About Me
I've lived in the midwestern United States all of my life. My folks were poor growing up but later, just prior to my birth, both had good paying jobs. Consequently they raised me like we were poor but we weren't. My dad and his family were all atheist thinking, but wouldn't have identified as a part of any movement or group; my mom was from a religious family but she herself became irreligious due to the hypocrisy she saw being dragged around from congregation to congregation. Since both parents worked full time I was raised by my maternal grandmother, who was religious in the traditional sense. Uninformed, hypocritical, half crazy church going Christian. Really she was no different than the rest of us except she went to church every Sunday.
By the time I was probably 5 or 6 I had concluded that religion was nonsense, but I had also concluded that religious behavior - hypocritical, xenophobic, ideological attachment and fixation - were also common in pretty much every human activity. Especially the sociopolitical. My dad, for example, though atheist, behaved more religiously with the aforementioned obvious flaws than my grandmother who was a churchgoer. I got a paper route when I was 9 years old and worked until recently when I had several heart attacks, including one massive heart attack culminating in a quadruple bypass. I'm now in my mid 50s.
Why I'm Here
I don't know to what extent I will participate. I've been reading today and like doing that. I guess we'll see. If I do participate the primary reason for doing so will be to understand not so much what people believe or don't believe, because that doesn't really effect me. I'm apolitical and irreligious. My interest is in why people believe what they believe and where that comes from. I'm not sure how that will play out. I usually like to ask people questions. To question everything from a position of neutrality; neither here nor there except for to observe. Everything I think comes from somewhere else. Everything I say is my opinion. Sources I give are someone else's opinion which I may or may not agree with. The trouble is they tend not to see critical thinking as an exploration of what people believe - what and how they think - but as disagreement. A challenge to a worldview. And that can be problematic.
I've been online since the mid 1990s but haven't ever had time to get too involved. I did, however, really like the wide variety of available information on virtually any subject. Of being my own filter rather than having what little information readily available spoon-fed to me through the traditional mediums prior to that time. The Internet opened doors of exploration for me which I enjoy perusing. Especially most recently, since the "pandemic" I have more time on my hands and about that time (2021) began working on my own website to sort of chronicle things of interest to me. As much as I enjoy that, it can be tedious and lonesome so I went looking for discussion.
Position On Religion
I've labeled myself as atheist but I'm not sure if that is entirely accurate and complete. I'm irreligious, agnostic and atheist I suppose, but don't like being labeled as a part of any group. Prior to getting online I had very little if any interest in religion. I was mostly interested in music, reading and sports as hobbies. I've always been fascinated by what people think and how the way they behave compares to what they think and allegedly believe. Since getting online that has taken me down some interesting corridors, metaphorically speaking. Recently those sorts of corridors seem, if not completely closed off then certainly less explored. Which, of course, makes them all the more compelling to me. I will probably have to censor myself in that regard.
How I Expect To Be Treated
I appreciate honesty. Critical examinations of my opinions are welcome. I'm thick skinned. Mostly I'm about fairness. I think all voices should be allowed. My beliefs don't negate the beliefs of any one else, though they may differ dramatically.
I appreciate the opportunity to hang out and maybe have some discussions. My grammar sucks and I'm new at this be patient if you would. I've read the rules and intend to follow them so I hope you'll let me know should I fall out of line.
Thanks.
I've lived in the midwestern United States all of my life. My folks were poor growing up but later, just prior to my birth, both had good paying jobs. Consequently they raised me like we were poor but we weren't. My dad and his family were all atheist thinking, but wouldn't have identified as a part of any movement or group; my mom was from a religious family but she herself became irreligious due to the hypocrisy she saw being dragged around from congregation to congregation. Since both parents worked full time I was raised by my maternal grandmother, who was religious in the traditional sense. Uninformed, hypocritical, half crazy church going Christian. Really she was no different than the rest of us except she went to church every Sunday.
By the time I was probably 5 or 6 I had concluded that religion was nonsense, but I had also concluded that religious behavior - hypocritical, xenophobic, ideological attachment and fixation - were also common in pretty much every human activity. Especially the sociopolitical. My dad, for example, though atheist, behaved more religiously with the aforementioned obvious flaws than my grandmother who was a churchgoer. I got a paper route when I was 9 years old and worked until recently when I had several heart attacks, including one massive heart attack culminating in a quadruple bypass. I'm now in my mid 50s.
Why I'm Here
I don't know to what extent I will participate. I've been reading today and like doing that. I guess we'll see. If I do participate the primary reason for doing so will be to understand not so much what people believe or don't believe, because that doesn't really effect me. I'm apolitical and irreligious. My interest is in why people believe what they believe and where that comes from. I'm not sure how that will play out. I usually like to ask people questions. To question everything from a position of neutrality; neither here nor there except for to observe. Everything I think comes from somewhere else. Everything I say is my opinion. Sources I give are someone else's opinion which I may or may not agree with. The trouble is they tend not to see critical thinking as an exploration of what people believe - what and how they think - but as disagreement. A challenge to a worldview. And that can be problematic.
I've been online since the mid 1990s but haven't ever had time to get too involved. I did, however, really like the wide variety of available information on virtually any subject. Of being my own filter rather than having what little information readily available spoon-fed to me through the traditional mediums prior to that time. The Internet opened doors of exploration for me which I enjoy perusing. Especially most recently, since the "pandemic" I have more time on my hands and about that time (2021) began working on my own website to sort of chronicle things of interest to me. As much as I enjoy that, it can be tedious and lonesome so I went looking for discussion.
Position On Religion
I've labeled myself as atheist but I'm not sure if that is entirely accurate and complete. I'm irreligious, agnostic and atheist I suppose, but don't like being labeled as a part of any group. Prior to getting online I had very little if any interest in religion. I was mostly interested in music, reading and sports as hobbies. I've always been fascinated by what people think and how the way they behave compares to what they think and allegedly believe. Since getting online that has taken me down some interesting corridors, metaphorically speaking. Recently those sorts of corridors seem, if not completely closed off then certainly less explored. Which, of course, makes them all the more compelling to me. I will probably have to censor myself in that regard.
How I Expect To Be Treated
I appreciate honesty. Critical examinations of my opinions are welcome. I'm thick skinned. Mostly I'm about fairness. I think all voices should be allowed. My beliefs don't negate the beliefs of any one else, though they may differ dramatically.
I appreciate the opportunity to hang out and maybe have some discussions. My grammar sucks and I'm new at this be patient if you would. I've read the rules and intend to follow them so I hope you'll let me know should I fall out of line.
Thanks.
