Hi everyone,
I am a lifelong Catholic who has recently decided that religion (at the very least) is man made. I went from carrying a rosary everywhere I went to reading the God Delusion in one weekend. I was watching a documentary on the Greek gods, and just like that I was overwhelmed with the realization that my God was no different than any other. That my scripture was no more inspired than any other.
I cant see my religion (any religion) as faith any more. All I can see now is a sort of mob like swelling of "beliefs." Us vs. them. We're righteous. They're not.
Anyways...nice to meet all of you.
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Welcome to Atheist Republic AcrobaticDetective.
Yea, for many when the glass shatters, it happens immediately and you can never put the mirror back together.
@AcrobaticDetective
Welcome to AR!
While I personally always been an atheist, the way you describe religion, is very similar to how I describe it.
Zero to 100, in an instant, that must of been intense.
Makes you realize just how fragile religion idea really is, once the mind finally truly comprehends that it is all just: human talk, story time, with none of the important major concepts of the religion standing on anything that can be verified in any way that is not just talk.
Just a human idea shown to be not even be in any way evidenced on all the important parts.
@AcrobaticDetective... welcome. This is a great forum for mingling and reasoning.
@AcrobaticDetective
Welcome from Sunny South Australia and a recovering Catholic of 50 years
I found my chronic Irish Catholicism wasn't all that easy to shake off .Today, I remain 'a cultural Catholic'. By that I mean I have long dismissed Catholic beliefs, but retain pretty much all of the Judaeo Christian moral values. EG I do my best not to lie, cheat, steal, sleep with other mens wives ,physically harm others, and treat others the way I EXPECT to be treated. I find the last bit difficult with believers at times. So far, I have not learned how to suffer fools.
Perhaps the most important change has been [eventually] learning to forgive myself for my transgressions and not rely on some priest. .
Thought for today "Give me a child until he is 7 and I will show you the man.” (Aristotle)
@ AcrobaticDetective
Welcome mate. This is a fun place (when Cog and Tin Man aren't mud wrestling) I have learnt a tremendous amount from the various experts in various fields that congregate here. Enjoy.
@Old Man Re: "This is a fun place (when Cog and Tin Man aren't mud wrestling)..."
...*eyes watering*... *dry heaving*... It ain't... *dry heave*... mud... *dry heave*...
Hey there... *dry heave*... Acrobat... *cough-cough-cough*... Yes, much to learn here... *wiping "mud" from face*... *dry heave*... Most important... *cough-cough-gag*... never wrestle with Cog... *dry heave*... on a Wednesday morning... *dry heave-cough-gag*... after Taco Tuesday... *dry heave*... *sprinting down hallway toward shower room*... *brown footprints trailing behind*... *yelling back over shoulder*... Welcome to the AR!... *bursting through shower room door at full speed*...
Thank you all for the warm welcome.
@AcrobaticDetective: Welcome! I went through a similar awakening years ago. There were no books available at the time that I was aware of. Instead, I decided to be a preacher. I wanted to know all I could about god. I decided to go to every church in town. HA HA HA H A.... Just like you I was overwhelmed with the realization that my God was no different than any other. That my scripture was no more inspired than any other. It was always the Church up the street that was going to burn in hell for the false teachings they were following. Nothing can wake you up like the hypocrisy of preachers and their congregations.
Enjoy your visit and hope you stick around.
And REGARDING MUD WRESTLING: Don't let the morality police interfere with your decision making process. It is great fun for everyone but the little tin shit standing outside with the sandwich board. "MUD WRESTLING IS EVIL." He is only pissed because water and dirt rust his little springs and so he can not participate. Hell, he can't even get close to the mud pit without having a panic attack. The last time we drug him in, he had to have all his fluids changed, bolts replaced, and a steel wool scrub. What a piece of junk!
@Cog Re: "What a piece of junk!"
Junk?... JUNK???... Listen up, banana brain! The politically correct term now is environment-friendly-recycled-antique-mechanism. Oh, and you know good-and-damn-well what you did in that mud pit, you uncouth bastard!
lol