Introduction

[Earthena]

Hi Folks - my name is Paul from the northern beaches area of Syd. I have registered and intend to join up because I need to make a statement to my 22 old son who is a Christian and has been so for a number of years.

I agreed to attend a Bible study group with him for one night a week for 5 weeks and 2 weeks in, here I am! Some of you folks will get that straight away!

I can no longer be lazy about my feelings on religion - I have other younger children and although I have been labelling myself as an Atheist for many years, I now need to step-up my attack on the brain washing of young folks by organized religion (and the NSW Edu Dept for that matter).

It is shocking to me that after two session at the bible study I am incredibly angry at the church for failing to recognize the danger that they put people in by not openly identifying the risks associated with literal interpretation of the bible - indeed they offer no guidance at all about how to interpret the text.

I saw this first hand in PNG and last year on a documentary about a very confused bunch of Christian in Kenya.

At least it has awoken me and I will be better armed to combat their dogma!

[AFA Admin]

Hi Earthena

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.)

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 The Great Big List, a sort-of "things we've seen before" for those of faith, and general rules of argument for the forum.

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]

Hello Paul, welcome to the forums.

Tough gig you got there, no wonder you are here. Have a look around, I am sure you will get something out of the experience.

[Xeno]

Hello Paul. I was brought up somewhere between Manly and Palm Beach but it was a pretty quietly area then, in the sense of conventionally and unobtrusively religious. It is a great area to live.

I understand your reaction to the sort of stuff being pushed now. I hope the forum provides some useful information and support.

[Earthena]

Thanx folks for your kind words - I look forward to the experience and insight and will keep you posted on events as they unfold with the bible study group.

I am afraid that my honesty will get the better of me but secretly recognize that I could gain an ace up my sleeve with respect to my son owing me the time to investigate the more acedemic findings about the authenticity of the bible.

kind regards paul

[Keith_W]

Hi Paul, welcome to the group. I don't think it is necessary to argue against religion. All you need to do is teach them how to think and reason. Atheism naturally follows.

[Logic please]

Hi Earthena, welcome to the forum, hope you enjoy the community and support.

May I suggest our Family Matters forum as being of likely interest, given your excellent intro.

Look forward to seeing you around.

[Earthena]

Oh btw I didn't start out to gain an ace. It just felt right to attend the bible study with my son because I could then have more meaningful discussions with him. And I am really happy I did because it has really awakened me to the dangers that religion presents to our young folks. All folks for that matter - how many people have killed themselves or been killed over misinterpretation of the bible?

[Loki]

Hi Paul.

If I may ask (I suspect it might be enlightening), which bits of the bible are the group interpreting to agree with them "studying"?

We could perhaps suggest some bits for them to "study".

[Annie]

Hiya Eathie. It's great you're here and not sitting on your hands, chewing your lip and scratching your head. A freethinker may feel odd after entering the world of the religious. You are not alone. In fact many here have survived a very thick, deep religious world and are happy to be free of it.

Enjoy this place.