SouthernAtheist - An Introduction:

Good evening, Everyone.

Why do I feel like I've just walked naked into a roomful of strangers? Let me pause to check my hair, zipper, and my breath. Okay, all's well there, now what?

I'm really not good at cold introductions, but as I had to get 10 post under my belt to get here, you have a small taste of my opinions with which to start the conversation if what follows does not serve its purpose.

You will also have noticed that I have typos even though I spell check before posting. As I am partially deaf and grew up in the south where people are notorious for mispronunciation and poor annunciation, this coupled with the English language’s mish-mash of words collected from numerous other languages, spelling was always a living nightmare. I ask for you forbearance in this regard, although it is only through correction that we learn so I’ll trust your judgment as well.

Full disclosure: I voted for Ronald Reagan against Jimmy Carter. I have no excuse and the shame has never left me. I will not say ‘in my defense’, but I will say that I was still living through my ‘young republican’ period and still torturing my soul by trying to pray away the gay while fighting suicidal ideation on a daily basis.

It would be fair to say that my childhood as a Methodist and my college years as a Southern Baptist, and what I call “The Lies Of Christianity”, robbed me of my of my childhood in the first case and of my self respect in the second.

Today, I am an atheist with a fierce intent to no longer abide the lies that have done me and so many others such incredible, often life long, harm for thousands of years as well as and providing cover for the rape of children for thousands of years in the name of “the one true God”. I am not anti-Christian. Some Christians are the very finest people you could hope to know, but I believe such individuals are good in their hearts without the need for religion to justify their good deeds.

I have noted in several of my posts that I have been reading DU since at least 2008, and that I owe all the long time posters here at DU a very large “Thank-You” for all the silent support that I have drawn from you over the years. I will take this opportunity to repeat that here. To know that you are not alone is half the battle against all encompassing darkness. Thank you again.

I turned 60 years old this year and seem to have lost all my previously practiced patience with stupidity, ignorance, and self righteous hypocrisy. I will do my best to be kind and respectful to all I encounter here and in life, but tolerating liers who lie to abuse others will find no quarter with me.

I'll end here with a bit of a rhyme:

I was a melancholy boy,
I am a melancholy man.
I fear I am a writer,
I hear they’re a melancholy clan.

If there is anything here that has piqued your interest, the floor is open for questions on any of the above or anything in my post history that you would like to explore in more detail.

With kindest regards,

SouthernAtheist