Hi to everyone on the forum!
I go by the Analyzed Atheist. I found my way over here via a recommendation by your Administrator, "The Unbeliever." He stumbled upon my own blog over at
http://analyzedatheist.tumblr.com.
I am 28, male, and from Canada, eh? Ha ha, love that stereotype. I am a pretty fervent atheist, but here in Canada people don't really talk much about religion in public, it's pretty much considered to be in bad taste. It goes without saying then, that the religious atmosphere in Canada is not like it is in the United States. However, just because people don't talk about religion much doesn't mean they don't have the same stupid biases and beliefs...and whenever I can I actively debate/discuss these ideas with people in an effort to educate and inform, but most of all, just get it out there.
I love to read, write, do arithmetic. Seriously, though. I like math. I work in a laboratory, so my dorkiness pervades every area of my life.
I would like to say I've always been an atheist, but I definitely can't say that I've ever been a 'theist' in the traditional sense of the word. Apathetic cultural christian describes me at my most religious, probably when I was younger than the age of 15 or 16, but I never really thought about it until I read "The God Delusion" after I finished university. When I was really young I can remember lying in bed after my mom said the Lord's Prayer and thinking "I don't feel anything...at all." Up until the God Delusion I said I was an atheist, but leaning toward agnostic. Once I realized what these words really mean, I stick to being an atheist. Granted, I am technically an agnostic atheist, but as Dawkins says, only as agnostic about God as I am about fairies at the bottom of my garden. The way I evaluate claims is through the examination of evidence, and as far as I am concerned, if I can quote someone else, "absence of evidence is evidence of absence."
That about sums me up, more or less...well there is a lot more, but maybe some of the people here can come check out my blog. If you do, drop me a message to let me know or ask a question, I love getting questions because it usually stimulates my creative muscle.
All the best to everyone on the forum!
-The Analyzed Atheist
EDIT: I wanted to add a question, and I apologize if this is somehow answered in a FAQ somewhere. Why are there two verification images when posting a personal message (pm)? I was trying to reply to a personal message and it wanted me to complete two verification fields, and I did, but no matter how many times I tried and tried again, it would not work, on the next screen I'd be told that what I typed did not match the image. I tried both all caps and all lower-case, so I'm at a loss for that. If anyone has any ideas or help for me for this, please let me know. Thanks. AATS