By Robert ~
I am a bedraggled refugee from the "Holy" Roman Catholic Church. Like the vast majority of members of that sordid organization I was born into a strict Roman Catholic family, baptized when a baby, and from that moment dragged kicking and screaming to Mass every Sunday and suffered 12 years under the Jesuit Priests. I was told I have to believe OR ELSE. I was too scared to question the doctrine of the Holy Trinity which I found stupid. The Jesuits used a thick leather strap to "encourage" you to believe. I put up with religion and going to Mass for the sake of my family. Admittedly I did enjoy and organ and did learn to play the organ but avoided becoming a full time church organist.
At school I did Physics and Chemistry and taught myself Astronomy. The most painful subject was religion. Interestingly enough we did not study all the bible, just Genesis and Exodus and straight onto the New Testament. Didn't worry me Genesis and Exodus were stupid enough. When I was about 30 I finally plucked up enough courage to make the great announcement that I had had it with religion and will now be Atheist. Fortunately my parents accepted that.
So for the last 35 years or so I have lived in peace and solitude knowing there is no "god" up there watching everything I do and no heaven or hell to worry about. Since getting the Internet I have been able to access all the information I need to research the beginning of religion, especially Judeo-Christianity. It is quite obvious that it began with Egyptology and the Babylonian myths. It all started to make sense. I decided to buy a bible to read the rest of the Old Testament to see what all the bullshit is all about. I got the NIV Study Bible because I know it had a lot of comments and references. Many comments pointed to mistranslations in the bible and so many contradictions. I now know why the Roman Catholic Church steers clear of the OT: all the genocidal slaughter inflicted by the Hebrews on their alleged enemies on the orders of "The Lord their God". I got so sick of that I had the greatest pleasure in tearing up that bible.
I know enough to argue Christ out of any Christian. I met the local Church Minister, a nice chap even when I told him I am atheist. He did not really know that much about Christianity: I suppose enough to get away with being a minister and drawing his stipend.
My patron saint is "His Holiness" Dave Allen, the late Irish comedian who used to take the mickey out of the Church. He did claim he was paid by the Vatican, the No. 2 account.
At school I did Physics and Chemistry and taught myself Astronomy. The most painful subject was religion. Interestingly enough we did not study all the bible, just Genesis and Exodus and straight onto the New Testament. Didn't worry me Genesis and Exodus were stupid enough. When I was about 30 I finally plucked up enough courage to make the great announcement that I had had it with religion and will now be Atheist. Fortunately my parents accepted that.
So for the last 35 years or so I have lived in peace and solitude knowing there is no "god" up there watching everything I do and no heaven or hell to worry about. Since getting the Internet I have been able to access all the information I need to research the beginning of religion, especially Judeo-Christianity. It is quite obvious that it began with Egyptology and the Babylonian myths. It all started to make sense. I decided to buy a bible to read the rest of the Old Testament to see what all the bullshit is all about. I got the NIV Study Bible because I know it had a lot of comments and references. Many comments pointed to mistranslations in the bible and so many contradictions. I now know why the Roman Catholic Church steers clear of the OT: all the genocidal slaughter inflicted by the Hebrews on their alleged enemies on the orders of "The Lord their God". I got so sick of that I had the greatest pleasure in tearing up that bible.
I know enough to argue Christ out of any Christian. I met the local Church Minister, a nice chap even when I told him I am atheist. He did not really know that much about Christianity: I suppose enough to get away with being a minister and drawing his stipend.
My patron saint is "His Holiness" Dave Allen, the late Irish comedian who used to take the mickey out of the Church. He did claim he was paid by the Vatican, the No. 2 account.
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