I had a nice walk with my family a few weekends ago. We stopped for coffee and ice cream. It was nice. It lasted only a few hours and then it was over. It came to an end and one day will be totally forgotten by any living creature. Did the universe care? No. Will future generations care? No. But I cared. Right here, right now, I care. And so did my loved ones. You might call that a 'fail', but I call it a good day. And it is days like that, that make life worth living.
Tatum, i will never meet you but your last words starting at 4:22 breathtaking! Thank you :-) I have watched this again after more than one year. I left it (christianity - catholicism) behind in 1981, and my life changed so very positive!
These little videos are great. I'd love to see more individual stories about people's experiences leaving religion and religious ideology. I'm not looking for a club, but somehow by hearing this type of testimony, I feel much less alone :)
I have found atheism in the last year.I am going through a difficult period in my life when most people turn to religion.However I found atheism by accident when I watched a documentary by Richard Dawkins.Now I am blown away be the sence & openess of atheism & I allow science to teach me. This video is truely inspiring & I understand how she feels. Atheism has removed the doubts in myself & liberated me.I am starting to grow again.
Again your telling me why i should not believe what i believe instead of telling me why what you believe in( whatever it may be) is so great and astounding.
I went in search for God because I wanted to erase my fear of dying and the thought of no longer existing. My search only brought me full-circle right back to unbelief and truth. I loved this video.
I'm so happy that even people with such a harsh upbringing can break from the cycle. It should be an inspirational story, broadcasted throughout the media. :)
I am extremely glad that I am privileged enough to have never had to live through doubt and uncertainty regarding my rejection of religion. I was born a skeptic, and when the evidence against my parentally-inculcated beliefs mounted to overwhelming proportions, I shunned them without a second thought. It's taken time to shed the related preconceptions and indoctrination, but there was never any doubt in my mind that I had chosen the correct path -- the path with evidence. I am an atheist.
Very moved by this. When my Atheist beliefs were solidifying, I went through some horrible depression. I realized how religion wasted so much of my life & began searching for purpose & meaning. I read the Bible, the Apocrypha, the book of Mormon, the Bhavagad Gita, the Nag Hammadi Scriptures & several Buddhist Sutras. I studied logic, philosophy, science & read books by Richard Dawkins, Sam Harris, Penn Gillette & Christopher Hitchens. It took years but I finally found comfort in the truth.
my parents grew up with religion and choose to let me grow up to make up my own mind, in the end i became agnostic and i honestly agree with you on that statement. it is what has me really terrified by romney running for office. as both a proud American and veteran i really do not want to see my country become theocratic.
Education for the win! Having to read and understand a textbook on your own really gets the synapses firing. If only I'd learned to think at a younger age.
I do not know your situation, but I am glad the video gave you hope. When I was going through my transition, sometimes the only place I could feel normal was the internet. Thankfully, the world is slowly changing. I hope yours is too.
I had that " I wish I could believe" stage right after I acknowledged I was atheist. And I got over it too. I don't need those beliefs. They were distructive to me
You have a much harder road than I ever did. I commend you for your bravery, and I thank you for sharing your story, too. You are a truly amazing person to make your way out of your religion. I am glad you are also finding people who are coming out of Islam, because I cannot even pretend to understand or grasp what that must be like. I am pulling for you, and the entire atheist community is pulling for people with your struggle on a daily basis.
To everyone, religious or not, I encourage you to do everything you want to in this life that you want to. You don't have to be all you can be, but be all that you want to. Tell someone you love the truth, work for that future career, that future you, that you've always dreamed of. Don't let anyone ever put you down, you are capable if you are passionate. Do not become anything you don't want to, what a waste of something that will only ever happen once. Life is a miracle, don't waste it.
Shady, I feel your pain... as a closet Atheist in a devout Muslim family, it is a tough situation to be in given Islam's very dim view on apostacy. But its great that the online atheist community is growing and very helpful. I hope one day we will all be able to come out with repercussions.
I agree 100% and the reality is ....in a blink you'll be dead. So roll your dice or seek spiritual matters and come to know your Creator who loves you abundantly. And THAT is the understatement of the day. Why would you reject such love?
:) great vid, I too went through a stage of....well depression when I acknowledged in my heart this was the ONLY life we get but like you I grew stronger, and now, turning that anguish into strength and focus. I try to live and love everyday as though it was my last......because it just might be. :)
Thank you so much for sharing your story Tatum, videos like this really help me understand why people believe the things they do and how hard it is for people to question their beliefs. As someone who has never believed in god it's great to get an understanding of the difficulties of rejecting an ingrained belief and the act of initially questioning it in the first place. I think if we all discussed rather than argued a little more then we'd all be better off. and thanks for a great video Seth!
It's not about winning. I came to my realization that I didn't believe on my own, as an individual. It's about freedom and I hope everyone becomes free. :)
One should not decide based solely on testimonials. This woman was asked to tell her story and that's what she did. One of the main missions of this channel (and TTA in general) is to let non-believers know they are not alone.
great video and glad see another woman clear about why it makes sense to be an atheist. it is sad that some posting here are so determined to hold onto life canceling dogma and fear. i feel so much better making choices for my life as an atheist and not living in fear and my life has as much meaning now as it did when i believed in god--because the reality is there is no difference i just quit living a lie
It amazes me how people take single quotes out of context without reading the before or after because if they had they would realize that the quote is comparative and not a stand-alone. Thanks for again construing the Bible in order to back up your point of view. I can explain my interpretation which is what i will do to show anyone that reads this that your interpretation is not the only interpretation.
His goal was to spread apple trees for the benefit of others as he never intended to reap the benefits of those trees. His goal was to make the lot of others better and thus he accomplished his goal. He made his own purpose and that was fulfilled by acting on it thus fulfilling it. I understood that you seem to consider time spent is not satisfying or fulfilling if there isn't an afterlife of bliss. Living the best life one can makes the trip worth making when one ceases life, the journey ends.
Don't let them break you. Don't let falsehood get in the way of the truth. Even if your parents go against you. I know, it's hard. I was once Catholic. I hope that you break out of your shell, and find truth within yourself... and the world.
there's an interesting thing about that, which is, it's extremely hard to teach without influencing the person or people you are teaching. But none the less still an extremely important thing to do.
I appreciate the insight. In a nutshell, we are hard wired to believe in patterns because we function in patterns of thought. Natural selection has built us not for truth, but for survival. What I find interesting is that I think we're at a point where truth is becoming more important for survival in the modern age where reason and science is vital.
That's a wonderful story. Thank you for sharing. I don't believe it was a waste. I'm no atheist. I'm telling the atheist that the end of his philosophy results in all being lost. You admitted the outcome very well. But I'm certainly glad you had a wonderful day with your family. That love matters. That love you feel. Amplify that a million times and it still doesn't touch the love your Creator has for you in the person of Jesus who is the Christ. Have a blessed day.
I would love to see more of these testimonials on this channel. I decided to share this one on my facebook page, which is likely to cause some consternation among my Christian friends and relatives, but hey, they have no problem posting endless 'Jesus loves you' and 'Power of prayer' things on their pages, so now they get to see how it feels to have their core beliefs contradicted in a public forum.
Not being religeous or atheist, I can't really answer. I'm glad this woman is at piece with herself reguardless. I think everyone no matter where they are in life have to think outside of their box if not agree with anything diiferent from what they believe.
While some areas of our skin appear to lack hair (e.g., on the forehead and nose), they actually have tiny, colourless hairs called vellus hairs. We have about as many hairs per square inch on our nose and forehead as we do on the top of our head-we just don’t notice them. The total number of hairs on our body is about 5 million, of which 100k are on our heads, so we didn't lose any of them, they just became very short and colourless, sounds like evolution.
Oh yes there is a point. Ever read about Johnny Appleseed? Supposedly he spent most of his adult life just walking no particular place but all along his way he planted apple seeds so that many years later people would benefit from the apples that those trees bore. It's what you do along the path, what you accomplish is the reward in the end.
* We lost body hair in the most of the parts where we found out we could use clothes instead to keep us warm.. * Facial features are depending of the use of the nose to smell, the jaw and mouth to eat, and eyes to hunt. * We lost strength because as out brain developed, we were able to use less strength, and more brain.. We use mechanisms instead of body strength, weapons instead of our hands.. Etc.. And yes, Evolution is the survival of the fittest.. Now, in the world we live.
I can essentially say that my story is similar to Tatum's, but not exact. Yesterday, I revealed to everyone that I was an agnostic atheist through a facebook post that detailed, to the best of my ability, the darkest time in my life, during which I wanted to commit suicide due to depression. I was not religious (to my parents dismay, not mine), and yet I found hope within myself and not in my religion because I realized that life was fleeting, so I had to make the most of my life while I could.
I am so happy for you Tatum. It is so strange to me that religion is still so strong in the US. In Sweden, religion is almost ridiculed. Be openly religious at work and you are looked at as someone that is from the middle ages. At least that is my experience.
its always worth a try. I can;t make them honestly evaluate the information. He'll have to make that choice between honesty and preserving his/her belief on his own.
I live in America and I'm never treated differently because I'm an atheist. Someone's beliefs is never something stressed on when being acquinated with a person. So I dont know what other people are talking about.
"Apes seem to be doing just fine to me." Apart from the damage we've done to them, yes, they are. Populations of organisms exploit a wide variety of niches in different ways. As long as they survive, traits continue to accumulate and diversify and species branch off as new traits and environments provide different opportunities.
What's been given to me is life - and life more abundantly. And He has commissioned me to present it to you. So I do. You're free to reject it and I see that you have so live well and prosper. It's all good. But if you ever change your mind - His love never wanes. Be blessed.
the Hebrew word for hate is "sanah" which actually translates to "love to a lesser degree" in older languages, but it has no direct translation in English. The closest translation is " love-less" in the English language. What i believe Jesus was essentially saying is that in life, attachments can be distracting and hold us down from what he calls us to do. There are several instances to where Hebrew can not be directly translated into English.
I always knew you existed. A good soul raised In a racist home. Kudos for trying to break away from your upbringing, finding your own mind, and seeing how c perspectives manipulate our views.
Then I'll spare you the heartache of my daft reply. I'm out of time for the day but be blessed and thanks for engaging such an unintelligent person. I'm honored.
I can tell you for a fact that it is the case, as it is me in the video. Stating the truth is not disrespectful. I did not say anything hateful or disrespectful about my parents - I stated facts about the way I was raised. I actually love my parents, and have a great relationship with my father despite our religious differences. My mother is deceased, and I miss her dearly, so there would certainly be no reason to disrespect her.
The truth could not be killed. Ever. God raised Him from the dead and He lives. He always has and He always will. It just saddens me that you don't want to know him. These are spiritual things not physical things. Leave the physical things and seek out the spiritual ones. You will never regret it.
I have people who love me. I have trouble feeling any emotion for or from a being who refuses to verify his own existence. And while you may not, too many others claim he demands my obedience and love else I be punished, as though I am to be thankful for this universe, most of which is hostile to our existence, even on our own planet.
You don't have to go and ask your pastor or a priest these questions in person, you can go online and ask anonymously in a christian website. (or a blog) and good luck!
I did not go to school in New Jersey - I'm in the Bible Belt. I'm in the buckle of it, in fact. I guess "Victory Christian" is just a really popular name for Christian schools. :)
Thank you so much for your honesty! You're so brave and I admire you! My life seems to be very similar to yours and you were very encouraging to me.
I had a nice walk with my family a few weekends ago. We stopped for coffee and ice cream. It was nice. It lasted only a few hours and then it was over. It came to an end and one day will be totally forgotten by any living creature. Did the universe care? No. Will future generations care? No. But I cared. Right here, right now, I care. And so did my loved ones. You might call that a 'fail', but I call it a good day. And it is days like that, that make life worth living.
Awesome Girl... True spiritually begins the moment beLIEf ends.... YOUR door is wide open now.... so gorgeous... so FREE! Thank YOU!
Tatum, i will never meet you but your last words starting at 4:22 breathtaking! Thank you :-)
I have watched this again after more than one year.
I left it (christianity - catholicism) behind in 1981, and my life changed so very positive!
I left in 2007-ish, and my life has been so much better too. Best decision ever ...
I love hearing these stories, in what ways have your lives changed for the better?
These little videos are great. I'd love to see more individual stories about people's experiences leaving religion and religious ideology. I'm not looking for a club, but somehow by hearing this type of testimony, I feel much less alone :)
I have found atheism in the last year.I am going through a difficult period in my life when most people turn to religion.However I found atheism by accident when I watched a documentary by Richard Dawkins.Now I am blown away be the sence & openess of atheism & I allow science to teach me. This video is truely inspiring & I understand how she feels. Atheism has removed the doubts in myself & liberated me.I am starting to grow again.
A very sincere and heart-warming testimony. Transformation is beautiful.
Again your telling me why i should not believe what i believe instead of telling me why what you believe in( whatever it may be) is so great and astounding.
Videos like this are far and away the best work on this channel - very powerful.
I went in search for God because I wanted to erase my fear of dying and the thought of no longer existing. My search only brought me full-circle right back to unbelief and truth. I loved this video.
I simply love these kinds of videos - they are an instant click when I see them in my feed. Thank you.
Tatum is quite eloquently precise.Bravo,and thank you Seth.
That was beautiful. Brava to Tatum for breaking free.
I'm so happy that even people with such a harsh upbringing can break from the cycle. It should be an inspirational story, broadcasted throughout the media. :)
Thanks for sharing this. Every time someone shares the story of how they got out of religion, I become a little more hopeful about the future.
Yes, she is very well spoken.
I am also impressed with her written responses in the comments section as well.
I am extremely glad that I am privileged enough to have never had to live through doubt and uncertainty regarding my rejection of religion. I was born a skeptic, and when the evidence against my parentally-inculcated beliefs mounted to overwhelming proportions, I shunned them without a second thought. It's taken time to shed the related preconceptions and indoctrination, but there was never any doubt in my mind that I had chosen the correct path -- the path with evidence.
I am an atheist.
Very true. Thinking leads to truth, and truth leads to atheism.
Excellent video. I agree with all the points that she made, Thanks for sharing these stories, Seth! Helps me to know I'm not alone.
Very moved by this. When my Atheist beliefs were solidifying, I went through some horrible depression. I realized how religion wasted so much of my life & began searching for purpose & meaning. I read the Bible, the Apocrypha, the book of Mormon, the Bhavagad Gita, the Nag Hammadi Scriptures & several Buddhist Sutras. I studied logic, philosophy, science & read books by Richard Dawkins, Sam Harris, Penn Gillette & Christopher Hitchens. It took years but I finally found comfort in the truth.
I'm 45 years old. Not much time left. You be blessed. Jesus loves you.
my parents grew up with religion and choose to let me grow up to make up my own mind, in the end i became agnostic and i honestly agree with you on that statement. it is what has me really terrified by romney running for office. as both a proud American and veteran i really do not want to see my country become theocratic.
Education for the win! Having to read and understand a textbook on your own really gets the synapses firing. If only I'd learned to think at a younger age.
Kudos to all of you who are talking about your experiences, it takes courage.
I do not know your situation, but I am glad the video gave you hope. When I was going through my transition, sometimes the only place I could feel normal was the internet. Thankfully, the world is slowly changing. I hope yours is too.
Iam proud of you as an atheist! Thank you for your words they mean a lot to me. Best wishes from munich!
Truth can be a cold friend, but you always know you can trust it.
Thank you for sharing your story with us Tatum. Excellent video.
Much love to the thinking atheist community. I find so much comfort in your videos. Thank you!
You guys are on the front line. You have the toughest fight, but your victories matter the most!
I have hope without resorting to fantasies, reality really is beautiful.
And the good thing about reality is that it actually is real...
I had that " I wish I could believe" stage right after I acknowledged I was atheist. And I got over it too. I don't need those beliefs. They were distructive to me
You have a much harder road than I ever did. I commend you for your bravery, and I thank you for sharing your story, too. You are a truly amazing person to make your way out of your religion. I am glad you are also finding people who are coming out of Islam, because I cannot even pretend to understand or grasp what that must be like. I am pulling for you, and the entire atheist community is pulling for people with your struggle on a daily basis.
To everyone, religious or not, I encourage you to do everything you want to in this life that you want to. You don't have to be all you can be, but be all that you want to. Tell someone you love the truth, work for that future career, that future you, that you've always dreamed of. Don't let anyone ever put you down, you are capable if you are passionate. Do not become anything you don't want to, what a waste of something that will only ever happen once. Life is a miracle, don't waste it.
Great video! I too found the fear as the hardest thing to overcome when rejecting religion.
Shady, I feel your pain... as a closet Atheist in a devout Muslim family, it is a tough situation to be in given Islam's very dim view on apostacy. But its great that the online atheist community is growing and very helpful. I hope one day we will all be able to come out with repercussions.
Thanks for sharing your story, Tatum.
What a beautiful woman...inside and out.
Good on you Tatum. Thanks for sharing your story.
I agree 100% and the reality is ....in a blink you'll be dead. So roll your dice or seek spiritual matters and come to know your Creator who loves you abundantly. And THAT is the understatement of the day. Why would you reject such love?
:) great vid, I too went through a stage of....well depression when I acknowledged in my heart this was the ONLY life we get but like you I grew stronger, and now, turning that anguish into strength and focus. I try to live and love everyday as though it was my last......because it just might be. :)
Thank you so much for sharing your story Tatum, videos like this really help me understand why people believe the things they do and how hard it is for people to question their beliefs. As someone who has never believed in god it's great to get an understanding of the difficulties of rejecting an ingrained belief and the act of initially questioning it in the first place. I think if we all discussed rather than argued a little more then we'd all be better off. and thanks for a great video Seth!
wow.This is easily the best advert for college I've ever seen
It's not about winning. I came to my realization that I didn't believe on my own, as an individual. It's about freedom and I hope everyone becomes free. :)
That was truly beautiful
One should not decide based solely on testimonials. This woman was asked to tell her story and that's what she did. One of the main missions of this channel (and TTA in general) is to let non-believers know they are not alone.
Thanks, ThinkingAtheist. It's good to see another person set free from the fear, ignorance and intolerance of religion.
Every word out of this woman's mouth is me. I couldn't have said it better. This is what I went through. This is how I escaped. This is what I think.
thank you. tonight is sleep just a bit better than i would have
great video and glad see another woman clear about why it makes sense to be an atheist. it is sad that some posting here are so determined to hold onto life canceling dogma and fear. i feel so much better making choices for my life as an atheist and not living in fear and my life has as much meaning now as it did when i believed in god--because the reality is there is no difference i just quit living a lie
It amazes me how people take single quotes out of context without reading the before or after because if they had they would realize that the quote is comparative and not a stand-alone. Thanks for again construing the Bible in order to back up your point of view. I can explain my interpretation which is what i will do to show anyone that reads this that your interpretation is not the only interpretation.
Excellent video. I can relate to her so much! Please make more similar videos! Also, one Christian has watched this video.
His goal was to spread apple trees for the benefit of others as he never intended to reap the benefits of those trees. His goal was to make the lot of others better and thus he accomplished his goal. He made his own purpose and that was fulfilled by acting on it thus fulfilling it. I understood that you seem to consider time spent is not satisfying or fulfilling if there isn't an afterlife of bliss. Living the best life one can makes the trip worth making when one ceases life, the journey ends.
Don't let them break you. Don't let falsehood get in the way of the truth. Even if your parents go against you. I know, it's hard. I was once Catholic. I hope that you break out of your shell, and find truth within yourself... and the world.
"I have to take responsibility for my own life" - this is the moral strength of atheism
i was also raised in a similar household in the biblebelt, this video hits home
there's an interesting thing about that, which is, it's extremely hard to teach without influencing the person or people you are teaching. But none the less still an extremely important thing to do.
I appreciate the insight. In a nutshell, we are hard wired to believe in patterns because we function in patterns of thought. Natural selection has built us not for truth, but for survival. What I find interesting is that I think we're at a point where truth is becoming more important for survival in the modern age where reason and science is vital.
Good for you, Lady. the decision was hard but she did it. good job.
"We need to know how to think, not what to think"
-Tatum
Possibilty of another life is 100% true. people have gone through there
the steps she went through are those traveled by most atheists from Christianity, i think we all can understand her plight this is a great vid.
I always enjoy these interview videos
That's a wonderful story. Thank you for sharing. I don't believe it was a waste. I'm no atheist. I'm telling the atheist that the end of his philosophy results in all being lost. You admitted the outcome very well. But I'm certainly glad you had a wonderful day with your family. That love matters. That love you feel. Amplify that a million times and it still doesn't touch the love your Creator has for you in the person of Jesus who is the Christ. Have a blessed day.
I would love to see more of these testimonials on this channel. I decided to share this one on my facebook page, which is likely to cause some consternation among my Christian friends and relatives, but hey, they have no problem posting endless 'Jesus loves you' and 'Power of prayer' things on their pages, so now they get to see how it feels to have their core beliefs contradicted in a public forum.
Great video - clear, well made, and a great message.
Just watched 07/19/2022. Wonderful. I hope I meet her someday.
Not being religeous or atheist, I can't really answer. I'm glad this woman is at piece with herself reguardless.
I think everyone no matter where they are in life have to think outside of their box if not agree with anything diiferent from what they believe.
I find it just sad that many children are raised in such a way, especially when a lot of these children never 'break out of the box'.
Where there is doubt, there is freedom.
aww... love this girl
I wish I could click Like more than once. Bravo!
Thanks for uploading this, inspiring!
While some areas of our skin appear to lack hair (e.g., on the forehead and nose), they actually have tiny, colourless hairs called vellus hairs. We have about as many hairs per square inch on our nose and forehead as we do on the top of our head-we just don’t notice them. The total number of hairs on our body is about 5 million, of which 100k are on our heads, so we didn't lose any of them, they just became very short and colourless, sounds like evolution.
Thank you for sharing your thoughts and views.
Oh yes there is a point. Ever read about Johnny Appleseed? Supposedly he spent most of his adult life just walking no particular place but all along his way he planted apple seeds so that many years later people would benefit from the apples that those trees bore. It's what you do along the path, what you accomplish is the reward in the end.
I'm doing my best....the Holy Spirit is making me new every day.
* We lost body hair in the most of the parts where we found out we could use clothes instead to keep us warm..
* Facial features are depending of the use of the nose to smell, the jaw and mouth to eat, and eyes to hunt.
* We lost strength because as out brain developed, we were able to use less strength, and more brain.. We use mechanisms instead of body strength, weapons instead of our hands.. Etc..
And yes, Evolution is the survival of the fittest.. Now, in the world we live.
i can relate to your story. thank you for sharing.
I can essentially say that my story is similar to Tatum's, but not exact. Yesterday, I revealed to everyone that I was an agnostic atheist through a facebook post that detailed, to the best of my ability, the darkest time in my life, during which I wanted to commit suicide due to depression. I was not religious (to my parents dismay, not mine), and yet I found hope within myself and not in my religion because I realized that life was fleeting, so I had to make the most of my life while I could.
Lucky lady to find Freedom From Religion
I am so happy for you Tatum. It is so strange to me that religion is still so strong in the US. In Sweden, religion is almost ridiculed. Be openly religious at work and you are looked at as someone that is from the middle ages. At least that is my experience.
This made me smile. Somehow I don't think that's the case at all but you're free to believe it. Have a nice day.
its always worth a try.
I can;t make them honestly evaluate the information. He'll have to make that choice between honesty and preserving his/her belief on his own.
I want to hug her....
I live in America and I'm never treated differently because I'm an atheist. Someone's beliefs is never something stressed on when being acquinated with a person. So I dont know what other people are talking about.
"Apes seem to be doing just fine to me."
Apart from the damage we've done to them, yes, they are. Populations of organisms exploit a wide variety of niches in different ways. As long as they survive, traits continue to accumulate and diversify and species branch off as new traits and environments provide different opportunities.
freud described it as fear combined with love
What's been given to me is life - and life more abundantly. And He has commissioned me to present it to you. So I do. You're free to reject it and I see that you have so live well and prosper. It's all good. But if you ever change your mind - His love never wanes. Be blessed.
the Hebrew word for hate is "sanah" which actually translates to "love to a lesser degree" in older languages, but it has no direct translation in English. The closest translation is " love-less" in the English language. What i believe Jesus was essentially saying is that in life, attachments can be distracting and hold us down from what he calls us to do. There are several instances to where Hebrew can not be directly translated into English.
I always knew you existed. A good soul raised In a racist home. Kudos for trying to break away from your upbringing, finding your own mind, and seeing how c perspectives manipulate our views.
Thank you!
Then I'll spare you the heartache of my daft reply. I'm out of time for the day but be blessed and thanks for engaging such an unintelligent person. I'm honored.
Good on you Tatum!
I can tell you for a fact that it is the case, as it is me in the video. Stating the truth is not disrespectful. I did not say anything hateful or disrespectful about my parents - I stated facts about the way I was raised. I actually love my parents, and have a great relationship with my father despite our religious differences. My mother is deceased, and I miss her dearly, so there would certainly be no reason to disrespect her.
The truth could not be killed. Ever. God raised Him from the dead and He lives. He always has and He always will. It just saddens me that you don't want to know him. These are spiritual things not physical things. Leave the physical things and seek out the spiritual ones. You will never regret it.
Perfectly stated!
I have people who love me. I have trouble feeling any emotion for or from a being who refuses to verify his own existence. And while you may not, too many others claim he demands my obedience and love else I be punished, as though I am to be thankful for this universe, most of which is hostile to our existence, even on our own planet.
You don't have to go and ask your pastor or a priest these questions in person, you can go online and ask anonymously in a christian website. (or a blog)
and good luck!
I did not go to school in New Jersey - I'm in the Bible Belt. I'm in the buckle of it, in fact. I guess "Victory Christian" is just a really popular name for Christian schools. :)