Firstly, this website and it's affiliates (godisimaginary, etc.) are fantastic. Beautifull, even. I have directed many people here as their one stop shop for god-killing.
This is my first post on WWGHA, and I have joined this forum because in the few weeks I have been reading through current and past topics, the rationality, civility, and wisdom of many of the members is truly humbling. I find myself wanting to converse with many of you, get to know you better, and maybe in time, be considered a kind of friend (even if I'm made out of text).
I am honestly stunned at the patience, and even compassion displayed when dealing with the indoctrinated masses that drift here like so many lemmings. I make every effort to be courteous and respectfull of those who Believe, but I must confess; I have a nasty tendency to get openly hostile with those that speak only in scripture.
And while I hold nothing against theists as human beings (some of my closest friends are theists), I hold a MAJOR grudge against their pretentiousness, their pathetic and misguided "sympathy" for non-believers, and what their ancient voodoo has done to the world I live in.
I also harbor a certain amount of jealousy. I'm envious of those who can convince themselves that all life's important questions are answered by the age of 10. I'm envious of a promised afterlife, where the ego continues on complete with occular and auditory perception and nerve endings (how else can I expect to experience all the delightfulll eternal tortures awaiting me in hellfire?)and one can reunite with passed loved ones. Who wouldn't want to believe that? The "knowledge" that such a place exists must be extremely comforting. I'm also envious that the theist can convince themselves of whatever they please. I'd imagine it would make many things in life much easier to deal with.
Unfortunately, despite a lifetime's worth of heartfelt attempts to see things as a theist sees them, the perspective is simply impossible for me - I simply can not get my head that far up my ass.
I am 29 years old and was raised in a non-practicing Irish Roman Catholic family, and the only times I attend church is for funerals and weddings.
I've never been religious, and I think I can say I've *never* bought into the divinity of Jesus, though I did, once upon a time, believe in some sort of God. Not a bible-god, but a supernatural (or alien) being or beings that was somehow guiding my day to day journey. I suppose I was agnostic. Over time however, starting around 22 or so, my superstitions rapidly began dissapearing due to simply being real with myself and being a student of life.
I have no formal education beyond a few semesters of junior college, however I am a voracious reader, listener, and a self-induced devotee to the pursuit of knowledge, wisdom, and enlightenment. I have always prided myself on my logical and rational thought process, and I can only hear about talking snakes and magical superjews so many times before I begin to rub my temples and pray for the Apocalypse.
The word "atheist" was a hard word for me to accept - the stigma attached to it is tremendous, and the foam-at-the-mouth theists don't make it any easier.
It is therefore indescribably comforting to find this website - to find other cerebral and philosophical people, with humor to spare, skeptical and inquisitive and willing to confront the really tough questions head on, even if it sometimes means the answer isn't sunshine and lollipops, or "We don't know. Yet." I'm often satisfied with that answer, and I know many of you are, too.
Hopefully I can contribute to this forum in a positive manner. I will do my best to control my tounge when it comes to the hopelessly brain-washed, but I can't promise anything. I've always called bullshit when I see it/hear it, and I owe it to myself and the integrity of my character to continue to do so.
Here's a few more tidbits about me, for the record:
1.)I have my fingers in alot of pies. I'm a writer, musician (guitar, bass, violin, vocals, congas, piano, synth, turntables), music producer, small business owner, and occasional hustler. I also dabble in real estate.
2.)I've been told my awesomeness is stupifying. If I was any hipper, my ass would fall off.
3.)I hate 90% of stand-up comics. Not sure why... I think it often strikes me as a cry for attention, and comes across as slightly pathetic. But I LOVE the other 10% - George Carlin, Dennis Leary, Chris Rock, Dave Chapelle, Lenny Bruce, and a few others.
4.)I'm a big fan of hammocks and rum.
5.)That said, I'll take the woods or the mountains any day over the beach. They're more alive. Love nature - camping, hiking, that sort of thing. My ultimate dream is to get enough money together to get a few acres of land. I'm also a big fan of colder climates, and the one I live in is pretty much tropical.
6.)I'm currently single, no kids, never been married.
7.)I can put away obscene amounts of sushi in one sitting.
8.)My political affiliation could best be described as "Libertarian", to the extent that I am in favor of maximum personal liberty and minimal government interference, though I am seriously considering going back to "Independent" since so many conservative Republicans have recently jumped ship and are now waving the "Libertarian" banner. I share some conservative views (capital punishment, and support for the 2nd ammendment, for example), but their views in general DO NOT reflect my own (such as the pro-lifers, religious nutjobs, greed, capitalism-worship, etc.). The same could be said in reverse for liberalism/the Democratic party. Some things I agree with, others I do not.
9.)Depending on my disposition at a given time, I've been known to forego caring in particular about grammer or punctuation. I sometimes butcher the English language, is essentially what I'm saying here.
10.)I'm going to be an uncle in a few months!
So there's some totally useless trivia for the record that nobody needed to know. It was pleasure murdering so many innocent kilobytes!
Anyways, I apologize for the long and sometimes disjointed post - but if you fine people will have me, I intend to be a part of this community for quite some time, and it seemed important to be semi-thorough for posterity. My legacy must be recorded in all it's grooviness, you understand. I'd hate to leave the story open for massive amounts of interpretation.
Cos... You know... That's a pretty sorry way to make your position clearly understood.
Again, I'm humbled to be here. Cheers!
-Ray
