Just a short introduction:
My name is Kathryn but most people call me Kat. I grew up in a Mennonite family-my mom is a Mennonite pastor. Needless to say I went through a phase when I was a kid where I was deeply religious. However, when I was about 13 or 14 my beliefs began to change. I slowly began to question myself and realized that Atheism makes more sense to me than any other religion-especially the one I grew up with. Unfortunately, I spent the last 6 years in a very small town filled with Christians...zealous Christians. I then moved away to college (where I am now) and...somehow got myself mixed up in a group of all Christians...again, very zealous in their beliefs.
I'm currently at the university and will be 20 in January...I have a lot of resentment toward religion but I try not to let it get the best of me. I want to keep the mind set that anyone is free to believe what they want to and that nobody knows the truth of what happens after death. It's just tough to keep the mind set when you're surrounded by people who are convinced they know the truth and are overwhelmed with a desire to spread it in any way they can.
I also feel utterly lonely in my beliefs...I'm joining this forum looking for other Atheists to talk to so I don't feel like some freak. It's very lonely to know other religions have church and their religious families...but Atheists feel so spread out and so few (from my limited experience) that it's very easy for me to feel incredibly alone.
I hope this place can help me with that and I'm interested in what people here have to say. While I may not be religion's #1 fan I'm also fascinated by it.
Oh and just for the record-I'm not an Atheist to spite my family and friends. That's a stupid reason for anyone to be in any religion. I genuinely feel like this is what I believe...it's what makes the most sense to me. So please don't go bashing me and saying I'm in a religion out of spite. Trust me...I've asked myself this question a thousand times and the answer is always the same.
-Kat
My name is Kathryn but most people call me Kat. I grew up in a Mennonite family-my mom is a Mennonite pastor. Needless to say I went through a phase when I was a kid where I was deeply religious. However, when I was about 13 or 14 my beliefs began to change. I slowly began to question myself and realized that Atheism makes more sense to me than any other religion-especially the one I grew up with. Unfortunately, I spent the last 6 years in a very small town filled with Christians...zealous Christians. I then moved away to college (where I am now) and...somehow got myself mixed up in a group of all Christians...again, very zealous in their beliefs.
I'm currently at the university and will be 20 in January...I have a lot of resentment toward religion but I try not to let it get the best of me. I want to keep the mind set that anyone is free to believe what they want to and that nobody knows the truth of what happens after death. It's just tough to keep the mind set when you're surrounded by people who are convinced they know the truth and are overwhelmed with a desire to spread it in any way they can.
I also feel utterly lonely in my beliefs...I'm joining this forum looking for other Atheists to talk to so I don't feel like some freak. It's very lonely to know other religions have church and their religious families...but Atheists feel so spread out and so few (from my limited experience) that it's very easy for me to feel incredibly alone.
I hope this place can help me with that and I'm interested in what people here have to say. While I may not be religion's #1 fan I'm also fascinated by it.
Oh and just for the record-I'm not an Atheist to spite my family and friends. That's a stupid reason for anyone to be in any religion. I genuinely feel like this is what I believe...it's what makes the most sense to me. So please don't go bashing me and saying I'm in a religion out of spite. Trust me...I've asked myself this question a thousand times and the answer is always the same.
-Kat
