In Reply to: atheists and agnostics posted by kindagentler on January 19, 2004 at 12:19:24:
I became a Christian in my early teens. Then I went through a "church phase", and tried my best to do all the things I thought that good Christians were supposed to do.
It didn't work. I got totally disallusioned, expecially by the behavior of the adults who were in charge of teaching me. They said one thing and did another.
So, for the next several years, I decided I was an athiest. I thought that I didn't believe in God, and all that stuff was just a fairy tale made up for week minded people who just couldn't face that we are here, and this is it.
But, I never used that as an excuse to be an evil person or do bad things. In fact, during that period of my life I accomplished some of my best "works" in terms of being of service to others and my community. I didn't do those things because God made me, or because the Bible said to. I did them of my own free will.
In time, I began to notice that for an athiest, I spent a lot of time secretly praying to God. It was kind of an unconscious thing, that in time I had to admit to myself. Then I realized that I did believe in God, what I didn't believe in was people who pretend to be God in Churches and such. Perhaps that's one of the major things I have in common with many ex-COG's.
At this point in my life, I don't see organized religion as being organized or religious.
As far as Athiests and Agnostics, yes, I think they can do good things. I also thing that so-called religious people can do some terrible things.