1. Why are you an atheist?
I left the religion I was brought up in
2. Have you ever believed in a Higher Power?
Yes, I was brought up religious
3. If so, Did something traumatic happen to make you stop believing?
Not traumatic. I saw the light
4. If not, why did you stop believing
See #3
5. What do you think happens to us when we die?
If we are cremated, we become dust. If buried, decompose if lost at sea, food for fish
6. Without believing in a Higher Power, where do you think we get our morals from?
I don’t think even the believer gets their morals from their beliefs. They only think they do.
7. Where do you think the universe came from?
Good question, but loaded. It assumes the universe must have come from somewhere. You have no reason to assume this.
8. What’s your views on Dawkins, Harris, and Hitchens?
Hitchens is dead and the two are still living.
9. Do you consider yourself a weak atheist or a strong atheist?
Atheist
10. How can you prove that God doesn’t exist?
You can’t either way. Proof is for mathematics.
11. Do you believe in miracles?
What are miracles?
12. Do you have a support group/system?
Yes, friends and relatives
13. Do you try to get others not to believe?
It is impossible to do that. A person believes as they are convicted.
14. Do others tend to view you differently when they discover you’re an atheist?
On occasion yes
15. Do people tend to try to convince you that your views are wrong?
A few times
16. How does your family view your beliefs? Are they supportive?
Live and let live is the family policy
17. What are your views on Madalyn O’Hair?
None. I have heard about her though
Random thoughts 
14. Do others tend to view you differently when they discover you’re an atheist? Not really. Well, at least not until they realize I’m a cannibal too, but, by then, they’re usually supper.
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By then it is too late for them I guess
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Question 9 might have been asking how much weight you can lift.
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Hahah SB. I hadn’t thought of it that way. I don’t lift weights. That must make me a weak atheist
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I’m a naked atheist. I’m only an atheist when I’m naked. When I’m dressed I believe in Odin.
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Hahahaha. Jeff you crack me up.
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1. Why are you an atheist?
There’s no evidence for belief and I feel no need to.
2. Have you ever believed in a Higher Power?
Yes, I was brought up to believe such.
3. If so, Did something traumatic happen to make you stop believing?
No. Actually, it was the birth of my first child and searching for a religion for our family that eventually brought me to atheism.
4. If not, why did you stop believing
See above
5. What do you think happens to us when we die?
Our bodies decompose and our cells disperse. Everything that makes us an individual dies when our brain does.
6. Without believing in a Higher Power, where do you think we get our morals from?
We developed them throughout time as civilization evolved. We are still developing them as culture wars plainly show.
7. Where do you think the universe came from?
There are many scientific minds seeking an answer to this question. I’m fine with admitting that I don’t know.
8. What’s your views on Dawkins, Harris, and Hitchens?
I agree with them on some things and disagree with them on others, just like everyone else on this planet.
9. Do you consider yourself a weak atheist or a strong atheist?
Depends on your definition.
10. How can you prove that God doesn’t exist?
You can’t prove a negative.
11. Do you believe in miracles?
I suppose that depends on your definition, but the answer is probably no regardless.
12. Do you have a support group/system?
Yes, I am surrounded by loving family and friends.
13. Do you try to get others not to believe?
No. I’ll have a conversation about it if someone wants to, obviously.
14. Do others tend to view you differently when they discover you’re an atheist?
Usually, yes.
15. Do people tend to try to convince you that your views are wrong?
Sometimes.
16. How does your family view your beliefs? Are they supportive?
The ones that know either don’t care or aren’t concerned enough to let it get in the way of our relationship.
17. What are your views on Madalyn O’Hair?
We share a first name. I wasn’t named after her, though. She died when I was still a child, but I imagine I would agree with her on some things and disagree on others, just like everyone else on this planet.
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Nice.
How have you been? You haven’t written anything lately.
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I’m good. Ridiculously busy, but good. You?
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Good and at the moment free as a bird
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Brill answers Madalyn.
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Questions like this tell you more about the environment and the person
asking. Especially a question such as 14.
One day the reverse might be true:
14 . Do people consider you are a farking idiot for still believing in an invisible Sky Daddy that looks at your willy when you pee?
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Hahahaha. A good question that one
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Pop Punk Band NOFX :
🙂
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hahah
he draws the line at Santa and Noah’s Ark
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Actually, Ark — being omnipresent He’s in the bowl and you’re peeing all over His holy face. No wonder He turns your tinkle green …
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Ha! Ark, you made me giggle! I used to wonder where Jesus was when hubby and I had sex. I pictured him standing in the doorway watching us. So pervy! It may be part of the reason why many religious people have hang ups about sex. I know I did while I was one and it certainly didn’t change for me over night once I deconverted.
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Don’t the Catholic Church still provide Yahweh sound-proofing Holy Water and motion detectors?
I read somewhere that you sprinkle it on the floor at the foot of the bed. I am sure they sell it as part of their 21st century Indulges Package:
”Yes, ladies, you can screw with God! – Now you can tell Jesus you’re coming but he won’t hear or see a thing. 12 months supply.”
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As I mentioned to Victoria, there are countless religious songs (older and newer) with the words “come”, “came” and “coming”. I’ve made everyone of them about sex to help my deprogramming.
What’s worse is how Song of Songs is the go to book of the Bible for Christian marriage counseling. I remember studying it personally and in Church groups for married couples. Solomon makes Mohammad look like a virgin.
I’m still looking for a non religious therapist to help with my RTS. I have found many who use the word “humanistic” only to discover that they are Christian. Living in west Tennessee isn’t exactly helping me in my search.
Always good to hear from you Ark.
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What else do you think the Jesus biographers had in mind when they wrote behold I come fast? It was their way of saying Jesus couldn’t hold his own for long
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Holy water is given free, anointing oil some priest has to say blessings over it.
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Ah … Thank you , Mak. I bow to the expert.
”Dominoes, partridge, spirits and sanctions,” or whatever it is the Priests say.
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Hahahaha.
I had a good laugh at this
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Those are the questions a university student asked?? American education is worse than even i thought!
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Let’s just say in America they have Liberty University and such other aberrations. You don’t expect much from it, do you?
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I gave up hoping for that a while ago… But seriously, this kid was accepted to a university, and that is the level of his/her questions? An eight year old would do better.
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Maybe it is something American.
It does seem they have different schools for atheists and for theists. Or why do they seem so different?
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Education system here in America sucks dog willy. Awful. Thinking and reasoning skills are not remotely valued. Just look at all the idiots we have here who think Trump would be a good president. Idjits.
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As it happens, Liberty University is accredited, but that’s something people should be aware of regarding some of the religious schools. The laws are state by state, but in some schools almost anyone can call themselves a college or a university. The important matter is to look at if an institution, and in some cases programs within institutions are accredited. Basically, will other entities recognize the school as legitimate? Also, some schools say they’re accredited, but they’re not accredited by an organization that’s widely recognized. Some poor souls go to some of the Christian colleges without realizing the degree is meaningless.
Even among accredited schools which school you go to matters. There’s a snob factor involved, but it’s not only that since some schools are simply harder than others.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Higher_education_accreditation_in_the_United_States
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I think religious education, unless one wants to be a pastor is basically useless.
We are having the same problem with some universities here. They are offering courses for which the relevant accreditation bodies have not authorised. And students do not know this. Which I think is to be short changed.
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Fojap makes a really good point. I went to CFNI Dallas and my degree in “practical theology” has been anything, but practical
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What do you do with a degree in practical theology? Is it like a degree in applied physics?
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Ha! You’re so funny! Well, as you may have heard before, a woman goes to Bible school/college to get her MRS degree. Honestly, that’s all that’s expected from her when she attends. Imagine how upset I was when I didn’t meet and marry the man I love for another 11 years after graduation.
I went to Bible School to become a worship leader. I paid for the majority of everything I needed out there, although it was totally my dad’s idea for me to go. (He often read about CFNI in his Charisma magazines.) I sucked in music fundamentals and I knew that wasn’t going to happen. I graduated, went back to Georgia to live with my parents and worked my old job at Wal-Mart. Within two years I applied to go back to Dallas to study at DBU and was accepted. They were one of the VERY FEW colleges that accepted my credits and I could start there as a junior instead of a freshman. I was all excited and told my Pentecostal parents about it. Mom said “oh” and dad shrugged his shoulders. I have often seen them get excited about 99 cent Whoppers at a Burger King 15 miles away, but they didn’t give a shit about my acceptance letter. I think they were biased because of the word “Baptist” in the college’s title. So, I didn’t pursue it, I didn’t care to futher my education anymore after that.
Now I’m glad that nothing came out of my “degree”.
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I think it is great you didn’t waste another few years mastering practical theology. That would be a massive waste of money
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I don’t understand why everybody goes to xxxxx school of divinity. Don’t they have normal universities?
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I don’t know. They are strange people
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I think it’s weird. America has the most highly rated university in the world, begins with M. I only know this because looking at my old girls school page, one of them was accepted. It was mega. Much more than Oxbridge. Yet, I read crap from people with American degrees and wonder if they could pass a fucking O level. Well, GCSE now.
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I think it’s safe to say, there is no uniformity in American higher education. The very, very good is lumped in with the utterly ridiculous, like Liberty “University,” which is just a baptist bible school. Who on earth hands out the accreditation there? Our friend David hails from Liberty and took great offense when I ridiculed at his “qualifications.” He actually tied to argue he’d attended a real university. These people have no idea.
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My degrees are pretty straight. One from an old red-brick university, the other from the UKs first distance learning while I was working. Neither of them had any religion built in, apart from in as much that Ancient & Medieval History & Archaeology obviously refers to it. But totally from a historical context. My first degree was very much about analysis. Criticism. Questioning. It taught me well.
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I know what you mean. I have advanced degrees in dance and pottery.. and a Masters in Venetian blind hanging. My supervising lecturer for that study encouraged me to continue on, teaching undergrad face-painting while i worked toward a PhD in Domino stacking, but by then I’d had had enough of rigorous academia.
If only the David’s of this world could see what real universities look like…
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My partner claims an MBA by default. Three years of me yacking on about Maslow, Herzberg, Handy and just-in-time and he’d been there, done that, and got it. And the G word wasn’t mentioned once 🙂
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It shows
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Maybe they don’t have an idea what happens at a university
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You know that’s a strange thing
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This is some funny stuff! Here’s my answers:
1. Why are you an atheist?
I’m not. I am agnostic.
2. Have you ever believed in a Higher Power?
Yes, my mother was kind of scary.
3. If so, Did something traumatic happen to make you stop believing?
No, I still think she’s kind of scary.
4. If not, why did you stop believing
See #3.
5. What do you think happens to us when we die?
If cremated, we become dust. If buried, we decompose. If lost at sea, we’re food for fish.
6. Without believing in a Higher Power, where do you think we get our morals from?
All morality and ethics are artificial constructs, including religion.
7. Where do you think the universe came from?
A more accurate question would be: How did the cosmos originate? To which, I do not know… and neither do you.
8. What’s your views on Dawkins, Harris, and Hitchens?
They are, or were, very learned people.
9. Do you consider yourself a weak atheist or a strong atheist?
Neither.
10. How can you prove that God doesn’t exist?
I’m neither able, nor motivated to disprove such a ridiculous notion as god(s). I have much more important things to do with my time.
11. Do you believe in miracles?
No, and I don’t believe in Santa Claus, the Easter Bunny, and the Tooth Fairy either.
12. Do you have a support group/system?
Not really. I’ve always been very independent.
13. Do you try to get others not to believe?
No, but I do try to educate people as best I can.
14. Do others tend to view you differently when they discover you’re an atheist?
I’m not an atheist; but, a lot of people view me differently – especially intolerant Christians.
15. Do people tend to try to convince you that your views are wrong?
Everyone tries to convince everyone else that their views are wrong. It’s a common human trait.
16. How does your family view your beliefs? Are they supportive?
They generally disagree, but respect my beliefs.
17. What are your views on Madalyn O’Hair?
I have none, but I probably would if her name was “O’Hairy Madalyn.”
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Bob, you didn’t mention that even your atheist friends like yours truly sometimes tell you your agnosticism on gods is not warranted 🙂
And now I know who to tell when you disturb me
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It is my nature to excel at disturbing people, especially when theists and atheists are locked in irreconcilable philosophical combat over grounds which have no such clear delineation.
The real world is not simply black and white, it also has color and varying shades of gray.
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“The real world is not simply black and white, it also has color and varying shades of gray.” It kinda smells funny too, imo. 🙂
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Yes, it really does smell kinda funny! 🙂
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Don’t know how yet, but I’m convinced it has something to do with Donald Trump’s hair.
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I heard it’s infested with all sorts of nasty creatures.
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Yep. They’re called right wing conservatives.
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Oh yeah, that’s it!
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Haha. Maybe he should get a haircut if that’s remotely possible
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They say all colours have gray. Maybe the atheists are on the grayer side of colour? You are one of a kind
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“They?” Who are “they?”
Of course I’m one of a kind. All of us non-clones are. I also know that atheists – just like everyone else – come in all different shapes, sizes, and colors. To see a uniform purity among them is exactly the same kind of delusion exhibited by religious fundamentalists in their unending search for a nonexistent truth.
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They? That is me plural 😀
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just because one goes to college doesn’t make one intelligent just as not going doesn’t make one stupid.
this one is average, and thinks s/he is clever. I’d like to see their answer to similar questions about their religion.
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I agree club, totally. I have seen college dumbasses.
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I don’t know why we all had to go through one dramatic event that caused us to deconvert. So many Christians seem to believe this. I remember telling a Messianic Jewish friend about my deconversion. (I haven’t heard from her since.) She said “well, I’ve been through hard times too.” If that were true I would have left two decades earlier than what I had. Even as a Christian I saw most of my “walk” as painful, defeating and ultimately, a struggle. I guess her response griped me more because I was born into it. She chose Christianity for herself in her late 20s. At the time of that conversation she was only a decade into her Christian faith. I didn’t become an atheist until I was about 40.
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Most people who ask why I stopped believing always think it was trauma that led to disbelief.
I think they don’t understand how a happy guy can just stop believing
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I think it’s sad that so many of you had to deconvert. I was brought up with wishy washy Anglican Christianity and it was nothing to leave it behind. Just stepped out of those clothes and moved on.
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I love stories like yours. I wish it was that way for everyone. I was born to crazy Charismatic, Pentecostal parents. I often heard praise and worship music at home as a kid and teen. I went to youth choir practice and youth service the same day I had my wisdom teeth pulled. In my 30s I went to a Church conference one week after my firstborn’s birth (an emergency c section after a full day of labor). I attended a long Sunday morning service three days after I had my second (a c section with a tubal ligation).
Victoria is right, it’s constant programming. I’m determined to get my mind right. I have methods to help me out that I’ve already mentioned here. I swear worse than my retired sailor husband. I listen to a lot of Bruno Mars and Beyonce. I’m actively seeking a secular/non religious therapist. It’s taking longer than I thought it might, but I WILL find one.
In the mean time I’ve got Robert Tilton (a televangelist I often watched as a kid) fart videos to keep me happy!
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You had a difficult childhood.
Reading works very well too as therapy
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I agree Noel.
Thanks for the kind words. You’re a kind person. And to think you did that by yourself without Jesus. Woe!
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You are most welcome my friend and I wish you all the best. I hope you get help sooner, all the help.
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You were lucky my friend, very lucky
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@Niceatheist
From the unofficial CFNI course directive book.
Courses offered:
1.Practical carpentry. Make crosses like Our Lord. Ideal frames for scarecrows. Old Hat and jacket supplied. Bring your own filling.
2.Gardening:
a.How to extinguish talkative burning shrubbery.
b.Learn how to hoe. Bring your own fishnet stockings, short skirt and make-up.
3. Cookery: How to prepare just about anything with a few fish and two loaves.
And much, much more.
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That explains why that degree is anything but practical!
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Ark, you got a real knack for humor. I really appreciate your “unofficial” rules!
I went there in the early 1990s, between the Swaggert and Bakker “falls from grace” and the “true love waits” movement. It was an unbelievably oppressive environment. It was also when I began to have serious doubts about “God”. As a woman I was not allowed to show my shoulders and knees in class, chapel, conference meetings and even in the campus cafeteria. We were required to wear skirts and dresses to all of those places as well, except the cafeteria. We could only give male students side hugs, PDA was strictly prohibited. However, I knew one who tried to rape a female student while attending a student ministry function (street evangelism, I think). He was suspended for one year, came back to finish his last semester and graduated.
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A touch of humour now and then sometimes helps us get over the more traumatic events in life.
When one learns to laugh at such things we begin to realise just how silly they are – and also those ( like we once were) that continue to push such nonsense.
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Indeed Ark. It’s also why I replace “god” with “dog” in all the religious songs still stuck in my head.
Hope you, Noel and everybody else commenting here have a happy weekend!
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Have a happy weekend too my friend.
Humour is good. I have a good laugh making fun of religion
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