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| Author | Topic: Read anything by God or Darwin lately? | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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DevilsAdvocate Member (Idle past 3131 days)  Posts: 1548 Joined: |
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DevilsAdvocate Member (Idle past 3131 days) Posts: 1548 Joined: |
Straggler writes: I didn't know you started off as a believer..? Tell us more about your "path".........? I'll make it short. I grew up a Christian, baptized by my grandfather (a minister from Georgia) when I was 8 and then again when I was 23. My father and uncles where also ordained but I was not your typical preacher's kid. My father was active duty Air Force for 21 years and he was also a part time minister. After joining the Navy I lived in Hawaii where I got involved in a Christian movement heavy in the evangelism and discipling department and which at one point in history was the fastest growing Christian denomination in the world. Corruption and abuse though were rampant in the movement and I confronted the leadership in the local churches but was chastised and told that satan had led me astray. I left both the church and unfortunately my girlfriend at the time because of this. I was still a Christian at the time and attended another church in Hawaii for 2 years after. After transferring to the east coast I married my wife (also a Christian) and attended various churches for the next several years. Being a self educated person I began to look more at the evidence for the origin of the Christianity and Judaism as well as the authorship of the Bible and became more and more aware of the glaring moral and historical inconsistencies of the Bible. I also studied biology and chemistry in college and became aware of how unscientific creationism really was and how much modern biological sciences are supported by the TOE. Now, my wife and I attend a Methodist Church. She still hangs on to her beliefs. However, even though I am a skeptic of the Christian religion, I see how it gives my wife comfort and I am not as cruel to take that away from her. I believe my daughter is smart enough, like I was, to figure things out on her own and I try to instill in her a desire to explore and learn about the world around her. I never speak to her about my own skeptism (she is only 4), but I thought it was ironic when she asked me and my wife in bed last night where God came from and how could God create himself. And no, I didn't prod her at all.
Straggler writes: I remain unclear as to what I am exactly (although some other EvC members might have some unflattering suggestions as to the answer to that question - ) but what is the difference between an "agnostic atheist" and a "atheistic agnostic" (which I think I might be?)? I don't think there is a difference. An agnostic atheist is just someone who does not believe there is a God because of a lack of evidence for the existence of God but who would believe if adequate evidence were provided. Honestly I believe over 90% of atheists would fall into this boat. I was just being facetious  . Edited by DevilsAdvocate, : No reason given. For me, it is far better to grasp the Universe as it really is than to persist in delusion, however satisfying and reassuring. Dr. Carl Sagan
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DevilsAdvocate Member (Idle past 3131 days) Posts: 1548 Joined: |
My son and daughter are 22 and 20 now, but beginning when they were young I was determined that they would have a good, positive exposure to Christian religion because I saw it as a important part of American culture. We attended services at a Congregational Church and the kids went to Sunday school every week. If they became believers it was alright by me, and I kept my own religious beliefs to myself. The plan fell apart quickly. In short order they were telling us that they didn't believe anything they were being taught in Sunday school, and that they didn't want to go anymore. I finally gave in, but only on condition that we do Bible study at home on Sunday mornings. We did this for about year before I gave up. They just weren't buying any of it. We'd have long discussions where I would take the religious point of view, but after a while they became dismissive, saying things like, "We know you don't believe that, Dad." I think some non-believers are just born that way. Thanks Percy, I totally understand your point of view, even though my daughter is not quite there yet (challenging my beliefs). If my daughter remains a Christian or becomes an agnostic/atheist, I would have no problem with it. I love her no matter what. It is rather ironic, I even take her Awanas (a Christian kid's club) on Sunday nights and attend church more than my wife (she has Multiple Schlerosis). I am not going to lie to my daughter, but will shround my disbelief and skeptism as long as possible so as not to upset her mother. Due to my wife's medical condition and my constant being away on deployments and other naval excursions, I do not fault her faith in God at all. I just have a harder time with the whole moral hypocricy and inconsistencies both in modern religion and in the stories of the Bible. That along with the lack of scientific and historical evidence and innumerous inconsistencies is a little too much of a hurtle for my rational mind to continue to swallow. Thanks for sharing. It helps  Edited by DevilsAdvocate, : No reason given. For me, it is far better to grasp the Universe as it really is than to persist in delusion, however satisfying and reassuring. Dr. Carl Sagan
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DevilsAdvocate Member (Idle past 3131 days) Posts: 1548 Joined: |
Oni writes: Get her an email account and a default pic and bring her into the debate, she seems to have more logical sense than most creationists here. Sad but true 
I have 2 daughters, girls are great, huh? Very intelligent and quite the skeptics, too. They're a bit older than yours, 10 & 12, but trust their instincts, they're smarter than adults give'em credit for. Yes they are. Always have to be careful what you say around them. They pick up more than you know. She is a chatterbox but I love her. Kids are one of the greatest joys in life. No matter what a crappy day I had at work, when she comes running up and throws her arms around me when I get home it makes everyingthing else seem small in comparison. Hope everyone gets a chance to experience this. Have a good night all For me, it is far better to grasp the Universe as it really is than to persist in delusion, however satisfying and reassuring. Dr. Carl Sagan
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DevilsAdvocate Member (Idle past 3131 days) Posts: 1548 Joined: |
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DevilsAdvocate Member (Idle past 3131 days) Posts: 1548 Joined: |
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