Coming out... religiously?

[Stark Raving]

(29-06-2010 10:39 PM)nogroupthink Wrote:  I Am Me.... In the words of an Atheist.


I am only me... One person in a sea of many. Society classifies me as an outcast because I'm not of the religious right or democratic left. I am in the middle. I am me. I think for myself and that is none other than a crime to many. I do not run with the pack. I am my own leader. I belong not to this country nor to your God. I belong to myself. After all of this, I stand for you. Your freedom from the chains of society. Be not what they tell you to be. Be what you feel you are. Be yourself. Too many times I hear them tell me not to be a follower. To many times I see them wear the latest trends. I say what I want and do the same. I make my own standard and they follow somone elses. I read all articles and make sense of all views. They see one angle and know nothing more. I am me. I see for myself to make my choices. I do not hear what you say and disregard the others. I do not lay claim to any falsness or groupthink ideas. I am me. I stand for standing. I hear for hearing. I will not join your group and you cannot join my group either. I have no gathering. I raise no flag and I do not claim a name. The only thing that ties me to you is my blood. I am Human. Yet I am me. Do not push me. I will push back. But not to sway you to my side of thought. Only to have you understand that you will not sway me to your side of doctrine. I do not say that I am better than you. I am not. I am only me. To you I am lost. I feel like I am not. I realize that I am still growing. Learning as I go. Open to all information and turning nothing down. I do not judge nor do I hate. I learn from every corner of every room. I read your books and theirs. I love. Not because I was told to either. I do not have set rules to follow that will ensure wellness and happy endings. I live life one step at a time. I love life for what it is. I will not modify that with the false pretenses of religion built gain. I give to no church because no church gives to me. I will not be had. I am me. I am not you.

Just printed this to share with some others (including my daughter). I hope you don't mind.

For the love of god (pun very much intended) show this to your parents. It's truth, and there's beauty in that.

[nogroupthink]

I appreciate the positive feedback! I am glad you also chose to share my thoughts with your friends and family and no I do not mind at all. Those words are from my mouth but many millions of hearts...

[Stanly]

My mom wanted to go to Church on Easter, and I said I wasn't going because I was an Atheist. She told me she thinks that Atheists were sent by the devil to convert Christians. I laughed. The next day I was totally ripped on in my house and I just walked out. I was pissed.

My dad, however, is cool with it. I don't know about my Mormon grandmother, however.

[nogroupthink]

lol! Not to laugh but I love your story because it is freakishly similar to my own. My mother is hardcore Christian and she to this day feels that Atheists are evil, uneducated, and sent by Satan himself to do his dirty work. Hardly..... The situation has calmed but like I said, momma don't take to the Atheist option. LOL! I sort of came out in a like way but without that walking out part. I could see that it pained my mother to hear what I had to say after trying to raise me as a good Christian boy. Her efforts were not in vein as I was sure to tell her that because although I am not a Christian, I am a good boy. My mother shared many good life lessons with me as did my father who was never a practicing religious man. As part of my "coming out," I made it clear to them that they had done a great job raising me and that what they had taught me stuck like glue. Though I am now molding those lessons with the lessons of reason. I would encourage this to anyone who may be making the big announcement for the first time.

[xxxsaltyxxx]

I like how most people blame everything on Satan. I tell them that if it's true, then it's god's fault still, because he knew how Satan would turn out, and still made him anyway. and if they say he didn't make Satan, then I say that he must not be powerful enough to stop him, or he would have by now, otherwise he doesn't really care about all the suffering and killing of innocent people and children in the world. Doesn't open their eyes to Atheism, but it's fun to hear the excuses as to why god does what he does.

[Unbeliever]

What everyone entirely fails to appreciate is that Satan is the protagonist. God is the tyrannical overlord who declares "My way or burn in Hell forever", and smites people - Satan, on the other hand, says "You can do it any way you want. Just be willing to accept the consequences". And he doesn't actually hurt anyone in the Bible. He just tempts them. On the other hand, Yahweh smites left and right.

And I'm pretty sure that this has been said before, but Legion would have been an amazing movie if it had been Satan rather than Michael.

[nogroupthink]

"Protagonist" is the perfect title for Satan. Stories of his temptations abound but it does not compare to the stories of rape, murder, incest, torture, and slavery at the had of the Almighty. Interesting...... "Do it your way and pay the price." (The price I was told I would pay by the youth pastor in my church.) or "Do it my way or be sentenced to rape, beatings, labor, or murder." Hmmmm.... I wonder? I don't think either way had a happy ending. Weather you chose Satan 1 or Satan 2... I would possibly "Fear God" more due to the seemingly unending proof that he will jack you up if you don't. So they say.... He really fucked 'em up back in the day.