I've been an atheist since my grandmother took me to church and the pastor said if the baby isn't baptised, they won't go to heaven. I thought why would a good and just god not let a baby into heaven? What changed your mind about religion?
Unbaptised babies couldnt be buried in the grave yard as they are seen as being born into sin and not spiritually cleansed to meet their so called maker.. how sick is that?
When I was 12 I had been going to Catholic school religiously (lol)
And one day they were talking about religious missionaries going to third world countries to save the people. Apparently if you are raised your entire life without knowing who Jesus Mary or God was then your ignorance is reason enough to send you to hell for eternity.
At 12 years old I knew that this wasn't the way any God would show love.
That's what i thought too! Great minds think alike!
in the "New World" the policy of the cross or the sword... only options.
I understand not believing in god. But thats your reason! haha, why wouldn't you do some critical thinking yourself and question the pastor. Maybe god exists AND the pastor is wrong. Perhaps the pastor is wrong and god does not exists. But if this is your reasoning for dismissing the idea of a creator then you have bigger problems.
It’s amazing the things that are said. I was raised Catholic and sent to catechism. (My parents do not attend church anymore.) In 2nd or 3rd grade, the nun teaching my class said that it was a mortal sin for us to miss church on Sunday. She explained that what she meant is that we could expect to die before Monday morning if we skipped, struck down by God. Brainwashing at its finest.
Wow! Major brainwashing!
Science certainly helped, but Christian hypocrisy was the wedge that started the split for me. Specifically realizing as a teen that I was queer and hearing countless judgmental Christians telling me all kinds of ignorant shit about "us" that I knew personally was so much bullshit. Then they would try to put a divine stamp of approval on their bigotry, so if you have a frontal cortex to your brain, it spells out "made up nonsense" plain as can be.
So sorry for the ignorance of some people. I think you fall in love with the person, Not the sex. That's what i told my nephew when he came out. Stay strong and know there are more good people out there than bad!
You be who you are and don't let anyone dictate who you can or should love... That's up to you too decide!
Re. "You fall in love with the person, not the sex," that would be bisexuality. But seriously, there is something hormonal going on. You can fall in love with "the person" after sufficient time to learn their unique nuances, but what gets your attention is physical, visual, hormonal, or more likely a combination. Regardless, biological sex matters greatly to most. I was married 25 years to a woman, and despite all the effort I could give it, it was really a friendship, and physical intimacy, though emotionally bonding, was not enough, and we both knew it. We are still friends, btw.
One more clarification: I knew I was queer early on, but fear and wishful thinking still enticed me to consider myself a bisexual living in a monogamous relationship. Nope. I am gay. It is not about what you do; it is about your sexual attractions. Discrimination and hatred are very real, all the more so back in the '80s and '90s. At least now we have enough visibility that I don't think the haters can actually intimidate us as a whole demographic back into the lonely closet.
Evidence. Specifically, the facts related to the natural world (such as as the fossil record, or radioactive decay of rocks allowing us to date the earth).