Actually I did nearly get swept up by religious fervour when I was like, seven or eight. But it was peer pressure that motivated it, not familial obligation.
I had a (metaphorical) come to Jesus moment and realized "wait, I'm only getting into this because other people are telling me to, and not through any desire of my own" and the experience creeped retarded little me out. So really it was the Christian bandwagon I nearly jumped on without thinking.
I never went to church outside of funerals. I just found and still find the very concept of Christianity ridiculous the same way I find trannydom, wicca, Islam, etc. ridiculous. Difference is I find Christian myth fascinating and basically all of the stuff I like about western society comes from Christianity, so I don't hate it so much as tolerate it. I was very off-internet for the first few years of my life and it was only around about middle school that I fell in with the RationalWiki crowd so I wasn't jumping on a bandwagon before that, I just experienced religion for myself and I was confused.
Eventually I came to realize that RationalWiki fags were just as spiteful and bitter as they claimed Christians to be and while I still found religion to be goofy, I realized that hating people just because they believed something I didn't was retarded and made no different from the people I hated, and Christians weren't really that bad.
Of course, then I discovered A&N, and all the obnoxious, masturbatory Christ is Kang bullshit made me realize that I wasn't just a retarded teenager latching onto a trend and RationalWiki did nothing wrong.
TL;DR, yes I am.
I honestly feel bad for you people.
Most Christians, Jews, and Hindus I know are nice people and even some Muslims aren't that bad. I like their fantasy bullshit the same way I enjoy Greek or Norse mythology (i.e religions of yesteryear). I love Japanese traditions and festivals, including the ones that have roots in Shinto. Cathedrals have some sick architecture, and Christmas is great too.
Yet, in spite of all that, I've never felt insecure in my position as an atheist, and if a religious friend asked for my honest opinion, I would rip them in half instead of giving them some lukewarm drivel. I've never been bothered
one iota by gender-specials or any of the other crap atheists, secular humanists, and the I-fucking-love-science crowd have been getting into - because
none of that shit has anything to do with me or my positions. Are we independent thinkers or not?
You people, are
so bothered by culture wars bullshit and its team sports mentality - that despite being on a website where almost
everyone gets shit on, not only would you refrain from pushing back if atheists like
yourself were being on shit on (you'd probably join in, honestly), but also, your first instinct upon seeing another atheist dish it back to the religious is to scream "FUCK OFF I'M NOT A FAGGOT ANYMORE!!!".
That, is how horribly you've cucked yourself as an atheist. There's an option in the poll for people like you.
Listen dude, I'm not even gonna address the dumb shit you slid in about Christianity being the source of good things in the west (lmao) because you clearly have unresolved issues and need to take a vacation to the Swiss Alps or something to clear your head. It's okay to be unapologetic as an atheist and shit on religions/religious people - no one is asking you to hate every last sky daddy haver or say "trans rights". Just take it easy, holy shit.