I've discovered Christopher Hitchens, and I know I'm not being given over to Satan for reading such material. My life is abundantly joyful right now... :)

I have started really to enjoy reading the Bible.

Now that I view it as a central document (or series of them) of an ancient culture rather than God's infallible word to me, it has come alive in many ways. The Bible is great once you get away from Bibliolatry.

Agreed! When read as literature/mythology it's like a whole different book. I also like reading scholarly commentaries.

But, what I especially like is not having a seminary teacher beating me over the head with the Official LDS Interpretation (tm).

Watching Hitchens on youtube in any venue where he is present is also edifying. Watching the debates with Dan Dennett Sam Harris, or any of the renowned Atheists is also educational.

In the church we were literally starved of philosophy and critical debate about morals and the existence of a god. When you're fed nothing but milk you want for meat. The bookshelf of the Emperor that has no clothes is thin with naught but fairy tales.

Time to catch up. Time to eat.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/03/2012 07:12PM by AmIDarkNow?.

AmiDark - you have it spot-on. I feel like I'm literally starved for this information - I've been reading, researching, learning, and spending time on this board for a year now (yesterday was the one-year anniversary of the day it all imploded for me), and I still can't get enough.

I'm with Baura - I see the Bible much differently now. I don't even read it - I know it's a collection of writings, some of it history, some of it teaching stories, some of it exaggerated beyond words and worth little to nothing (IMO), and I know it is not the infallible word, as Baura said, that can be used to manipulate and frighten me into submission. And I'm with archytas - no one is beating me over the head any more and I can read and think freely, expansively, deeply, and when I want. Heck, I can think at ALL, which the church prefers you stay away from. I'm analyzing things, thinking through points of view like Hitchens' on a micro and a macro level (my personal experiences and looking at world history and the trajectory of so many civilizations), and finding truth where I never expected it to reside. What an amazing journey! Never, EVER again will I feel forced to read horrid, boring, false church books and pretend to find them edifying and uplifting. I just finished Hitchens' "god is not great: How Religion poisons everything" - what an amazing read!! I may never swing totally atheist, but I know I'm a solid agnostic, at this point, and I'm exploring all avenues and areas of thought. I've started in on his "The Portable Athiest" and am loving it. Again, maybe I'll realize athiesm is my personal point of view, maybe I won't, but I'm making up my OWN mind and in my OWN time.

It is stunning, the difference, as many of you know. I cannot believe I put up with the stultifying, repressive, controlling environment for so long - it was all I knew and I felt the fault was mine for never feeling anything or having any sort of testimony of what I was being taught. Now that I've given myself permission to figure out who I really am and what I really believe I feel liberated beyond words. I'm going to watch every YouTube video of Hitchens I can find, along with clips of similar thinkers, and I'll weigh what they say with what I truly feel deep in my heart. I truly have never been on such an interesting, thought-provoking, challenging, joyful journey. Bring on the meat - it's wonderful!! :)

The most freeing part of it all? The lack of self-censorship.

"Learn all you can, question everything" Now that's and exiting motto you'll never hear over the pulpit!

So true!!!

I want to add that threads that deal with things like the atonement and the supposed war in heaven are invaluable to me. I simply took all that information for granted too - it was just the way things were and that was that. It never really occurred to me to question these seemingly fundamental, unassailable topics. Yet, all those years wasted in the church I never felt anything when these topics were brought up - they didn't make sense and I didn't believe them, but, again, I was trained to believe that was my fault. The concept of the atonement especially was troubling to me, but it was taught as such basic and obvious material that I accepted it as gospel. I didn't have the maturity, wisdom, and self-confidence to call bullcrap on it all.

So, this board, though I step away from it from time to time, has been worth it's weight in gold to me. I was so happy to donate, small amount though it was, when Eric asked for funds. What a difference from the forced tithing situation. I give now because I have a joyful heart, a full and questioning mind, and a determination to never be controlled or lied to again.

I'm trying to balance my Dawkins and Hitchens with early Buddhist records and Eckhart Tolle.

I'm reading like a madman!

Just for the record, I was reading classics until Raptor Jesus's book. Then I started with books related to religion.

My undergrad was in philosophy and religious studies, but I got burnt out on academia and the subject. Now I'm starting again :)

Eckhart Tolle is a new name to me. ??