Things that affirm my atheism

[TigressDem]

42. Well, like I said, I grew up post Vatican 2, so some of that passed by me.

I was also in a progressive church in California.

Some of what these writers have written, Augustine, Aquinas and C. S. Lewis I am somewhat familiar with, but in my church experience (which was liberal AND progressive, not restrictive) we are actually challenged TO THINK about our faith.

Now we aren't necessarily being taught to question our faith to the point of leaving it, because that really wouldn't be a productive use of time for the church. But when we had questions about something, it was ok to ask.

I do remember being in a Bible Study and learning that Paul brought his own filters to his writing. And I was a student of anthropology in high school and college, so I tend to think about how we keep evolving as humans and our understanding is bent around the world we know.

The whole part of the Bible that calls gays an abomination supposedly in the Old Testament written by Leviticus was a man trying to keep his group from joining in a religious sex cult that worshiped idols. Gay sex was the least of the insanity going on at the time. But a small group of people in exile trying to keep their culture and people alive had a certain perspective and it was several thousand years ago. Applying that thinking to live now when countries like China are restricting family size to keep from over population, doesn't make sense. In nature, animals are born with a gay preference when the area is over populated too. It's part of survival mechanisms. So to me, if it happens in nature, it could naturally happen with humans as well.

And when stuff gets conflicting or confusing to me, I go back to "What did Jesus say? What did Jesus do? AND as I believe GOD IS LOVE including discipline and natural consequences I simply do reject anything that tells me to HATE in His name as a human misunderstanding of the message."

My fanatical Christian counterparts like me even less than they do atheists, I guess. But it keeps me clear and focused and able to walk in the world with all kinds of people and enjoy the experience for the most part.