Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Nelson on June 17, 2011 at 5:27pm

Any friend of Jewelz' is a friend of ours :)
Welcome!

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Permalink Reply by Jennifer Stanley on June 17, 2011 at 5:36pm

Thank you Nelson! And yes, she's pretty amazing!

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Permalink Reply by oneinfinity on June 17, 2011 at 6:54pm

I honestly feel like I am more spiritual now than when I could call myself a religious person 

I don't actually remember ever feeling spiritual when I was religious. Probably because I was only religious when I was young, like between the ages of 5-16 or so. The main thing I remember is fear of burning in Hell and being afraid of demons. I can remember being as old as 12 or 13 and not being able to get to sleep because I was imagining demons swarming around outside. The 1st time I ever had a truly "spiritual" experience came some years after I had stopped seriously thinking about god at all, and had begun contemplating the universe as science presents it: ~15 billion years old, innumerable stars and galaxies and unimaginable distances; add evolution and everything else, and it's just so mind-blowingly incredible. It just seemed to me so much more profoundly beautiful and moving than "god done it."

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Permalink Reply by Jennifer Stanley on June 18, 2011 at 1:45pm

The last time I was a part of an organized religion was back in 2001-2002, and at the time, I felt that going to church was helping me deal with a lot of things that were going on at the time. I was baptised and actually felt like my soul was brand new, if that makes sense. It wasn't so much fear of hell or anything like that as it was just feeling... I don't know.... enlightened? For lack of a better word. But each time I went to my pastor with questions, I was shot down and pretty much told to just believe what was in the scriptures. I'm a critical thinker, and eventually, the questions I had that didn't have any answers outweighed the pleasure I had gotten by going to church and listening to the word of god.

 

It's sort of funny. Trying to put the way I felt back then and how it shaped me into the athiest I am today into words is harder than I had imagined it would be. But thank you for sharing your own feelings on it!

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Permalink Reply by MikeLong on June 17, 2011 at 7:13pm

Lovely post, Jenn. That's the kind of thing I can send to my theist friends and family in my quest to sway the many who are as uncertain as you were but who might tumble into the truth if gently nudged.

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Permalink Reply by Jennifer Stanley on June 18, 2011 at 1:48pm

Thank you Mike! I really do hope it helps! If you have any questions that arise from showing this post, feel free to ask. I'm a pretty open person and I don't mind at all!

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Permalink Reply by Heather Spoonheim on June 17, 2011 at 7:43pm

Welcome, Jenn!

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Permalink Reply by Jennifer Stanley on June 18, 2011 at 1:48pm

Thanks Heather! :)

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Permalink Reply by Robin on June 17, 2011 at 11:15pm

Hi Jennifer,

I'm glad you took the time to introduce yourself.

I've been an atheist all of my adult life and needed to find others like me.

I posted a blog about a dilemma I was having with NA. The program revolves around god or a higher power.

I received many useful comments and my problem was solved. The people here are awesome and I too love being able to say what I really think.

Hope you like it here as much as I do...

 

Robin

Long Island, NY

 

 

 

 

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Permalink Reply by Jennifer Stanley on June 18, 2011 at 1:50pm

Thanks for the reply Robin!

 

I'm sure I'll be making future posts to ask questions or contribute to others with what I feel about the topics presented here. It's great to find a safe place to ask questions and be treated with respect. I'm looking forward to contributing more myself!

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Permalink Reply by Jeremy on June 18, 2011 at 5:58am

Welcome Jenn

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Permalink Reply by Jennifer Stanley on June 18, 2011 at 1:50pm

Thank you Jeremy!

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