Hello!

[GSOgymrat]

Hello from Greensboro, North Carolina! I attended a Methodist church as a child but my family was never very religious, in fact all of the men in my family are atheist. I identify as a Humanist because it most accurately describes my values. As far being an atheist, I'm afraid I'm pretty soft because my atheism stems from lack of knowledge rather than reasoned certainty. I have no knowledge of any external entity influencing humanity, no knowledge of consciousness after death, no knowledge of any intelligent life outside this planet. I don't have the answers to "life, the universe and everything" but I think the best way to explore those questions through science and rational thought. Obviously many other people find that strategy unsatisfying but it works for me. I have no problem with people who have religious beliefs, and appreciate anyone who is trying to explore their values and the world around them, but I do believe the best way for everyone to have the freedom to explore their personal beliefs is in a secular society.

[Plu]

Welcome aboard :) Sounds like a good base rule to live by.

[Brian37]

Same state here,  just down at the bottom next to the SC boarder on the coast.

Be sure to barbecue kittens, record the NFL without their permission and rip the tags off of your mattress.

[Brian37]

Oh and I would not recommend you be an uneducated atheist who simply says "that doesn't make sense".

I've been online since 01 and learned lots of terms, lots of theist arguments and refutations of such, read lots of books like Hitchens and Dawkins and Harris.

Before 01 however, I was an uneducated atheist and would have been an easy target for a slick snake oil salesman.

Terms you should know if you dont.

Fallacy of Pascal's wager.
Ocham's razor.
Problem with infinite regress.
Problems with ID and creationism.
Circular reasoning=quoting any holy book to prove a holy book.
Fallacy of argument of tradition.
Fallacy of argument of popularity.
Fallacy that science is in a holy book.
Fallacy that real people and real places make a god real.

One basic thing I always ask the theist no matter what god they are trying to defend, "Would you buy your own argument if someone with a different pet god were using that same argument?"

Short list of books you MUST read. By no means complete.

"The God Delusion" Richard Dawkins
"God Is Not Great" Christopher Hitchens
"The New Atheism" Victor Stenger
"The End Of Faith" Sam Harris
"Letter To A Christian Nation" Sam Harris
"Infidel" Ayaan Hersi Ali

useful websites.

This one.

www.rationalresponders.com
www.atheists.org
www.atheistalliance.org
www.athesitforums.org (the other "atheist forums".)
www.positiveatheism.com
www.skepticsannotatedbible.com

But ultimately I myself find the core reason of my rejection of everything god related, supernatural or conspiracy related crap, is simple. The planet and evolution were around long before our current superstitions, thus life continuing is not label dependent. God/Allah/Vishnu/thor or Ouija Boards were not arround 4 billion years ago as claims. And all these bullshit superstitions will die when our species goes extinct and the planet dies. The universe will continue on with absolutely no record of our existence.

[GSOgymrat]

Thanks for the recommendations. I am familiar with most of those terms and books but not any of those websites.

[Mister Agenda]

Glad to have you with us, GSO. You don't mind if I call you GSO for short, do you? You can call me Mister if you like.  8-)

[GSOgymrat]

Glad to have you with us, GSO. You don't mind if I call you GSO for short, do you? You can call me Mister if you like.  8-)

My grandmother would say "Just don't call me late for dinner!"  :)

[Mister Agenda]

Solid. I would never do that.