Pre-atheist

[Isotelus]

Well, not all of us were lucky enough to grow up in an atheistic, communistic country like Canada. :x

:ugeek:

We still have our fair share of religious nutties. Ian Juby for one. One of the guys I work with is pretty extreme. When I told him I was studying paleontology he assumed dinosaurs, but I said I'm more interested in life before the dinosaurs. So he said, "Oh, so ancient civilizations". :shock: He keeps on asking to come to his youth group to talk about God.

 

[Lallapalalable]

So he said, "Oh, so ancient civilizations".

So... what? I thought all other animals, dinos included, were created before people in the bibble? Does he... like, even... hmm.

 

[Prolescum]

Was born atheist and had little experience of it (outside literature) 'til in my teens. No religious grandparents of immediate family. Took RE (religious education class) at GCSE as it was fascinating. Never believed any of it but still consider it an overall gain; it's rarely a good idea to actively criticise (or dismiss) something you don't understand.

 

[CosmicJoghurt]

I never believed in God... I did believe, however, that my grandfather's soul had ascended to the clouds and that he was watching the whole world... Kind of ridiculous, but actually unrelated to religion, or God. I've always thought that the Christian story is kind of weird (back when I was younger), then when I started to learn how to think for myself I realized I was an atheist.

My parents are both Christians... But we don't talk religion in our house... not at all. And I do mean... absolutely not at all... And my father believes in the story of Noah's ark as if it were history (now that I've given it some thought, I do think that he was taught that when he was little... that Noah's ark is historical fact... And he is an intelligent person).

 

[Andiferous]

it's rarely a good idea to actively criticise (or dismiss) something you don't understand.

Thank you. <3

 

[nefariousvirtuoso]

Never.

I was born in England, into a family with no use or mention of God, we even had teacher lead mandatory prayer in elementary school, knew it was BS all along and that's about it.

God = Mythology

 

[ajh]

(RAMBLING ALERT!)
I was never raised in a religious household.the only times I've ever been in a church was to get baptized,one wedding,and three funerals (that I can recall)...sure a prayer was said here or there during the holidays,but that's about it.my dad is an atheist,since he was a kid as far as I could tell,he mentioned that he decided that he didn't agree with the Mormon faith once...but he believes in some other spiritual stuff....not quite sure what,think it's paganism or whatever;but he has never tried to force any of that crap in my direction.my grandmother is Mormon,but she's the typical sweet old lady type so she never tries to push anything.my aunt believes in god,and the only reason I can tell that she does is that she tried to get me to go to church on one Easter Sunday (that or she didn't want to go alone...I don't blame her),and jokingly says that she "failed as a god mother".pretty sure my mom believes in god,but she never pushed anything on me either.

didn't think of religion much until about the 7th grade;back then,antisocial type that I was,I was in the camp of "wtf is the big deal,atheists and Christians are all assholes!" (I call that the "angry agnostic" position)...from there I moved on to "fuck it,please everyone,'god created us to evolve' or whatever"...then I found Thunderf00t and his excellent "WDPLAC" videos,found this site (before everything was blue and porn links were posted in the chat box every 3 seconds...good times :lol: ) through his videos,found other videos debating the existence of god,debunking the stories in the bible,pointing out contradictions and hypocrisy...and the rest is history.

so yeah,I'm an atheist now,probably will be for the rest of my life.I enjoy my time spent here and on YouTube,looking through playlist after playlist of basically what amounts to the same thing but in different wrapping paper;but I enjoy it all the same.I will be forever grateful for my parents for not pushing me into something that I (speaking with what i now know in mind) feel would have hampered my enjoyment of life,and I'll also be grateful for the atheists on YouTube who work so hard to steer people in the right direction.

 

[ThePuppyTurtle]

For any theists that come here (not holding my breath), what makes you tolerate us?

To my knowledge, all atheists are Human Beings. That's why. May I fire the same question back at you? And add, Would you be willing to Fight for my right to be a Christian? And if so, Would you be willing to die for it?

 

[)O( Hytegia )O(]

For any theists that come here (not holding my breath), what makes you tolerate us?

Because the only difference between us is that I think that there's an unprovable Spiritual Realm that coincides with our own in action-raction sequences ...
And you don't.

The fact that it doesn't really matter if you don't never hurts, either. No hell, no heaven. I just happen to believe that life rolls on regardless.

Why tolerate someone that's exactly the same except for that smal opinion that people don't actively think about unless in a discussion anyhow?

 

[kenandkids]

Would you be willing to Fight for my right to be a Christian? And if so, Would you be willing to die for it?

Yes, I would fight for it and I have many times. The part about dying needs serious clarification. Many christians in America believe that their faith is being assaulted to the point that they must fight and die for it, yet it isn't even slightly true. Perception is important. If you were being rounded up for your beliefs, like many christians want to do to gays and atheists, then yes, that would be a circumstance that I would not tolerate.

 

[Andiferous]

No. I know many people for whom I might die for, and I may possibly die for many more, but I would never die for an abstract concept.

Then again, if the lives of those closest to me were at stake, I might be extorted into combat or death for an idea I may not even care about.

Ideas < People

 

[Lallapalalable]

Why tolerate someone that's exactly the same except for that smal opinion that people don't actively think about unless in a discussion anyhow?

(assuming that was sarcasm)
That this forum is more or less dedicated to that topic is why I would imagine a thiest would have issues posting here :lol: If that's the bulk of what is discussed, how would you get to know more about others, especially if you dont stick around for long. Thats a good point, though.

And I forgot you were pagan/chaotic god(s), and didnt consider your exception to the norm. It is good to know my assumption wasnt true, but I would like to hear more from anyone else who's not full-on atheist.

For any theists that come here (not holding my breath), what makes you tolerate us?

To my knowledge, all atheists are Human Beings. That's why. May I fire the same question back at you? And add, Would you be willing to Fight for my right to be a Christian? And if so, Would you be willing to die for it?

I tolerate Christians for pretty much what I quoted Hytegia on. My best friend is quite Christian, and we never discuss it (not even sure if he knows Im full atheist, but again, it never comes up). The only time I really discuss it is here, and that is raaaaarely, if I ever have (seriously not sure on that).

I would be willing to fight for your right to be a Christian to a certain extent, but I wouldnt die for it (if I could help it).

 

[Noth]

For any theists that come here (not holding my breath), what makes you tolerate us?

To my knowledge, all atheists are Human Beings. That's why. May I fire the same question back at you? And add, Would you be willing to Fight for my right to be a Christian? And if so, Would you be willing to die for it?

Yes, I would fight for your right to be a Christian but no, I would not, without any deeper investment, be willing to die for it.
However, I would fight and die for your right to say the things you want to say, despite whether I approve of them or not. That includes being able to profess your faith. I hope that distinction is clear in all its relevance