i grew up in a lutheran house. Well, my dad was an atheist but the rest of us thought he was foolish. lutheran grade school...lutheran high school..church on sundays...the whole bit.
I first questioned the church and lutherans in general based on the actions of the church members. How could people of god act so selfish and greedy? how could they be so full of hate and gossip?
I was mr popularity in a small grade school. athletic, artistic, funny...so i had no problem there. Then high school started and it was obvious the haves vs the have nots. if you werent rich and popular, you werent anything -except something to laugh at daily. ..I started questioning the effectiveness of the church even more.
fast forward to 1999, a few years after high school and i discovered the book of thomas which was rejected by the church. In it, thomas describes the church as being inside of you and not in buidlings of wood and stone. By this time I was of full realization that the church isnt what it seems.
Then came science. Up till now all of my science came from lutheran teachers. Imagine the irony there, a religious science teacher.
Dinosaurs? cavemen? carbon dating? None of it fit with what was in the Bible.
I recently read 'The God Delusion' and it isnt responsible for my change in beliefs, but it did give me more fuel for the fire. It also lead me to do more of my own research.
Now I think back and realize my dad, who is no longer around, wasnt such a fool afterall. I was the fool.
What I would like to ask you though, is why is it that I am so driven to disprove religion and speak out about it? Why do I feel the need to debate with people and prove them wrong?
I first questioned the church and lutherans in general based on the actions of the church members. How could people of god act so selfish and greedy? how could they be so full of hate and gossip?
I was mr popularity in a small grade school. athletic, artistic, funny...so i had no problem there. Then high school started and it was obvious the haves vs the have nots. if you werent rich and popular, you werent anything -except something to laugh at daily. ..I started questioning the effectiveness of the church even more.
fast forward to 1999, a few years after high school and i discovered the book of thomas which was rejected by the church. In it, thomas describes the church as being inside of you and not in buidlings of wood and stone. By this time I was of full realization that the church isnt what it seems.
Then came science. Up till now all of my science came from lutheran teachers. Imagine the irony there, a religious science teacher.
Dinosaurs? cavemen? carbon dating? None of it fit with what was in the Bible.
I recently read 'The God Delusion' and it isnt responsible for my change in beliefs, but it did give me more fuel for the fire. It also lead me to do more of my own research.
Now I think back and realize my dad, who is no longer around, wasnt such a fool afterall. I was the fool.
What I would like to ask you though, is why is it that I am so driven to disprove religion and speak out about it? Why do I feel the need to debate with people and prove them wrong?
