Soup Dragon
18th November 2009, 11:40 AM
I feel the need to write something here as it seems that this section is particularly interesting especially for those out there wrestling with their fears and struggling to leave their faith for the 'unknown' pasture that is Atheism.
However 'Coming Out Stories' is probably a misleading heading in my particular case. As I hinted at in my introduction my path to Atheism was a very benign one.
My fathers side of the family actually was very religious - Church of England, or Protestant I guess. I'm not too sure about my mum's religious history such as it was but I'm assuming she came from a similar background albeit not as staunch. It was an era were you married into the same denomination let alone faith, sounds daft now and it wasn't that long ago!
My dad is a bit of a fence sitter, edging his bets just in case. My mum however denounced religion pretty much just before I was born when she learnt about the famine in Africa and saw pictures of all the suffering. She couldn't square that scene with any gods 'loving' image.
From this background I was brought up. I understood my dad's mother was very religious and attended church but religion was never a family topic so it was only when I started school I got glimpses of what religion even was. And as I remember it was only Christianity that was taught.
It kinda washed over me at Primary school - I wasn't in a particularly religious environment even though it was a C of E school. We did hymns in the mornings for 20 minutes or so and a Nativity play each year. It was a small school so everyone was in the nativity, I always struggled to remember my lines as I had a very important part... I think they were "... and Myrrh" :) I can't remember having a dedicated class on religion.
In the first years of high school we did have a class for 35 mins each week called 'religious education'. This being more focused made me think a little, but only a little, and to be honest I thought it was all a load of bull. Inevitably I took a few questions home and asked mum what she thought. Put simply she thought it was all a load of crap! So there you have it, brought up an as Atheist though this wasn't a term I discovered for many years to come. I called myself Agnostic if I was ever asked, but in my early teens didn't really understand the meaning of the word fully - I was NEVER Agnostic, always an Atheist.
I did have a few moments of doubt along the way, through those crazy hormone years - stupid childish stuff (If I pray hard enough Helen Livesey will go out with me) ;) But these were pretty infrequent. On leaving school we were all given a pocket bible - Gideon's. By this time I was interested enough to try and read it and gain a better understanding of Christianity at least... I didn't get far, the language was too much of a barrier for me back then so it ended up in the bin. I regret that really, and do keep promising myself I will read the Bible and the Quoram (though I realise there are translation problems with this) if not just to make my own mind up about the whole debate.
But for me all this arguing about evolution versus creation, the church trying to prove miracles and how historically flawless the 'great book' is, what's allegorical vs what's literal etc etc is fine and worthwhile. But it's not the kind of information that I personally need to reinforce my view. Simple common sense blows all the religions away so far as I'm concerned. So whilst I appreciate forewarned is forearmed in any religious debate I need no more proof (personally) than the simple fact that none of them make any sense in the 21st century, and haven't for a long time before that I doubt.
I seem to be waffling rather a lot again but a great little story has just popped into my mind if you bear with me a little longer...
I don't have kids but most of my mates do. One particularly close friend had a young daughter at school. She came home one day and asked her dad if all this religious stuff was true, and he, being a good parent, explained his views (I think tolerant Atheist is a title that suits) going on to tell his daughter it was up to her to decide how she personally felt.
A few days later she announced she thought the whole god thing was all a load of rubbish. 'Good' he said, proud of his daughters independent decision. A few days later he went upstairs to kiss her goodnight and she was praying at the foot of the bed. 'I thought you didn't believe in god?' he asked his daughter when she'd finished. The little girl roared with laughter and when she settled down said, 'Of course I don't believe in god, I'm praying to father Christmas you fool'.
I thought that was cute.
:)
However 'Coming Out Stories' is probably a misleading heading in my particular case. As I hinted at in my introduction my path to Atheism was a very benign one.
My fathers side of the family actually was very religious - Church of England, or Protestant I guess. I'm not too sure about my mum's religious history such as it was but I'm assuming she came from a similar background albeit not as staunch. It was an era were you married into the same denomination let alone faith, sounds daft now and it wasn't that long ago!
My dad is a bit of a fence sitter, edging his bets just in case. My mum however denounced religion pretty much just before I was born when she learnt about the famine in Africa and saw pictures of all the suffering. She couldn't square that scene with any gods 'loving' image.
From this background I was brought up. I understood my dad's mother was very religious and attended church but religion was never a family topic so it was only when I started school I got glimpses of what religion even was. And as I remember it was only Christianity that was taught.
It kinda washed over me at Primary school - I wasn't in a particularly religious environment even though it was a C of E school. We did hymns in the mornings for 20 minutes or so and a Nativity play each year. It was a small school so everyone was in the nativity, I always struggled to remember my lines as I had a very important part... I think they were "... and Myrrh" :) I can't remember having a dedicated class on religion.
In the first years of high school we did have a class for 35 mins each week called 'religious education'. This being more focused made me think a little, but only a little, and to be honest I thought it was all a load of bull. Inevitably I took a few questions home and asked mum what she thought. Put simply she thought it was all a load of crap! So there you have it, brought up an as Atheist though this wasn't a term I discovered for many years to come. I called myself Agnostic if I was ever asked, but in my early teens didn't really understand the meaning of the word fully - I was NEVER Agnostic, always an Atheist.
I did have a few moments of doubt along the way, through those crazy hormone years - stupid childish stuff (If I pray hard enough Helen Livesey will go out with me) ;) But these were pretty infrequent. On leaving school we were all given a pocket bible - Gideon's. By this time I was interested enough to try and read it and gain a better understanding of Christianity at least... I didn't get far, the language was too much of a barrier for me back then so it ended up in the bin. I regret that really, and do keep promising myself I will read the Bible and the Quoram (though I realise there are translation problems with this) if not just to make my own mind up about the whole debate.
But for me all this arguing about evolution versus creation, the church trying to prove miracles and how historically flawless the 'great book' is, what's allegorical vs what's literal etc etc is fine and worthwhile. But it's not the kind of information that I personally need to reinforce my view. Simple common sense blows all the religions away so far as I'm concerned. So whilst I appreciate forewarned is forearmed in any religious debate I need no more proof (personally) than the simple fact that none of them make any sense in the 21st century, and haven't for a long time before that I doubt.
I seem to be waffling rather a lot again but a great little story has just popped into my mind if you bear with me a little longer...
I don't have kids but most of my mates do. One particularly close friend had a young daughter at school. She came home one day and asked her dad if all this religious stuff was true, and he, being a good parent, explained his views (I think tolerant Atheist is a title that suits) going on to tell his daughter it was up to her to decide how she personally felt.
A few days later she announced she thought the whole god thing was all a load of rubbish. 'Good' he said, proud of his daughters independent decision. A few days later he went upstairs to kiss her goodnight and she was praying at the foot of the bed. 'I thought you didn't believe in god?' he asked his daughter when she'd finished. The little girl roared with laughter and when she settled down said, 'Of course I don't believe in god, I'm praying to father Christmas you fool'.
I thought that was cute.
:)