Personal Development for Smart People Forums - View Single Post - 1-Day Atheist LoA test in progress!

Angela · 12-21-2006, 03:05 AM

Dorothy, no, I haven't seen The Secret yet, but I'll make a point of checking it out. Thanks, and thanks for the kind words.

TheColonel: well, it's not that I have wanted to convince anyone that god does not exist. I know darn well that that's not going to happen, any more than anyone's going to convince me to believe in god. I think my stridency in asserting that there is no god (not the same as trying to convince) comes from a feeling of shrugging off the bullying I've felt from various religious entities. I'm a recovering catholic, and the church and my family are extremely fierce and diligent, like a little dog protecting its bone, about my maintaining a belief in god. The workings of the current political administration, too, as well as the powerful religious right, have made me aware that I had been silent for too long about this issue, and that my rights had been trampled as a result. These, and more, have made me mad! I had an awakening that it was NOT necessary for me to respect religious faith, by keeping quiet about its faults and inconsistencies, or in any other way. And you know there's no convert like a new convert -- I had been feeling like the Norma Rae of atheists. In fact, my outspokenness has led to several people awakening in much the same way -- letting go of the need to mollycoddle religious people. That is, to some extent, because there are quite a few Faithheads who are more than willing to express and instill their beliefs violently, and I never had the desire to be a martyr. Everybody has the drive to be fully self-expressed, and atheists have long been "underground" due to societal forces of disapproval and oppression. It can be very empowering to come out of the closet. You asked about "for you atheists", and I wouldn't deign to answer for anyone else, but I reckon some other atheists might agree. Others have other motives.

That said, now that I've had my time of strident expression, I now feel done, for the most part. I'm ready to move in a direction that I believe will be one of growth: the YES direction. For myself, my loverman, my other beloveds, and my world. It feels right to me. Thanks for inquiring, it felt good to outline all of this.

12-21-2006, 03:05 AM	#20 (permalink)
Angela Legendary Member Join Date: Nov 2006 Posts: 11,494	dorothy and the colonel Dorothy, no, I haven't seen The Secret yet, but I'll make a point of checking it out. Thanks, and thanks for the kind words. TheColonel: well, it's not that I have wanted to convince anyone that god does not exist. I know darn well that that's not going to happen, any more than anyone's going to convince me to believe in god. I think my stridency in asserting that there is no god (not the same as trying to convince) comes from a feeling of shrugging off the bullying I've felt from various religious entities. I'm a recovering catholic, and the church and my family are extremely fierce and diligent, like a little dog protecting its bone, about my maintaining a belief in god. The workings of the current political administration, too, as well as the powerful religious right, have made me aware that I had been silent for too long about this issue, and that my rights had been trampled as a result. These, and more, have made me mad! I had an awakening that it was NOT necessary for me to respect religious faith, by keeping quiet about its faults and inconsistencies, or in any other way. And you know there's no convert like a new convert -- I had been feeling like the Norma Rae of atheists. In fact, my outspokenness has led to several people awakening in much the same way -- letting go of the need to mollycoddle religious people. That is, to some extent, because there are quite a few Faithheads who are more than willing to express and instill their beliefs violently, and I never had the desire to be a martyr. Everybody has the drive to be fully self-expressed, and atheists have long been "underground" due to societal forces of disapproval and oppression. It can be very empowering to come out of the closet. You asked about "for you atheists", and I wouldn't deign to answer for anyone else, but I reckon some other atheists might agree. Others have other motives. That said, now that I've had my time of strident expression, I now feel done, for the most part. I'm ready to move in a direction that I believe will be one of growth: the YES direction. For myself, my loverman, my other beloveds, and my world. It feels right to me. Thanks for inquiring, it felt good to outline all of this.