And you rock too.

The Irish folk have always had a way of dealing with adversity with humor, God love them. (so to speak!)

Brilliantly able to relate/remember their child mindset. Funny stuff. IF not for Irish humor I'd've gone insane during childhood.

Julie--from big Irish family

But there are some atheists here that kick some serious ass.

Many suffer terribly for "coming out" as atheists. It's not on a big enough scale to merit any outrage (faux or otherwise) that would matter but it's there none the less.

Many have suffered a great deal because of atheism. There have been and will be many a brave soul who will, in spite of coming reprisals, stand up and declare "I don't believe!"

I have been spared most of the crap that goes with atheism but have the deepest respect for those that have/do but press on anyway.

And I worry about those who are in situations where they have to keep mum or there could be worse things than shunning and what not. Much worse.

Julie

I was raised as a Southern Baptist, but my father switched us to a Methodist church when I was about 12 or so. Then he stopped going and we kept going. I never really quite felt like I belonged (but I wanted to very much) because I just really didn't understand how there can be 2 people on Earth that we all came from. We don't all look alike, so really how did that happen. I was told the old racist story of how Cain was turned black because he killed his brother (but Asians, Native Americans, etc didn't come along until the tower of Babel). They were exasperated with my questions (If god made everyone a different race at the tower of Babel - how did Indians get here before us?)

The final kicker for me was the sermon in which the youth pastor told me at 15 that you cannot be forgiven for sexual sin (adultery, fornication) and anyone who comments those sins will never go to heaven. I knew that my mother had committed adultery when I was 6 or so, so I started asking questions. Now, if you are trying to brainwash people, you should find their triggers, you know. But as I asked my questions (didn't tell him it was my mother), he basically told me that she was doomed to go to hell and burn forever.

So, fuck it, who wants to be in Heaven without their mother, you know? That was the beginning of the end for me.

you hit the nail on the head. There are some who have had a hard road just because they are the sane ones.

I don't think that anyone here fears damnation....or, well, we wouldn't be here.

Perhaps I should have said, "threats of certain damnation", but at some point I certainly did believe in hell and had a healthy fear of the bogeyman within. It's a hard part of overcoming the indoctrination.

is scaring the shit out of people. Look at how long they have had to practice and refine their tactics. When you can finally say that you are no longer worried about going to hell----really not worried about it----then you can be comfortable that you are an atheist. It is a long road from the indoctrination to freedom from religion. Most of us have had to travel that road in some way.

But don't think that there aren't times that it can bubble back up----like when I say "god can go to hell", I still get a little twinge of guilt.

So I tend not to bring them up.