Athius

First of all I just want to say that I am over-joyed to be here with you people. Before I say anything about myself, let me say how I came here and why I'm so happy about it.

I am a person who likes to constantly discuss important issues and topics with others. Any issue ranging from politics to religion to arts, etc. I like doing this because I learn so much in the process, and get to know different people and how they react to different issues. It also helps me be less biased and more informed by hearing different views. I have spent 3-4 years in another forum. It was the best forum I knew that had an active and semi-intelligent group discussing important issues. There were however many problems, such as constant flame wars, idiotic, racist, disgusting posts, and almost 0 moderation. I tried very hard to make a difference in there for good, but I guess an intelligent person is not welcome in a town of idiots.

I've been searching for months now looking for a better, larger, more intelligent forum, where at least if someone says "THOSE MOTHER F***** PIECE OF SHITS, BURN THEM ALL, KILL THEM KILL THEM" the moderators would delete it without any debate. I'm so happy I found this forum (through google searching), you all seem very intelligent people, each with a different story and opinion. I'm sure I'll be learning a lot from you guys and I'm sure I'll finally be able to have an intelligent conversation without someone constantly cursing at others in the middle of it.

Ok, now a little about myself and my background. I think I am unique in that I am actually an ex-Muslim Atheist. Those kind of people are very rare these days, because of the intolerance of Islam toward Atheists, especially Muslim defectors. I was born and raised in Tehran, Iran until I was about 13 years old, and then my family and I immigrated to the US, and we've been living here ever since. My mom is a moderate Muslim, but my dad has always been an Atheist. I was also a Muslim before just because I was a naive kid obeying rules and orders, and because of the environment I was in. When we came to the US, my dad started teaching me about Darwin, and Philosophy, and other sciences and it began to hit me. A combination of my dad's teachings, what I learned in school and my own growing up and becoming more intelligent led me to realize what a joke religion really was. I am now 18 and have been a proud Atheist for about 3-4 years. At first my mom became very disappointed in me and we had constant arguments over it. Even up to this day she prays to god asking him to drive out the satan from me and my dad, which kind of makes me sad and upset. Anywho I've always tried to keep my "conversion" a secret from all my relatives especially the ones back in my country. If they ever hear about this, they would never even let me into their house and would probably break up all relationships with my family, it is sad to see what a bunch of ignorant people most Muslims are, and another reason I must try to keep my opinions secret is that if my country's government ever hears about this, I wouldn't be surprised if they jailed me or even killed me for it, seeing how I'm still not an American citizen yet. We live in a dumb world where the morons rule over the intelligent.

Anyway, that was my story, again I like to say I'm very happy to be here, and am looking forward to hours of fun learning and debates.

btw. Do you guys know anyone else here who has been an ex-Muslims Atheist, or am I the first one? Because I've never met anyone else besides my dad who's like me with my background.

sakrilege

I'm happy to hear that you found this spot and hope it meets your expectations. It sounds like you have a lot to contribute.

Abacus

First off, welcome to II. You have an interesting story. In case you haven't found it yet, you might want to check out this thread:

Atheist's Testimony

Can't say that I do. Most of us who participate here come from countries where Christianity is the dominant religion. Your perspective, coming from a Muslim background, should be interesting.

Luiseach

I've seen forums like the one you describe...they can be incredibly depressing. I sincerely hope you have a more enjoyable time here. Welcome! :-)

Luiseach

admice

Welcome! How great that you like to think and question and learn! Tough background, that. I admire you for being willing to question such beliefs. It sounds like you still go back there, so do be careful though, as you know the serious repercussions in Iran.

Athius

Thank you all for such a nice welcome. I just know this is the right place for me. I have one question though what is the Atheist's Testimony? Is it something everyone has to "sign" or just another thread? Please clarify that, thanks.

Ye, I do go back there, but very rarely, maybe once every 3-4 years. I've heard stories of people going there and never coming back. Execution is rare especially recently where any aggressive move by government sparks mass protests and strikes from the people. But it is very common for people to be prohibited from leaving the country once you're back there because of your beliefs and actions. I just hope the government would colapse soon, and it looks like it will in a couple of years, if not months.

Once again, thanks all for the welcome.

Abacus

It's just another thread that I thought you might find to be of interest.

Athius

ah, ok, thank you. Although it seems pretty long, I will read all of it as soon as I get a chance.

Gurdur

Welcome !