I'm looking forward to seeing who's there.
I have tried to have discussions and arguments (not fights, but actual arguments) regarding atheism and religious beliefs on other forums, but they have always devolved into senseless rants with little or no intellectual integrity. I hope things are different here.
My own history includes a childhood of regular sunday school and church. At age 13 I went through classes in preparation to be "confirmed" as a member of the church. The result was the opposite of what the church had in mind. I didn't learn anything that convinced me of the validity of Christianity, and my own questions went unanswered. After sampling a few other churches and "new age" grab bags of beliefs, I identified for years as an agnostic until I could no longer stand that and embraced my non-belief. I feel much better now.
I have tried to have discussions and arguments (not fights, but actual arguments) regarding atheism and religious beliefs on other forums, but they have always devolved into senseless rants with little or no intellectual integrity. I hope things are different here.
My own history includes a childhood of regular sunday school and church. At age 13 I went through classes in preparation to be "confirmed" as a member of the church. The result was the opposite of what the church had in mind. I didn't learn anything that convinced me of the validity of Christianity, and my own questions went unanswered. After sampling a few other churches and "new age" grab bags of beliefs, I identified for years as an agnostic until I could no longer stand that and embraced my non-belief. I feel much better now.