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New user here :)
#1
Smile 
New user here :)
Just a short introduction:
My name is Kathryn but most people call me Kat. I grew up in a Mennonite family-my mom is a Mennonite pastor. Needless to say I went through a phase when I was a kid where I was deeply religious. However, when I was about 13 or 14 my beliefs began to change. I slowly began to question myself and realized that Atheism makes more sense to me than any other religion-especially the one I grew up with. Unfortunately, I spent the last 6 years in a very small town filled with Christians...zealous Christians. I then moved away to college (where I am now) and...somehow got myself mixed up in a group of all Christians...again, very zealous in their beliefs.

I'm currently at the university and will be 20 in January...I have a lot of resentment toward religion but I try not to let it get the best of me. I want to keep the mind set that anyone is free to believe what they want to and that nobody knows the truth of what happens after death. It's just tough to keep the mind set when you're surrounded by people who are convinced they know the truth and are overwhelmed with a desire to spread it in any way they can.

I also feel utterly lonely in my beliefs...I'm joining this forum looking for other Atheists to talk to so I don't feel like some freak. It's very lonely to know other religions have church and their religious families...but Atheists feel so spread out and so few (from my limited experience) that it's very easy for me to feel incredibly alone.

I hope this place can help me with that and I'm interested in what people here have to say. While I may not be religion's #1 fan I'm also fascinated by it.

Oh and just for the record-I'm not an Atheist to spite my family and friends. That's a stupid reason for anyone to be in any religion. I genuinely feel like this is what I believe...it's what makes the most sense to me. So please don't go bashing me and saying I'm in a religion out of spite. Trust me...I've asked myself this question a thousand times and the answer is always the same.

-Kat
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#2
RE: New user here :)
You are not alone, dear, but until you find some live people to talk to feel free to settle in here.

Watch where you step. They let the jesus freaks spread their bullshit around.

Big Grin
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#3
RE: New user here :)
(October 24, 2010 at 10:47 pm)Minimalist Wrote: You are not alone, dear, but until you find some live people to talk to feel free to settle in here.

Watch where you step. They let the jesus freaks spread their bullshit around.

Big Grin


It truly is nice to know Smile nobody I know feels the way I do...though my closest friends are Agnostic but they still have vastly different views than I do :-S but they are way more tolerant and I like being around them more (though they're all online too Sad )

Oh trust me I know :-P
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#4
RE: New user here :)
(October 24, 2010 at 10:52 pm)katinator44 Wrote:
(October 24, 2010 at 10:47 pm)Minimalist Wrote: You are not alone, dear, but until you find some live people to talk to feel free to settle in here.

Watch where you step. They let the jesus freaks spread their bullshit around.

Big Grin


It truly is nice to know Smile nobody I know feels the way I do...though my closest friends are Agnostic but they still have vastly different views than I do :-S but they are way more tolerant and I like being around them more (though they're all online too Sad )

Oh trust me I know :-P

I'm in a similar situation myself. However, I'm still in high school. I've been called out, and I won my debates. I'm regarded as "so smart" so I suppose that's why a lot of the bigoted christians decide to keep their mouth shut. I even destroyed a guy in class, and yes he asked for it (I never have to :/ ). Sometimes you have to stand up for reason and science. They deserve it after all.

Anyhow, I'm glad you joined.

EDIT: Ah, "self portrait manipulation photography" | Funnily enough I have been pondering on what my first work should be. I've been using GIMP a while for some web designing and fun (I can't paint or draw :/ ), yet I've never actually followed through with self portrait manipulation. When I get enough free time I'll make a couple honest attempts.
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#5
RE: New user here :)
Quote:and I won my debates.


Watch your back. The followers of the 'prince of peace' have been known to beat the shit out of people who do that.

That's how you know they are good xtians!

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#6
RE: New user here :)
Welcome!

I know a bit of how you feel - I maintain very long running friendships as a rule, and some of those friendships were made at the synagogue I grew up in. When I moved down here to Charlotte, knowing no one except for my then-boyfriend and desperate for friends and social base (and a breather from said boyfriend's Baptist family), I sought out the temples to get back some of the physically-there network I missed. Even when you belong to those groups it can be lonely if you don't give a crap about the supernatural aspect.

Feel free to message if you get lonely - I love learning about religion and mythology as well, and living here in the Bible Belt I get nothing but barraged with overly enthusiastic "truth-spreaders". Don't get discouraged - we heathens seem few and far between but we're definitely here....I had to start e-mailing someone from Texas to find out I wasn't THAT strange.

What are you majoring in at school? I saw from your bio that you're into photography - are you thinking of going into that?
[Image: Untitled2_zpswaosccbr.png]
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#7
RE: New user here :)
(October 24, 2010 at 11:10 pm)Spectrum Wrote:
(October 24, 2010 at 10:52 pm)katinator44 Wrote:
(October 24, 2010 at 10:47 pm)Minimalist Wrote: You are not alone, dear, but until you find some live people to talk to feel free to settle in here.

Watch where you step. They let the jesus freaks spread their bullshit around.

Big Grin


It truly is nice to know Smile nobody I know feels the way I do...though my closest friends are Agnostic but they still have vastly different views than I do :-S but they are way more tolerant and I like being around them more (though they're all online too Sad )

Oh trust me I know :-P

I'm in a similar situation myself. However, I'm still in high school. I've been called out, and I won my debates. I'm regarded as "so smart" so I suppose that's why a lot of the bigoted christians decide to keep their mouth shut. I even destroyed a guy in class, and yes he asked for it (I never have to :/ ). Sometimes you have to stand up for reason and science. They deserve it after all.

Anyhow, I'm glad you joined.

EDIT: Ah, "self portrait manipulation photography" | Funnily enough I have been pondering on what my first work should be. I've been using GIMP a while for some web designing and fun (I can't paint or draw :/ ), yet I've never actually followed through with self portrait manipulation. When I get enough free time I'll make a couple honest attempts.

High school was the worst...my high school only has 400 students total at MOST...religious law was broken many a times. Prayer was almost a given at any sporting event...and god was mentioned and glorified in graduation speeches every year. It sucks...but I'm the opposite of you. I'm scared to say what I believe...it took me several years before I could even say it out loud. Sad It's hard for me to do it but I'm working to get there...I know I need to be unashamed of what I believe and know I have a valid argument behind my beliefs. I admire you for being able to do that

You should give it a try Smile it takes a lot of time and practice though...been working on photography for about a year and a half now. I'm doing alright lol but I'm here if you want any pointers or tips Big Grin

(October 25, 2010 at 12:01 am)thesummerqueen Wrote: Welcome!

I know a bit of how you feel - I maintain very long running friendships as a rule, and some of those friendships were made at the synagogue I grew up in. When I moved down here to Charlotte, knowing no one except for my then-boyfriend and desperate for friends and social base (and a breather from said boyfriend's Baptist family), I sought out the temples to get back some of the physically-there network I missed. Even when you belong to those groups it can be lonely if you don't give a crap about the supernatural aspect.

Feel free to message if you get lonely - I love learning about religion and mythology as well, and living here in the Bible Belt I get nothing but barraged with overly enthusiastic "truth-spreaders". Don't get discouraged - we heathens seem few and far between but we're definitely here....I had to start e-mailing someone from Texas to find out I wasn't THAT strange.

What are you majoring in at school? I saw from your bio that you're into photography - are you thinking of going into that?

Yeah...I know I could easily join their Intervarsity group here on campus (which is where nearly all my friends on campus go) to feel like I "belong" but I refuse to pretend I believe something I don't just to fit in. Besides, being full of resentment probably won't work in a Christan group lol

I appreciate it Smile the same goes with you too! If you need someone to talk to, I'm here to listen Big Grin it's nice to know I'm not alone...really is. I mean i've always known...but until now it was just some big fantasy in my head lol

I don't have a major right now...I really don't know what I want to major in. I really want to be a stay at home mom right now but....that won't happen due to the economic situation in the United States...so I struggle to figure out what I want to do. Maybe one day down the road I will open my own photography business...that'd be fun Smile but I don't want to put my entire career at risk by majoring in something so unstable :-S so I dunno yet...but I have thought about it
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#8
RE: New user here :)
(October 25, 2010 at 1:31 am)katinator44 Wrote: I know I need to be unashamed of what I believe and know I have a valid argument behind my beliefs.

Yup, that's all you need to stand up.

(October 25, 2010 at 1:31 am)katinator44 Wrote: I'm doing alright lol but I'm here if you want any pointers or tips Big Grin

Awesome, thanks I'll remember that.
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#9
RE: New user here :)
Hi Kat, and welcome to the forums.
Best regards,
Leo van Miert
Horsepower is how hard you hit the wall --Torque is how far you take the wall with you
Pastafarian
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#10
RE: New user here :)
Y'ello Kat, welcome.
[Image: siggy2_by_Cego_Colher.jpg]
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