Hi,
My son introduced me to this site so I've been lurking the forums for almost a year now and finally joined a few months ago.
I'm a recovering believer, first Southern Baptist, then Lutheran. Religious doctrines never made sense to me so I found myself questioning everything from an early age. It took a long time before I could truly let go of all the fear and guilt instilled in me from certain family members and clergy. About ten years ago, it became impossible to ignore the biblical absurdities and pretend that I believed anymore after a bit of sound research. The late Carl Sagan had a profound affect on me during my teens. Dawkins, Hitchens, Harris and others have continued to carry that torch in different ways.
Also, this forum has a wealth of information that has made a huge difference in my life. Please don't underestimate how important the words posted on these threads are to people who are still surrounded by theists that no longer understand their lack of faith. For fence-sitters, it can be a game changer.
My children share my views but other family members and friends (the ones who know) simply don't understand why I no longer believe.
Enough for now!
