Greetings!

kidvelvet
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Greetings!

While I go by the screen name kidvelvet (will explain much later), My real name is Steve.  I grew up in, for the lack of a better term, a progressive Christian household.  My parents were not vocal about religion, went to different churches (from Presbyterian to Unitarian), and pretty much left me to believe what I want.  I started off early as a Christian, later considered myself agnostic, but came to the conclusion that I am actually a weak atheist.

I left the idea of Christianity in the mid seventies (4th grade), when my appendix exploded.  At that time, a ruptured appendix was a 50/50 live/die proposition.  I remember after the surgery and going through recovery hearing how blessed I was that I survived.  It was at that point that I asked myself the following:

1. If I was blessed, why did I come so close to death in the first place?

2. Why would any Great Designer put a useless organ in my body with the potential to kill me?

What is ironic is that most people come away with near death experiences with a "closer relationship to God", while I came away with the opposite, even at the age of 8.  In fact, I started reading the Bible more after that experience, but found more and more consistencies.  As I got older, I started to study logic, engineering, and other religions.  And, well, that was about it for God.  I ended up getting my degree in Philosophy, but I work as a Network Engineer.  Philosophy intrigued me, as it laid the foundation for logic and science.   My wife is atheist, but she grew up atheist and has a bit of a different perspective than I do about Christianity and what it can/does do.  

I have really enjoyed reading through these forums, and it is nice to find like-minded people (although not too difficult in my hometown outside of Portland, OR).   Although after reading some of the forums, I have a strange need to eat toast and waffles.

I don't hide behind my atheism, but I don't readily divulge it unless a person is really curious.  If they ask me why, I then explain.  If they want to argue, I pretty much ignore because I find (and these forums have certainly confirmed) that it simply becomes an exercise in mental masterbation with no money shot.

Anyway, I am looking forward to reading the forums more and participating at random times.

Kv

Dolt:"Evolution is just a theory."
Me:"Yes, so is light and gravity. Pardon me while I flash this strobe while dropping a bowling ball on your head. This shouldn't bother you; after all, these are just theories."


Visual_Paradox
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Welcome aboard, Steve!

Welcome aboard, Steve! Smiling


Brian37
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God gave you that useless

God gave you that useless organ and allowed you to come close to death, to test you. He also allowed the earthquake and tsunami and Katrina that killed, even his devout followers to "test" the survivors. God gets angry and "tests" humanity with disasters but his aim sucks. He made the earth and universe in the blink of an eye but cant or wont just take out the individual bad people he doesn't like, he has to take out his followers along with them.

You are such an ungrateful thinking puppy kicking cootie spreader! HOW DARE YOU THINK!

BTW Welcome.

"We are a nation of Christians and Muslims, Jews and Hindus -- and nonbelievers."Obama
Check out my poetry here on Rational Responders Like my poetry thread on Facebook under Brian James Rational Poet, @Brianrrs37 on Twitter and my blog at www.brianjamesrationalpoet.blog


Vastet
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Welcome!

Welcome! Laughing out loud

Enlightened Atheist, Gaming God.


butterbattle
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Welcome to the forum.

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


Zombie Jesus
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Brian37 sure knows how to

Brian37 sure knows how to give an interesting welcome. lol  Welcome Steve!


Unrepentant_Elitist
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Welcome to the forum!"Death

Welcome to the forum!

"Death is an egregious affront to the sensibilities of mankind, requiring that, given exposure to its sting, he must forthwith adopt a position of either abject subservience to God or embrace the sweet nothingness that is non-belief."- Bertrand Russell (1872-1970).

To be honest, Bertrand Russell never said that (since I made the whole thing up)...but it sounds like him, doesn't it?

Enjoy yourself,

UE