Greetings. I just attended my first secular supper tonight and got to meet a few people. (I was the one with the kid.) Thanks to all for an enjoyable evening.
I’m raising my son without a religion even though I am baptized Catholic and his father is Wiccan.
I decided to get out and start meeting people in the atheist/secular community…we have slowly been moving towards living more in line with our values (exiting Catholic school board for one).
One member told me that more family events are planned, so maybe I’ll see a few of you there!
E.
Welcome, EA. I believe there are a few members here from the Ottawa area, although most of us are fairly widespread across the U.S., other parts of Canada and a number in Europe.
You are certainly right in connecting with the secular community there, and especially letting your son meet them and their kids.
Join in the dicussions here. It’s fun, and we all learn things.
Oh, and you may want to check out the section at the bottom of the discussion list here. There’s a CFI Canada listing that may give you some connection ideas.
Occam
Hi, EA. Welcome. I hope you find the time to occasionally post on this forum.
Welcome EA
Thanks for the welcome, everyone.
It’s been a long, strange journey to where I am today.
My son and I admitted to each other a few weeks ago that neither of us believes in a God and we never have. Funny conversation.
Anyway, glad to be here and I look forward to the conversation.
You brought to mind an interesting conjecture, EA. While my parents were both early Catholics, I was not given any religious inculcation either positive or negative when I was young. Without brain washing, it was easy for me to see the concept of a god as a myth. Since you allowed your son to think for himself, he also recognized the unlikelihood of the existence of a god. Too bad we can’t have every parent allow their children to figure it out for themselves.
Occam
Thank you for the kind words, Occam. I did send my son to Catholic school, for practical reasons (daycare, school bus, and hours), but recently switched him to the public system, where he (and I) is much happier.
My parents never imposed their religion on me either, however I went to Catholic school for most of elementary and high school. I left the church unofficially at age 15 when I could no longer tolerate their views of women and homosexuals, not to mention the hypocrisy regarding the latter.
Perhaps my son will find a faith later on. Not up to me 
It seems to me that most kids are not even exposed to the idea that one does not need a religious faith to be a good person and to lead a good life. And they, thusly, have some religion imposed on them or seek out a religion, or ultimately, various religions to try out. All without the recognition that almost all religions require choosing to believe in the supernatural. And, problematically, if one can believe in deities or other things supernatural, then it becomes easy to believe in all sorts of scary or inane things. It all seems rather unecessary, to me. But I suppose we each have our own journey when it comes to religion.
Thank you for the kind words, Occam. I did send my son to Catholic school, for practical reasons (daycare, school bus, and hours), but recently switched him to the public system, where he (and I) is much happier. My parents never imposed their religion on me either, however I went to Catholic school for most of elementary and high school. I left the church unofficially at age 15 when I could no longer tolerate their views of women and homosexuals, not to mention the hypocrisy regarding the latter. Perhaps my son will find a faith later on. Not up to meI just want to step in here a sec and say hello EA and also to mention that we followed the same path, except that I was raised in a fundie church. My son is also an atheist and made the decision quite on his own. If more parents gave their children the right to decide for themselves instead of indoctrination into a particular faith we would undoubtedly have more nones in society. Welcome and comment when you can. Cap't Jack
Welcome EA. CFI is a good place to start, but I also recommend local freethinking groups too, if there are any in your area.