Atheists under attack

[EbonyBranch]

It never makes sense to a child though.

 

On the contrary; I'd say that it's designed to make sense to a child. I was lucky enough not to fall for it. As an adult I can use logical analysis of the claims made by religions to understand their weaknesses. As a child I applied only very simple standards of reason to the question.

[janie48]

If it doesn't make sense to a child then an adult should surely be able to see the same!

 

From the mouths of babes.

 

Yes, and many of them do, but the ones who often claim to be the most certain are those who have never progressed from childhood, in a questioning sense.

 

Thats why i have a certain respect for the atheists who have come to their decision by thorough examination,and i'm more likely to listen to those who have identified themselves as atheists through thought and study as adults.

[janie48]

There's a difference from being forced to learn knowledge (and shakespeare is boring I agree) and being forced to learn a myth and told that it's the truth.

Being taught about religion is useful, being taught to believe it is not.

 

On the contrary; I'd say that it's designed to make sense to a child. I was lucky enough not to fall for it. As an adult I can use logical analysis of the claims made by religions to understand their weaknesses. As a child I applied only very simple standards of reason to the question.

I've been lucky enough to fall for it.

[quisquose]

When I was 11 I'd grown up going to Christian assemblies at a variety of schools, gone to Sunday school and already concluded that none of what Christianity claimed made sense. I would have identified as an atheist if asked, but it was just accepted that every child would attend Christian events. Around that time I realised that there were several people, me included, who didn't close their eyes and bow their heads during prayers.

 

When I was 11 adults had me convinced that atheists were equivalent to the islanders in The Wicker Man.

 

Shortly after I was confirmed my best friend (both parents Jewish) told me he was an atheist, and I was shocked. But the penny began to drop around this time when I was given an alternative viewpoint.

 

Another friend explained his atheism to me when we were about 16. He was the only boy in the school studying a theology "A" level. He went on to become a vicar! As far as I know he's still an atheist and a vicar.

 

The thing is, my atheism came relatively late, when I was unshackled from the "guidance" of adults, so I am not surprised that you and others here can say you knew you were atheists when you were 11.

 

Also note what George Pratt's father said, "As a family we neither promote nor dismiss any religion and hold no firm views on God in any form, and have always let our children make up their own minds as and when they feel they can make an informed choice."

 

It doesn't surprise me that a boy of 11 in such an environment could have come to his own conclusions. It is somewhat ironic, given my own experiences and the fact that many children are forced to attend churches/mosques and faith schools like I was, that some have suggested that George Pratt has been forced to say he is an atheist.

[janie48]

When I was 11 adults had me convinced that atheists were equivalent to the islanders in The Wicker Man.

 

Shortly after I was confirmed my best friend (both parents Jewish) told me he was an atheist, and I was shocked. But the penny began to drop around this time when I was given an alternative viewpoint.

 

Another friend explained his atheism to me when we were about 16. He was the only boy in the school studying a theology "A" level. He went on to become a vicar! As far as I know he's still an atheist and a vicar.

 

The thing is, my atheism came relatively late, when I was unshackled from the "guidance" of adults, so I am not surprised that you and others here can say you knew you were atheists when you were 11.

 

Also note what George Pratt's father said, "As a family we neither promote nor dismiss any religion and hold no firm views on God in any form, and have always let our children make up their own minds as and when they feel they can make an informed choice."

 

It doesn't surprise me that a boy of 11 in such an environment could have come to his own conclusions. It is somewhat ironic, given my own experiences and the fact that many children are forced to attend churches/mosques and faith schools like I was, that some have suggested that George Pratt has been forced to say he is an atheist.

So now you have concluded that you were taught a myth,but at at least you are an atheist who has had the advantage of knowledge which resulted in you arriving at that opiinion.

[Cyclone]

I've been lucky enough to fall for it.

 

How you can consider being convinced to believe a load of gobbledegook lucky I don't know. But that's the great trick that religion plays, once you believe you're taught not to question and in a circular way to believe that your belief is a good thing.

[danot]

When I was 11 adults had me convinced that atheists were equivalent to the islanders in The Wicker Man.

 

Shortly after I was confirmed my best friend (both parents Jewish) told me he was an atheist, and I was shocked. But the penny began to drop around this time when I was given an alternative viewpoint.

 

Another friend explained his atheism to me when we were about 16. He was the only boy in the school studying a theology "A" level. He went on to become a vicar! As far as I know he's still an atheist and a vicar.

 

The thing is, my atheism came relatively late, when I was unshackled from the "guidance" of adults, so I am not surprised that you and others here can say you knew you were atheists when you were 11.

 

Also note what George Pratt's father said, "As a family we neither promote nor dismiss any religion and hold no firm views on God in any form, and have always let our children make up their own minds as and when they feel they can make an informed choice."

 

It doesn't surprise me that a boy of 11 in such an environment could have come to his own conclusions. It is somewhat ironic, given my own experiences and the fact that many children are forced to attend churches/mosques and faith schools like I was, that some have suggested that George Pratt has been forced to say he is an atheist.

I think you're confusing agnosticism with atheism. Atheism cannot come to somene later in their life, as we're all born atheists. Only when we consider whether or not there is a god do we cease to be atheist. Agnosticism is to conclude there is no way of actually knowing whether there is or isn't a god. I'd say you're probably the latter as I suspect most people are.

[quisquose]

So now you have concluded that you were taught a myth,but at at least you are an atheist who has had the advantage of knowledge which resulted in you arriving at that opiinion.

 

I may as well object to the fact that I wasn't indoctrinated in Islam then, so I could now be a Muslim atheist rather than a Christian atheist.

 

[Cyclone]

So now you have concluded that you were taught a myth,but at at least you are an atheist who has had the advantage of knowledge which resulted in you arriving at that opiinion.

 

That's being taught about religion though, not being taught to believe in a specific religion.

[maxmaximus]

How you can consider being convinced to believe a load of gobbledegook lucky I don't know. But that's the great trick that religion plays, once you believe you're taught not to question and in a circular way to believe that your belief is a good thing.

 

Because it likely gives her a warm fuzzy feeling inside to know that when loved ones die they go to a better place and she will one day be reunited with them.