Hello

[The Valkyrie]

Welcome.

I, too, was raised Catholic.

I got better.

[MR. Macabre 666]

I was also born into a catholic family, and went to catholic school for 9 years. My 3 sisters went for all 12 years. We went to mass every Sunday, took communion, were all confirmed, were baptized, etc. I was even married in that church, but have never believed in any of their bullshit, even as a kid.
I am definitely "anti-religious", my wife and kids and their families are all devout christians, I'm the only atheist in the family.
It seems like we have some things in common if your wife is a believer.
Does she know about any of this?

[arewethereyet]

Also raised Catholic, it didn't take.

Welcome.

[Harry Haller]

Welcome aboard Harry!

All of the World is composed of matter and energy and that is all that there is.  Matter and energy cannot be created or destroyed. 

I usually view the word "world" to mean just this planet Earth. You may want to mean the Universe... and still you may be wrong and it may be possible to create matter and energy. Space-time (which can be the same as saying 'nothing') creating particles is a thing that won some guy a Nobel Price some time ago:

Quantum foam or spacetime foam is a theoretical quantum fluctuation of spacetime on very small scales due to quantum mechanics. The theory predicts that at these small scales, particles of matter and antimatter are constantly created and destroyed. These subatomic objects are called virtual particles.[1] The idea was devised by John Wheeler in 1955.[2][3]

I meant "World" to mean all of the universe and not just the Earth.  Theoretical quantum physics is well beyond my level of understanding.  For my purposes I am comfortable with the Laws of the Preservation of Mass and Energy.  It may be too simplistic to deal with spacetime foam but I have never really dealt with spacetime foam.

[Harry Haller]

I was also born into a catholic family, and went to catholic school for 9 years. My 3 sisters went for all 12 years. We went to mass every Sunday, took communion, were all confirmed, were baptized, etc. I was even married in that church, but have never believed in any of their bullshit, even as a kid.
I am definitely "anti-religious", my wife and kids and their families are all devout christians, I'm the only atheist in the family.
It seems like we have some things in common if your wife is a believer.
Does she know about any of this?

My wife knows that I no longer believe in Jesus, God, or the Church.  I have been exploring religions and looking for "truth" for longer than we have been together.  I am sure that my lack of belief disappoints her but I think I have convinced her that belief is not a choice.  I am sure that she prays that God will reveal himself to me in a way that I can see.  I have no belief that will happen.

[Gawdzilla Sama]

Hell

o

I'm a veteran of Indiana, Illinois, Missouri, Oklahoma, and Arkansas. For some reason I've never ventured above Hannibal. May be a good thing, may not.

I'm also retired USN, 14 years at Purdue, and plain old bug fuck. Take your pick.