Emmy Joins AFA Forums

[Emmy]

Hi Leigh and hi all, I am from Melbourne too. Just found this website, and looking forward to reading what it is all about, and chatting about my beliefs.

Cheers,

Em

[AFA Admin]

Hi, Emmy! This is a message sent to all who find their way to these forums.

We like people, and we like facts too!

We're friendly but we're skeptical, and if somebody calls for proof, it's not an accusation. Only the strong ideas thrive here: we try to respect people. (We do not tolerate personal abuse.)

If you're an AFA member and need your membership status recognised in forum access, please send a Private Message to Admin, including the name on your AFA membership.

You may already have visited these other handy places:
* New Member Information
* Welcome from AFA president
* For those interested in learning, I recommend the Atheism Resource Thread maintained by Fearless.
* And a quick look at our reserved spot for belief-based discussion, Fantasy Island, includes Wolty's List, a sort-of "things we've seen before" for those of faith.

If you've got questions, please ask. Moderators have red name tags, but many of our friendly people may have the answers you need.

Enjoy the forums. We hope to see plenty from you in discussions.

Have fun.

[wolty]

Hiya Emmy, welcome to the forums.

[Emmy]

Thanks all for your warm welcome!

Just to share a bit about myself, I grew up in a large baptist/uniting family, I have relatives who are missionaries, pastors and giddeons, etc. A few of us have seen common sense and now do not believe, and often this is a topic at family get-togethers. The believers still do little things to try to win us back (eg my grandmother gives my children christian books as presents) and they dont understand that we are firm believers in the rational. As an example, over Christmas, I had a conversation with my uncle where he was (in a very animated manner) stating that some guy who invented some machine, the MRI or something, didnt get a nobel science prize because he was a christian, and instead it was given to his assistants. I asked one simple question that debunked his whole argument - 'how many other people have missed out on a nobel prize due to being a christian'?. Of course, he did not know, and this did not suit his argument. He got this, and other gems, from a christian magazine (that he gave a copy of to my son) with revelations such as 'where did the dinosaurs come from' and 'who did Cain and Able marry'.

Anyway, back on track. My parents stopped going to church when I was a young teenager, which I didnt understand because we never had a conversation about it. I kept going, and in fact I started going to pentecostal churches because they were fun for a teenager. I still miss the singing and music, actually. I married a man who was not a christian and cried about his soul and begged him to become a christian as I was so damn scared he was going to hell.

However, one day I had a frank conversation with my father about religion. He told me he no longer believed. Now, I am very close with my father, we are the same person, almost! And I believed everything he told me, which was very naive but he raised me that way. When he told me, I cried and cried. It was like my whole life was fake, I couldnt believe it. He told me that he hadnt wanted to tell me because he felt so bad for raising me that way, so guilty, that he had told these lies and I had innocently believed him. But then, he was told those lies too. He had believed so strongly that if he was told it was the will of god to sacrifice his first born, he would have seriously considered it!

Anyway, that conversation opened the door for me to question. If it hadnt have been my father, I seriously doubt that I would have listened to someone tell me god wasnt true. Maybe I would have, it just would have taken longer. I am a very loyal person, I was loyal to god. It just never occured to me that it might not be true. I went to christian schools and catholic schools and while I had friends outside of that who were not believers, it never occured to me that they might be right.

So I have done a lot of soul searching and done a lot of research. I am loving that the Non Stamp Collector is referenced here, he is amazing. He puts things in very simple terms. There are a lot of highly intelligent 'athiests' on you tube, and while I consider myself of above average intelligence, a lot of the things they say just go over my head. I enjoy very much to argue theology online and otherwise - people now know not to get me started, although I do always try to be respectful, mainly due to having been in their position and understanding where they come from.

If you are still reading this - thank you!!

So, where I am at now, is that I am a single mother of two kids, I work full time in a demanding management role and I am studying at uni part time, doing community development. I am angry with our government for a host of reasons, and aim to get into social policy and make a difference. We shall see, I have my work cut out for me!

I am passionately athiest, although I dont actually like the word athiest. I dont think we should have to be called something, we are not organised, we are not a group, there shouldnt be a name for not believing in something. I guess this is a tired argument, though. I allow my daughter to go to church, simply because she is 15 and its good for her to get in with a crowd of 'good' people, because she wants to, because she knows how I feel, and because I think it is important for her to be able to make her own choices. I certainly wasnt given a choice about what I was to believe, and that makes me angry. My cousin is also extremely angry and bitter about not being given a choice, and I think that children should not be exposed to religion until they are old enough to be able to rationalise it.

My 'hate' for religion is mostly due to the affect it has on governmental decisions (ie abortion, euthanasia, tax breaks), the damage it causes to people and families (missionaries are the worst - damage communities, history, families, etc), the stupidity of it. The fact that good people 'pray' for things to get better instead of doing something to make it better. The fact that it isolates people from one another, that people identify themselves according to their religion and have fear of others due to theirs. The superiority complex. The fact that it so completely takes away from someone's achievements, that it was god that did something, not them. The guy I spoke to years ago, the born again christian, who told me that god helped him get rid of his drug addiction. So sad. I hate the mindlessness of it all, the stupidity, the ridiculousness that grown men and women believe this, because they have not been given a choice in many circumstances - that not believing is not an option. That if you do, everything you have can be taken away, you can lose your family and friends because they are tied up in believing a religion. That so many christians are so ignorant about their religion and the horror of it.

I think most of all, I hate the scare tactics. I hate the whole 'you are going to hell thing'. It plain disgusts me. Religion uses scare tactics and bribery to get someone to believe something because there is no proof. Its like a Today Tonight show.

Anyway, I have probably said enough for now, but I am really excited to be here, I had no idea this forum existed, and am hoping to learn a lot more and to share what I know and believe, and just to enjoy it!

PS Sorry for typo's.

[wolty]

Thanks for the story Emmy. Sorry to hear that you have had some trials and tribulations to get to where you are now.

P.S. Its atheist. We don't really care about the typos unless they are funny or the ei thing.

[Perspective]

Originally Posted by Emmy

So, where I am at now, is that I am a single mother of two kids, I work full time in a demanding management role and I am studying at uni part time, doing community development. I am angry with our government for a host of reasons, and aim to get into social policy and make a difference. We shall see, I have my work cut out for me!

Wow Emmy, great story and great attitude. I just started a Social Science degree at Uni this year as well. I intend to get into research and social policy development so that I can actively influence a more equitable society.

I also have 2 kids (2 and 5) and although I'm currently casual, I'm going full-time (role reversal with the hubby) to pursue my career in the coming months.

I'm pretty overwhelmed by my commitments at the moment but hearing your plight and focussing on my goals keeps me motivated.

HOWEVER! This bloody forum keeps sidetracking me from my studies! I love it but it's wierdly addictive. I love reading intelligent discussion on life and philosophy.

So welcome and enjoy

BTW I've read your replies on kids and sexuality and again, I have a lot to take from your experience. Thankyou!

[William]

Originally Posted by Emmy

When he told me, I cried and cried. It was like my whole life was fake, I couldnt believe it ...

Emmy this is a pretty gut-wrenching testimony. Yes, this is what religion does to people. Those who escape it through honesty and seeking truth are courageous.

[Justtristo]

That is one inspiring story you have told here Emmy.

[BlueDevil]

Hi Emmy, nice to have another Melbournite on the forum. Looking forward to your contributions.