Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Doug Reardon on July 9, 2011 at 10:39am

What matters most to me is my family, but I wouldn't care to have them discussed on this site.

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Joe Rivera on July 9, 2011 at 2:17pm

Doug, thank you for your comment. I hope your family is also atheist, otherwise I know it must be hard for you if they are not.

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Doug Reardon on July 9, 2011 at 2:20pm

Yeah, we're all heathens.

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Joe Rivera on July 9, 2011 at 2:25pm

Families that are "believers" don't understand that their atheist relative still loves them more than anything. Unfortunately, most of the time, those families turn against them.

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Arcus on July 9, 2011 at 2:37pm

The psychological impact of having been deconverted and brain cleaned in adulthood interests me greatly as I have not experienced this. It appears to me that religious baggage - essentially the whole system of thought monotheism in particular imposes - persists after leaving religion and interferes with normal childhood psychological development. I find that those which have been indoctrinated for a long time cannot let go of the emotional and cognitive biases even though they claim to have rejected belief.

If I ever strike rich, I'd want to study sites like this for an explanation of exactly how corrosive religion is to the developing mind, write a thesis on the subject, get a doctorate in psychology, and launch a career in international politics arguing for the outlawing of religion globally.

If I ever have the time to do so, the worst thing I could do is to go into the history books as that guy who failed to warn appropriately. Seeing as the only possibility to live on after my death are the history books, these are what I am aiming for.

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by 3equ3cp1fsw0n on July 9, 2011 at 3:24pm

I have also been wondering a lot about what life would be like for a society without religious intrusion and infiltration. Also, what to do with people who have lost their long held faith? They are psychologically accustomed to dealing with life's stresses in a particular way. How many of you know the feeling of the disappearing crutch after you have been using it a long time? I do. It's crazy.

• ▶ Reply