Another Atheist on the Alpha Course

[evil_si]

Hello there! Thanks for the reminder email, I will indeed introduce myself and say hello.

I live in Hove and I run the Horsham Cell of Skeptics in the Pub. I have been atheist since I was 6 but I was subject to the Catholic education system all the way through my childhood. It wasn't too bad, but I remain an atheist.

I like engaging believers in conversations about their faith, as I am often more comfortable discussing it than they are. I ended up a bit sick of christians saying to me that I was basically missing something about their faith, or I didn't know enough about it. They'd even suggest that I went on the Alpha course, so I thought I'd might as well.

I have found it very interesting and I have had some excellent conversations with the believers on the course. I'm not interested in calling people stupid or foolish for believing in something they've been programmed to believe in, so it's been very friendly. I'd go so far as to say I look forward to it now.

This weekend, I went on the Alpha residential, hosted by Nicky Gumbel himself. It was pretty intense, but I remain atheist. The process has certainly aided my appreciation of why believers have faith, and what it does for their lives.

I am writing a blog all about it here if you're interested in my extended thoughts. Faithless Eye's Blog

Episode 4 will be up in a couple of days, and in a few weeks it'll get to the Residential Weekend episode, which, I promise you, will be very interesting for those who wonder about how it's possible for people to believe in gods despite all the reasons they shouldn't.

Looking forward to chatting with you all!

[Norfolk And Chance]

That should be interesting because I personally cannot understand how anybody could believe in god, but that's just me.

[evil_si]

It's a seductive set of ideas, particularly suited to convincing vulnerable people that it is legitimate.

[thesummerqueen]

Welcome

[5thHorseman]

[/b]

Hello there! Thanks for the reminder email, I will indeed introduce myself and say hello.

Welcome

I live in Hove and I run the Horsham Cell of Skeptics in the Pub. I have been atheist since I was 6 but I was subject to the Catholic education system all the way through my childhood. It wasn't too bad, but I remain an atheist.

ok, starting to wonder about your atheism

I like engaging believers in conversations about their faith, as I am often more comfortable discussing it than they are. I ended up a bit sick of christians saying to me that I was basically missing something about their faith, or I didn't know enough about it. They'd even suggest that I went on the Alpha course, so I thought I'd might as well.

I have found it very interesting and I have had some excellent conversations with the believers on the course. I'm not interested in calling people stupid or foolish for believing in something they've been programmed to believe in, so it's been very friendly. I'd go so far as to say I look forward to it now.
This weekend, I went on the Alpha residential, hosted by Nicky Gumbel himself. It was pretty intense, but I remain atheist. The process has certainly aided my appreciation of why believers have faith, and what it does for their lives.

It does nothing but give them false hope and make them feel holier than thou. If you appreciate sanctimonious people who think you'll burn in hell, what does that say about you? Seems you want to believe, but cannot(that fine, no seriously thinking rational person does). I do not appeciate their faith, it's no more than wish thinking and a total waste of time. Who the fuck would believe a divine celestial being, who created this remarkable universe would be so petty as to want people to worship him, and then get had enough of people and send himself down to earth as his son, then sacrifice him. C'mon, faith does nothing except waste a perfectly good Sunday and ruin sex lives because you think Big Brother is watching
I am writing a blog all about it here if you're interested in my extended thoughts. Faithless Eye's Blog

cool

Episode 4 will be up in a couple of days, and in a few weeks it'll get to the Residential Weekend episode, which, I promise you, will be very interesting for those who wonder about how it's possible for people to believe in gods despite all the reasons they shouldn't.

Looking forward to chatting with you all!

Me too, join in frequently .

[evil_si]

Hmm, dunno how to quote properly yet but:

5th Horseman said:
ok, starting to wonder about your atheism

You do know that atheism is just not believing in god, right? I don't see how saying that a catholic education isn't that bad affects my atheism. Anyway;

5th Horseman then said:
It does nothing but give them false hope and make them feel holier than thou. If you appreciate sanctimonious people who think you'll burn in hell, what does that say about you? Seems you want to believe, but cannot(that fine, no seriously thinking rational person does).

Wow, I've met a mind reader on an atheist forum! Unexpected! Tiresome!


I do not appeciate their faith, it's no more than wish thinking and a total waste of time. Who the fuck would believe a divine celestial being, who created this remarkable universe would be so petty as to want people to worship him, and then get had enough of people and send himself down to earth as his son, then sacrifice him. C'mon, faith does nothing except waste a perfectly good Sunday and ruin sex lives because you think Big Brother is watching

Yes, I agree that belief in deities (particularly the awful christian god) is unnecessary, to say the least. However there is more to faith than simply whether or not they believe some myth. Although they believe in something that does not exist, it is this very faith that they think gives them the ability to do things they would otherwise not feel they had the ability to do. They say it's god helping them, I say it's them helping themselves by implementing psychological tricks on themselves.

Ultimately I want religions to die out, of course, but I don't think that is best acheived by shouting "DUH YOO STOOPID" in the faces of believers. Not everybody arrives at faith of their own accord; they grow up in an environment where it is the norm and they inherit this norm. I want the inheritance of this particular norm to stop. I think that's best done by demonstrating that you can be good without god.

[frankiej]

Welcome.

[Erinome]

Hello! Welcome!

[evil_si]

Thanks for the welcomes! It's weird coming to a forum where I am not the most vehement of the religion-haters.

[KichigaiNeko]

Thanks for the welcomes! It's weird coming to a forum where I am not the most vehement of the religion-haters.

evil_si

This forum is not about the most vehement of the religion-haters. but the conversations and debates DO get rather heated and frustration with not quite getting your point across usually ends up with a few choice words

from the 'Land Down Under' enjoy your stay here