| Topic: |
Religions > Atheism |
| User: |
"Mark Richardson" |
| Date: |
28 Jul 2003 07:40:17 PM |
| Object: |
Re: I'm baaaack.... |
On Mon, 28 Jul 2003 22:20:32 GMT, "David Haapala"
<dhaapala@houston.removethis.rr.com> wrote:
I've been lurking around the NG for a while, and found I missed the great
banter atheists have - specially with those of faith
.
Just finished re-joining on line.
I've been out of AA since the late '80's, but thought it was time to get
back on board.
Late 80's !!!
Man you are a fossil!
8-)
What name did you post under?
Welcome back, anyhow.
8-)
Mark.
--
Mark Richardson mDOTrichardsonATutasDOTeduDOTau
Member of S.M.A.S.H.
(Sarcastic Middle aged Atheists with a Sense of Humour)
-----------------------------------------------------
.
|
|
| User: "David Haapala" |
|
| Title: Re: I'm baaaack.... |
28 Jul 2003 08:40:12 PM |
|
|
"Mark Richardson" <mark.richardson@die.spammers.die> wrote in message
news:rcgbiv47fu7b3g58ejf3b74l1mmt7dokrj@4ax.com...
| On Mon, 28 Jul 2003 22:20:32 GMT, "David Haapala"
| <dhaapala@houston.removethis.rr.com> wrote:
|
| >I've been lurking around the NG for a while, and found I missed the great
| >banter atheists have - specially with those of faith
| >.
| > Just finished re-joining on line.
| > I've been out of AA since the late '80's, but thought it was time to get
| >back on board.
| Late 80's !!!
| Man you are a fossil!
| 8-)
|
| What name did you post under?
|
| Welcome back, anyhow.
| 8-)
|
| Mark.
|
|
| --
| Mark Richardson mDOTrichardsonATutasDOTeduDOTau
|
| Member of S.M.A.S.H.
| (Sarcastic Middle aged Atheists with a Sense of Humour)
|
| -----------------------------------------------------
I used to watch the O'Hare's on San Diego public T.V. They would
broadcast the A.A. show. I loved the debates with silly people of faith.
I found a lot of the things discussed on the T.V. show right in line
with my own personal thoughts. I was a bit younger then, right around 30,
but had an atheistic mind since I was very young. I know I stopped believing
in jesus at the same time I stopped believing in the Easter Bunny, Santa
Claus, and the Tooth Fairy. They were all in the same category.
At 20, I began reading Carl Sagan, Isaac Asimov, and non-fiction works
of Science. At the same time, I was taking classes in electrical
engineering, and found that Science, Math, and the world around me had a
very harmonic relationship in a way that wasn't quite fully described by
Science, but Science had presented a more rational view of the universe than
any other prescribed pill of reality.
As time went on, as it does for all of us, I became more and more locked
into the KNOWLEDGE that answers were not provided by spooks, but by trying
to understand the phenomena around us in a rational, relational way. I
thought I would NEVER understand Einstein, but found I could, and then found
myself struggling with the largeness of it all, not attributing that to a
god, but simply a lack of our Scientific understanding of the simple
HUGENESS of it all.
Christ! I just read what I wrote. I hope I do not sound like some poor
nutcase.
I posted as myself, here. I have posted to other newsgroups, but not
that often.
Hope this helps answer your questions,
David
.
|
|
|
| User: "Mark Richardson" |
|
| Title: Re: I'm baaaack.... |
29 Jul 2003 12:42:11 AM |
|
|
On Tue, 29 Jul 2003 01:40:12 GMT, "David Haapala"
<dhaapala@houston.removethis.rr.com> wrote:
I used to watch the O'Hare's on San Diego public T.V. They would
broadcast the A.A. show. I loved the debates with silly people of faith.
I found a lot of the things discussed on the T.V. show right in line
with my own personal thoughts. I was a bit younger then, right around 30,
but had an atheistic mind since I was very young. I know I stopped believing
in jesus at the same time I stopped believing in the Easter Bunny, Santa
Claus, and the Tooth Fairy. They were all in the same category.
At 20, I began reading Carl Sagan, Isaac Asimov, and non-fiction works
of Science. At the same time, I was taking classes in electrical
engineering, and found that Science, Math, and the world around me had a
very harmonic relationship in a way that wasn't quite fully described by
Science, but Science had presented a more rational view of the universe than
any other prescribed pill of reality.
As time went on, as it does for all of us, I became more and more locked
into the KNOWLEDGE that answers were not provided by spooks, but by trying
to understand the phenomena around us in a rational, relational way. I
thought I would NEVER understand Einstein, but found I could, and then found
myself struggling with the largeness of it all, not attributing that to a
god, but simply a lack of our Scientific understanding of the simple
HUGENESS of it all.
Christ! I just read what I wrote. I hope I do not sound like some poor
nutcase.
No not at all.
8-)
To make you feel better I'll divulge a little of my own story.
I wasn't brought up in a christian family - although I did attend
Sunday School and had some religious education classes in school.
(I am an Australian and there is nothing like the 1st amendment here)
My Grandmother was a christian and so my parents had my older siblings
baptized for her sake but after she died there was no one to insist on
my or my younger brothers behalf.
Like you, I always thought of the Bible Stories as "just stories" and
was a little shocked and confused when it dawned on me that people
took it seriously.
I decided when in primary school (Elementary school) that God didn't
exist and said so explicitly. I remember having "schoolyard" debates
with other kids and noticing that kids "believed in God" but didn't
really think about it until challenged by someone like me.
I got a kick out of making them think (those that had the capacity)
about some things they had just "absorbed" from their parents and
church.
I too was a serious science geek and loved science fiction - that's a
pretty common theme here in alt.atheism.
I have been reading and posting to a.a. since 1995 - and learned a
great deal - especially about religion and politics in the USA.
I think it is much easier to be an atheist in Australia or Britain or
Canada than the USA - its not such a big deal for us.
I like to lend a little "moral support" to my USA freethinking buddies
when I can.
8-)
Mark.
--
Mark Richardson mDOTrichardsonATutasDOTeduDOTau
Member of S.M.A.S.H.
(Sarcastic Middle aged Atheists with a Sense of Humour)
-----------------------------------------------------
.
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