Deconversion on the Road to Disbelief

I purchased a mike because titles are a pain, so this is a trial run.

I estimate that I believed in God for approximately one year. Mine has to be one of the most painless deconversions in history.

Category:

Education

Tags:

• atheism
• agnosticism
• deconversion
• Miller-Urey
• abiogenesis
• primordial
• soup
• john
• milton
• paradise
• lost
• valetta
• malta

[infinitum17]

wow, that was such a beautiful tale. You sound like you were born with the mind of a perfect little scientist: skeptical, but open-minded, and yet knowing when the evidence was good enough to say "case closed." That's really wonderful. I hear stories of atheist parents who have children like that. I can only hope that my children turn out the same way.

[musekiteer]

@infinitum17

I guess that's why I studied science ;^/

If you teach your children to think critically *and* be tolerant, then they probably will be open-minded skeptics. At least you will save them from the anxiety that many who have been raised to be "god-fearing" suffer.

[AtheistxNinja]

I loved it.

[333holly333]

(cont, 4)

- the history of the Bible is definitely fascinating. :)

One of my favorite books is "The Source" by Michener. Not exactly a history of the bible itself, but sort of a history of the Christian religion. I had bags under my eyes for a week after picking up that book for the first time - I couldn't put it down and it is LONG. Haha. :P

- I just re-read your "3" comment and realized you'd said that there are university classes uploaded on YT...? I'll check that out, thanks! :)

[333holly333]

(cont, 3)

I have considered going back to college, but resources are a bit tight. For the time being, I'm learning as much as I can from online resources and books (that I should have read years ago, haha). It's not the same as a good school of course, but I feel I've learned more in just the past year on even YouTube than I did in all the years I spent in Christian school. LOL! :D (That says something about Bible School, heh.)

I completely agree with you about the history of the (cont -)

[333holly333]

(cont, 2)

About the low scores in the USA - that always gets me - every time the new (low) national scores are announced, it sparks a discussion on 'why', and no one seems to be willing to state the truth, at least on national TV. When lesson plans are left up to the discretion of creationist teachers, the result is kids who aren't equipped to deal with the real world. :(

When I started college, it was a complete 180, and I didn't fare well. I was totally unprepared.

[333holly333]

I'm sorry it took me so long to get back to you on this.

I've been trying to find my old transcripts from Christian (high) school, but haven't found them yet. As far as I can remember, our subjects were: Western Civ, Math, English (not literature though - they restricted our access to only a few select books), Old Testament Studies, New Testament Studies, Phys Ed, and....that's all I can remember at the moment. (yikes! haha.)

I wonder if it is illegal to not teach science in HS? (cont)

[musekitier]

3

You can't turn back time, but can you not catch up on the science that you missed?

I know that time and money can be a huge problem for adults who want to continue -- or improve -- their education. However, there are lots of online courses. In fact, there are lots of complete university courses on YT. Not that those lead to a degree, but they are very convenient.

Actually, I think that the history of the Bible is fascinating. Not the content, mind, just the history ;)

[musekitier]

2

No wonder American 15-yr olds fare so poorly on average on the PISA exams!

I understand why you complained about religion's impact on your knowledge of the natural sciences!

I loved most subjects, but I would have hated to miss out on science. It teaches kids to think critically. Trying to justify an untruth such as creationism forces people to deny facts and/or to think backwards.

That's one of my chief objections to religion -- negative impacts on a huge number.

... contd

[musekitier]

Good grief! No science in Christian schools?!

That sounds insane, unfair to kids, and "illegal". In English grammar schools, we began mandatory science at age 11. Science was required for matriculation at high school in Australia. And several science credits are required subject for a high school diploma in Canada.

I think that the difficulty for American children lies in the huge number of independent school boards and what must be a lack of a required syllabus.

... contd