What IS good, and how do we determine it?

[Catholic_Lady]

Certainly atheism is nothing like a religion, but many atheists start off as religionists.  So it isn't really surprising that they sometimes carry over some habits of mind, at least while they work their way through and out of religion.

I'm curious what your impression is of those you've met here.  Some here were never religious, most left one.  Some had a difficult transition - abandonment by parents, family and sometimes friends.  Others endured less difficult indoctrination and thus have had an easier time leaving.  I had a pretty easy time.  I wish for all atheists to arrive at a point where it is the nothing we all say it is.  But for some the betrayal and stress was just greater.  Some religions must be harder to exit too, like Jehovah's Witnesses which pointedly shun those who leave.

Part of the function of a site like this is to support those working their way out.  So if some still carry their atheism with missionary zeal, they deserve our understanding and support, not derision.  We don't exist to present a unified face to theists.

Thanks for the reply! Everything you said makes perfect sense and I understand completely.

I have been impressed and humbled by a lot of the people here. They have been very kind to me. I am grateful for every person here who took the time to respond to my thread and for being willing to converse with me. Y'all could have just ignored me, but you didn't.

It breaks my heart to know that so many of you have been shunned and treated so cruelly by theists. It especially upsets me when it's done by Christians, because they are my people. What a shame that some of us wandered so far from the example and words of Jesus, whom we should be trying to emulate.