in theory yes but the reality is england is not a particularly religous country any more. she's also head of the armed forces but it doesnt really mean anything.

@rovingamber bullshit....tolerance of lies means EVERYTHING inside a violent empire UK or USA or CCCP or PRC or PRNK et al fascist societies above all the Vatican validating white supremacists since 1450

@GreenAtheist i do live there. i think i should know. also take a sanex man.

Great dad ...thank you for sharing

Nature is the only church everybody’s needs.

If you imply abusive parents sorry they did that 2 u if you imply alleged gawds alleged devils that is not punishment it is cult brainwashing delusions into your brain

religion made me to explore it further. After all if I'm going to turn my back on it I want to make sure I'm right knowing the consequnces and everything.

I thought I could get it all cleared up in two weeks. God I was so naive back then. No froman academic point of view I could never get my head round it. Then when I applied a bit of human psychology.............

Yes xians threaten children everywhere not just the alleged hell house for the alleged geebush jeehobah yhwh ghostholes

Our Atheism is the ABSENCE of believing NOT an other belief and poverty has nothing to do with knowledge as an Atheist

I didnt really have nightmares but I do or rather I did relate to the constant fear of hell, rapture etc. The mention of natural disasters in the news, stuff going on in Israel etc. And although I wasnt diaganosed with PTSD it was the most identfiable condition I could relate to when I read up on it.

Child abuse is right. There is nothing more fragile than a child's mind. I see it as an adult responsibilty not to cause them pdychological trauma- religious or otherwise.

I have been STOPPING child abuse since 1975 with the birth of my children NEVER allowing religionists fair play to brainwash my daughters instead teaching them facts and critical thinking with their first words to this day...you are mostly correct government only stops medical neglect and physical abuse of children actually requiring all 18 year old boys to submit their name for religious terrorism wars by USA SINCE 1862 conscription

@rovingamber occupied Palestine shrinking apartheid ghettos IOF murdering Arabs for the Knesset

I'm non-delusional.

This is why the bibble itself says "bring a child up in the way he should go and he will not depart from it."

no but some times are worse than others right?

@rovingamber Most likely, some of it would depend on the person and their family / friends

@CS60 well if some of it is the person (lets call this psychology) and the other family/friends (environment) what are the other factors.

@rovingamber medical, serious illness or injury

wanted. did she not succeed?

I was broke, destitute and looking for answers. A lethal combination.

@rovingamber They take advantage of those situations. My mother wouldn't give things to the Salvation Army because their free meals always came with proselytizing.

@Stephanie99 i too have a disdain for them. thought i was the only one.

The rapture would only be a good time if you happen to believe in the right BS. It might be a good time for non-believers as it would eliminate all the religious crazies. Of course it is not going to happen as it is part of all the other BS.

@jlynn37 Part of the benefit of being a non believer... i get to change my mind whenever I find it appropriate.

@Davekp one of many benefits I would add

In my case broke and almost destitute.

It most certainly is. I do appreciate it when people show an interest in what I write so as you asked I shall answer.

I had a curiosity about religion from a young age but never took it further than that. As an adult I began to explore other perspectives, ideas and practises. I then moved to another city and was inadvertantly exposed to conservative christianity. This was fine until I no longer wanted to be a part of it, mostly I would say due to my improvement in circumstances. I was then told of the consequences of my decision to not accept Christ into my life. It messed with my head, I then spent the next decade trying to resolve it.

This is the nutshell version. I kept it short to give you an over view rather than bog it down with detail- in other words I don't want to be boring. But if you want to ask specific questions or clarification then by all means please do.

@rovingamber it was never "fine" to participate in cults and there is no such thing as christ

@rovingamber I think we all appreciate when someone pays attention.

@Allamanda I'm sure there were a lot of factors, but one wonders if two world wars and especially the bombing of London didn't disabuse a lot of people of notions of god having them in their back pocket.

@mordant Hey Mordant, nice to 'see' you. I think it went way back. Contrary to popular belief, most of the British population never fully embraced Christianity. God and church and stuff was something people did, after Royals in the middle ages accepted Christianity. From 1000 years ago, with the economic and cultural stability brought to England by the Normans both Church and state flourished. The Church ran life at grass routes level which included the collection of religious taxes from the people. Probably more happily given than the state taxes collected by the Barons. Much of the Church money would have had to go to Rome. However the local Bishops seemed to be doing rather well perhaps some even living the high life. This caused resentment amongst the people most who lived just above starvation level if the harvest was poor.
This continued throughout the ages, the Church was seen as part and parcel of the authority of the working people who often resented the interference in their lives.

@Amisja Thanks for the explanation. Here in the US we descend from a bunch of religious fanatics who fled their mother countries because people wanted them to. And it shows.

I may be a generation older than you, (I think, tell me if its two.) and I caught the British education system at a stage when it was still very theistic. The nausia at the sham hypocricy of it still wakes me at night.

@Allamanda Yes I think that is true. Ten years make quite a difference though, and when you combine that with a poor choice of school, and of course it is all about individuals, three in particular stand out for me. One fundamentalist who was a creationist and swore that aninals could not feel pain since they had no souls or minds but only acted like robots. One who stood me against the wall so that he could use me as a punch bag, and carefully targeted the soft areas so that the briuses would not show. And one who preached the religion had never done any harm, could not do harm, and that stories that were just begining to come out of the near east then were just lies.

@Allamanda Yes true, though this was a mixed school and one of them was at college.

I am a Brit but not a religious one- and the original poster of this subject. At the time I was curious about other belief systems and perspectives. I wanted to see if and how they work for people. This particular one didnt work for me so I made it clear I was not going to become a member but instead of saying "bye, have a nice life" it was "you will go to hell." I was too open minded to ignore it.