Greetings.
I am very glad to have found this site. I stumbled upon the God is Imaginary main site from a comment on the Bill Nye story on CNN, and read a bunch of it before clicking on the Why Won't God Heal Amputees link. Reading through some of the topics, it's clear that there's a lot of intelligent discussion going on, as well as a fair amount of snark (just the way i like it).
As for my religiosity, I grew up with a stepmother who dragged me to a small evangelical church that i mostly hated, though it was composed largely of nice people whom i liked on a personal level. As a young man, I tried to please the girl I loved by taking an active role in HER small evangelical church, and i did a pretty good job of faking it--although i did really try to believe. I knew in my heart it was all bs, but i went through the motions as sincerely as i knew how, going to bible studies and retreats, even singing with the praise team.
Now, as a nearing-middle-aged man, and with that girl long ago gone from my life, i see no reason to deny what my logical mind has known since i was a boy: God is mythology. It may or may not have its place in our culture, but it certainly shouldn't be compulsory. I am frustrated by believers who take everything as a given with no desire to question the validity of their beliefs, and moreso by the christian fundamentalists who wish to force their mythology into our government against our will and our interests.
I would say that as i fully embrace my atheism, the prevailing emotion i feel is one of relief--why should i go through life fearing an omnipotent being who claims to love me but will torture me eternally if i have the temerity to doubt his existence against all evidence to the contrary? I love life, and each day is all the more precious because i know these are the only ones i will live.
I look forward to participating in the discussions here, learning more about our natural world, and hopefully some spirited debating from intelligent theists.
