(September 6, 2010 at 12:59 am)chatpilot Wrote: I've been an atheist for 16 years now and I still have my brother in law talking trash about me, not to my face of course. He tells my wife all kinds of shit when I am not around or on the phone, for instance anytime something negative happens to me it is because " I have turned my back on God". Fucking idiot needs to grow up and read some books other than the bible that are actually of some use. He recently told my wife that I am the way I am because "I read the wrong books and the devil used what I learned in those books to lead me astray".
Yeah, that sounds familiar-back in February, my former pastor told me not to read "bad books"
. Totally ridiculous, and one of the ways that the church in general tries to control people. And I did read "The End of Reason" by Ravi Zacharias, but that was pretty much like a temper tantrum by someone who's had his intellectual/spiritual toy's stolen from him. He goes so far off the deep end as to say that, if there's ever genocide against Christians, Sam Harris is to blame, when Harris NEVER suggested violence against people of any religion, unless they threaten our lives. (Like the Taliban.)My Mom is an evangelical, not that devout, but she is totally opposed (and always has been) to Atheism, even before she became a regular church goer. But, as long as I don't shove it in her face, I know she'll still love and accept me. My older brother could care less what I believe in, and I know my Dad will still accept me as well.
I'm on Facebook, and I have joined atheist groups, so if my friends ask me questions, I'll just plainly tell them that I respect their right to believe what they want to, but I do not believe in gods, demons, angels, or heaven or hell anymore. And if they don't like it, so be it. As I've said before, on the whole, I've been treated nicer by people who don't believe in a god, or are at least don't go to church, then I have by people in the church.
BTW, what are some great books on Evolution and Paleontology? I have read some stuff about evolution, in college, and before I was a Christian, but now I would love to read some more!! The Denver Museum of Nature and Science has an exhibit called Prehistoric Journey that I would love to see!
I want to get Carl Sagan's "The Cosmos" DVD set, too!! I miss that man, the most spiritual experience I've ever had was watching some of that in an Astronomy class, 9 years ago!!!
