Feedback
All questions, comments that aren’t post related, complaints, arguments, link exchange requests, recommendations, topics you want me to discuss, love letters, and anything else that doesn’t really fit into the comments section of any post may go here. (Hint: Love letters are the most welcome!) I can’t give out my email address since it contains my real name, so this page will have to do.
I’ll try to respond to each note as soon as possible. Feel free to say anything at all! Hell, I’ll even listen to your personal problems — I may not have a Ph. D., but I do enjoy dishing out advice from time to time. Remember, “atheist” is NOT synonymous with “evil!”
Love,
Teen Atheist
P.S. If you want to say something to me in private, the Contact page is now up and running!
Hi TA,
I found your blog through a link on the Planet Atheism blog aggregator. I’ve read your posts, and I’m so glad you’ve started blogging!
I’m a little envious; you’ve seen through the religious BS at a relatively young age. You’ve thus potentially saved yourself hours upon hours of soul-searching, trying to reconcile your religious beliefs with the evidence of the world around you and your own good sense. Yay! I wasn’t able to do it until my mid-thirties. I wish I could reclaim all those hours of angst and use them for something productive.
Good luck at getting into your Dream College, and don’t worry about the religion angle. College is intense, and people tend to be far more focused on Tuesday’s exam than on someone else’s belief system.
My mother was a devout Catholic, and I was brought up in the (then-liberal, West Coast U.S.) Catholic church. She never knew I’d stopped believing in a god, because it would have distressed her horribly and she was ill and under enough stress in the last years of her life (and she was also a good person, and didn’t _deserve_ such an unpleasant ending).
My father was Lutheran, though he’d stopped going to church long before he met my mother. He _never_ talked about religious topics. I finally concluded that he’d just stopped worrying about the whole religion thing. Dad had strong ethics and a kind heart, and he just went about the business of loving his neighbors. I don’t think he was an atheist, he just figured that god could take care of itself and didn’t need him fussing after it.
This is longer-winded than I’d planned, and I hope not too boring. But welcome to the blogosphere, and I’m looking forward to reading more posts.
Thank you very much for the comment, Karen! It wasn’t boring at all; in fact, it made me feel all warm and fuzzy inside.
I’m really sorry about your mother. You’re right, sometimes they’re better off not knowing. I have a feeling my parents are wondering where they went wrong in raising me, since I ended up this way. Unfortunately, though, my admitting my atheism to them wasn’t really much of a choice.
Your father sounds great. I think my parents envision themselves as being like him, since we haven’t been to church in several years, but it’s the inherent bigotry in my parents that really turned me off to Catholicism. It’s sad that they look down on everybody else. I hope your dad wasn’t like that.
Again, thanks for taking the time to comment! You made my day.
Hey there, you sound like a very mature individual and I applaud your independent thinking. I’d recommend Sam Harris’ Letter to a Christian Nation over Richard Dawkins’ book, which someone else recommended. Harris’ work is better-reasoned, less emotional that Dawkins and it’s shorter–about 160 tight little pages! Also, you just might be interested in my own essay at my blog, jgrab1.wordpress.com, called “The Enthusiastic Atheist.” I may add your blog to my blogroll, if you don’t mind.
Thanks for the recommendation! I admit I’m not too knowledgeable on either, so I’ll try to read up on both Dawkins and Harris and see where they differ, though from what I’ve been hearing from other people, Dawkins supposedly acts like an atheist fundy.
Anyway, I’d be glad to be a part of your blogroll! Thank you!
Ahh, you show a lot of potential. And passion. Can I add you in my blogroll?
Lemme guess: your mom’s a maroon, the Dream College is blue, and the Other College is green. Did I get it right?
Yes on all counts, Show-Ender, and of course you can add me! Thank you!
Enjoyed your blog. Glad to see your thinking for yourself. Don’t worry, you’re almost out of that house and then you’ll enter the best years of your life! Make the best of your college years and enjoy your freedom!
Thanks, jp! I can’t wait for the sweet taste of freeeeedom! XD I’ve been waiting for it for seventeen years, now.
Hi!
My husband and I recently started a “church” for atheists. http://www.firstchurchofatheism.com We are ordaining people to be atheist ministers, in order to allow atheists to perform ceremonies for other atheists, such as weddings and funerals. It is 100% legal and free. I’d like for you to come and check it out, and if you like what you see could you put a link to us or write an article about us? Or simply tell your friends. I really like your site, and would be honored to associate with it. Our site is new, but in the near future we will be adding a “links” or “atheist resources” page, and we would be happy to include you on it.
Thanks for your time.
Jacki McMaster
Hi
why not get a hotmail or gmail address that doesn’t mention your real name?
I think this page serves that function well enough. Besides, there’s a smaller chance of flaming if everybody else can see what you wrote.
Hi,
Nice blog you got here. I got here from “Friendly Atheist”. Looking forward to seeing more of you around. Just wanted to mention a couple of things:
Funnily enough, I had no idea being an atheist was so evil. So I ‘came out of the closet’ without any concerns of the kind you mentioned. It never crossed my mind that my parents or my friends would move away from me because of this. And my parents took it pretty well I should say.
You mentioned that we atheists are usually accused of being soulless.
One of the best answers to this I have ever read was this blog entry by PZ myers. http://scienceblogs.com/pharyngula/2007/06/we_stand_awed_at_the_heights_o.php
(He is one of those raving fire breathing atheist lunatic squid lovers :-))
Consider yourself lucky to have such open-minded friends and family, Bharat. It isn’t nearly as easy here where I live, which is why I’m in the closet to a lot of the people I know.
I do consider myself lucky. I dont mind going to places of worship or attending/celebrating religious festivals(at least the ones I like). I see them as social occasions.
And dont worry too much. There are more of us around than you would think.
I sincerely hope your family understands you better.
Thanks, although I doubt that’s ever going to happen.
My parents do tolerate me, so it could have been worse. My brother’s the real problem. *sigh*
On the mail thing, if you just add [contact-form] or something like that, (the official wordpress blog has the download here), it adds an automatic form that guests can fill out to send you - no need of your email required!! Plus, if someone wants to send you something (rational hopefully) private, you can as well answer in private.
Awesome, I’d been wondering how to get that! Thanks for the help, Charz.
You’re welcome
Hello.
I’ve found your blog accidentally, I actually forgot how I got here. Anyways, been reading your posts since yesterday night (Christmas Eve). Apparently, I’m enjoying it and some parts of me want to be like you, an atheist.
I know a number of atheist but you have different approach to your readers. Your posts really caught my attention. Kudos!
We do have same sentiments on some of your posts.
Hoping to read more of your life’s happenings.
Take care!
Thank you, Bebang. I’m glad you like what you see! If you ever have any questions or problems, feel free to contact me. I’d be more than happy to help out or provide information.
Are you still alive? I haven’t seen a new post in a while.
[...] post. Ask me about my life. My friends. My opinions on love and other disasters. Anything. But to ask me whether or not I’m still alive is slightly tacky, I think. (No offense meant to the commenter, I’m happy you care, [...]
Love the guote, (oops. quote, i’m so out of it)
Hello, My name is Luke(Kinda obvious). I’m 17, and I currently live in the USA. I guess this fits under personal problems. I’ve been an atheist for awhile now…about 4 months I believe. Before I became an atheist I was a Lutheran, and basically attended church every Sunday. One day I realized that “God” is hurting this world, people fight wars over Religion ect. I finally came out to my mom about a month ago, funny thing is, she said as she grows older she’s been having some atheistic thoughts as well. She basically agrees with most of my ideas and beleifs on religion. I don’t care to tell my dad, since he’s a Lutheran yet he never attends church. I guess my family life is ok, it’s school that is a bitch.
My school is basically very stereotypical. Almost every student in my high school is either a “Red neck” or an extremely religious teenager. Since I don’t care much for trucks or country music I tend to befriend the religious types. I’ve came out about my atheistism to my best friend, he accepted it, didn’t think less of me, told my other two close friends, and they accept it just fine. It’s everyone else that I tend to care about that is a problem. A few days ago I was talking on AIM in a buddy chat room with a few other friends. We were all talking for awhile, and some how Gay Marriage and Religion came up. Of course, all the people were against it, I for one, am for it. I gave them my reason which mainly came out something like this. “You’re against gay marriage because the bible says it’s a sin? Well, the Bible also says a parent is allowed to stone their child if he disobeys, maybe the bible doesn’t have all the answers”.Not sure if that whole stoning thing is actually in the bible, my mom told me, so eh. After a few more statements, they asked if I was an atheist. And being the honest bastard that I am, said I was. Every since then, they’ve all been ignoring me, seeming to look down on me. One ever said I was going to hell, to bad it doesn’t exist eh? They all seem to think I’m a bastard who has no morals what so ever.
So, I’m kinda stuck, basically the whole group of people who I used to consider friends (Besides the 3 I mentioned earlier) Think I’m “evil” or a “satanist” of some sorts. Funny thing is I used to respect a lot of these people and thought they were more intelligent then this. The one person who doesn’t think this way is this one girl, who says she doesn’t hate me or anything for me being an atheist, but she acts like it so the rest of her friends don’t ignore her. I guess I can’t blame her . So I guess this is my real problem, do you think I should just fake being religious again. It would probably be a lot easier on myself if my school didn’t look down upon me. And my best friend’s girlfriend lumps in this crowd, so it’d probably be easier on him since he’s whipped as hell. Or do you think I should just stand up to beliefs, and fuck them all. Funny thing is, I don’t hate or look down upon them for their beliefs. I don’t try to shove my atheistic ways down their throats. I don’t talk behind their back either. Even if I did become their friends again, I’d probably wouldn’t ever respect them the same way again. Damn, looks I’ve rambled. Well, thanks for reading.
Oh, and I guess as payment I’ll write you a love letter, lol. I’m a half way decent poet I guess
TA - I’ve left a message on your contact board, although it isn’t really private. Just found your home-page and realise there’s loads on it since Jan, so that’s good. My fault, I was looking in the wrong place.
Take care, and thanks,
gillie.
Luke: I’m so sorry I’m taking so long to reply to your dilemma! I read it the moment you sent it in, and I had this really long answer prepared, but then my system crashed.
Don’t worry, I will reply soon, and I look forward to that love letter! 
Gillie: No problem, and thank you for the lovely message!
lol, Alright- Not a problem
[...] atheism, friends, peer pressure, religion, school, teenage trackback Hooray, somebody finally wrote in to ask me for [...]