It's history and it's a document, how can you not believe this? It's not a question of belief, it is a simple fact.
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M*W: Dave, there was a time I was a christian, and I believed the bible over everything else. Also, I was more or less prohibited from reading anything that was not sanctioned by the pope. I spent my time in a catholic library reading everything I could about christianity. So, you would have had to know me way back then to know where I have come from in regard to my religious education (I was a teacher of religious education at that time). And please don't discount my religious education because it was catholic. It was decidedly a christian education.
Now, I'm an atheist, but I have not forgotten what the bible said. I understand when and why it was written, and I know what changes the meanings of what the bible says. To a christian, the NT is infallible fact. I have been able to see the bible for what it is, because I am no longer a fearing christian. I am also not afraid to speak the truth, because I know there is no consequence to my doing so. I won't be hanged nor burned at the stake nor forbidden to write about what I have learned about Jesus, the bible, and christianity. I also understand that at one time you and I would have been on the same page, but that now we are not. I do not fault you for your failure to see the truth. You haven't been exposed to the truth, so you are in another place (the place I escaped from). I understand your fear and the rejection you would experience from your peers and family. They probably don't know you have come to an atheist website. I believe you must have a curiosity about atheism, or at least an interest in other religions, to come to a website like Sciforums.
No one can force atheism upon you. It doesn't work like that. I fought off the truth I was finding out about when I was a christian. The bible was the only source of information I would allow myself to read. I was born and raised in the bible belt, so christianity was everywhere.
Atheism is something one embraces when they've reached an understanding of what religion
is and what religoin
is not. You know you've come a long way from christianity when you look at those people closest to you and you see them as believing in something that you've found out the truth about. That's when you know you are not a christian. There is something
different about the way you see these people. Then you begin to realize they believe in lies when you've found the truth. That's when you have this terrible burden lifted off you. By this time, it's going to be pretty obvious that your family and peers see you differently, and this can be scary for you. This is when your family and peers try to
re-educate you. But you will stand your ground, and you may be a big disappointment to them. But you can't let them hold you down. There is no rush to atheism. It takes years and years to come about.
Right now you believe the bible is "simple fact," but you are still in that mind-control mode that christianity traps you with. Are you really sure you like the idea of having your mind controlled by something so questionable?
