I found this forum during the summer because I was frustrated over the fact that any discussion concerning religious belief, on pretty much any forum, quickly becomes ugly. People start insulting each other or ranting uncontrollably and the thread is locked or the thread is locked after just a few posts because of bad experiences concerning the nature of past threads.
I've been checking out this forum for about a month and a half, and I must say that I am positively surprised to notice that name-calling is not frequent despite differing views.
I've never believed in deities, which is due to my parents not indoctrinating me with religious views and I thank them for that. My family has never been big on religion, it's never really come up even with my grandparents. I've noticed that a lot of people might not have religious parents, but they often have religious grandparents. I am a member of the Evangelical Lutheran Church Of Finland, but only on paper. I went through confirmation despite the fact that I do not believe in god(s). For me and most of my friends it was a rite of passage, which has religious origins but the religious values aren't important anymore. Instead it's all just a ritual with no other implications other than being a sign of reaching a certain age.
Turning 18, which I did during the summer, comes with some big pros like being able to end ones affiliation with a religious group without the need for consent from anyone. Not that my parents objected to it because I wouldn't be a Christian anymore, but because of the concern that difficulties would arise if/when I want to get married in the future and my future wife wanted a traditional church wedding.
Between the ages of 13 and 15 was when I really discovered the effects organized religion had had on civilizations throughout time and has even to this day. And I was horrified by how people would stop progress solely on ideas that were and are still simply ludicrous and without evidence backing them up. After turning 17 I started looking for people who felt the same way and I am happy to say that I found them. I watched debates on YouTube and Google Video as well as the excellent stand-up comedy provided by people like George Carlin (RIP). I started reading "The God Delusion", which is no doubt familiar to most here on this forum. Then I went on to read "God Is Not Great: How Religion Poisons Everything", "Letter To A Christian Nation" and I've started reading "Breaking The Spell: Religion as a Natural Phenomenon". Familiarizing myself with this material has introduced me to arguments from both sides. And I must say the arguments laid out by theist's are not convincing, though they may be to theists.
Summa summarum I am a cultural Christian who was allowed to use logic and reason to come to up with my own worldview and not have one shoved down my throat. I hope to have interesting debates here and I wish the best to all of you.
I've been checking out this forum for about a month and a half, and I must say that I am positively surprised to notice that name-calling is not frequent despite differing views.
I've never believed in deities, which is due to my parents not indoctrinating me with religious views and I thank them for that. My family has never been big on religion, it's never really come up even with my grandparents. I've noticed that a lot of people might not have religious parents, but they often have religious grandparents. I am a member of the Evangelical Lutheran Church Of Finland, but only on paper. I went through confirmation despite the fact that I do not believe in god(s). For me and most of my friends it was a rite of passage, which has religious origins but the religious values aren't important anymore. Instead it's all just a ritual with no other implications other than being a sign of reaching a certain age.
Turning 18, which I did during the summer, comes with some big pros like being able to end ones affiliation with a religious group without the need for consent from anyone. Not that my parents objected to it because I wouldn't be a Christian anymore, but because of the concern that difficulties would arise if/when I want to get married in the future and my future wife wanted a traditional church wedding.
Between the ages of 13 and 15 was when I really discovered the effects organized religion had had on civilizations throughout time and has even to this day. And I was horrified by how people would stop progress solely on ideas that were and are still simply ludicrous and without evidence backing them up. After turning 17 I started looking for people who felt the same way and I am happy to say that I found them. I watched debates on YouTube and Google Video as well as the excellent stand-up comedy provided by people like George Carlin (RIP). I started reading "The God Delusion", which is no doubt familiar to most here on this forum. Then I went on to read "God Is Not Great: How Religion Poisons Everything", "Letter To A Christian Nation" and I've started reading "Breaking The Spell: Religion as a Natural Phenomenon". Familiarizing myself with this material has introduced me to arguments from both sides. And I must say the arguments laid out by theist's are not convincing, though they may be to theists.
Summa summarum I am a cultural Christian who was allowed to use logic and reason to come to up with my own worldview and not have one shoved down my throat. I hope to have interesting debates here and I wish the best to all of you.
"Heresy is only another word for freedom of thought." - Graham Greene
"So forget Jesus, the stars died so that you could be here today." - Lawrence Krauss
"So forget Jesus, the stars died so that you could be here today." - Lawrence Krauss
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