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I was 26.....it was 2007.....
I had been a practicing muslim....but a hypocrite at the same time....kinda like a lot of other muslims you may meet (for example, i had a gf )
Good for you.
Quote:
Anyways, After reading The God Delusion, the "switch was turned on".....i started diving into youtube videos on the topic; i watched virtually everything i could get my hands on from Richard Dawkins, Christopher Hitchens, Same Harris, Daniel Dennett, etc. and boom, it was done. The 'transformation' was virtually instantaneous....only took a few weeks/months for everything to fully click into place.
I must say that it is somewhat more difficult now than it was before 2007.....It's more depressing to live among so much ignorance and stupidity.....When you're living as one of the stupid and ignorant, you simply can't see the problem as clearly as when you step outside and take a look in!
It's great to hear from Ex -Muslims. I have got to say that Islamic apologetics rates pretty low of the effectiveness scale. If you have seen the "Unquestionable Evidences" thread, you'll know what I mean.
Khalif on a sort of All encompassing Abrahamic apologetic was pretty good, and there was a "Let them write another like it" thread (You'll get that one ) which rather led me to think that the Quran (whether or not based on the sayings of an earlier religious leader) was likely commissioned by Caliph Uthman, using the best court poets, and largely reflecting his views.
What was your transition like, and how are you now?
It started out with a lifetime of questioning, suicide attempts and drug use. Coming out was incredibly difficult, and is a never ending thing, and it's always difficult, and always scary. Hormones have been one of the best things to ever happen to me, though it felt like forever getting there. I feel so much more at peace, and happier, and so much more alive. I'm currently awaiting surg...
*looks around at all the shocked and confused faces*
Oh ****. I um... I mean...um...I'm so sorry.
(I'm sorry for interrupting. I saw the opportunity for some word play, and the temptation was way too much to resist. Carry on.)
It started out with a lifetime of questioning, suicide attempts and drug use. Coming out was incredibly difficult, and is a never ending thing, and it's always difficult, and always scary. Hormones have been one of the best things to ever happen to me, though it felt like forever getting there. I feel so much more at peace, and happier, and so much more alive. I'm currently awaiting surg...
*looks around at all the shocked and confused faces*
Oh ****. I um... I mean...um...I'm so sorry.
(I'm sorry for interrupting. I saw the opportunity for some word play, and the temptation was way too much to resist. Carry on.)
You count on this thread as far as I can tell. You may not be an atheist but you did transition out of the authoritarian prison.
Just because you might like having them done to you doesn’t mean I’d enjoy it. Example, I was saved therefore others would welcome being saved.
In regards to the Golden Rule,
It is the twisting of that rule to suit the proliferation of religion (I was saved, therefore you should be saved) that is the problem. Taking such a great idea as the Golden Rule and essentially making it do the opposite.
I ran into this situation with my kids the other day. I forget the exact scenario, but my youngest likes it when his sister sits right next to him while eating their snacks. So, my youngest got up and sat right next to his older brother while he was eating his snack. My youngest thought it was a nice thing to do, but my oldest wants "his space." So then I had to teach the exception to that rule - "Do unto others unless they yell "Hey stop! I don't like that!"
') That's certainly the case I argued on a thread here -that the golden rule (don't do to others what they don't want done to them) because perverted in the gospels to - effectively - an excuse to do to others what you think would be good for them, while of course screaming persecution if anyone does that to them.
') That's certainly the case I argued on a thread here -that the golden rule (don't do to others what they don't want done to them) because perverted in the gospels to - effectively - an excuse to do to others what you think would be good for them, while of course screaming persecution if anyone does that to them.
yeah, no atheist do this. Distort valid claims into something they are not to make their denomination of atheism more real.
Another thing atheists never do (like you do) is tell other non believers that they are not real atheists.
I might have to resurrect that list about your denomination of atheism. quack-quack.
It is the twisting of that rule to suit the proliferation of religion (I was saved, therefore you should be saved) that is the problem. Taking such a great idea as the Golden Rule and essentially making it do the opposite.
I ran into this situation with my kids the other day. I forget the exact scenario, but my youngest likes it when his sister sits right next to him while eating their snacks. So, my youngest got up and sat right next to his older brother while he was eating his snack. My youngest thought it was a nice thing to do, but my oldest wants "his space." So then I had to teach the exception to that rule - "Do unto others unless they yell "Hey stop! I don't like that!"
Maybe that should be the new rule
Of course religion can and will twist anything to suit their cause. The fact that we can recognize they are twisting information to make their point; means that we have made a successful transition.
My story is kinda funny. I was born and raised catholic, went to 8 years of catholic grade school and spent 4 years being an alter boy (never molested thankfully!). Anyways, back when I was 9 or 10, it was during Lent, I'm not sure exactly how it happened, but I remember accidentally eating meat on a Friday and thought I was going to immediately spontaneously combust.
But I didn't, thankfully, and it got me thinking about this whole religion and God thing. And from there, I just started to question religion and God and what they really were and why they existed. I still went to church to please my parents, until I graduated high school, but they knew I became a non-believer.
It's funny, to this day, my Mom still says, "I spent all that money on catholic school!" She's still a believer, and I still love her.
It's weird because many people who meet me actually think I'm Mormon, I've never drank alcohol in my life (40+ years), never smoked, never done drugs, never curse/swear, don't drink coffee and rarely drink caffeinated beverages at all, I try to help as many people as I can, try to live my life to its fullest each and every day and try to make a positive change. Then I tell people that I don't believe in a God, and they're like, yep, you're definitely not a Mormon!
Mormons don't believe in a god, they believe in a race of Aliens. And my computer- genius niece went to a catholic school (though we are all non believers) because it was good and the local state schools weren't. No harm done. She came out as atheist as when she went in and so did most of the other kids. I attended a Church school myself, and even the state schools after that peddled religion, and it just made me more contemptuous of the whole religious midden - heap.
Oh, while I have never done drugs (and never want to) I do all the rest, and more, and plan to go on doing it. But (apart from coffee, and I have got to say smoking which has got from one pipe a day to stopped counting) it's all strictly moderate.
You count on this thread as far as I can tell. You may not be an atheist but you did transition out of the authoritarian prison.
Yes I did. Thank you, L8.
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)
) which rather led me to think that the Quran (whether or not based on the sayings of an earlier religious leader) was likely commissioned by Caliph Uthman, using the best court poets, and largely reflecting his views.
