Newbie from Wales, UK

boneso82
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Newbie from Wales, UK

Hey guys, as the title suggests I'm from Wales. To say I am against religion would be a severe understatement. I have a 9 year old son who is just about starting to think for himself although, he believes in god and Jesus and tha whole bible story. All because it is taught to him at a very young and impressionable time of his life. I am not going to outright tell him there is no god and the bible was mythical nonsense, mainly because at his age I believed it all too along with Santa Claus, I was christened and have godparents etc. He is bright enough to learn for himself what the truth is, he is already raising questions as he is a dinosaur fanatic. He seriously know the full name of every dinosaur that been discovered along with what time period they lived in and what they ate etc, everything! It's not going to take him long to put the two together and come up with his own understanding of the bible and religion as a whole.

I'm quite interested in forming petitions against religious education in schools until students reach an age where they can decide to opt for that subject as an extra curricular study.

Hope I can make some new friends with the scientific viewpoint I have on here, it's very frustrating to read and listen to the deluded, arrogant ramblings of devout Christians, with their u can't prove it so it exists attitude! Grrrr

I contend that we are both atheists. I just believe in one fewer god than you do. When you understand why you dismiss all the other possible gods, you will understand why I dismiss yours.


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Welcome! If you'll accept

Welcome!

If you'll accept some advice that is probably unnecessary, keep fuelling that passion. It rarely crosses my mind, but dinosaurs is what drove my passion for science as a child, and it was the beginning of my view of the irrelevance of religion to knowledge. He's unlikely to see any religion as viable once having studied dinosaurs sufficiently.

Enlightened Atheist, Gaming God.


Jeffrick
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Welcome aboard

                      You took time off  from choir practice to write this I suppose. I'm a baritone/bass in Canada near Toronto. Does your son know that dinos died out 65 million years ago.  Get him to explain it to YOU! Then add homonids have only been around 8 to 10 million years or so. If he asks about god or the bible just point out the bible is a story book not history. It might turn into a stimulating conversation between you and your son. Remember to  let him inform YOU.         

 

"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?


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Welcome  

Welcome Smiling

 


boneso82
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Thank you guys. Like I said

Thank you guys. Like I said I don't want to explain anything to him in too much detail myself, he's a very intelligent boy. In fact he is so knowledgable about dinosaurs that he teaches me, I don't need to ask him, he tells me of his own accord. He knows far more about dinosaurs than any religious information because it is his passion any he is not interested in learning anything religious, this obviously pleases me and fills me with overwhelming confidence that he will share my viewpoint as he gets older. I will never deny my atheism to him but only if he asks the questions, he is yet to ask me anything religious because he finds it boring. After all, he has far more exciting fiction to read and watch with modern stories and movies, why waste time on dull scriptures, the bible would make a very boring, very long movie without a happy ending, not fun for kids.

I contend that we are both atheists. I just believe in one fewer god than you do. When you understand why you dismiss all the other possible gods, you will understand why I dismiss yours.


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Welcome

Welcome aboard boneso82.

If you don't mind me asking, where is your son getting these beliefs about Jesus from ? Other members of your family ? Your significant other ? Just curious since I know that it can't be coming from you.

I was raised in a very ultra-religious home. I would not have probably known who Jesus or Noah or Moses was, had it not been so heavily put into my head at a young age.

“It is proof of a base and low mind for one to wish to think with the masses or majority, merely because the majority is the majority. Truth does not change because it is, or is not, believed by a majority of the people.”
― Giordano Bruno


boneso82
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harleysportster

harleysportster wrote:

Welcome aboard boneso82.

If you don't mind me asking, where is your son getting these beliefs about Jesus from ? Other members of your family ? Your significant other ? Just curious since I know that it can't be coming from you.

I was raised in a very ultra-religious home. I would not have probably known who Jesus or Noah or Moses was, had it not been so heavily put into my head at a young age.

Unfortunately it is still being taught at school, neither his mother or me or any of our family is religious. School curriculum is something parents are still not in control of when it comes to religious education, although it is not as prevalent as it used to be it is still taught at a basic level to children under 11, the most influential time of their lives!

I contend that we are both atheists. I just believe in one fewer god than you do. When you understand why you dismiss all the other possible gods, you will understand why I dismiss yours.


boneso82
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harleysportster

harleysportster wrote:

Welcome aboard boneso82.

If you don't mind me asking, where is your son getting these beliefs about Jesus from ? Other members of your family ? Your significant other ? Just curious since I know that it can't be coming from you.

I was raised in a very ultra-religious home. I would not have probably known who Jesus or Noah or Moses was, had it not been so heavily put into my head at a young age.

Unfortunately it is still being taught at school, neither his mother or me or any of our family is religious. School curriculum is something parents are still not in control of when it comes to religious education, although it is not as prevalent as it used to be it is still taught at a basic level to children under 11, the most influential time of their lives!

I contend that we are both atheists. I just believe in one fewer god than you do. When you understand why you dismiss all the other possible gods, you will understand why I dismiss yours.


boneso82
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harleysportster wrote:

harleysportster wrote:

Welcome aboard boneso82.

If you don't mind me asking, where is your son getting these beliefs about Jesus from ? Other members of your family ? Your significant other ? Just curious since I know that it can't be coming from you.

I was raised in a very ultra-religious home. I would not have probably known who Jesus or Noah or Moses was, had it not been so heavily put into my head at a young age.

Unfortunately it's still being taught at a basic level at schools, particularly to children under 11 before they move on to higher education and can choose their classes, by which time it is too late for the less open minded children, especially ones with religious families.

Neither his mother nor me or our families are in anyway religious and yet he is subjected to the fiction in the bible (amongst other religious texts) as part of the standard educational curriculum at the most influential time in a child's life. Obviously I do not want to pull him out of school for various reasons, parents are still divided on the issue and whilst this divide remains the teaching methods will not change.

I contend that we are both atheists. I just believe in one fewer god than you do. When you understand why you dismiss all the other possible gods, you will understand why I dismiss yours.


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Is it a comparitive religion

Is it a comparitive religion class? Or is it like Sunday School?

 

 

 


boneso82
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Sorry about the repeat

Sorry about the repeat posts, I was getting error messages when I tried to respond but they got posted anyway

I contend that we are both atheists. I just believe in one fewer god than you do. When you understand why you dismiss all the other possible gods, you will understand why I dismiss yours.


harleysportster
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boneso82 wrote:Unfortunately

boneso82 wrote:

Unfortunately it is still being taught at school, neither his mother or me or any of our family is religious. School curriculum is something parents are still not in control of when it comes to religious education, although it is not as prevalent as it used to be it is still taught at a basic level to children under 11, the most influential time of their lives!

They still teach that in public school in Wales ? ! Damn. I see why you want a petition started. I thought Europe was far more secular than the states. There definitely needs to be some protest over that.

I am surprised that an Atheist group is not in existence in Wales that is not battling that.

Of course, like a lot of Americans, I know very little about the outside world except what I see on movies and the news.

Is religion a pretty prevalent force in Wales ?

“It is proof of a base and low mind for one to wish to think with the masses or majority, merely because the majority is the majority. Truth does not change because it is, or is not, believed by a majority of the people.”
― Giordano Bruno


boneso82
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Cpt_pineapple wrote:Is it a

Cpt_pineapple wrote:

Is it a comparitive religion class? Or is it like Sunday School?

 

 

 

It's very old school teachings, excuse the pun. Tending to focus on the more commonly quoted stories without using actual bible literature. Creation of earth (which he now understands properly thanks to the discovery channel haha), parting the red sea, the whole christmas nativity stuff, noahs ark etc etc... He doesn't take a real interest and doesn't take it too seriously so I'm not overly concerned, it's still frustrating that it is considered important enough to be taught to young children, they are not all as objective as my son and do not have objective families. It's difficult to understand that in this era of technology and science people are still teaching their children to devote their entire lives to mythical beings and live by the ridiculous words written by uneducated men over 2000 years ago!

I contend that we are both atheists. I just believe in one fewer god than you do. When you understand why you dismiss all the other possible gods, you will understand why I dismiss yours.


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My oldest is 5, and when he

My oldest is 5, and when he asked me if god "made" the world, I told him no.  He asked me who did, and I asked him who built the grass and rocks, and he started too laugh.  For now I'm concentrating on his ethics, but I try to never lie to him.  I usually turn every one of those questions back at him with "what do you think?" type of question.  

 

"Don't seek these laws to understand. Only the mad can comprehend..." -- George Cosbuc


boneso82
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harleysportster

harleysportster wrote:

boneso82 wrote:

Unfortunately it is still being taught at school, neither his mother or me or any of our family is religious. School curriculum is something parents are still not in control of when it comes to religious education, although it is not as prevalent as it used to be it is still taught at a basic level to children under 11, the most influential time of their lives!

They still teach that in public school in Wales ? ! Damn. I see why you want a petition started. I thought Europe was far more secular than the states. There definitely needs to be some protest over that.

I am surprised that an Atheist group is not in existence in Wales that is not battling that.

Of course, like a lot of Americans, I know very little about the outside world except what I see on movies and the news.

Is religion a pretty prevalent force in Wales ?

It's very difficult to judge over here because religion isn't a big deal when it comes to everyday life, of all the people I know, and there is a lot, only a couple, and I mean 2 or 3, actively attend church. Although more of them would say they believe in god they do not follow the bible.

I think because it is not a big part of anyone's life here or taken too seriously, even those that do believe do not practice, then a movement of some sort from athiests does not come into most people's thoughts or agendas, people in Wales just dont care enough for or against religion to do anything about it either way. I know it's a much more serious debate in America but from what I have observed over here the church is in decline and atheism is becoming the default setting for most adults.

Maybe it's because of technology, maybe it's simply because America is only 250 years old, there's a thought actually, America is one of the most religious places on earth and yet it wasn't properly discovered by western civilisation for over 1500 years after the bible was written, something doesn't add up!

I contend that we are both atheists. I just believe in one fewer god than you do. When you understand why you dismiss all the other possible gods, you will understand why I dismiss yours.


harleysportster
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boneso82 wrote:It's very

boneso82 wrote:

It's very difficult to judge over here because religion isn't a big deal when it comes to everyday life, of all the people I know, and there is a lot, only a couple, and I mean 2 or 3, actively attend church. Although more of them would say they believe in god they do not follow the bible. I think because it is not a big part of anyone's life here or taken too seriously, even those that do believe do not practice, then a movement of some sort from athiests does not come into most people's thoughts or agendas, people in Wales just dont care enough for or against religion to do anything about it either way. I know it's a much more serious debate in America but from what I have observed over here the church is in decline and atheism is becoming the default setting for most adults. Maybe it's because of technology, maybe it's simply because America is only 250 years old, there's a thought actually, America is one of the most religious places on earth and yet it wasn't properly discovered by western civilisation for over 1500 years after the bible was written, something doesn't add up!

Yeah, we have not caught up with the rest of our Western counterparts with a largely dominant secular culture yet. (Though our churches are in decline, theism is still a pretty dangerous presence over here).

I can't remember the study, but it was in Alper's book : "The God Part of the Brain" where it compared the demographics of America with the rest of the world, and we are something of an anomaly when it comes to that. There are a couple of hypothesis ideas that are out there as to why, as to their truth, I do not know.

“It is proof of a base and low mind for one to wish to think with the masses or majority, merely because the majority is the majority. Truth does not change because it is, or is not, believed by a majority of the people.”
― Giordano Bruno


boneso82
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Also, Jesus and Mary and,

Also, Jesus and Mary and, well everyone in the bible, are depicted as Caucasian. Surely people being born and living in what is now essentially the middle east would have dark skin like their modern day counterparts. The very same counterparts that Christians are unwilling to accept based on the colour of their skin and their own religious beliefs, it's unbelievable!

I contend that we are both atheists. I just believe in one fewer god than you do. When you understand why you dismiss all the other possible gods, you will understand why I dismiss yours.