Hi There

[AJW333]

Welcome. We always welcome honest, open-minded debaters. Please try to keep your assumptions about how we think to a minimum; ask, instead. For instance:

Is it possible that you have a "sneaking suspicion" because that's what practically every preacher on the planet uses to "explain" why people are leaving the faith in droves, rather than admitting there might be people who simply choose not to continue to wear their rose-colored glasses when examining the scriptures the religion claims was written by an almighty and loving deity rather than by the mere humans who did the writing?

There is no such thing as "the atheist mind". We are as diverse as any group you could imagine, except for the fact that we have no preset reason to reject scientific discoveries nor do we think that there are magical causes for mundane occurrences.

My sneaking suspicion is based on the responses given by many atheists, in particular with respect to perceived injustices perpetrated by a "loving God." It seems to me that for some atheists at least, there is more of an issue with the nature and character of the Christian God than the fact that we believe that one exists.

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Hello AJ and welcome.  I'm currently posting over at Craig's ReasonableFaith forum.  Good for you for widening your horizons.  Do you post at any religious forums?

I'd encourage you to spend a little time in purely social threads to see how people are when they're not arguing for anything.  That doesn't seem to be an emphasis at RF but here, there is no imperative to remain irenic at all times.  Also the choice of language is fucking up to you.  You're also not required to be nice but as anywhere cordiality will always take you further.

I'm guessing you are a protestant of some sort if you're in the USA.  Can you guess what denomination one of our most popular theists, Catholic_Lady, might be?  Kingpin is another example of a theist who mixes well and is well liked and respected here.  But there are several more including Drich, ChadWooters, Godschild and MysticKnight.  

Feel free to PM me if you need any help finding your way around.

Thanks for the welcome. Protestant from Australia. Haven't been on any forums for years. Last one was arguing with Catholics which was pretty much futile, though it did make me think more carefully about what I believe. I'll be sure to have a look around. Cheers