I Am An Atheist
I was raised as a Christian but thankfully not that strictly. We would go to church occasionally but I think it was my doing that we stopped going. I would ask the pastor all sorts of sticky questions that he really couldn't answer, I was just a bit too logical to be a believer.
At the age of 10 my mother told me in all seriousness that women had 1 more rib than men. She never told me where she got that idea from but I guessed it was the story of Eve being made from one of Adam's ribs. That made me very suspicious so I spent the next few lunchtimes at school in the library doing some research on it.
Of course, there is no difference between the male and female body in structure, just how hormones make the body develop.
Finding that she was wrong about that it got me wondering what else she had wrong. I think it was the idea of Noah's Ark that I could just never justify to myself.
At the age of 11 or 12 the teacher was telling us the story of Noah's Ark and being the inquisitive lad that I was, I was asking many questions. It was that day I stood up in class and declared I didn't believe in the tales in the bible ans consequently Christianity.
Australia isn't a "religious or bust" country, so my declaration didn't cause any waves. It was certainly a weight off my chest and I'm pretty sure I gave courage to a few others in the class to admit they were atheists too.
I feel so very sorry for believers being indoctrinated into their particular religion before the age of reason, they don't have a choice. I was fortunate enough to not be in a strictly religious family and to reason my way out of religion before it became who I was. Others in different circumstances just don't have a chance.
It's not even their parent's fault either, they too were indoctrinated as children.
Thankfully the internet has given people the resources to question their faith and actually get answers. I truly believe the death of religion is mere generations away. What will replace it is something I don't know, but I think I'll see it in my lifetime.
At the age of 10 my mother told me in all seriousness that women had 1 more rib than men. She never told me where she got that idea from but I guessed it was the story of Eve being made from one of Adam's ribs. That made me very suspicious so I spent the next few lunchtimes at school in the library doing some research on it.
Of course, there is no difference between the male and female body in structure, just how hormones make the body develop.
Finding that she was wrong about that it got me wondering what else she had wrong. I think it was the idea of Noah's Ark that I could just never justify to myself.
At the age of 11 or 12 the teacher was telling us the story of Noah's Ark and being the inquisitive lad that I was, I was asking many questions. It was that day I stood up in class and declared I didn't believe in the tales in the bible ans consequently Christianity.
Australia isn't a "religious or bust" country, so my declaration didn't cause any waves. It was certainly a weight off my chest and I'm pretty sure I gave courage to a few others in the class to admit they were atheists too.
I feel so very sorry for believers being indoctrinated into their particular religion before the age of reason, they don't have a choice. I was fortunate enough to not be in a strictly religious family and to reason my way out of religion before it became who I was. Others in different circumstances just don't have a chance.
It's not even their parent's fault either, they too were indoctrinated as children.
Thankfully the internet has given people the resources to question their faith and actually get answers. I truly believe the death of religion is mere generations away. What will replace it is something I don't know, but I think I'll see it in my lifetime.
51-55, M
