missus_gumby

I grew out of religion in my late teens, much the same way as I grew out of believing in the tooth fairy and santa several years earlier.

I was born with no religious belief, but when I was old enough I was told that I was a Christian. I went to an English C of E primary school where christianity was drummed into me every weekday I attended.

Martin

Ron Garrett

In order to be a theist I would have to be presented with convincing evidence of or argumentation for the existence of a deity. Such evidence has not been presented and all argumentation thus far attempted fails. At present I would class theism as 90% wishful thinking by those who have been unable to shed the childhood desire for the security of a powerful and benevolent parent, and 10% or less a genuine attempt to resolve questions of existence. I was raised United Methodist by a mother who was a Sunday School teacher, church librarian and board member. I have subsequently belonged to Episcopal, Southern Baptist, Lutheran Missouri Synod,attended seminary at Fuller, was ordained and pastored in a Calvary Chapel congregation. I walked away from the church three years ago in the middle of studying for a doctorate in Biblical Studies. I came to reject fundamentalism, inerrancy and the dictatorship of the pastor, all of which charactertized that fundie church. I became first a liberal Christian, then a deist, then agnostic, and now a positive atheist. Wish I'd done it years ago.

Triple Six

1 Because there is strong evidence that all religious texts contain substantial portions that are simply not true and there is no evidence for the truth of any of the supernatural claims contained within them. So why believe in a collection of lies and unsubstantiated statements?

2 I was gently fed Church of England christianity in my childhood and at school. I was never a church attender by my own free will and never had a deeply held belief in god that I can remember. God went about the same time as Santa. The older I got and the more I learned, the stronger the foundations for my being an atheist became. If anything my antagonism towards religion is increasing all the time because what I use to see as harmless nutters, I now recognise as a sinister way of exploiting people.

[ January 27, 2002: Message edited by: Proud atheist ]</p>

BigBlue2

Because there is no god.

Atheist. Lucky me.

jojo-sa

Firstly thank you all for the replies.

I merely want to get a "feel" where the atheism "bug" comes from.
If you want to find out about the "real Islam" thats up to you to find out and study up on the subject. Advice from me would be to look at Islamic sources, for if you want to study Mathematics you do not got to fotune teller, you go to a mathematics teacher or professor.

Just some info.

I am theist. why? I look at all the things around me and see a complete working system full of life and many other things. A system that works and cannot just happen. (just short explanation)

Being Muslim provides guidelines(these guidelines can be found if You take the time to study Islam, and that is not my duty its up to yourselves) for living in this system that was created and puts more definition to the qualities of the Creator of the system.

ok

The two readers in my opinion( correct me if I am wrong) wants to say that Islam "breeds" the same amount unbelievers as Chistianity its just that in the "Muslim world" it is more controlled and dangerous to think free thought.

Well I prefer not to mention about statistics of this kind since I asked an open free question here in the hope of finding information and to date it seems as if most atheist on here comes from Christian background.

Also some info from my personal side. I grew up in a non musilm country. about 5% of population were Muslim and to date I know noboby that became atheist or agnostic from this bunch of Muslims that I knew and grew up with in this free non Muslim free thinking secular society.

Now I live in another another non Muslim country and met more Muslims here and not one of them to date has become atheist. Well this is for sure not the whole picture. perhaps there are others who know Muslims who have gone to unbelief.

Also I know people here and in the country I was born in who are unbelievers and most of them are from Christain background. A few comes from Hindu and a few from the Jewish.

but this proves nothing. that is why I put the question here just to see why this "unbelief phenomenom" exist so I can understand it better.

Lastly thanks again to al who answered

Panta Pei

jojo-sa:

Let me just add further redundancy to the assorted similar responses to your two very important questions:

1. I classify myself as an atheist to any of the assorted 'revealed' religions because they are just plain goofy and dishonest. I enjoy and appreciate reality as experienced fully through my nervous system.

2. I was born a human in the christian milieu.

For more information on muslim non-believers please review the following sites:

<a href="http://www.california.com/~rpcman/WIANAM.HTM" target="_blank">http://www.california.com/~rpcman/WIANAM.HTM</a>

<a href="http://www.isisforum.com/" target="_blank">http://www.isisforum.com/</a>

You may find that is really what your search is all about

~ Steve

jojo-sa

check this link it answers questions about warraq

<a href="http://www.geocities.com/WestHollywood/Park/6443/FAQ/warraq1a.html" target="_blank">http://www.geocities.com/WestHollywood/Park/6443/FAQ/warraq1a.html</a>

AS for the other site , it is big so I am still reading it it.

Thanks for links

Panta Pei

jojo-sa

I have so far read the "Five General Errors Common to Warraq and Other Anti-Muslim Writers" segment and will return for the rest of "Some Problems Specific to Warraq" at a later time.

I must admit that I was amazed at the assertions.

Amazed, really, at the glaring similarities between McAuliffe's arguments against non-belief of Islam and the typical Christian approach.

The techniques are eerily similar and must work well to maintain the indoctrination.

Pleading some need for acceptance of historical tradition, mysterious consideration of 'context' of holy writings as a whole and the disingenuous claim that self-criticism (apologetics) somehow makes the belief tenable is familiar to most atheists.

Add to that the obvious personal character assassination of the author and presumptuous claim to knowledge of the validity of his prior spiritual upbringing should make it clear that none of the actual material in the book is going to be refuted.

It is the equivalent of the old "since you reject Christianity, you must never have been a Christian" mantra many of us here at II have heard before.

Now I'll have to go and buy the book

~Steve

Koyaanisqatsi

Concur with Panta. The Islamic cult is identical to the Christian cult as that link clearly demonstrates.

It just will never cease to amaze me that otherwise intelligent people can be so easily manipulated by fairy tales.

What a pointless waste.

Leesifer

I have never believed in god.

I had no religion at all in my upbringing (except for the mandatory religious education lessons at school).