My Story Of Getting Back My Life With Atheism

GrinningYMIR · January 03, 2015, 03:34:17 PM

Quote from: Mermaid on January 03, 2015, 03:07:12 PM
Maybe it's God!

ITS GOD, REVERE HIM!!

Somebody give God a mojito!

Munch · January 03, 2015, 05:29:44 PM

Hi Marco, welcome.

I'm so glad your story had a happy ending in it, in your awakening to things. Speaking as a 34 year old gay man myself who while not raised in a religious home is someone who use to believe in things, and who eventually questioned it and came to where I am now, I understand what you've been though, having made friends who have told me there stories of how religion has fucked up portions of there life.

i'm sorry about the life you had to grow up with your father, my own dad, while wasn't physically abusive to me, was more mentally abusive in the sense of never showing any real life to me or my brother. I'm very lucky in having a mother who has been a support to be coming out and being an atheist.

You said earlier on in your post that you still have odd feelings about being gay, which I think might just be afterthoughts from the world you were raised in and its take on homosexuality, but honestly you being a strong macho man with no feminine qualities.. being gay isn't related to feminine qualities my friend, being gay is just a part of your nature and will always be, it doesn't matter if your butch, effeminate, or anything inbetween, so never feel like just because you have all the same traits as your straight friends that you must love women for the same reason.

I hope now, since you've began this journey of yours, that you find what your really want in life, make new friends, and hopefully meet someone one day. Best of luck to you :)

Jhayward · January 04, 2015, 02:21:27 AM

Jason78 and Sgos: No, but I consider myself part of the Christian church, and somebody should say sorry for the way Christians treat people poorly sometimes. It happens. The church is a bunch of messed up people.

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Aletheia · January 04, 2015, 02:47:53 AM

Welcome to the forum Marco. My parents were nonreligious and non-practicing, so I was raised up pretty much atheist. However, my father is not particularly tolerant of gays. He is intelligent enough to understand their plight, but cannot reconcile his, for lack of a better word, revulsion. It hurts, considering that I am bisexual. So, I can understand feeling closed off from that perspective.

Much like you, I do not fit the stereotypes associated with my sexuality either. I am not overly masculine or "butch" as would be expected of some lesbians, and I am not promiscuous or unfaithful as is expected of bisexuals, since it is in my nature to be monogamous. I don't even require both genders at the exact same time or desire men and women equally - as so many people seem to think I should. Lastly, this isn't a phase or a transition to full out "gayness." If it is, dammit, it's been going on since at least 4th grade, and is taking its sweet time.

You're human, like anyone else. You are exactly the way you are suppose to be, since your standards in regards to yourself, are all that matter. Be comfortable in your own skin. You and yourself will be together for a very long time.

Quote from: Jhayward on January 04, 2015, 02:21:27 AM
Jason78 and Sgos: No, but I consider myself part of the Christian church, and somebody should say sorry for the way Christians treat people poorly sometimes. It happens. The church is a bunch of messed up people.

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No worries, some of us get it.

As an atheist, I do hope one day people will no longer need religion, but as a member of the LGBT, I feel people are taking a step in the right direction when I see something like this:

SGOS · January 04, 2015, 05:11:27 AM

Quote from: Jhayward on January 04, 2015, 02:21:27 AM
Jason78 and Sgos: No, but I consider myself part of the Christian church, and somebody should say sorry for the way Christians treat people poorly sometimes. It happens. The church is a bunch of messed up people.

"Speak for the Christian Community" was just an odd choice of words. You can certainly apologize for it as the people in the thread photo do, but you can't speak for it without offending whole denominations throughout the Christian Community that not only cherish their bigotry, but want to spread it and codify it into law. I sort of understood what you really meant, however. It was an attempt at humor.

Here's to being pedantic

LovingBeing · January 04, 2015, 05:48:38 AM

I sincerely would like to thank you all for welcoming me here, and for taking the time to respond to my lengthy post. I look forward to getting to know you all more. This has become my "secret escape" from the madness of religious reality. Because I have to keep my atheism a secret, I usually come on here around two or three o'clock in the morning. I feel kind of strange having to sneak like this, especially as a 42 year old man. If my roommate or family were to find out, they would no longer accept or see me, as they do now. So, thank you for allowing me a place to be my true self, and feel accepted. I wish the best for you all, for 2015.

Always,
Marco

Jason78 · January 04, 2015, 05:57:25 AM

Quote from: Jhayward on January 04, 2015, 02:21:27 AM
Jason78 and Sgos: No, but I consider myself part of the Christian church, and somebody should say sorry for the way Christians treat people poorly sometimes. It happens. The church is a bunch of messed up people.

Would you like to start your own introduction thread so that we can say hello and get to know you better too?

Mermaid · January 04, 2015, 09:43:17 AM

Jhayward, sorry I was so flip and snotty. It was a stupid joke that sorta fell flat. I actually appreciate what you've said here. Respect.

Munch · January 04, 2015, 09:54:48 AM

Marco, how do you think your roommate would react to you coming out?

Berati · January 04, 2015, 03:28:16 PM

Quote from: Munch on January 04, 2015, 09:54:48 AM
Marco, how do you think your roommate would react to you coming out?

You mean coming out again? Like, err... a second coming?

OK, bad joke. But it is sad that he has had to hide two major things about who he is and I'm not even sure if you meant come out as gay or atheist.

PickelledEggs · January 04, 2015, 06:29:00 PM

Welcome, LovingBeing! I hope you enjoy your stay on the forum!

LovingBeing · January 05, 2015, 03:22:18 AM

Quote from: Munch on January 04, 2015, 09:54:48 AM
Marco, how do you think your roommate would react to you coming out?

My roommate comes from a very Catholic family. Most likely, my atheism would ruin our good friendship and he could possibly ask me to leave. I know he has strong feelings about his stand against atheism. At Christmastime, for example, there was a man selling a Catholic painting of "The Last Supper." The man was persistent about selling it to people and so I had made a comment to my roommate. I said, "What if someone were an atheist? They may not be interested in purchasing it then." My roommate got very upset with me and said,"Don't ever say something so blasphemous against God, especially during Christmas." I did not mean any offense by what I said, however, his reaction to that, tells me a lot of how he would react if he found out I am an atheist.

PickelledEggs · January 05, 2015, 03:58:47 AM

I notice that with Catholics. Very strict and fearful of god. When I was little, if I exclaimed "GOD!" when I was frustrated or angry, my dad (catholic) would scream at me "Do not use the LORD's name in vain!".... I was scared to say it in no time flat and even started telling my classmates in elementary school to not do it.

Even now, while my dad is much more lenient, he is very against being blasphemous. And he tells me non-stop that I shouldn't question things as much as I do.

Catholics, man.... fuck that shit.

kilodelta · January 05, 2015, 04:27:56 AM

In little league baseball (12-years old), I was sitting on the bench with a fellow teammate. I said "Jesus" as a colloquial "swear" about something. My teammate said, "don't use the lord's name in vain." Then his punched me right in the nose. I was shocked. I wasn't hurt. I was just shocked into silence.

Thinking back on it now, I wonder what my teammate went through in his childhood where he thought it was right to punch someone for "using the lord's name in vain." I wonder if he was abused by his parents...

Jesus Fucking Christ.

PickelledEggs · January 05, 2015, 04:54:11 AM

Yeah. I never punched anyone.... I just told people "oh. you shouldn't say that"

I really pity the religious.... When I think about a lot of the reasons I believed when I did, it was mostly because I was scared to think otherwise... like when my dad would scold me for (cursing) the word "god". Hell, I even defended my belief of Santa Clause until about 3rd or 4th grade. I got really angry at a lot of my classmates for telling me he wasn't real.

And although I was beaten a few times, I wasn't regularly beaten like some people I know. Once my sister was born, no one got beaten.... which really only left me with the only one of their kids being beaten because my brother was only 4 by that time, but I had a good 3 or so years of some pretty frightening beatings. Not many.... maybe like..... 10 max spread over 3 or so years, but still..... that shit scars you. I can't imagine how many catholics have been abused in to a full brainwash like my dad was... because I know he was beaten way more than I was.... and way past the age of 7. Sympathy towards that is key.

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My Story Of Getting Back My Life With Atheism