After watching a debate between Drs Craig and Shook. I was a theist for about 25 years before concluding it was nothing more than a nonsensical, incoherent, irrational belief system based on nothing evidence based - all just presuppositional views/feelings. I also have concluded that Christianity is a sociopathic cult based on my experiences both in the cult and outside of it. I am in the process of writing a book about those experiences. I put out YouTube videos which discuss any and all aspects of the cult along with Atheist arguments against them. I also engage in numerous fist fights (not academic debates) with those still in the cult. This is done mainly on YouTube message threads that follow various videos in the same environment. An example is with the actual Craig-Shook debate where, if you scroll down to the messages, you’ll find me and others of our ranks engaged with the cultists. My YouTube tag is Atheism Defended and you can find my stuff over at
http://www.youtube.com/user/raoul116?feature=mhee
Looking back at my life I have finally found myself, after 68 years. The atheist philosophy fits me like a glove!
I just joined, as well. I was raised Pentecostal and undertook to read the Bible cover-to-cover, out of devotion. I read the KJV and then, hoping that perhaps the King’s English had confused me, read a modern English version. That made an agnostic theist of me: I still believed in God but was sure it couldn’t be (or at least I hoped it couldn’t be) the inspiration for the Bible.
By the time I was in my mid-thirties I had been exposed to skepticism, comparative religion, logic, and cosmology. Although I’m not sure when I became an atheist, a point came when I realized I was one.
In 2004 I had knowingly met three other atheists. I founded The Freethought Society of the Midlands on Meetup.com and now I know hundreds.
I’m also a secular humanist who attends Unitarian…it makes sense to me. It doesn’t hurt that my minister is also an atheist.
That’s a riot about your minister being an atheist. Ironically, you couldn’t have picked a WORSE translation of the bible if you wanted to. The KJV is notorious for the amount of errors, additions, and deletions to various texts that fed it. (source - Bart Ehrman, et.al.)
Yeah, he also does sermons that actually interest me.
I know the KJV has a lot of problems now, but for a Pentecostal there WAS no other Bible, at least no in those days (early 70s).
Good to know, im a newbie in here. looking forward for more interesting topics on this site.
I just joined, as well. I was raised Pentecostal and undertook to read the Bible cover-to-cover, out of devotion. I read the KJV and then, hoping that perhaps the King's English had confused me, read a modern English version. That made an agnostic theist of me: I still believed in God but was sure it couldn't be (or at least I hoped it couldn't be) the inspiration for the Bible. By the time I was in my mid-thirties I had been exposed to skepticism, comparative religion, logic, and cosmology. Although I'm not sure when I became an atheist, a point came when I realized I was one. In 2004 I had knowingly met three other atheists. I founded The Freethought Society of the Midlands on Meetup.com and now I know hundreds. I'm also a secular humanist who attends Unitarian...it makes sense to me. It doesn't hurt that my minister is also an atheist.I've wondered how many atheists out there actually purport to be sincere believers as representatives of authority in it? In particular, you would think that certain political personalities who play the religiously devout should have at least some percentage of those who believe in using religion as a means to desired ends. Of course if they believe in its utility, they are not going to be open about it.
From his history and church-state record, I think you could make a case that President Obama is likely among those who use religion as a means to desired ends. I’m sure he’s not alone. I believe it is currently impossible to gain high office in the USA without placating the Christian majority.
From his history and church-state record, I think you could make a case that President Obama is likely among those who use religion as a means to desired ends. I'm sure he's not alone. I believe it is currently impossible to gain high office in the USA without placating the Christian majority.I think they all do, so far. The age of Enlightnement that initiated the first American politicians probably had the most honest capability to be sincere. But even then, I think, they were in the minority view and had to watch what they said. Vyazma is presenting how even in the non-religious we find a desire for the 'spirituality' of music. [Great Quotes] I think that is what scares the vast majority from ever embracing a leader without religion -- they feel it would be like stealing the magic of the music that entertains us the most.
From his history and church-state record, I think you could make a case that President Obama is likely among those who use religion as a means to desired ends. I'm sure he's not alone. I believe it is currently impossible to gain high office in the USA without placating the Christian majority.I think they all do, so far. The age of Enlightnement that initiated the first American politicians probably had the most honest capability to be sincere. But even then, I think, they were in the minority view and had to watch what they said. Vyazma is presenting how even in the non-religious we find a desire for the 'spirituality' of music. [Great Quotes] I think that is what scares the vast majority from ever embracing a leader without religion -- they feel it would be like stealing the magic of the music that entertains us the most. How would that work? Lois
How would what work?
Jr. Member Total Posts: 4 Joined 2013-04-16 From his history and church-state record, I think you could make a case that President Obama is likely among those who use religion as a means to desired ends. I’m sure he’s not alone. I believe it is currently impossible to gain high office in the USA without placating the Christian majority.That's simply because the majority of registered voters are xtian. Obama wouldn't have stood a chance without them, surely with just the nones vote he wouldn't have been in the running either. That plus he considers himself to be a mainstream xtian anyway and the majority of African-Americans and Latinos are xtian. For further proof count the number of avowed agnostics and atheists in Congress. That alone should be an indicator of the hold xtians have on the American political system. Cap't Jack
How would what work?You wrote, "Vyazma is presenting how even in the non-religious we find a desire for the ‘spirituality’ of music. [Great Quotes] I think that is what scares the vast majority from ever embracing a leader without religion—they feel it would be like stealing the magic of the music that entertains us the most." How would it "steal the magic"?
How would what work?You wrote, "Vyazma is presenting how even in the non-religious we find a desire for the ‘spirituality’ of music. [Great Quotes] I think that is what scares the vast majority from ever embracing a leader without religion—they feel it would be like stealing the magic of the music that entertains us the most." How would it "steal the magic"? Well, it doesn't bother me one bit. I'm saying that that is the perception of the rest of society. Atheism to people's minds associates an end to mystery, hope out of undesirable realities, a basis for a fixed moral truth, and meaning to much of what we call art. Art is loved when it is most obscure and abstract because people can interpret it in a way that speaks personally to them. Compare: Which appeals better as lyrics? "You are so beautiful, to me." or, "Your physical appearance is emotionally affecting me in such a way that I want to be in your presence all the time, Elizabeth." The precision of the second statement says the same thing as the first. But it takes the mystery away and leaves it rather cold and almost creepy sounding. People do not always desire truth in personalities. I think most of us here can relate to it. And even though we admire the truth here, we are still most likely drawn to mystery in our art and the personalities we like.