Whenever I speak to a believer about their holy text, I always seem to get the same answers when I bring up the inconsistencies within, or that fact that the Old Testament is rife with murder, rape, and genocide. What is it about this text that makes it holy or even the Word of God?
Believers are enchanted somehow when they find a scientist that affirms their delusions. It’s not very common, as most scientists are not actually believers so finding someone that has become an apologist and uses the same old debunked arguments atheists have had to respond to for decades.
During my deconversion process I have continually added books on deconversion and atheism to my library and read through as many as possible and continue to do so. As someone who went through this journey it compels me to read and learn how others escaped such severe indoctrination in their belief systems and in my case fundamental Christianity. Based on everything I have read and my personal experience it seems there does come a final awakening moment when you realize that your belief is gone, and you no longer believe in a deity. I’m not talking about non-belief on the surface but deep down inside of you.
If you’re on Twitter, whether a conservative, like me, or a liberal/progressive, you’ve probably noticed an enormous amount of coverage of a young woman from the Bronx, New York, recently elected to the House of Representatives. Yes, I’m referring to Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. A very young voice in the Democratic caucus who, defeated a 10 term Democrat in the primary to become the candidate, and being in a very blue district, presumptive representative of that disctrict in Washington, D.C.
This week I decided after almost 3 years of the deconversion process that it was time to tell my father I was no longer a christian, no longer a believer in a god. This was a conversation that I dreaded having but it had to be done. I genuinely regretted having to do this because I was raised always going to church and it’s just who we were always. It was part of my identity, our family were fundamentalist christian to the core, deep in the heart of East Texas. This is the worldview lens that you see everything through in your life. My father raised me in this environment because he believed it to be the truth and the way and his motives were genuine. He did this because that was how he was raised to believe and he passed it on and expected and hoped I would do the same.
Many people come to moments in their life when they are faced with a choice that can have life altering consequences. Whether it is a decision to move away and leave friends and family behind for a job opportunity or to decide to have a surgery that could correct a dangerous health condition or cost your life if it doesn’t work out. It seems when you are faced with these types of decisions the road ahead can appear the most unstable or treacherous while remaining in your current state can provide some type of brief but temporal relief or security. The temptation to stay put or not at for the temporal security is very strong.
I’ve written about free speech on many occasions, too many to link here. What I have used as my guide is my country’s 1st Amedment which basically states tht government may not impede our right to say what we happen to believe. That amendment though is about political speech, and nothing else. It doesn’t address, directly , any speech outside of that which has become for many a conundrum.
I have to say I was disturbed recently by the response a friend of mine received from a post she wrote. Many of you know of Courtney Heard, AKA “Godless Mom” and that she is a fierce anti-death penalty advocate. She has been communicating, via mail with a man on death row in Texas for a crime that is suspicious in that none of the evidence seems to prove that this man, awaiting execution, actually committed the crime he has been sentenced to death for and remaining there for decades while his case is being appealed.
Something I’ve found particularly disturbing in the last few years is the cacphony of name calling on the Internet. disagree with someone’s point of view? You’re a racist, bigot, misogynst, or something else – sometimes far worse than the former. I’ve always, at least in the past, appreciated informed dialog with others, especially those that are skeptics because not everything we talk about is necesarily written in stone.
During the holiday season (and yes, it’s a season of several holidays) I sometimes come across friends, believers, that do not understand why I, an atheist, actually celebrate Christmas. It is after all a celebration of their saviors birth and since I don’t believe he even existed, why would I celebrate a day that is meaningless to me?
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