any community?
It may not be fair to characterize your words as bigotry, as you seem to me to be a nice, well-intentioned (but misled) person... but that's like telling an African American that even though you're in a white advocacy group, you're not like the extremist White Supremacists, and you really meant "darkie" in the best way possible! See?
My major was also pre-med biology with a minor in chemistry (and a second minor in history). I went on to a year of a Master's program in viral genetics, but had to drop out to get a "real" job, since I was supporting myself and the stipend just didn't keep up.
However, our classes seem to have taught very different things! What I learned in Invertebrate Zoology and Comparative Anatomy alone taught me enough to recognize that all animal life on earth shares common ancestry, let alone my courses in genetics and biochem.
Again, I want to reiterate what I said in my previous post; I think you're the victim of some malicious programming by people with a religious agenda no less sinister than that of the ultra-nationalist Zionists in Tel Aviv, or the Imams of Mecca. The reason I am taking the time to explain these things to you is because I think you are telling the truth, and you are honest enough to consider elements you may never have looked at closely, before. I also want to repeat what I said before, when I pointed out that my fiancee is still Christian who is currently teaching her Sunday School class, and also a working geneticist.
Finally, I want to point out that few of us left because we were angry at something in our church. I was angry to learn that I had been systematically lied to, yes, but my experience in the church was wonderful. I knew lots of great people, got to have a lot of amazing experiences as a result (yes, even Cross Lanes Baptist Church), especially with the Louisiana All-State Baptist Youth Choir. No one was mean to me, I never felt excluded, and my whole family remain churchgoers except for my two siblings (sister converted to Paganism and my brother became an "Ijustdontgiveafuckist", as he puts it, and he married an atheist whom I loathe). The only issue was that I grew up without a television, and so I read a LOT of books, and managed to pick up enough science that I could spot the mistakes preached to us by a Creationist evangelist who came to speak at our church. When I asked questions to clarify, I was told that "man's knowledge" was suspect, and I should "just believe". This was utterly the WRONG thing to say to me. I looked into it more deeply, and realized this version makes a LOT more sense... and I understood why it was so important for the church leaders to keep us in the dark without us realizing we were being kept in the dark. If someone has to teach you to fear knowledge or treat education as suspect, it's a good bet you're in a cult.
When you repeat the common slander spoken to us almost every day here (and often in real life), that we must have a reason for disbelief (such as sin or willfulness) other than "that belief appears to be totally wrong to me", it comes across as bigotry, and people who have prejudiced things said to them tend to react fairly bitterly. Can you grasp why that would be so in any community?
It may not be fair to characterize your words as bigotry, as you seem to me to be a nice, well-intentioned (but misled) person... but that's like telling an African American that even though you're in a white advocacy group, you're not like the extremist White Supremacists, and you really meant "darkie" in the best way possible! See?
A Christian told me: if you were saved you cant lose your salvation. you're sealed with the Holy Ghost
I replied: Can I refuse? Because I find the entire concept of vicarious blood sacrifice atonement to be morally abhorrent, the concept of holding flawed creatures permanently accountable for social misbehaviors and thought crimes to be morally abhorrent, and the concept of calling something "free" when it comes with the strings of subjugation and obedience perhaps the most morally abhorrent of all... and that's without even going into the history of justifying genocide, slavery, rape, misogyny, religious intolerance, and suppression of free speech which has been attributed by your own scriptures to your deity. I want a refund. I would burn happily rather than serve the monster you profess to love.
I replied: Can I refuse? Because I find the entire concept of vicarious blood sacrifice atonement to be morally abhorrent, the concept of holding flawed creatures permanently accountable for social misbehaviors and thought crimes to be morally abhorrent, and the concept of calling something "free" when it comes with the strings of subjugation and obedience perhaps the most morally abhorrent of all... and that's without even going into the history of justifying genocide, slavery, rape, misogyny, religious intolerance, and suppression of free speech which has been attributed by your own scriptures to your deity. I want a refund. I would burn happily rather than serve the monster you profess to love.
