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My name is Bob Howard. I am now in my 60s and have been atheistic all my life apart from my childhood. I was sent to Catholic schools where I was indoctrinated and as a child believed everything I was told. Up to 10 years of age I went to primary school run by nuns. The Christianity I was taught then was not of love. Those who have not experienced Catholicism would have difficulty believing that adults could teach the sort of religion they did to young children. It was a religion of fear, what would happen if you didn't toe the line. In high school we got the Catholic attitude to sex which always produces mirth. You were in trouble just thinking about it. I left school at 14. I left the church at the same time and have had nothing to do with any religion since apart from an occasional wedding or funeral. It wasn't until I was 30 that I began to think about it again and wondered if there was anything in it. I read every relevant book I could get from the library plus all religious material which came my way. I noted radio and television programmes, in short following as much religious material as possible. The upshot was I concluded religion was what one wanted to believe. Every Christian seems to have a different idea. The arguments on the finer points of what should be believed on nz religion newsgroup are highly entertaining even the abuse they sometimes descend to. I notice the stories of Christians turning to atheism often hinge on being let down emotionally. For me emotion doesn't come into it. I am a logical thinker. I put everything to the test of logic and I find Christianity wanting. I reject astrology, ghosts, healing crystals etc. all on the basis of logic. To explain fully my findings would require a novel so I will reduce that to some examples. Religion centers around an omnipotent being - God. Where did the idea of God come from? Going back to the stone age people had no idea how the world worked. Why did it rain this year and food was plentiful but not rain last year when people starved? Why did it rain so hard their environment was flooded and some drowned? Why did tribal members sicken and die? What was that frightening display of white streaks in the sky followed by loud rumblings? They cowered in their caves to get away from it. The only way to explain it all was to say invisible beings controlled the world. These were the spirits, good and bad. The primitive religions arose with variations from group to group. As civilisation progressed so did the sophistication of religion. The primitive spirits gave way to gods, a multiplicity of gods. The Hebrews who were thinking people reasoned there was one overriding god called Yaweh. The development of Yaweh from the bloodthirsty god of the Old Testament to the benign God of today follows the development of human thinking. In other words God has been whatever people have wanted him to be, in fact a caricature of human behaviour. Over the last 300 or so years human thinking has matured into present day science. The bible stories have been slowly discarded as we understand the universe better. The believers though have had to dragged along kicking and screaming. There is still a rearguard of strict bible believers in the creationists but they are a pale imitation of their former selves as science gets the better of them. A scientific study of the bible and of Middle East history including archaeology shows serious flaws in the bible particularly the OT most of which seems to be wishful thinking for a glorious nation (the Jews are still at it which is at least partly the cause of trouble in the region now). The New Teastament so closely follows the myths of the pagan religions it is logical to conclude the writers borrowed from them to enhance their founder. For instance several hundred years before Jesus Bacchus was turning water into wine at a wedding feast. So many ancient heroes had virgin births and/or resurrections Jesus was far from unique. Point these things out to true believers and listen to their convoluted explanations. The beliefs come first and logic is mangled to fit. While I can't prove it in the negative I have not been convinced by any Christians that their god exists. The older I get the more certain I am in my atheism. Christians tell me I am merely refusing to acknowledge God because the existence of God is obvious. I have no purpose in life and have no morals or my morals change with the wind. None of this is true. I always ask them why if what they say is true am I resonably happy and contented in life. The suggestion I and my family can't be as moral as Christians angers me. I understand from researchers that atheists have better marriage statistics than Christians and crime or immoral behaviour among atheists is no worse than among Christians. I have had long arguments over homosexuals who are sinful and perverted. I ask them if they have tried to understand people who are different. They don't have to because the bible is the last word on the subject. While they don't have the faintest idea scientifically if homosexuality is genetic they "know" it isn't because the bible says it is wrong. To acknowledge it might be means the bible is unjustified in condemning homosexuality. Once Christians acknowledge the bible is wrong in one area it is the slippery slope for the whole bible. Christian scholars know the bible is dubious but the hierarchy are not keen to tell the church congregations. The older I get the more atheistic I become Bob Howard. |