Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
The thing is the majority of everyone probably makes their decisions before 18. Atheists may have an unusually high proportion who decided for disbelief after age 18, but many of you likely deemed yourself atheist before 18. Even if you didn't I would presume a majority of atheists have views on love, violence, justice, cooperation, sharing, food, clothing, plumbing, and so forth you formed before 18.
I became an atheist at 28, but I'm sure others do reject god/s early on. Hopefully, people will reexamine the world periodically and entertain alternative ideas before outright rejecting anything foreign, but we both know how often that happens. Your examples of "love, violence, justice, cooperation, sharing, food, clothing, plumbing, and so forth" are typically taught to us initially by our parents or guardians - just like religion. However, as we age we experiment with most of these. We aren't told from a very young age that experimenting with these ideas will lead to eternal punishment. Big difference between your examples (including the physical examples of your second paragraph) and religion.
Two: Try experimenting with public nudity or exposing oneself and see how that works for you.
You're right about hell; however, other religions have "downsides" to not following the rules, and these are taught to very young children.
Actually, people do learn about nudity, usually accidentally or via the media. Jokes are made in all forms of media about nudity. Most people don't want to be the butt of jokes. There is shame involved with being nude or partially nude. That's a completely different topic though. Also, there are secular laws about nudity.
I don't see how. You seem to indicate beliefs gained before age 18 must be due to indoctrination so that respect isn't owed to it. I gave some examples of non-religious beliefs people gain before 18.
Don't forget "mocking". It's like Jesus added "you'll call any questioning of my religion 'mocking'" to the whole love god and one another stuff he was preaching. Christians use that word like they were getting royalties off it.
Or less cynically, Christianity has an institutionalized persecution complex. Jesus said that true believers would be hated, which people translate into "if people hate me I must be doing it right". Ignore the logical fallacy in this thinking - the view is prevalent in many brands of Christianity. So much so that believers go out of their way to feel disrespected, so you can hardly take their claims of persecution, mocking or disrespect seriously.
I did read it. A number of people, but not you, have shared thoughts and opinions on this matter.
Thought it was RIGHT on point which is why I posted it. True, I often have lots to say when I post a link, but I was in a rush and could not pull out a good enough excerpt at the time so I posted it without anything contribution from me.
Believers have no respect for even those that follow other religions, much less have discarded (or never have worn) the yoke of belief in fictional gods.
And when these show their lack of respect for my not believing by attempting to enforce the stupidity of their belief by having it taught in schools or enacted into laws I will get in their face and be most disrespectful to them and their religion.
Don't forget "mocking". It's like Jesus added "you'll call any questioning of my religion 'mocking'" to the whole love god and one another stuff he was preaching.
I don't buy that.
Jesus himself mocked the rich and those who abused their (religious) authority on various occasions.
Then again, I’m not a Christian.
You're right about hell; however, other religions have "downsides" to not following the rules, and these are taught to very young children.
Actually, people do learn about nudity, usually accidentally or via the media. Jokes are made in all forms of media about nudity. Most people don't want to be the butt of jokes. There is shame involved with being nude or partially nude. That's a completely different topic though. Also, there are secular laws about nudity.
This is all off topic.
Do you think naturists are immoral, or could they even attend church in the nude?
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.