Once again, Cup o Joe’s arrogance rears its ugly head. What is essentially being said is that “you aren’t ready to hear the truth so screw you guys, I’m going home”.
It is saying that “my religion is the only true religion and either ascribe to my own personal belief system or you’ll pay.”
Just. Wow.
this is me 
So basically, not what you do.
Q: If you had the choice to decide which reality is right, would you choose a reality where god is real or a reality where he isn’t real?
I’d choose a reality where god isn’t real, no question. Even if god was real in this reality, I’d face eternal damnation rather than be forced to love some unknown being for no reason other than its say-so.
One might make the argument that I should be thankful “it” brought me into being, but I don’t agree with that. I’m not thankful for my parents for conceiving me, I’m thankful that they brought me up and looked after: something god has not done.
I would ask for further elaboration. Please quantify this “god”. If it was the God of the Bible, as so many characterize him, then, I would choose a reality where he isn’t real.
Why?
Well, so many Christians characterize their god as an all-powerful abusive spouse; either follow all his mandates and praise him often, or you’ll suffer greatly. Because he loves you, y’know.
I would not want to live in a reality where I was subjugated to that extent.
Well, any god, you can specify which kind, I just want to know what you would want in terms of a higher being.
I don’t really see a point in having a “higher” being. Can you explain?
im a higher being than any of ya
Nothing I just wanted to know if you wanted a reality where a god exists (whichever you want).
Really it’s only because I’m bored and I found it interesting.
Okay, can ANYONE explain why there needs to be a “higher being”?
Because it makes some people feel warm and fuzzy inside.
Q: what religion were you brought up as (if any)? how were your parents about it? was it forced?
Are these questions for any athiestic person, or just Mr. Sango?
All of these questions are open to more than one answer.
I need to change my screenname. No one can get it right… (It originates from my original nickname–DanielSan-- and my website on Geocities. When it was bought by Yahoo, I automatically got an e-mail address: danielsan.geo@yahoo.com…an address I no longer use… so I now use “danielsangeo” in many places. Evidence of evolution? You decide! 
Yeah, yeah, cool story, bro. Just saying that I’ve been called everything from Sango to Angelo. I thought the signature pic would help, but alas…)
I believe Acristoff is just asking any atheist.
Me? My dad is an atheist. My mom is a Wiccan/Pagan. They never taught me religion, but they never shielded me from it, either. It just never came up when I was younger.
I’ll assume they’re for anyone, and answer this one myself.
At a young age, I was brought up as a Roman Catholic in a primarily Italian-American town in southern New Jersey. My parents’ faith was never forced on me, and was instead simply presented as a single potential explanation for the world. As I grew older, my parents slowly grew away from the Church in light of their views on homosexuality, abortion, women’s rights, and birth control, and I followed them.
A few years ago, I considered returning to the Catholic church, but ultimately decided that religion did not have the answers that I was looking for. I also decided that I was unable to put aside my confidence in logic and reason in order to accept the world view presented by Christianity.
In short: I’ve never had any particular belief forced upon me; it’s always been a conscious choice on my part.
Sorry about that slip up, Daniel, I’m writing an essay right now so I’m a little frazzled.
Ah, okay.
I grew up as Christian because of my school. My parents have never tried to influence my religious view in any way.
Well in that case, i’d choose a world with a god, but one that does all sorts of cool and beneficial stuff.
My mother is atheistic as far as I know, and my father was raised Catholic, I think but isn’t himself and has his own beliefs.
I was never taught any sort of religious stuff at home, and I was absolutely free to make my own choices. In elementary school I took classes where we were taught about Christianity, from a catholic point of view I think, by my own choice.
In high school I took the non-religious version of that sort of class. I have no idea how that stuff works in the UK or the US, so I don’t really know what to call these classes.
Anyway, I was free to make my own choices and came by my atheism from my own decisions and reasoning.
If you were learning about the religion objectively then it would be “religious education” in England.
My parents were Protestant, but they let me be baptized in a Catholic church because, frankly, that church had the best kindergarten in our hometown, which was just two minutes on foot away from home, while the next Protestant church had no kindergarten whatsoever and was significantly farther away.
Then, when I was coming into puberty, and my holy communion was drawing closer, they knew that I would financially benefit from a Protestant “confirmation” ceremony (there’s that custom that every friend or relative of the family donates some money for the child on that one, while the Catholic communion doesn’t involve money at all), and they found the Protestant church much more beautiful, so they let me change my confession and sent me to the Protestant church lessons. I cannot remember ever having been confronted with religion at home, but I remember singing in the Catholic mass and one child beside me add to each line that ended with “God” the words “the piss pot” and chuckle furiously. I remember being shocked and afraid that a lightning would hit us, but when nothing happened I felt silly and childish to have believed such a thing.
In Protestant church lessons that should prepare us for our holy confirmation at the age of 14 I was one of the most devout pupils and learned my prayers and never asked a critical question, because it never occurred to me. But my best friend Bob (real name changed, of course) was from Croatia and had no faith whatsoever, he just knew the Bible very well and asked me to take him with me into one of the lessons. Turned out he not only knew the Bible better than our Pastor, he also confronted him with questions he couldn’t really answer to everyones satisfaction. And he pointed out all the weaknesses and contradictory phrases to us. He was an astoundingly clever kid already back then.
I started reading the Bible for myself and marking all the parts that didn’t logically fit together. I started asking similar questions to several priests of the different churches in my hometown, and none of them could answer them to my satisfaction. And I knew I had looked behind the curtain.
It was the same as with Easter bunny, Santa Clause, and the Monster beneath my bed.
None of them had ever existed. It was all lies and rubbish. I went through the confirmation ceremony and got my money. I nominally stayed a Protestant for 5 more years. I even did my civil service (which one can choose to do instead of military service) for that church, nursing old people and bringing them their daily lunch.
After that, upon leaving my hometown to go studying, I left the Church. My parents have also done so by now. They still believe there is some higher power out there. And they still believe in divine judgement. But they HAVE to. They are poor. Noone has ever shown THEM justice in life. They simply must believe that to not completely break down.
I have become a scientist of literature at university. And critical thinking, along with empirical research, was drilled into our heads. It didn’t need to be for me any more. I had already had my fair share of betrayal and false witness by then.
I will never again believe in something that cannot be proven. It always ends with disappointment anyway.
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