Welcome everyone!

[leftofthedial]

Let the discussion begin.

I'll be back later.

[kslib]

1. I'm very excited about this group!

Thanks Skinner!

:bounce: :bounce: :bounce:

[MelanieArt]

3. I look forward to participating here too! :)

Expecially regarding the humanist point of view, the half aggressive/half fearful attitude towards non believers in this country, and how to survive as a non believer in this fearful society. Oh, and our exasperation with the fundies. :)

[JennC]

2. Hi all! Looking forward to discussions in this group.

Only having one atheist friend outside of cyberworld can be a lonely existence. : )

[Sabriel]

7. At least you have ONE

I don't of anyone who's "out" like I am. I said something about it in class last week, and several students looked disturbed. Oh, well!

[JennC]

24. Im lucky to have someone to rant with. Especially

these last few weeks when it seemed the media had decided that religion and morality was the clincher for the election. Ugh. You in college?

[devinsgram]

4. Fantastic and wonderful

Now I really feel at home.

[Cobalt Violet]

5. Hello

:hi:

[BurtWorm]

6. Here I am.

:hi:

I think of myself as an atheist. Why not agnostic? Because I know I'm not a theist. I don't know if I will remain an atheist, but it's the label I'm most comfortable with at the moment, as it has been for the past three or four years.

PS: On second thought, it must be more like five or six years. I was an atheist before Bush stole the WH in 2000 for sure.

[Biased Liberal Media]

8. Here I am, reformed born-again

now Atheist (aka HEATHEN!!!!) LOL!!!

[Pithlet]

9. Checking in

I'm glad to see this forum here.

[qnr]

10. Greetings and salutations fine people and reasonable facsimilies!

:hi:

[Carla in Ca]

11. Why am I an Atheist...Well,

I don't remember the last time I had to explain it. It is a good thing to revisit my feelings on this subject from time to time and I look forward to enjoying freedom of expression on this board.

I seriously do not ponder the 'why are we here' debate. I think organized religion is responsible for more death and destruction than any other reason.
My husband was raised a Catholic. Oh, boy I mean Catholic school, alter boy, the works! He believes strongly in God, it is part of who he is, a wonderful person.
After 26 years of marriage, even those who had doubts we would make it have been silenced.

[blueblitzkrieg]

12. Hi everyone!

:hi: Young atheist here. I was raised Christian and stopped attending church around the age of 16 because, well, I thought it was a waste of time and I wasn't feeling the "spirit of God". Shortly thereafter I delved into an old copy that my dad owned of Bertrand Russell's "Why I Am Not a Christian" and it all started to make sense to me. I did more reading and eventually spiraled into the godless heathen I am today (and loving it! :D). This group looks great, hope to learn a lot from all of you because I have a ton left to learn.

[leftofthedial]

13. Thanks to Skinner for doing this!

This is frustrating. I dropped in just to see how the "new baby" is doing. Y'all have a grreat start on some interesting discussions.

But I'm slammed! and probably won't be able to post much for a few days.

Later.

--lotd

[Metatron]

14. Hi

I've been impatiently waiting for this group!

[Robeson]

15. Hey everyone.

Wow, an island of sanity.

[Robeson]

16. Hello!!

At last, an island of sanity!

[drhilarius]

17. Hello, folks.

[drhilarius]

18. self-delete.

[Gothic Sponge]

19. Agnostic here!

:hi:

[Philostopher]

20. Hey, all.

Hoping to see some discussions about humanism/secular humanism in here -- I've been calling myself agnostic for almost twenty years now, and I'm familiar with humanism as a construct, but I want to hear more about specifics. I'm grateful for the Internet -- there are many resources out there for us.

[Poiuyt]

21. Me too

Secular Humanism seems closest to my philosphy of life. My grandfather said that we were put on earth to make it a better place for other people. I've never forgotten that.

[MelanieArt]

23. I consider myself to be more of a Secular Humanist as well.

The Atheists that I know well, and those who I am closest to, are more of the Secular Humanist classification. My younger sister has been in the Peace Corps for the last three years and is the most giving, selfless person towards humanity (and animals!) that I have ever known, and she is very much an atheist. In fact, back when we were in high school she declared herself an atheist before I ever did. :)

So much for the fundie fantasy that Atheists aren't moral, good people. :eyes:

[rexcat]

26. I am both secular humanist and atheist.

n/t

[Biased Liberal Media]

27. Can you tell me more about Secular Humanism?? n/t

[Gelliebeans]

22. I'm glad this group is here

I feel at home :bounce:

[Longhorn]

25. I was raised by Christians and when it didn't make sense to me

as a child, I didn't worry about it too much because I figured I would understand it later. During my senior year in high school, our your group went camping on Easter weekend and got up before dawn on Easter morning with the instruction to go find a pretty spot to commune with God. Well, I did find a beautiful spot near a pond and I thought about how beautiful this earth is and I tried and tried to fill my heart with love for God and Jesus -- and it just didn't happen.

Then I went to college and began thinking for myself about both religion and politics (because I had the same doubts about the Republican party, in which I was also raised.) I realized that the problem is that I just didn't believe the things you were supposed to believe to be a Christian and/or a Republican. For example, how did it make sense that when I experienced success, I was to thank God for it but when I failed, it was my fault? And how in the world could I be in the same party as Phyllis Schlafly?

It was such a relief to realize that I did NOT hold these beliefs and that I didn't have to. I've never regretted coming to terms with my beliefs -- it's like trying to live in someone else's body and then slipping comfortably back into your own! I considered myself an agnostic at first but I knew there was a time limit to that phase. When I met my husband for the first time and he declared that he was an atheist, I realized that I, too, could "come out."

We raised our four children to respect those who believe and let them know that we would love them if they decided they believed, too. We took them to church whenever they asked us to and tried not to brainwash them into being atheists. However, we were honest with them about our own beliefs. They are now 20 to 25 and two are atheists and the other two are somewhat agnostic.

[Kolesar]

28. Show the world your best side

I did a lot of peace marches with believers. We need the cooperation of everybody who wishes to make a better world for us to thrive or even survive on this planet.

I suppose I am open to some Eastern belief systems. I have read a bit about them and find a lot to like. In my heart though, I know I am a skeptic. And that extends to replacement window salesmen, car salesmen, management, and the like who cross my path. I am a "tough customer".

[kayell]

29. Hi from an atheist in a strange land (SC)

:hi:

[Dzimbowicz]

32. Howdy Kayell

I'm from another part of SC and feel as if I am also in a strange land in upstate SC. For such a small state SC has so many different regions, dialects and mannerisms. Anyway, welcome and glad to have you here.

:hi:

[immoderate]

30. I'm a Jewish Atheist.

Atheist literally means without god. I'm also agnostic which means without knowledge, as opposed to a gnostic who would have direct knowledge that there is no god. Where would you get that knowledge? From god, I guess.

I say I am Jewish because that is a tribal identity. And based on my sense of humor and choice of breakfast foods, it's not deniable. More seriously, being atheist does not inoculate one from anti-semitism, and if they come for the Jews again, they'll surely get me.

I am actually a born atheist, and have not believed in god since I was old enough to differentiate real from imagined. I remember discussing this with my friends as a child and the consensus on the street was that god was imaginary.

Most of my close friends are also atheists or close to it, so I don't have the burden of "closeting" myself. And in most of my professional contacts, religious discussion is considered poor form, and avoided.

Exception--when I was a school teacher, math and some science, I occasionally detected that some student was questioning his or her beliefs and I sometimes (cautiously) provided some reassurance. They had no one to "come out" or "confess" to. I let them know they were OK.

It's nice to have a forum, but in a way I miss being in the general discussion where we can enlighten people.

--IMM

[Dzimbowicz]

31. Glad this forum exists

I don't feel so alone anymore. I live an area where fundies rule. Since this is my home and I do not run from a fight, I must stay and fight them every step of the way.

Thank you fellow Atheists, Agnostics, etc. for being here.

:hi:

[Blue Gardener]

33. Checking in

Hi Everybody!
Agnostic here, at least at this point in time.
You can also call me godless heathen if you want.

[geomon666]

34. Oh finally they put this bad boy up.

*Does the Happy Heathen dance*

[magellan]

35. Greet greet!

I'm new to the DU...and to this particular forum, which I was mighty pleased to find earlier today. I was raised Catholic but the group-think of organized religion in general has never appealed to me. It's too constraining, and often leads to elitism and conflict. Don't have to look far for an example of that nowadays, do we?

I guess if I had to label myself I'd say I'm an agnostic secular humanist. What's certain is I don't have the God-gene. (Anyone read about that in Time Magazine recently?) My husband is also agnostic. Our two dogs, on the other hand, worship us as deities. ;-)

Looking forward to many stimulating discussions!

[Room101]

36. Checking in-nt

...

[Bluebear]

37. Checking in! nt

[JNelson6563]

38. Happy to see this forum!

I am pleased to have a place to discuss our views without being lectured by offended beleivers.

I am a proud heathen. I declare it loud and proud out in the real world all the time. No one gives me any crap about it either, thankfully.

I have been reading this forum for a couple of days now and am not at all surprised to see some posters I have long thought to be very intelligent here.

Cheers to all! :toast:

Julie