a reason for being

Since I can remember I've loved the elegance of science, the beauty of the method, the rigour of the logic. In particular, the natural world has held a special fascination for me. Despite being educated at a Methodist school, and therefore being subject to a constant stream of religious indoctrination, I never took Christianity seriously. Partly because even a cursory examination reveals the bible to be nothing more than a series of fantastical bronze-age myths. But more so because I found in science a wonder at the world and relentless thirst for knowledge that matched my own love for the world.

I never considered myself an atheist until sometime in my 20's. Previously I probably identified myself as "not christian". My view of religion was one of tolerance, and to some extent, as a victim of the relentless indoctrination to which I was subjected, I laboured under the illusion that religion was a force for good, that religious folks were somehow morally superior. I generally felt that provided religious people left me alone, I'd leave them alone. Over recent years I have become increasingly aware of how evil religion really is, of how it seeks to control society to achieve its own aims, of how it has ruthlessly oppressed science and curiosity, of the immense evils committed under it's authority, and of how it continues to create faultlines that tear our society apart. With the birth of my children, and a move to a small town that has a very active christian majority, I have had to wrestle with how I raise my children, how I relate to my very pleasant but very religious community, and how I express my own beliefs. I've read ravenously, and am ready to start putting into motion a new, more proactive approach to my atheism / humanism / skepticism / rationalism.

I've also been inspired by a good friend who has created a blog aimed at helping teenagers questioning or even challenging their religious indoctrination. Visit his blog at http://wp.me/p1t7vK-4n

The objectives of this blog therefore are:

1. to express my world view
2. to take joy in the world. Charles Darwin's statement that "their is grandeur in this view of life" serves as my inspiration here.
3. to provide a route for young people ready to question the religious worldview that was forced on them with an alternate view of the world - one one lit by the sparkling intensity of scientific and rational enquiry.

This should be fun. Hopefully I'll make a few friends, and if I don't make a few enemies I'll consider this a failure.

Bryan.