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Although I cannot/do not feel it would be feasible due to my job to come "out" as atheist, I would like to acknowledge how important it was to me to learn about others who are atheist. I remember questioning the logic of this mean sounding, invisible man in the sky at a very young age. When I thought about maybe not believing in God, I was hung up on ethics and morals. How could I know what's right or wrong without religion? Once I started reading Hitchens, Singer, Dawkins and others and learning a lot more about evolution and scientific processes, I was relieved to learn that religion does not have the corner on morality. Quite the opposite, really. Was there something that you read that triggered you to let go?

Greatlakesgal 4 Jan 12
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31 comments (26 - 31)

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1

Reading Karl Popper's "The Logic of Scientific Discovery", and crucially his concept of falsifiability therein, caused me to realise that all the claims of the God/Jehovah/Allah squad were baseless and absurd.

0

Bernard Russell, the Godfather of Unbelief

0

I never really believed it, I suppose. Even as a child it seems silly and I only went to church because my parents made me. Once I was old enough, I told them I would not go back. I've always been a science geek and a pretty fair critical thinker so when I began to understand how the universe worked, what made up evidence, it was easy for me to jettison whatever belief might still be there.

0

Search for some local groups to join. Meetup has many. Find local support. This is important, because you are going to encounter lots of shit when you start spouting your questionings.

I suggest you forget about "coming out." That is only necessary when you are confronted with stupid demanding you comply. Otherwise just be quiet. Because it can be dangerous to tell the truth. Wait to talk opening, at least until you are supported by others of your ilk.

If you have persons who urge you to attend sunday preaching, find ways to reduce your participation. And eventually they will leave you alone.

Most believers will NEVER allow themselves to think about any of it. Don't try to talk to them about what they believe. Keep it about you. The old break-up cliche is good, "It's not about you, it's about me." Even though we know it is the opposite.

I go to churches for the music and the rituals, and the costumes. A high catholic mass is an amazing experience. The incense bit, with latin utterances, is always wonderful.

Yeah and shaking that thing with the incense or whatever in it

0

"How could I know what's right or wrong without religion?"

These sorts of questions never bothered me, even at a young age. It's about being comfortable with not knowing how something originates. I still to this day do not understand why people insist there must be meaning to all of this. That extends to this concept of morality, which I never really felt the urge to question.

Right or wrong becomes a lot easier to understand when we settle ourselves with the notion that well-being is a condition all living things naturally aspire to achieve and maintain. Well-being helps to ensure maximum survivability. There are exceptions, but those exceptions do not cancel out the norm.

Moral constructs seem to develop from that core concept.

Why can't we be okay with this simple explanation? Why must we assert an external intelligence had to bestow it upon us for it to happen? There is no reasonable way to demonstrate such a thing, as far as we can tell, therefore no reason to believe such a thing exists.

0

Morality and decency come not from what we believe but from our need to live together in peace and brotherhood. Despite the wish of humans to know what becomes of us when we die, we can only know the here and now. The ancient Greeks thought that although we have a soul it resides in the mind and dies with the body. I think they were right.
So, live a decent and moral life treating others as you would like to be treated. Cross your fingers and hope for the best!

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