By: Rod Swift
To: John Prewett
Re: Atheist eh!

JP>      Most atheist HAVE been through the religious phase and outgrew it.

I have never been exposed to the indoctrination of the Christian
religion.

I believe that if all children were given the valuable freedoms I
was given as a child, the next generation of humanity would be a
better generation -- having been removed from, and having
expunged, religion from the face of this Earth.

JP>      Stage one-  Childish belief in whatever religion
JP>                  one is naturally born into.

I disagree -- Stage one is the immoral brainwashing and
indoctrination of superstition and religion into the children of
parents.  Such indoctrination I consider child abuse.

JP>      Stage two-  Outgrow childhood religion.  Atheist.  Enjoy
JP>                  playing "god" by making up one's own rules
JP>                  of right and wrong.

I disagree -- Stage two, as I see it, is the self-discovery that
the indoctrination one has received as a child is less and less
relevant to life.  Hence, search for more apt philosophies of
freethought, and secularism.  Rebellion from organised religion.

JP>      Stage three-  Become aware of the dismal, depressing ramifications
JP>                    of atheism.   Become aware of spiritual activity
JP>                    in the world that you realize you don't understand.

I disagree -- Stage three is only reached by the emotional
wet-blanket types, moral basketcases, and the feeble among humans.
I classify the stage three types as those who dispense with reality
in favour of fantasy when they are:
        1) being unable to deal with the consequence of mortality
        2) being in a hopeless position
        3) being in a position of despair
        4) without a philosophical moral compass, and hence
           require one out of a book of religion
        5) being in an escapist mindset from reality

I am sure there are other reasons why people turn to religion
because of what they fear...

JP>      I'm in stage four.
JP>      Personal faith in the living Jesus Christ.

I disagree -- Stage four, self-deception through *personal
choice*.  Note, stage one is deception through indoctrination,
and is rebelled against because of the forced nature of such
childhood indoctrination.