Hey Guys (I've been "lurking" for a while)
Offline Hi all.
Though it sounds a bit creepy, I've been lurking and reading this forum for about a month or so. I've found some very intersting discussions/debates that have made me think. I guess I should say a tad bit about myself.
I'm a university student from the southern United States (Mississippi to be exact: the big, ugly buckle of the Bible belt). I attend, ironically, a Christian university, for reasons other than their beliefs.
I spent my childhood attending church with my ultra-conservative Christian mother. *Shudder." In 11th grade, I went off to the Mississippi School for Mathematics and Science, which is a boarding school for intellectually gifted juniors and seniors. It was there that I began to think for myself.
It wasn't until verrrry recently that I've begun to identify as an atheist. I've read more articles and books, and watched more documentaries and videos than I can count; these things have allowed me to realize that it's okay not to believe in god, especially one as barbaric as the one my mother praises.
I'm now a sophomore in college, pursuing a B.A. in English (with a concentration in writing) and an associate's degreee in psychology. After graduation, I plan to attend law school in order to become an advocate for victim's of sexual assault and abuse.
Anyway, I suppose that's enough information at the moment, but I'm always open to questions 
~Avalon Storme~
Yes, you have the right to believe what you'd like, as long as those beliefs do not revoke the rights of others.
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Welcome to the dark side. We have dark chocolate, dark roast coffee dark beer and dark rum. Take your pick.
=
And welcome. How many serious christians does your college have?
I had godly parents, too. Yikes.
"Experiments are the only means of knowledge at our disposal. The rest is poetry, imagination." Max Planck
We organize kitten BBQ's around here on a regular basis, it will be your turn to bring the relish. Do you has yet get irritated when your classmates ask you to attend church with then, as in totally not believing you are an atheist?
"Very funny Scotty; now beam down our clothes."
VEGETARIAN: Ancient Hindu word for "lousy hunter"
If man was formed from dirt, why is there still dirt?
As long as they aren't stray kitties lol. Hi and welcome. I have one of those bible thumping but very hypocritical moms. Tough thing to grow up with when you don't agree with the whole church going on Sunday.
If all the Christians who have called other Christians " not really a Christian " were to vanish, there'd be no Christians left.
Signature ? How ?
We are being watched.
Welcome aboard.
Sadly, a LOT. Instead of sororities and fraternities, we have "social tribes" and "service clubs" that all have a Bible verse as their motto. I can't walk on campus without hearing the word "Jesus." But, there seem to be a lot of people who don't care either way about religion. Of course, I've yet to meet anyone openly atheist on campus. They'd probably be taken behind the chapel and shot.
Yes, you have the right to believe what you'd like, as long as those beliefs do not revoke the rights of others.
Hello to you and welcome to the forum. I wouldnt tell everybody right away that you are atheist. You might make your live on campus unneccessary complicated plus not everybody needs to know. Just dont go to church and to your friends you know wont mind too much you can start to tell. Its allways better to first announce it with your closest friends. That way you get accustomed to the questions and find good answers. For me it was the other way arount, i was an atheist myself and then found belief again with another religion. I wish you luck
Be patient: English is not my first language.
Right, so she should suck it up and not stand up for her beliefs because she should be afraid of some christian people? I seriously doubt that's even what college kids are worried about, christian school or not. Christians don't dare hide the fact they are dhristians so why does it make so much sense that atheists cover up or be careful about what they say and who they tell?
If all the Christians who have called other Christians " not really a Christian " were to vanish, there'd be no Christians left.
Right now, the only people who know about my atheism are my boyfriend, a use-to-be close friend of mine (she was kind of snarky when she found out), and my mother probably suspects, but that's a long story. And it's not that I'm hiding it, per se. Sure, I don't go around campus with signs but I do read my Hitchens and Sam Harris books while sitting on the Quad, the Caf, or in my desk before class starts. And, if anyone asks me about my beliefs, I will tell them. I really don't care about the opinions of others, especially when it comes to my beliefs (or lack thereof).
~Avalon~
Yes, you have the right to believe what you'd like, as long as those beliefs do not revoke the rights of others.
University campus? I can scarcely believe it. I guess at frat parties everyone gets together and sings terrible baptist youth hymns while that one guy with the thin, scraggly beard, leather wrist bands and jesus sandals plays the guitar exactly like Sufjan Stevens. It's enough to make you weep.
"Experiments are the only means of knowledge at our disposal. The rest is poetry, imagination." Max Planck
Welcome to the forum.
Our revels now are ended. These our actors, | As I foretold you, were all spirits, and | Are melted into air, into thin air; | And, like the baseless fabric of this vision, | The cloud-capped towers, the gorgeous palaces, | The solemn temples, the great globe itself, - Yea, all which it inherit, shall dissolve, | And, like this insubstantial pageant faded, | Leave not a rack behind. We are such stuff | As dreams are made on, and our little life | Is rounded with a sleep. - Shakespeare
Welcome!
@AtheistExtremist: Lol, you've just created an exact picture of my Christian youth league days.
Everything makes more sense now that I've stopped believing.
My ex-husband was from Hattiesburg, Mississippi. I had never been east of New Mexico before I went back with him (married and 8 months pregnant) to meet his relatives. Divorced, remarried, kids all grown up, 37 years later and I still remember it. Boy, was it a shock. Funny, I don't remember his family being all that religious - just as well as I don't think I could have handled that on top of all the rest.
I'm rooting for you.
-- I feel so much better since I stopped trying to believe.
"We are entitled to our own opinions. We're not entitled to our own facts"- Al Franken
"If death isn't sweet oblivion, I will be severely disappointed" - Ruth M.