You folks need to change the name of this place. I thought it was a JW discussion board, mainly for those who left the Watchtower.
And if being atheist makes me post like you guys, tearing down religious beliefs like the Trinity or belief in Jesus or the Bible, or whatever…and I am sure none of you would like it if someone said the same things about your stand as atheists…I don’t want to be a part of this anymore.
I’ve been attacked and had my posts read incorrectly, and challenged on every other word…you guys are still Witnesses…you act like they do regarding other people’s beliefs…you just have different philosophies to fill in the gap.
I’m not recommending this board to any exJWs.
As you say, this is a discussion board. People post their thoughts, and other people reply. Since people often need to make sense of their new understanding of life and everything after leaving the JWs, it's natural that they will ask questions here to see if others have had the same questions, and if they have an answer or have come to the same conclusions.
Are atheists here "tearing down religious beliefs"? If so, it's only because they are able to. That sounds harsh perhaps, but what I mean is - if an atheist asserts that some religious teaching is incorrect or doesn't make sense, I would think it would be the "job" of those who believe in it to defend that position (because they are the ones postulating the belief). And indeed - sometimes the atheist or agnostic have a lack of understanding of the issue, or have misunderstood something, and so a believer is able to correct it. Oftentimes that doesn't happen though, and believers feel they are attacked simply because someone questions certain things. I guess the problem is that 'faith' as such is often not a valid end argument to an atheist, because it's so intangible, and can be applied to anything as a last resort out of an argument. For instance, if I say I believe the theory of evolution is correct, and you ask me for proof, and I would answer "I have faith in it - it all comes down to faith - I can't explain it." I highly doubt you would be content with that reply. If anything, it would not be enough to make you believe in evolution.
However - I acknowledge that atheists and agnostics here - me included - may come across as harsh, rude, angry, and attacking. Perhaps we should be more careful. However - part of the reason our posts are viewed that way, is the elevated, respected and protected status faith has in society. Atheists have no qualms about asking tough questions about God since they don't believe he exists, but to one who does believe in God, it may feel like - or even worse than - the atheist had verbally attacked their mother or father. "*gasp* He said something bad about God!!" or "*gasp* He said something bad about the Bible!". Yes - one of the first things I did as part of getting out of the JWs, was to ask questions "out of the box" - to dare to question the veracity of the Bible, God and everything else. I think anyone's faith should be able to stand the test of critical thinking and open and honest research. My faith didn't. The "problem" with that was that the Bible and the biblical God was part of that faith.
Is it wrong to ask honest questions about God and the Bible and want answers? Children, who have yet to understand how deep the faith of their parents or other adults go, may ask innocent (to them) questions about God. But what if the question is "inappropriate", for the very reason that the child is so open to new ideas and lack the automatic reverence of faith that grown-ups have? Should we smack the child, or think about the question and research for an answer?
Coming here after I had decided to leave the JWs though, I should expect others to have reached different conclusions than I had, and indeed they have (but to be honest, when I first started posting here I thought most ex-JWs would be atheist or agnostic because of their post-JW research). If I then ask questions about the Bible, or the biblical God, or things of that nature, it's not in an attempt to trample on other people's beliefs, but to see if they can answer it in a rational way - questions that I may have previously tried to find answers to for myself.
But I'll admit that asking critical questions about faith related things may automatically be seen as attacks, and I'll see if I can be more careful from now on. I'll also admit that sometimes we atheists and agnostics forget just how deep the feelings go for a believer, and we may post quip and flippant remarks to each other, without really thinking that it hurts a believer reading it. However - I wish the person who believes in it would then examine the thoughts behind the flippant remarks, and reassure him/herself of what they believe, or even better, explain why the remark is incorrect. Anyone should be prepared to defend their beliefs (1 Peter 3:15).
But again - perhaps I need to "calm down" a little; live and let live. I'll try. I'm not done with my own 'research' or 'search' yet; who knows where I'll be in a few years. I won't be dogmatic either way. But I will continue to question. Perhaps I should be satisfied with finding answers for myself, and let others find their own answers. But that kinda cuts me off from the community in a way, and the joy of finding out something new and sharing it with others. Perhaps we should have a "non-believer's" ex-JW site. But then we'd be living in our separate "bubbles", and I believe one can't really learn anything in such a bubble.
[edited] I should add that I enjoyed your reply to my "tower of Babel" thread, and that I wish you would stay. [/edited]
I like being out!!!