Howdy and hello. :)
I just signed up and wanted to pop in for a quick introduction. I'm 37, I've been openly agnostic with atheist tendencies since the age of 13. My mother is catholic, father was raised Protestant but they didn't force religion or even take me to church. I did attend church and bible camp with friends regularly(Lutheran and baptist) but I never could catch the religious germ. I tried hard to become infected but I seem to be impossibly resistant :)
Growing up with these views was stifling! I was shot down and my opinions ridiculed every time I tried to express myself. Ultimately, I stops expressing myself and was okay with that for many years. It just wasn't worth the social ostracisation at the time. Anyone who knew me, knew my views and made it clear they felt sorry for me. I laughed that off for a long time, but it got really old.
for the past several years, I've lost the ability to remain quiet. I hope I don't offend anyone, but I find religion and the religious to be positively frightening! Watching religion seep more heavility into our government is the worst part of it all.
Speaking out is something I need to do, ......it's like eating and breathing but it's coming at a high cost. My friends are all religious, and cannot understand why I need to make points against religion (but of course they can talk about God all they want). I'm treated like I'm crazy, confused, ignorant. It's incredibly frustrating, especially since I care about these people. It's also hard to be the only vocal/active agnostic/atheist I know in real life. I'm not lacking for friends and family, but I am lacking like minded friends and that's why I'm here. :)
I'm looking forward to getting to know everyone, and I admit I'm genuinely hoping to meet some allies. I feel like I'm the enemy whenever I discuss issues that appeal to me. I'm still familiarizing myself with the forum so it might take awhile for me to fully dive in.....but I'll get there :). I'm having trouble uploading a photo but I think it's because I'm on an iPad. Thanks for reading.
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Dennis Weaver on -
Hey and welcome! Lots of great people here... I think you'll find what you're looking for. :-)
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Permalink Reply by Tiffany bottoms on -
Thanks for the welcome! I've been reading through some posts and I'm feeling confident I'll fit right in.
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Permalink Reply by Tiffany bottoms on
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Thanks for the welcome David. I found this forum when I was google searching for a local atheist group I could join. The most local one I have found thus far is over an hour a way. I may check it out but I'm hoping to find a closer one.
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Permalink Reply by dizzyduckie on -
Hi, Tiffany! :D I'm new here too and I, like you, need some friends that I can be open with and talk about things that may not be "religion-friendly!" One might think that a lack of a religion just means that part of their life doesn't exist but my agnosticism is just as big a part of my life as any religion would be and I have a need to express it and talk about it.
Hope you find what you're looking for here! <3
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Permalink Reply by Tiffany bottoms on
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Thanks DizzyDuckie! You are right, being non-religious is as important to us, as religion is to a believer. Believers don't understand how that could possibly be, which is why they feel so justified in telling or eluding to me that my position is unimportant.
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Permalink Reply by James Cox on -
Dear Tiffany:
Being told to stuff your opinion does get old. Religious bullies get away with their crap because atheists stuff it! I think we need a full planetary atheist coming our party! May be even a 12 step program for atheist assertiveness training! Think of it. We could even go for communum and demand the sacred bean dip!
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Permalink Reply by Tiffany bottoms on
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Thanks for understanding James. I agree completely except I prefer a scared salsa over bean dip :). One of the reasons I am vocal, is to get people used to "our kind" and see us as just like them. The more people who speak up, the more accustom the world will become. I almost feel like I give a voice to the ones who cannot speak out (maybe I'm exaggerating my importance little hehe)
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Permalink Reply by Suzanne Olson-Hyde on -
A very warm welcome Tiff, I am amazed at your strength at not being sucked in by the people around you - brilliant.
@ Tiffany - I hope I don't offend anyone -
Highly unlikely, this is an Atheist group after all :D Loads of people on this site, are in exactly the position you have found yourself, but just dive in, the water is very warm here.
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Permalink Reply by Tiffany bottoms on
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Thanks Suzanne. I actually tried to be sucked in, but it never worked. I hold honesty to be of great importance, so I had no choice but to tell people I wasn't religious. When I was young, it was pretty hard, and I actually thought about telling people "god/Jesus came to me and I've been saved!". Just to avoid their judgements and snarky comments......but it was just too ridiculous to ever say.
I'm glad I won't offend anyone. I was in a Facebook discussion forum and made that point, and some dude started getting all upset. He said that making points against religion cheapens our cause. Part of my views, contain a great discontent with organized religion and it's power within the USA. I'm glad to know I can express that here :)
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Permalink Reply by Suzanne Olson-Hyde on
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Damned right, Tiff, you can express any views here. The only thing Atheists agree on, there is no god. After that, people differ on a lot of different subjects. But if one can't have a diatribe on an Atheist site, where the heck can one :D
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Permalink Reply by archaeopteryx on -
Welcome Tiffany! I think you'll find plenty of support here.
RE: "I'm having trouble uploading a photo but I think it's because I'm on an iPad." - I'm not sure that's it, I use nothing BUT Mac products! Can't say what the problem is, but I can safely say it isn't supernatural.
pax vobiscum,
archaeopteryx
www.in-His-own-image.com
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Permalink Reply by Tiffany bottoms on
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Thanks archaeopteryx. What a big relief to know its not supernatural :). It's most likely an operator error,....hopefully I'll figure it out eventually. :)
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