I was brought up in a house that didn't really mention religion. My immediate family never went to church, but if I happened to be at my grandparents on a Sunday, I would go. I can't remember any details of those attendances except that I got irrationally angry at not being able to put a coin in the kitty.
Eventually, myself and my brother became old enough to watch ourselves and were given the choice of whether to go or not. These always ended up with us staying home to sleep.
Religion was never really mentioned in the house. I remember there being copies of The Bible in the bookshelf, but not knowing what it was. I think I thought it was just another novel, or fiction in general. It never struck me (at that young age) to ask.
For a couple of years in primary school I was obliged to take a small "Scripture" session weekly. This involved a person from a local church coming into the classroom, handing out colourful leaflets and talking. All I remember from these lessons was learning how to pronounce "supercalifragilisticexpialidocious" and a passing wonder as to why, after a while, it stopped happening.
From then to the final year of high school, I never really thought about it. Dad would brush against something faintly religious in our irregular talks on philosophy, skepticism and the paranormal, but that's it.
I still remember when I realised that I was an atheist. It was towards the end of my final year at high school, and I was sitting in my Classical History class. We were due to start the Roman Religion topic, so the teacher was asking us some introductory questions about our own beliefs.
We (me and the other half dozen students) were asked if we believed in God. I sat up fast. It was like someone had just hit me with a fish. I only had to think for a second. No. I didn't. When I said so, the others including the teacher were almost shocked. Even more so when I had the same reaction to whether I thought souls existed. This led to a conversation into whether I'd tell any hypothetical children of mine if Santa existed and then my being called a bad person and hellbound for saying that I wouldn't specifically say that he did.
After that, I just considered myself an atheist, even putting it on the dogtags I got during my short military service.
I've just spent two months in the USA and ... Wow. Seriously. It really is srs bsns there. I made no secret of my lack of religion to the people I was staying with and I get the feeling I was lucky to meet such laid back people. During my holiday I bought and devoured TGD. And have now opened a Pandora's Box which has resulted in me buying Harris and Nietzsche*. I intend on getting more on my return home.
*I also have quite a library of atheist websites to keep me busy too.
--Rob
Eventually, myself and my brother became old enough to watch ourselves and were given the choice of whether to go or not. These always ended up with us staying home to sleep.
Religion was never really mentioned in the house. I remember there being copies of The Bible in the bookshelf, but not knowing what it was. I think I thought it was just another novel, or fiction in general. It never struck me (at that young age) to ask.
For a couple of years in primary school I was obliged to take a small "Scripture" session weekly. This involved a person from a local church coming into the classroom, handing out colourful leaflets and talking. All I remember from these lessons was learning how to pronounce "supercalifragilisticexpialidocious" and a passing wonder as to why, after a while, it stopped happening.
From then to the final year of high school, I never really thought about it. Dad would brush against something faintly religious in our irregular talks on philosophy, skepticism and the paranormal, but that's it.
I still remember when I realised that I was an atheist. It was towards the end of my final year at high school, and I was sitting in my Classical History class. We were due to start the Roman Religion topic, so the teacher was asking us some introductory questions about our own beliefs.
We (me and the other half dozen students) were asked if we believed in God. I sat up fast. It was like someone had just hit me with a fish. I only had to think for a second. No. I didn't. When I said so, the others including the teacher were almost shocked. Even more so when I had the same reaction to whether I thought souls existed. This led to a conversation into whether I'd tell any hypothetical children of mine if Santa existed and then my being called a bad person and hellbound for saying that I wouldn't specifically say that he did.
After that, I just considered myself an atheist, even putting it on the dogtags I got during my short military service.
I've just spent two months in the USA and ... Wow. Seriously. It really is srs bsns there. I made no secret of my lack of religion to the people I was staying with and I get the feeling I was lucky to meet such laid back people. During my holiday I bought and devoured TGD. And have now opened a Pandora's Box which has resulted in me buying Harris and Nietzsche*. I intend on getting more on my return home.
*I also have quite a library of atheist websites to keep me busy too.
--Rob
