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The Lobby => Introductions => Topic started by: CrowTRobot on December 20, 2020, 11:02:16 AM

Title: Howdy
Post by: CrowTRobot on December 20, 2020, 11:02:16 AM
I am a later in life atheist/skeptic who was raised Catholic and went to Catholic school.  Events in my personal life and mental health struggles in my teens made me begin to question what I was raised to believe but it took a long time to finally shake free of it.  A long term relationship with a skeptic helped tremendously.  I did the whole Pagan thing for a few years but it was just more bullshit with a different name.  Around 40 I decided it was all crap.
Title: Re: Howdy
Post by: Mike Cl on December 20, 2020, 11:12:05 AM
Quote from: CrowTRobot on December 20, 2020, 11:02:16 AM
I am a later in life atheist/skeptic who was raised Catholic and went to Catholic school.  Events in my personal life and mental health struggles in my teens made me begin to question what I was raised to believe but it took a long time to finally shake free of it.  A long term relationship with a skeptic helped tremendously.  I did the whole Pagan thing for a few years but it was just more bullshit with a different name.  Around 40 I decided it was all crap.
Welcome.  I'm married to a life long catholic--she thinks of herself as a recovering catholic.  I experimented with finding 'spirituality' for quite some time.  I did not become a full atheist/skeptic quite a bit later that 40.  Hope you stick around.
Title: Re: Howdy
Post by: Cassia on December 20, 2020, 11:50:27 AM
Welcome...Yep, I looked into the Wicca thing for a bit...seeing as I was already into all things dark, romantic and gothic. It was hard to go 'cold turkey' when ditching the Catholicism because I was still talking with someone/something or so I thought. Looking back now it all seems so frickin' ridiculous.
Title: Re: Howdy
Post by: Baruch on December 20, 2020, 01:09:31 PM
Welcome also
Title: Re: Howdy
Post by: Blackleaf on December 20, 2020, 01:53:05 PM
A lot of theists will hear your story and think, "Aha! See? Atheists usually deconvert because something bad happened to them, and they're mad at God!" Because when good things happen to you, it's evidence of God's love, but bad things happening to you for no reason are not evidence for God's neglect for some convenient reason.

Anyway, welcome to the server. I hope you enjoy your stay. We've got virgin blood and newborn baby jerky at the refreshments table. Help yourself.
Title: Re: Howdy
Post by: Mr.Obvious on December 20, 2020, 02:51:36 PM
Former catholic here. Lost faith late teens.

Welcome to our little band of heathens.
Title: Re: Howdy
Post by: Unbeliever on December 20, 2020, 03:39:22 PM
Well come! Better late than never, huh?



I was a Southern Baptist but explored all the paranormal/spiritual stuff and found it all to lack credibility. Science works, and there is no other way anyone can know what is. Anything else only tells us what we want to believe, but we are only fooling ourselves when our beliefs mandate reality.
Title: Re: Howdy
Post by: SGOS on December 20, 2020, 08:53:24 PM
Quote from: CrowTRobot on December 20, 2020, 11:02:16 AM
I am a later in life atheist/skeptic who was raised Catholic and went to Catholic school.  Events in my personal life and mental health struggles in my teens made me begin to question what I was raised to believe but it took a long time to finally shake free of it.  A long term relationship with a skeptic helped tremendously.  I did the whole Pagan thing for a few years but it was just more bullshit with a different name.  Around 40 I decided it was all crap.
That's a familiar story around here.  I was raised Lutheran, and I doubted the whole thing very early in life, but I hung on to my religion in an effort to somehow connect with God in a meaningful way.  In my late 20s or so, I just started drifting away.  In my early 50s, I realized I was an atheist, a label I had been fighting for years, but it was actually a relief to just let go of my last supernatural belief and let reality's current float me along in peaceful joy.  Life still has problems of course, but I face them like a grownup most of the time.
Title: Re: Howdy
Post by: Gawdzilla Sama on December 21, 2020, 08:14:16 AM
Never been religious, ever. Makes it hard to "understand where they're coming from".
Title: Re: Howdy
Post by: SGOS on December 21, 2020, 08:40:21 AM
Quote from: Gawdzilla Sama on December 21, 2020, 08:14:16 AM
Never been religious, ever. Makes it hard to "understand where they're coming from".
I can understand that.  Why would anyone try to make things that complicated?  It's all in the indoctrination, I think.  Believing is not hard, but questioning what you were trained not to question, gets complicated.  In retrospect, I'm like you.  I don't understand what the big deal was, but back during the transition, every logical observation I experienced was immediately followed with, "Yeah, but...," even when the 'Yeah, buts' were never logical.  I guess part of it is like a habit that isn't good for you.  Breaking a habit is especially hard when it's a really bad habit.  Quitting  smoking was easier.
Title: Re: Howdy
Post by: Cassia on December 21, 2020, 08:59:56 AM
Quote from: SGOS on December 21, 2020, 08:40:21 AM
I can understand that.  Why would anyone try to make things that complicated?  It's all in the indoctrination, I think.  Believing is not hard, but questioning what you were trained not to question, gets complicated.  In retrospect, I'm like you.  I don't understand what the big deal was, but back during the transition, every logical observation I experienced was immediately followed with, "Yeah, but...," even when the 'Yeah, buts' were never logical.  I guess part of it is like a habit that isn't good for you.  Breaking a habit is especially hard when it's a really bad habit.  Quitting  smoking was easier.

I always wonder how important religion is to easing the parental burden. Once a child has fear of a supernatural entity that can torch you over and over for eternity, the parent has a 'Trump' card, so to speak. LOL.
Title: Re: Howdy
Post by: SGOS on December 21, 2020, 09:32:35 AM
Quote from: Cassia on December 21, 2020, 08:59:56 AM
I always wonder how important religion is to easing the parental burden. Once a child has fear of a supernatural entity that can torch you over and over for eternity, the parent has a 'Trump' card, so to speak. LOL.
Parents want their children to be good, so it's tempting to play the card (with good intentions, right)?  But when you think about it, it's an overly dramatic way of instilling fear of punishment.  It's brutal and sadistic and has lasting consequences, some of which are very bad consequences.  I think parents use it with good intentions, but they just don't understand the side effects.  Of course little children can't process logic so it's hard to reason with them, and since you don't want to hit them with a stick, you give them a deep seated neurosis instead. 
Title: Re: Howdy
Post by: Baruch on December 21, 2020, 10:28:52 AM
Quote from: Cassia on December 21, 2020, 08:59:56 AM
I always wonder how important religion is to easing the parental burden. Once a child has fear of a supernatural entity that can torch you over and over for eternity, the parent has a 'Trump' card, so to speak. LOL.

Without G-d, it becomes necessary to beat children, or turn them over to the commissar ;-(  Neurosis sounds better ;-)
Title: Re: Howdy
Post by: Blackleaf on December 21, 2020, 10:41:01 AM
Quote from: SGOS on December 21, 2020, 09:32:35 AM
Parents want their children to be good, so it's tempting to play the card (with good intentions, right)?  But when you think about it, it's an overly dramatic way of instilling fear of punishment.  It's brutal and sadistic and has lasting consequences, some of which are very bad consequences.  I think parents use it with good intentions, but they just don't understand the side effects.  Of course little children can't process logic so it's hard to reason with them, and since you don't want to hit them with a stick, you give them a deep seated neurosis instead.

You assume these parents don't beat their children every chance they get... I've seen Christian parents complain about spanking their kid three times a day, and getting no results. It takes every drop of restraint to avoid telling them, "Maybe you should try a different strategy then, hmm??????"
Title: Re: Howdy
Post by: the_antithesis on December 21, 2020, 11:44:18 AM
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nHPCtgmtS68
Title: Re: Howdy
Post by: Mike Cl on December 21, 2020, 11:46:46 AM
Quote from: Blackleaf on December 21, 2020, 10:41:01 AM
You assume these parents don't beat their children every chance they get... I've seen Christian parents complain about spanking their kid three times a day, and getting no results. It takes every drop of restraint to avoid telling them, "Maybe you should try a different strategy then, hmm??????"
With one exception, I never spanked my daughter.  I made it a point not to use fear or threats to get her to do what I thought was best for her. (One time I did use fear--don't ride your bike on the street--and I caught her doing so and gave he a big wack on the butt--but the fear was mine, I think)  I made it plain, though, what actions I thought appropriate and what not.  And I laid out the natural consequences of each.  It was then a question of what she chose to do. I followed thru every time--which was hard at times.  But being consistent was a huge thing for me.
Title: Re: Howdy
Post by: Cassia on December 21, 2020, 12:09:46 PM
I certainly didn't want to disappoint cheezus by being naughty. After all, poor guy got nailed to a cross just for me. I had to stare at that in true life-size six days a week. Guilt trip much?
Title: Re: Howdy
Post by: Unbeliever on December 21, 2020, 04:03:28 PM
Quote from: SGOS on December 21, 2020, 08:40:21 AM
Quitting  smoking was easier.

Quitting smoking is a lot harder when everyone around you is smoking, and quitting religion is a lot harder when everyone around you is pious and wearing Jesus (or whatever) on their sleeve.
Title: Re: Howdy
Post by: Unbeliever on December 21, 2020, 04:12:03 PM
Quote from: Cassia on December 21, 2020, 08:59:56 AM
I always wonder how important religion is to easing the parental burden. Once a child has fear of a supernatural entity that can torch you over and over for eternity, the parent has a 'Trump' card, so to speak. LOL.

When children are very small they have Santa Claus to keep them in line, but once they outgrow that lie they're given another, more persistent lie to keep them from being naughty. Doesn't always work, though...
Title: Re: Howdy
Post by: Baruch on December 21, 2020, 04:49:49 PM
Quote from: Unbeliever on December 21, 2020, 04:12:03 PM
When children are very small they have Santa Claus to keep them in line, but once they outgrow that lie they're given another, more persistent lie to keep them from being naughty. Doesn't always work, though...

Government enabling is Santa?  Or government discipline is Evil Santa (Futurama) ... basically Dems vs Reps.