Saludos!

[Delphine82]

I am new to atheism. I was raised Christian, protestant, and though I never accepted the idea that Christianity was the only true path to salvation or enlightenment, I did believe that there was some sort of "creator" out there that could be "tapped" into. However, after some personal difficulties I found myself praying furiously and seemingly hopelessly for help from God that never came. So I finally came to the conclusion that there was no God. There was nobody out there listening to me, who was going to fix me or act on my behalf in someway. It would be awesome and amazing if human beings could just rub a rock and a genie would come out and grant our wishes but I know how ridiculous that way of thinking is. Yet the idea of praying to a God is essentially the same thing. Changes to my life must be made by me. There is no magical genie. Nor a noodly appendage for me to hold onto. LOL

Honestly I still struggle with this way of thinking. But I think the other part of the problem is not realizing that there are others out there who can help. Maybe just people to talk to or people who've been through similar struggles...etc... It's easier to rely on a God that you can assign any attributes to than to rely on a human being who already comes with attributes that may be helpful or hurtful.

So here I am, nice to meet ya.

[robvalue]

Hello Delphine

Nice to meet you. Thanks for sharing your story. You're right, just because there isn't some magic man in the sky to help, doesn't mean we are helpless. We all have each other, and as they say, one pair of hands helping achieves more than a thousand clasped in prayer. The good things people attribute to God are just good things people do, or nature doing what it does.

I'm sure you'll find lots of support here.

[SteelCurtain]

Hello Delphine!

Personal crises are obviously a rough time, and they can lead people to come to realize that there really isn't anyone out there looking out for us. In my experience, those that sort of accept the idea in those tough times generally regress when times get better. I always encourage people to really probe the issue intellectually. Read books from both sides, reason it all the way through.

This place can be a wonderful form of emotional support. I truly hope you stick around and chime in!

[Brian37]

I am new to atheism.  I was raised Christian, protestant, and though I never accepted the idea that Christianity was the only true path to salvation or enlightenment, I did believe that there was some sort of "creator" out there that could be "tapped" into.  However, after some personal difficulties I found myself praying furiously and seemingly hopelessly for help from God that never came.  So I finally came to the conclusion that there was no God.  There was nobody out there listening to me, who was going to fix me or act on my behalf in someway.  It would be awesome and amazing if human beings could just rub a rock and a genie would come out and grant our wishes but I know how ridiculous that way of thinking is.  Yet the idea of praying to a God is essentially the same thing.  Changes to my life must be made by me.  There is no magical genie.  Nor a noodly appendage for me to hold onto.  LOL  

Honestly I still struggle with this way of thinking.  But I think the other part of the problem is not realizing that there are others out there who can help.  Maybe just people to talk to or people who've been through similar struggles...etc...  It's easier to rely on a God that you can assign any attributes to than to rely on a human being who already comes with attributes that may be helpful or hurtful.  

So here I am, nice to meet ya.

Well here is some advice.

"Atheist" is not a licence to be lawless or be a badass. Rejecting a religion or god claim and leaving it at "that doesn't make sense" isn't enough. Knowing your own position and also knowing their arguments is being well armed. Also know that whatever arguments a person of one religion has made, trust me, all religions make the same arguments.

1. "My book says". All religions do this.
2. "You cant disprove it", all religions do this.
3. "Science gets it wrong so I am correct" they all do this.
4. "Science matches my book", they all do this.

If you have not developed a long term reading list here are some great books.

The God Delusion, Richard Dawkins
The New Atheism, Victor Stenger
God The Failed Hypothesis, Victor Stenger
God Is Not Great, Christopher Hitchens
Letter To A Christian Nation, Sam Harris
The End Of Faith, Sam Harris
Infidel,  Ayaan Hersi Ali

Useful websites

This one, to pick the brains of other atheists.

http://www.skepticsannotatedbible.com

http://www.atheists.org

http://www.ffrf.org Freedom From Religion Foundation

http://www.postitiveatheism.com Lists of skeptic quotes from politicians and historical figures.

Terms you should know

Infinite regress, the problem it causes.

The fallacy of Pascal's wager.

Ocham's Razor.

Just know even if you get stumped, don't assume that they are right. If you get stumped by a theist, pass it by other atheists and you will find out long term, there really was nothing there.

Outside that, learn every day. 

[AFTT47]

Welcome, Delphine and congratulations on your intellectual growth.

[watchamadoodle]

I think it is useful for an ex-Christian to go the extra mile in killing his/her faith in Christianity by learning. Learning about the origins of Christianity and Judaism has been the most helpful for me.

[Brakeman]

Welcome!

[Minimalist]

I did believe that there was some sort of "creator" out there

So did Darwin....but he overcame it and went on to do great things.

Welcome aboard, dear.

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[Delphine82]

You guys are sweet, thanks for the welcome.

I will definitely check out the reading list. I'm finishing a book right now and then will move onto something more intellectually challenging later.

I think the study of ancient Egypt, viking civilization, radical Islam and the staunch hypocritical Catholicism of New England has also guided my turning away of the idea of deities. Humans are very creative in some ways, and in other ways they are startlingly alike.

The only thing that I find odd is that humanity seems preternaturally advanced opposed to other living beings. Although ants probably feel the same way about microbes.

[Regina]

yaaasss for the Spanishness of the title of this thread, haha

And welcome