Our server costs ~$56 per month to run. Please consider donating or becoming a Patron to help keep the site running. Help us gain new members by following us on Twitter and liking our page on Facebook!
Current time: December 13, 2024, 11:07 am

Thread Rating:
  • 0 Vote(s) - 0 Average
  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4
  • 5
Hello everyone
#1
Hello everyone
English is not my first language, so forgive me if I make any grammar or language mistake.

I’m a 20-years-old Malaysian Chinese who is taking Physics degree in one of our country’s local universities. Majority of my family members practice Buddhism while others are Christian (converted due to marriage). I used to believe in the existence of a God (or more specifically, a personal god), the concept of heaven and hell, supernatural phenomenon, just to name a few, during my childhood as I was influenced by the words and actions of my grandparents who can be considered as hardcore Buddhist. (“Hardcore” in the sense that they often listen and accept every piece of information about their religion without much question.) In Malaysia, I’m also surrounded by people from different religion: Islam, Christian, Taoism, Hinduism, Sikhism, etc, so it’s very uncommon to find anyone here without any religious belief.


As I grew older and my ability to think critically improved, I started to question the existence of God and the validity of religion because there’re things in religion which are unfair, inconsistent, immoral and doesn’t make sense at all. So I started to find answers, and it’s this curiosity that introduced me to atheism when I was a secondary school student. Although I did not understand most of the science behind it when I started to explore atheism (e.g. theory of evolution), I do agree on the logic behind it (e.g. the problem of evil). My belief that all religions are flawed and should not be trusted entirely only strengthen in time as I explore how our world actually works, especially in the field of Physics as I find this subject interesting and fascinating.

I must admit that Physics play a huge factor not only on my view about religion, but my whole life as well. It enable myself to see the world in a different way. When I saw a car moving, I realize that the car will be shorter in length and the time move slower inside the car relative to myself. When others think that Earth is pulling things towards itself, I realize that those things are also pulling Earth and each other toward themselves. When others look up to the sky and admire the beauty of the stars, I realize that light moves at a limited speed and I’m actually looking into the past. It teaches me that everything in the world is not as simple as someone see the world in the first glance, not limiting yourself to a single frame of reference, learn to think outside the box, never lose a holy curiosity and never accept anything as granted.

I used to be an arrogant, selfish, stingy, ignorant child in the past. No thanks to religion, now I’m a different man. It’s quite an irony, in my country at least, that someone who doesn’t have any religious belief can become a human with a strong sense of human’s moral values and ethics. Since we’re young, we’ve been taught that moral and religion are not two separate things and one doesn’t come without another. So irreligious people like me are often branded as immoral in my country, which is the results of the fact that many immoral people in my country mostly consists of people who don’t have a strong religious background. But they don’t realize that branding all irreligious people as immoral is just as prejudice as, for example, branding all Muslims are terrorist, and prejudice is immoral. Prejudice is prejudice, no matter the form.

Anyway, there’re still a lot of things for me to learn and I’m looking forward to learn from this forum. I’m currently fighting and resisting the indoctrination by the members of the so-called Unification Church as I wrote this post, so I hope I could use some help.
True philanthropists will never choose to ascend to the heaven, for they can't stand enjoying eternal peace and happiness while watching others suffer on the Earth, and they will do anything to remove God from its throne if necessary without hurting others in the process for the benefits of the human race.
Reply
#2
RE: Hello everyone
Welcome! You might have a fight over your avatar on your hands. Crossless1 has had it for a looooong time!
Reply
#3
RE: Hello everyone
Welcome

"I used to be an arrogant [...] child". Ha, you're a physics major, arrogance comes with the territory.
Reply
#4
RE: Hello everyone
I am interested in what you saw in buddhism that drove you away from it.

Anyway Welcome
Quote:To know yet to think that one does not know is best; Not to know yet to think that one knows will lead to difficulty.
- Lau Tzu

Join me on atheistforums Slack Cool Shades (pester tibs via pm if you need invite) Tongue

Reply
#5
RE: Hello everyone
Welcome!

I'm pretty convinced that there are plenty of immoral people in malaysia with a strong religious background. Don't believe the propaganda! Smile
Btw, physicist here

Cheers
The fool hath said in his heart, There is a God. They are corrupt, they have done abominable works, there is none that doeth good.
Psalm 14, KJV revised edition

Reply
#6
RE: Hello everyone
Hello Sniper! :Welcome: I'm glad we're getting a perspective from your end of the globe.
I can't remember where this verse is from, I think it got removed from canon:

"I don't hang around with mostly men because I'm gay. It's because men are better than women. Better trained, better equipped...better. Just better! I'm not gay."

For context, this is the previous verse:

"Hi Jesus" -robvalue
Reply
#7
RE: Hello everyone
Welcome aboard!
Enjoy the forum and don't worry about your english! It sounds fine!
Reply
#8
RE: Hello everyone
Welcome from the UK! May I offer you a cup of english tea?



Sorry to read that you're going through a troublesome time. This board is great for venting steam. You'll probably get some helpful words, too.

By the way, your english is great!
Sum ergo sum
Reply
#9
RE: Hello everyone
[Image: 200.gif]
'The more I learn about people the more I like my dog'- Mark Twain

'You can have all the faith you want in spirits, and the afterlife, and heaven and hell, but when it comes to this world, don't be an idiot. Cause you can tell me you put your faith in God to put you through the day, but when it comes time to cross the road, I know you look both ways.' - Dr House

“Young earth creationism is essentially the position that all of modern science, 90% of living scientists and 98% of living biologists, all major university biology departments, every major science journal, the American Academy of Sciences, and every major science organization in the world, are all wrong regarding the origins and development of life….but one particular tribe of uneducated, bronze aged, goat herders got it exactly right.” - Chuck Easttom

"If my good friend Doctor Gasparri speaks badly of my mother, he can expect to get punched.....You cannot provoke. You cannot insult the faith of others. You cannot make fun of the faith of others. There is a limit." - Pope Francis on freedom of speech
Reply
#10
RE: Hello everyone
Welcome Smile
Reply



Possibly Related Threads...
Thread Author Replies Views Last Post
Smile Hello, everyone Rolls 21 2005 June 27, 2020 at 9:31 am
Last Post: Fireball
  Hello Everyone! Chicken 33 3044 December 25, 2018 at 10:57 pm
Last Post: Peebothuhlu
  Hello Everyone :) , { Just an ape trying to socialize } Enlightened Ape 31 6649 April 24, 2018 at 1:22 pm
Last Post: Enlightened Ape
Wink Hello Everyone! rskovride 15 2493 February 21, 2018 at 5:45 am
Last Post: ignoramus
  Hello Everyone Shai Hulud 32 8894 May 14, 2017 at 12:04 pm
Last Post: Shai Hulud
  Hello Everyone! Driggs 22 3177 April 12, 2017 at 10:29 pm
Last Post: c172
  Hello everyone account_inactive 25 4415 April 12, 2017 at 9:55 am
Last Post: Brian37
  Hello Everyone! Flavius 9 1530 March 30, 2017 at 6:54 pm
Last Post: TheoneandonlytrueGod
  Hello everyone Yoo 11 2735 August 29, 2016 at 12:11 pm
Last Post: account_inactive
Brick Hello to everyone Wryetui 23 5183 May 4, 2016 at 9:27 pm
Last Post: ignoramus



Users browsing this thread: 2 Guest(s)