Your Religious Status

Atheist, Secular/Nonreligious/Agnostic

About Me:

I live in the metro Atlanta, Georgia area with my life partner, Sam. I'm much more introverted than he is, so I don't meet very many people. I've spent much of the last 12 years educating my daughter at home. She's just moved out (she was already in college) so I have much more time on my hands now! I haven't been able to do any significant work outside our home since 2000 due to disability, although I have done extensive volunteer work and media appearances in the internet safety field. I also helped found a secular homeschooling group and do some animal rescue work. I've been a Girl Scout troop leader in the past and was part of the Freecycle movement when it was less centralized. When working, I was a technical writer and software QA analyst, among many other things.

Age

41-46

Why are you here?

I was searching for the source of a fascinating quote and found it here. It looks like an interesting place, and I thought I might find friendly people with whom to converse here.

The religion you left

Christian

Why you left your religion.

None of it made sense, no matter how much I studied and searched. I started getting in trouble for asking too many questions (meaning the pastor didn't have the answers, and girls weren't supposed to be asking questions anyway) when I was 7 years old. Life after that was one long fight between me, my parents, and various church authorities. What was even more frustrating was that I wasn't trying to make trouble, as they kept assuming. My questions were sincere!

I tried "having more faith" and working harder. I was in church every time the doors open (good Southern Baptists only die of exhaustion!) for quite a few years at one point, and my first husband was a youth minister for a time (meaning I was an unpaid adjunct church employee). I also spent more than six years working in a business capacity for the Presbyterian Church in America's headquarters in Atlanta. When I began working for them, I was able to pass the theological drilling that was part of the interview process (twice) despite not being Presbyterian. By the time I left, I had lost faith in all religion, partly because of my experiences there.

During my search, I initially searched for any sect of Christianity that would make sense, and couldn't find one. Then I expanded my search to other religions, with no more luck. All I did learn was that most of the most despicable people I encountered or learned about in the world were the most rabidly religious.

Think Atheist Travel Network Couch Availability - Are you able to host anyone now?

Maybe

Skype username:

cynthia.armistead

Twitter

http://technomom.twitter.com

How did you hear about Think Atheist?

Google