I may be a little spotty posting this week. Here in the U.S. it’s Thanksgiving wee where we have family and friends gather together to have some really good food, and of course, wonderful interactions with those same we love.
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Revenge is not Justice
I used to be in favor of the death penalty. It was years, no, decades ago. What was it that made me anti-death penalty, today I can’t say other than I came to a conclusion that the death penalty was not about justice for victims, but rather revenge from society. It’s shameful to have to say that even today, the majority of Americans still support this barbaric punishment.
A stark reminder….
As my first blog on this site covered, I am a recently “deconverted” fundamentalist Christian. It was very rough going through the process and especially tough telling my wife who is a Christian and likewise my son who I had raised to be a Christian as well. You wonder what people will think about you, will they sever the relationships? Each day since I realized I was no longer a Christian or even a believer in any deity I started to feel free and at peace with myself and the world around me.
You know what they say about opinions…
Each of us has what we consider to be a well thought out opinion concerning our particular beliefs. And, that is a good thing, right? It would take a terrific amount of proof for any of us to alter our opinion. And, that is a good thing, is it not?
My All Hallows Eve
So, last night being Halloween, I have to say I never know how much candy to buy because I never know how many kids are actually going to be out. It does, I think have something to do with the weather sometimes, but overall, it’s always been nice weather here, albeit sometimes a bit chillier than others.
Leaving Reason Behind?
Ever notice that it seems more and more people today are just operating off emotion instead of reason? We can find it everywhere, not just in political discourse, but everywhere in our lives. I would have thought that by now, in the 21st century, that we’d have more people of reason than those that live by those tenets that specifically reject anything to do with the same.
No Matter the Outcome, Respect the Vote
I hadn’t really planned to write about the impending midterm elections but I‘ve been noticing some disturbing trends in social media and of course, I thought I would make a few comments here. When I use the word trend, as I did, I’m not referring to any particular topic or hashtag becoming popular, it’s a few people making disturbing statements.
Epistemology and why it’s needed now more than ever!
Since I deconverted from the faith the last two years my worldview has shifted from belief to non-belief and from “ideological political and religious bonds” to a more “free thinking mindset”. I knew leaving the Christian community would put me at odds with a lot of the relationships with people I care about, but I never realized how much it would do so. I knew it would be tough, but I hoped to maintain as many of those relationships as possible and to build new ones in the skeptic community. I was naïve on multiple levels. I believed those in the Christian community would bereave my exit from the faith and to reach out to me and I hoped they would want to know some of the reasons why. In the back of my mind I hoped I could have dialogue that would either help me find faith again or at least help others understand my decision better. What I found is that no one wanted to know “why” I changed my belief after all these years.
Do we really need another “Deconversion Story Blog?”
First off, before I start I must say thanks for the opportunity to contribute to the conversation at Consskep.com. We need more sites and blogs expanding the dialogue to normalize and to encourage skeptical and critical thinking processes and to let other Atheists and deconverts to know they are not alone. I thought this would be a great way for me to pay it forward to others who took the bold leap of skepticism leaving the comfort of their faith and risking relationships with their families and friends and sharing their experiences in a public forum to advance the cause, without them I would not have been exposed to information and epistemological questions that led to my deconversion
Yes, There Will Be Other Voices Here…Soon
So I put out a call for contributors for this blog, and I’ve actually had two that are interested. One has already accepted my invitation, the other, well, as I mentioned it requires having a WordPress account so we’ll see, but based on what he sent me, via the contact form, I don’t see that taking much time.
consskeptemp.wordpress.com 