RE: Is atheism a belief?
February 25, 2019 at 11:42 pm
(This post was last modified: February 25, 2019 at 11:47 pm by The Grand Nudger.)
I talk about this alot on the boards. I think that people who grew up in religious traditions tend to employ some particular statement or commitment as the defining moment or reason that they ultimately rejected the faith of their father or cultural majority. That's how it happened for them, some straw that broke the camels back.
I never had that. I had the nagging suspicion while reciting the pledge of allegiance that some of those little bastards around me really did believe in the "under god" part. It wasn't for any specific reason that I was an atheist then, even though I have command of the position now as an adult. I just don't find stories like that credible. I can't remember having ever found them credible. It's a fact of education and maturity that I could not possibly have known how full of shit they actually were as a young child. I was working on curious george at the time, not secular philosophy, scientific theory, critical skepticism, or anthropology.
I never had that. I had the nagging suspicion while reciting the pledge of allegiance that some of those little bastards around me really did believe in the "under god" part. It wasn't for any specific reason that I was an atheist then, even though I have command of the position now as an adult. I just don't find stories like that credible. I can't remember having ever found them credible. It's a fact of education and maturity that I could not possibly have known how full of shit they actually were as a young child. I was working on curious george at the time, not secular philosophy, scientific theory, critical skepticism, or anthropology.
I am the Infantry. I am my country’s strength in war, her deterrent in peace. I am the heart of the fight… wherever, whenever. I carry America’s faith and honor against her enemies. I am the Queen of Battle. I am what my country expects me to be, the best trained Soldier in the world. In the race for victory, I am swift, determined, and courageous, armed with a fierce will to win. Never will I fail my country’s trust. Always I fight on…through the foe, to the objective, to triumph overall. If necessary, I will fight to my death. By my steadfast courage, I have won more than 200 years of freedom. I yield not to weakness, to hunger, to cowardice, to fatigue, to superior odds, For I am mentally tough, physically strong, and morally straight. I forsake not, my country, my mission, my comrades, my sacred duty. I am relentless. I am always there, now and forever. I AM THE INFANTRY! FOLLOW ME!