RE: The diversity of Atheists
August 6, 2011 at 11:59 pm
(This post was last modified: August 7, 2011 at 12:10 am by wbegg.)
I’ll start, as I am a new member:
I have been an atheist for some time, and have gone through stages of conversion. Many can probably identify with these stages, and I will outline with an evolutionary history.
Stage 1: Praise the Lord!
I was raised in a very devout, Baptist household. I was baptized at the age of 9 and myself accepted Jesus Christ fully and non-conditionally. I was in the church choir, attended youth ministry trips, taught youth Sunday school, and always served my church to the greatest extent possible. I attended Christian camp as a child, and even served as a counselor in my teenage years. Summary: I WAS DEVOUT!! Well, let me rephrase, I was a devout Baptist. Things were about to change.
Stage 2: Oops!
Our minister at our church was a well respected man. He could do no wrong. He gave great sermons, he was well respected, he had the following of a VERY large congregation. He Baptized me, so he must have been perfect, right?
Wrong! At the end of my Senior year in high school, I got the discomforting news that he had been caught cheating on his wife with the youth ministers wife. Well, needless to say, I was extremely upset.
To make a long story short, the church basically excommunicated him, and at the time, I agreed. Then I started thinking. Everything I had learned from the church in the last 16-17 years of my life told me that I was supposed to “forgive” this person that brought transgressions against me, so I did, but the church sure as hell didn’t, which led me to an epiphany (stage 3).
Stage 3: Freedom!
This is a very brief period my freshman year in college where, of all things, I started doubting the Baptist denomination. It was at this point where I started to refuse to go to church because I didn’t want “rules” imposed on me to dictate how I needed to pray to the one almighty! I’ve already accepted him, I knew how pray and what to pray for, I still had Jesus in my heart and God on my side! I felt great about this. (Plus I had Sundays free, to cure my hangovers. I was in college now). WOW! What a revelation! And then I chose my major.
Stage 4: Release!
In college orientation, I was told I had to take a science. I looked rough the list diligently and actually asked the question “what is geology?” Being an avid backpacker at the time, geology sounded interesting. Fast forward to my Sophomore year in college. I declared Geology as my major. The more I studied, the more I doubted the “writings” of the bible. So, why believe in the “bible” god and his only son? So dawned the age of wisdom. At this point I was monotheistic. I believed, but not completely sure what I believed "in". Sure, I couldn’t explain my existence, but that’s the whole reason at this point in my life where I surmised that, If I couldn’t explain it, there must at least be a higher being! Shoot, we’re supposed to be able to explain everything. The more I learned in the next few years of my advanced education, the further away I was from the answer to the big question: “Why do I exist.”
THE BIGGEST, mind blowing, brain exploding stage was soon to come!
Stage 5: Atheism
Still in college, I actually stood up in bed one night with an answer to a question that had been haunting me for the past 2 years, “Why do I exist”. After all, I should know, I’m educated! I had an answer! And the answer was “I can’t explain it, because, I can’t explain it!”. Let me explain. My great discovery was the self-realization of the fact that maybe no one is smart enough (yet) to explain why we’re here, and most likely, that’s why people are so set on believing in a “supreme” being. At this point, I viewed religion as a cop-out.
There really is, at this point, no stage 6. This is the primary reason I joined this forum. I want to make stage 6 my coming out stage. I have told a select few friends, but they still deny that this is what I believe. Hopefully I will get some answers here from people whom have been through my future tribulations.
Do I think atheists should broadcast their beliefs? Only if confronted, or if such arguments warrant some improvement in the social structure. Sure, we have to educate, but we have to be careful. No revolutions here, just academic awareness (at first).
Amen. (sorry, had to add that for comedy effect).[/b]
I have been an atheist for some time, and have gone through stages of conversion. Many can probably identify with these stages, and I will outline with an evolutionary history.
Stage 1: Praise the Lord!
I was raised in a very devout, Baptist household. I was baptized at the age of 9 and myself accepted Jesus Christ fully and non-conditionally. I was in the church choir, attended youth ministry trips, taught youth Sunday school, and always served my church to the greatest extent possible. I attended Christian camp as a child, and even served as a counselor in my teenage years. Summary: I WAS DEVOUT!! Well, let me rephrase, I was a devout Baptist. Things were about to change.
Stage 2: Oops!
Our minister at our church was a well respected man. He could do no wrong. He gave great sermons, he was well respected, he had the following of a VERY large congregation. He Baptized me, so he must have been perfect, right?
Wrong! At the end of my Senior year in high school, I got the discomforting news that he had been caught cheating on his wife with the youth ministers wife. Well, needless to say, I was extremely upset.
To make a long story short, the church basically excommunicated him, and at the time, I agreed. Then I started thinking. Everything I had learned from the church in the last 16-17 years of my life told me that I was supposed to “forgive” this person that brought transgressions against me, so I did, but the church sure as hell didn’t, which led me to an epiphany (stage 3).
Stage 3: Freedom!
This is a very brief period my freshman year in college where, of all things, I started doubting the Baptist denomination. It was at this point where I started to refuse to go to church because I didn’t want “rules” imposed on me to dictate how I needed to pray to the one almighty! I’ve already accepted him, I knew how pray and what to pray for, I still had Jesus in my heart and God on my side! I felt great about this. (Plus I had Sundays free, to cure my hangovers. I was in college now). WOW! What a revelation! And then I chose my major.
Stage 4: Release!
In college orientation, I was told I had to take a science. I looked rough the list diligently and actually asked the question “what is geology?” Being an avid backpacker at the time, geology sounded interesting. Fast forward to my Sophomore year in college. I declared Geology as my major. The more I studied, the more I doubted the “writings” of the bible. So, why believe in the “bible” god and his only son? So dawned the age of wisdom. At this point I was monotheistic. I believed, but not completely sure what I believed "in". Sure, I couldn’t explain my existence, but that’s the whole reason at this point in my life where I surmised that, If I couldn’t explain it, there must at least be a higher being! Shoot, we’re supposed to be able to explain everything. The more I learned in the next few years of my advanced education, the further away I was from the answer to the big question: “Why do I exist.”
THE BIGGEST, mind blowing, brain exploding stage was soon to come!
Stage 5: Atheism
Still in college, I actually stood up in bed one night with an answer to a question that had been haunting me for the past 2 years, “Why do I exist”. After all, I should know, I’m educated! I had an answer! And the answer was “I can’t explain it, because, I can’t explain it!”. Let me explain. My great discovery was the self-realization of the fact that maybe no one is smart enough (yet) to explain why we’re here, and most likely, that’s why people are so set on believing in a “supreme” being. At this point, I viewed religion as a cop-out.
There really is, at this point, no stage 6. This is the primary reason I joined this forum. I want to make stage 6 my coming out stage. I have told a select few friends, but they still deny that this is what I believe. Hopefully I will get some answers here from people whom have been through my future tribulations.
Do I think atheists should broadcast their beliefs? Only if confronted, or if such arguments warrant some improvement in the social structure. Sure, we have to educate, but we have to be careful. No revolutions here, just academic awareness (at first).
Amen. (sorry, had to add that for comedy effect).[/b]
