"I think, therefore I am... I think" - George Carlin.

Shortly after my birth, I was indoctrinated into the "holy Roman Catholic Church"; I was taught to love and serve my then Lord and savior Jesus Christ. I persued my faith vigourously, completed all of my required sacraments, attended both weekly masses and Monday Novenas, and proudly proclaimed the message of Jesus everywhere I went; my ambition was to one day become a good priest--sadly, I must confess that I persuaded a few 'souls' to follow the teachings of Jesus. During the final days of my theistic belief, I was employed by a church for a year--where I attended mass six days a week, had face-to-face confessions with my local priests 2-3 times a week, and was approached on a few occasions by these men to attend St. Charles' Seminary, so that I might finally fulfill the ambition of my youth and officially become a 'man of God'. My search for truth lead me to scruitinze the teachings of my faith; and through a very painful 3 year deconversion process I came to accept that there are no such beings as gods! As an Atheist, I have discovered that the world makes more sense and life is more meaningful than it did when I believed in a God!

Do I lack Faith?
I would not characterize myself as a person who lacks faith, as I believe many things: I believe that asking the right questions leads to the best answers. I hold it to be true that empirical evidence is better than superstition and speculation. I accept that it is better for one to value their life on earth and come to terms with their mortality than it is to treat themself as if this life is suffering and that we should willingly suffer because this is pleasing to God and necessary to attain an immortal life that there is no evidence to support. I believe that determining what is right and wrong is dependant on intense evaluation of our actions and the positive and negative effects of said actions on ourselves and others instead of simply doing what Gods says to do because it would be more powerful than we.

God & Evidence:
If you could somehow prove to me that the Christian God was real, I would acknowledge its existence, but would not call it good. I have read the bible and am very well acquainted with the vile teachings of both the Old and New Testaments. I believe that in a large way we are able to determine what we believe and are to be held accountable for those beliefs based on the effects that they have on ourselves and others. For this reason, I deprive myself of the joy of believing what I would like to be true, and accept those things as real that are demonstrable and able to be experienced through my five senses.

What is ethical to me?:
In recent time, I have tried to move myself away from the word "morality" due to its subjective nature. I determine what is right conduct based on the positive and negative effects of my actions, whether or not a person's liberty is threatened, whether or not my actions harm another, and whether or not my actions conform to what I hold to be true. If I can position an act against this model of ethics, and it conforms to this standard, then I hold it to be good!

Channel Recommendations:

Atheistblindchick
eequalsfb
CousinoMacul
DarwinsHamster
EdwardCurrent
HaleyMary
howtofoldsoup
kalin666
NeoDolph1n (CapnOrdinary)
NLPNVC
PatCondell
Philhellenes
ProfMTH
Smpunditz
TheAmazingAtheist
Thunderf00t
Tootime9901
Websnarf