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RE: Who's your daddy?
June 8, 2015 at 11:45 am
I voted "never," although I'm not sure it's technically accurate. I was raised by Christians that were extremely milquetoast towards religion except for the fact they took me to church every Sunday. They never even brought up the discussion of god and Christianity once in my entire life. They just insisted I go to church every Sunday. I may not have actively disbelieved in Christianity, but even at a young age I could tell there were major holes in the stories I was being peddled at Sunday School. By the time I was ten or so I had concluded that this whole Jesus thing had been misconstrued and that there was some dude who tried to get everyone to be nice to each other and people called him god for it. It wasn't until I was twelve or so that I realized the whole God thing was severely flawed itself and Christianity was obviously silly.
I wasn't really anything beyond Christian by association, and I think that's good enough for a "never."
Even if the open windows of science at first make us shiver after the cozy indoor warmth of traditional humanizing myths, in the end the fresh air brings vigor, and the great spaces have a splendor of their own - Bertrand Russell
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RE: Who's your daddy?
June 8, 2015 at 11:51 am
I was raised in a Christian household. Presbyterian/Lutheran. We were a mixed household. 
My father went through a year of seminary, and quit not because he lost faith in god, but because he decided he was not cut out to be a pastor. I heard him preach on several occasions during my childhood. I think he lost faith sometime after I went to college, but I'm not entirely sure. He was a closed mouthed man. In any case he stopped attending church and no longer attended church after he a Mom divorced.
Some of my fondest childhood memories include playing hide and seek during my parents' all day prayer meetings with their young couples group at First Pres. Bible school, Sunday school, and Bible camp were all Presbyterian.
We attended Atonement Lutheran when I was in my teens. I went through confirmation classes there. For those not in the know, confirmation is a ceremony in which you confirm your baptism as a knowing adult. The Catholics do it early during grade school. The Lutherans do it in the mid teens.
There was some difficulty when I decided not to get confirmed. But other than that, I can't say I have bad church memories. Mostly they're good memories. They just don't include believing.
Mom is still a devout Lutheran. And she eventually converted her lukewarm-atheist husband. But that was long after I was raised.
If there is a god, I want to believe that there is a god. If there is not a god, I want to believe that there is no god.
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RE: Who's your daddy?
June 8, 2015 at 7:16 pm
(June 8, 2015 at 4:36 am)abaris Wrote: I can't vote never, but it never had an influence on my life.
Exposure to anything has some influence. Exposure is knowledge. It is what is done with it that matters.
You make people miserable and there's nothing they can do about it, just like god.
-- Homer Simpson
God has no place within these walls, just as facts have no place within organized religion.
-- Superintendent Chalmers
Science is like a blabbermouth who ruins a movie by telling you how it ends. There are some things we don't want to know. Important things.
-- Ned Flanders
Once something's been approved by the government, it's no longer immoral.
-- The Rev Lovejoy
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RE: Who's your daddy?
June 8, 2015 at 7:26 pm
(June 8, 2015 at 9:56 am)Britney blue Wrote: Oh yeah, I'm the only one in my family who is an atheist.
My brother is an atheist also. I have four sisters that believe in god and one of them even went to the dark side. Dan, Pam and myself went to visit her and I just knew Shar was going to offer us some 'kool-aid'. I left and have not seen her since. Pam said a few years back that Shar may be back in the light.
You make people miserable and there's nothing they can do about it, just like god.
-- Homer Simpson
God has no place within these walls, just as facts have no place within organized religion.
-- Superintendent Chalmers
Science is like a blabbermouth who ruins a movie by telling you how it ends. There are some things we don't want to know. Important things.
-- Ned Flanders
Once something's been approved by the government, it's no longer immoral.
-- The Rev Lovejoy
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RE: Who's your daddy?
June 8, 2015 at 7:33 pm
(This post was last modified: June 8, 2015 at 7:39 pm by IATIA.)
(June 8, 2015 at 11:45 am)Faith No More Wrote: I wasn't really anything beyond Christian by association, and I think that's good enough for a "never."
Like I said in the OP, belief is not necessary, but the heavy exposure is what we are looking for. I think church every sunday counts.
The purpose of the poll and the thread is to show the christians that we have been there and done that. They seem to think that we are talking out our ass. Some have commented often that "if you guys had only ...". Well. we have heard all their cute little Sunday church stories and whether or not we believed at the time, the stories only pushed us away. (Especially when we started asking questions in public  )
You make people miserable and there's nothing they can do about it, just like god.
-- Homer Simpson
God has no place within these walls, just as facts have no place within organized religion.
-- Superintendent Chalmers
Science is like a blabbermouth who ruins a movie by telling you how it ends. There are some things we don't want to know. Important things.
-- Ned Flanders
Once something's been approved by the government, it's no longer immoral.
-- The Rev Lovejoy
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RE: Who's your daddy?
June 8, 2015 at 7:37 pm
(June 8, 2015 at 11:51 am)Jenny A Wrote: For those not in the know, confirmation is a ceremony in which you confirm your baptism as a knowing adult. The Catholics do it early during grade school.
For me, it was the age of seven. We were supposed to be able to reason our decision by that age. I had no fucking idea what they were talking about at the time. True attempt at brainwashing. (not my parents, the local parish) Get 'em before they find out!
You make people miserable and there's nothing they can do about it, just like god.
-- Homer Simpson
God has no place within these walls, just as facts have no place within organized religion.
-- Superintendent Chalmers
Science is like a blabbermouth who ruins a movie by telling you how it ends. There are some things we don't want to know. Important things.
-- Ned Flanders
Once something's been approved by the government, it's no longer immoral.
-- The Rev Lovejoy
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RE: Who's your daddy?
June 8, 2015 at 7:46 pm
I've mentioned it in several of my posts, but I grew up in a mostly non-practicing Catholic family. I learned the basics (Genesis, Noah, David & Goliath, the fundamentals of the Jesus story), but I've probably been in church 5-10 times, at most. The general idea was that the Trinity was real, and that's about it. Never went to Sunday school (thankfully), never did anything with the local parishioners.
My brothers and I, all adults (I'm the youngest at 35), run the gamut. I'm atheist, my oldest brother is a leaning-towards-yes-agnostic, and the middle brother is Catholic through and through. We don't really talk about religion at all, though.
"I was thirsty for everything, but blood wasn't my style" - Live, "Voodoo Lady"
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RE: Who's your daddy?
June 8, 2015 at 8:35 pm
Former christian, Yes. Former sunday school teacher, also yes.
I'm an Atheist because I'm educated on christianity.
I reject your reality and substitute my own!
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RE: Who's your daddy?
June 9, 2015 at 5:26 am
Former insane person. Not even kidding
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RE: Who's your daddy?
June 9, 2015 at 5:32 am
(This post was last modified: June 9, 2015 at 5:33 am by robvalue.)
(June 8, 2015 at 7:33 pm)IATIA Wrote: (June 8, 2015 at 11:45 am)Faith No More Wrote: I wasn't really anything beyond Christian by association, and I think that's good enough for a "never." Like I said in the OP, belief is not necessary, but the heavy exposure is what we are looking for. I think church every sunday counts.
The purpose of the poll and the thread is to show the christians that we have been there and done that. They seem to think that we are talking out our ass. Some have commented often that "if you guys had only ...". Well. we have heard all their cute little Sunday church stories and whether or not we believed at the time, the stories only pushed us away. (Especially when we started asking questions in public )
I love it when someone pulls that "you should try reading the bible" crap on Matt D 
I was lucky enough not to be raised religious. I wasn't raise "atheist" as such, I wasn't told to think any particular way. In that way at least, my parents did a good job. I came into contact with it at my first school, where there was compulsory prayer and other vague religious stuff going on throughout the year. I was even Joseph in the nativity play! But to me it was obvious even then that it was all just some weird story, and I was struggling to understand why some people were taking it seriously. That's the benefit of an un-indoctrinated mind.
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