Well here's something I'd thrust at a non-believer if I were a real believer: Until you can prove to me how everything in the universe came to be, and how humans defied the odds to still be around here and now... I'll pray away!

But really, I would consider myself to be an atheist but that's also something I'm closeted about, my family isn't very religious but they'd see me being an atheist being a byproduct of being gay in a negative/sad way. I always catch myself saying Oh God or some such and I honestly do mental prayers (brief though) every night out of habit. I believe one of the times I didn't say my prayers at night was when I was 10ish and we almost got ran over by another car less than 8 hours later so there's some subconscious DOITORDIE factor in there for me probably.

I do think that it's stupid in a lot of ways to actively pray to 'God' when all we know of *him* comes from the Bible... which is outdated, written by mankind and full of hypocrisy. There's lots of good morals in there but since biology = evolution = slap in the face to Adam and Eve. The thing that leaves me with a smidge of worry and probably doesn't set anyone as a 100% *There is No Higher Power* until later in life is the fact that it is completely random for us to be here and how did the universe start? Why would the big bang just HAPPEN?

but i don't really believe in "god". at least not the god they spoke of in the synagogues and the jewish education of my youth.
i don't believe in praying from a prayer book or worshipping in a synagogue, because i feel uncomfortable in a religion where only heterosexual love is recognized, where the only sex that's supported is sex between a married man & woman.
i love certain women, and i enjoy making love with certain women. having sex with a woman is a very spiritual experience for me. and i can't give anyone, human or god, the power to make me feel guilty over that. cuz then, how could i live with myself???
but i believe that there is some higher power out there. i definetely sometimes pray to my own secret goddess in the sky... she would never say that my lusting after women or loving women is wrong, because she's the one who made me gay.
and every time i almost get hit by a car, but don't (which is kinda often)... i reflexively thank the goddess. maybe this goddess is the same god they spoke of in judaism, i don't really know. my own personal godess. someone told me that in kaballah, (jewish mysticism) they believe that there is no "god", god is actually US. we are light. or some wierd shit like that... it's pretty interesting.

I think it is a bit reductive to make the choice between religion and atheism.

Sort of like saying do you eat at McDonald's or don't you eat? Lots of other options available.

I've been calling myself a spiritual atheist lately, but abhor religion, so...

---

"Be like a postage stamp. Stick to one thing until you get there." -- Josh Billings.

Add me on MySpace!

in God, but I don't believe in organized religion that is discriminating towards women and gays and lesbians, which is most religion. But the united and unitarian churches are really good about not doing that. In fact, I no longer consider myself catholic, and now belong to the united church.

I'm an atheist and don't practice any form of spirituality, but I've encountered plenty of people that identify as gay who have some varying belief in a higher power or practice a mainstreamish religion.

Are most homosexuals who become atheists/agnostics doing so simply because the church they've been raised in/attending/etc doesn't look kindly upon homosexuality? I was under the impression that choosing to follow a religion went somewhat deeper than that. If you're really devoted you're not going to leave over something like that, at least from what I've encountered.

As for myself, I questioned religion, I attended a southern baptist church, and ultimately found myself to hold atheistic beliefs, a few years before I even realized--and I don't just mean accepted, I mean realized, that I was gay. My sexuality had nothing to do with my decision.

As with most people who delve into the world of photons and quarks (quantum physicists among a tiny few others) I have something that people might confuse with spirituality, hell sometimes even I do.... but in terms of any religion, organised or not, I do not believe (and actively engage in conversations to the extent of "religion is the source of all evil.")

I believe that when we leave a place, a part of it goes with us, and a part of us remains. Go anywhere in this place, when it is quiet, and just listen. After a while you will hear the echoes of all our conversations: every thought and word we've exchange

I'm a fervent atheist, to the point it actually irritates me when gay people try to reconcile their sexuality and their beliefs. I don't want a world where religion accepts us, I want a world with no religion at all. Accepting or not.

My sexuality is the main reason I started questioning religion (though I have virtually no religious upbringing), but it's since reading about it that the real evil of it has been accentuated in my mind. I think a belief in a supernatural God is ridiculous and I almost feel pity for those who believe in it. It defies all logic and reason, and as much as that makes me sound like Dr. Spock, I too am a human with emotions and thoughts - I just don't have to qualify my existence with some arrogant self-imposed importance.

I have this innate disdain for all of this talk of "spirituality" too, it sounds far too agnostic and wishy-washy to me, but it's such an umbrella term I shant criticise it here. I suppose if you consider finding peace within yourself and seeking happiness as "spiritual" then I too am spiritual, though I wouldn't regard myself as such. Suffice to say "spirituality" keeps itself to itself and doesn't harm others (well, until it starts exploiting people). The main problem I have with this word is that it infers we have a "spirit" inside of us, where as I would just call it our consciousness brought about by our rather advanced brains. To believe we have a living or actual entity called a "spirit" living inside of us is just as ludicrous as a belief in some supernatural God who created the universe.

"until later in life is the fact that it is completely random for us to be here and how did the universe start? Why would the big bang just HAPPEN?"

This can be explained, but usually in such complicated terms it bores people or goes beyond their mental capability - hence you get the ignorant view that such complexity could only be created by a "designer". It's the only way we can make sense of things, even in the 21st century (imagine what they thought thousands of years ago!). If you actually read up on this though there are people who put it in simpler terms. The evolution of the eye is something oft-referred to by theologians, which is easily explained by Darwinism. And who created the designer? You'll also find with Darwinism this talk of "chance" is actually rubbish, though they won't teach you that in school. Evolution is not simply chance, it is inevitable.

"Are most homosexuals who become atheists/agnostics doing so simply because the church they've been raised in/attending/etc doesn't look kindly upon homosexuality?"

Well, I was never raised in a church. In junior school we were made to recite the Lord's Prayer in every assembly (I still remember it word for word). This is the first memory of religion in my life and it was virtually meaningless, other than an attempt to indoctrinate children into religion as is apparently so acceptable nowadays. Of course, when you try to teach children that homosexuality isn't a choice and that everyone is equal in schools, you're indoctrinating people to homosexuality which is SO much worse! My high school was run by Christians and we regularly had a Christian speaker called 'Chris' come in. He was a really nice guy, but as with most nice religious people, was delusional. It isn't until looking back at it now that I see the underlying pro-life bible-bashing sermons that existed within his talks.

Point being, I (personally) was never religious to start with. I always had trouble believing that something supernatural could have created the Earth, or any other story from the Bible. It wasn't until coming out and exploring the "gay community" on the Internet I realised just how much injustice was afforded to gay people around the world purely because of religion. Coming from the UK with gay equality in the workplace as second nature to me, and now civil unions and gay adoption, I just couldn't believe a country like the USA was so discriminatory. It was that which sparked my interest in the issue admittedly, but it's not the reason I remain interested.

"If we were to wake up some morning and find that everyone was the same race, creed and color, we would find some other cause for prejudice by noon."
- George Aiken

I love the female option goes first in your she/he.

Pronouns make it hard to keep our sexual orientation a secret when our co-workers ask about your weekend.
- I had a GREAT time with...them.
Yay, now they don't think you're queer, just a slut!

devoutly unspiritual.

I'm just completely missing the part of my makeup that makes most people grasp to invisible daddies and what not.

I need solid evidence before I can believe anything.

---
Adrian - If i blow your mind, would you promise not to think in my mouth?

I'm pretty neutral when it comes to theology. For instance, one of the books sitting on my bed right now is all about Ganesha, and the other one is a journal of an ancient Russian traveling across his country to find Jesus, metaphorically of course. I don't think anybody should commit themselves totally to one religion (even atheism) because that shuts them off from anything else that could be learned by religion. That is why I hate fanatics. For example, today in my World History class, we were talking about meta-narrative (differents ideas on how the world started) and someone mentioned the big-bang theory. Another guy didn't know what it was and he asked; that is when a total Jesus freak practically yelled "You don't need to know because it is stupid and ridiculous!". May the Lord help me (wrote that down before I realized the topic) when she finds out I'm gay. Of course it goes the other way as well. I hate it when a fervent atheist is around when the topic of religion comes up because usually, not always though, they will just dismiss you as immature and ignorant if you believe in anything.

What an interesting question. I think I'll comment even though technically I'm not a theist. I'm Buddhist, was raised Buddhist, and will always be Buddhist. I wear the picture of a monk on a chain around my neck, I go to temples in Thailand, my uncle was a monk for a while, my entire Thai side is hardcore religious... yeah. It's a cultural thing as well as religious.

I can't help but be annoyed by some (American) people who brag about being Buddhist but haven't been raised with it. Which is such a bad thing to do. (Me being annoyed by it, not them converting.) Conversion is fine, but there's a lot of tension between the Asians who have always practiced it and the 'newcomers'.

Anyways, the point of this was to say that around my area, the Christian kids get put down. A lot. There's always some bigoted asshole in class who thinks they're being tolerant in class discussions but bashes Christianity anyways. A lot of my friends are extremely observant Christians and it offends them (and me) deeply to hear about how "The Christians lied! Jesus sucks! Jesus was Jewish so Christianity doesn't really exist! The Christians destroyed the Roman Empire!" It's gotten to the point where if I hear that in class, I'll start arguing with the person. I'm not even Christian, but it just OFFENDS me to hear that sort of talking.

Long story short: I'm Buddhist, but I hate it when non-Christians bash Christianity. Sure, it's got it's problems, but it's beautiful at the core. Love your fellow man? I don't see anything wrong with that at all.

Sidera cadentia somnos suadent.
(Aeneid 2.9)