I am a Bright, are you?

(Via Erika Cowen)

All my life I have been puzzled how so many intelligent people I know and trust appear to believe in a god. The same goes for ghosts, life after death, superstitions and astrology.
I joined a local Freethinkers Group three years ago and became aware of Richard Dawkins and Daniel Dennett's writings.

I suddenly felt understood after years of confusion :)

Now I spend many happy hours listening to them on Youtube and have proudly registered as a "Bright".
A bright is an individual whose worldview is naturalistic (free from supernatural and mystical elements).

Tabula Rasa

(Via Adam P.)

My story isn't particularly interesting, nor is it filled with much adversity, so, it may make for a boring read, but I feel it is important to share this information to let other people know it is okay to believe this way.

At the age of about 8 or 9, my parents thought they should do their parental duty and give me some kind of religious education. They are not religious in the least, but felt the pressure from society.

Now, growing up, I never even had the notion of god in my head, as my parents always had a reasonable answer to my curious wonderings, without resorting to the idiot-proof 'God did it.' argument.
So, going to Sunday school at age 8, it was a little to late in my development to be indoctrinated. And for that I am thankful.

So, I went to Sunday School and all of that jazz until about age 12. That was also the time that I had first read the Bible cover-to-cover, and I distinctly remember being absolutely horrified at the kind of injustices and contradictions that confronted me on almost every page. Even at that young age, I was able to tell that all of this was a man-made charade.

Again, luckily I had parents who didn't force anything upon me, and as time has gone by I have found more and more people, and more and more information that confirms that I am outside the bubble of delusion.