First post!

My name is Adam, and I’m an atheist.  I don’t consider this to be my primary defining factor, but for the purposes of this blog, it seemed like a good way to start things off.

Before going any further, let’s define the terms.

Agnostic:  One who believes that the truth about the existence of religious claims are unknown and unknowable.

Atheist:  One who rejects the notion that one or more spiritual beings exist.

Note that under these terms, (a)theism and (a)gnosticism are not mutually exclusive.  Someone could be an agnostic theist.  That is, they believe in a god, but they think that the actual truth claims are basically unknowable.  Likewise, someone could be a gnostic atheist.  They believe to have knowledge that there absolutely are no gods.

I consider myself to be an “agnostic atheist”.  I do not believe that any gods exist, but I don’t claim to have any definitive proof on the matter.  Were I to assert “No gods exist”, I would shoulder the burden of proof to support that claim.  Rather, I listen to the claim “I believe in a god”, and don’t subscribe to it.   I’ve spent a LOT of time studying the claims of theists, and none of them have convinced me.

In short:  Could a god exist?  Sure.  Do I think it has been sufficiently demonstrated?  No.

Being an atheist in Southern California is hardly a challenge.  I read about people online who “come out” as atheists to their friends in family (in, say, Texas or the deep south), and are subsequently disowned or generally ostracized.  The more I read about it, the more I realized I was in a very unpopular group, though thankfully I’ve never felt anything even close to any sort of discrimination.

Various polls (http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/story/2008/06/23/ST2008062300818.html) show that the vast majority of Americans believe in God, angels, demons, and miracles.  I don’t.  If that many people believe in something, I need to carefully consider the notion that I’m wrong.  And generally speaking, Faith a subject that I’m very interested in.

Most of my study is reading on the internet, watching YouTube videos, and listening to Christian talk radio on my drive home.  One of my favorite shows is “Defending the Truth”, with Bob Dutko.  He’s a young-earth creationist who specifically defends his faith using science and logic and reason.  More on him later, I’m sure.  I really only have one friend who is actually religious, and while he’s always been willing to answer any questions I have, we’ve never really sat down and hashed it out.  It feels mildly uncomfortable, and frankly, when I’m with my friends I’d rather be doing something more fun that debating theology.

I did recently go to Balboa Park, and while my family was at a museum, I wandered around and eventually had a fascinating discussion with a street preacher.  We went back and forth over a number of topics, and it was a lot of fun.

So, that’s a general introduction to me and my quest for the truth regarding the nature of reality. 

Finally, I’d like to state in no uncertain terms that I don’t mean any disrespect towards anyone of a particular religion or philosophy or way of thinking.  Although I’m sure it will come across that way in one way or another simply because I don’t understand, and because many of the notions present can sound ridiculous to someone unfamiliar with the context.  So while I may be incredulous and skeptical, I don’t mean to sound malicious or spiteful.

For example, if someone tells me that they believe a story where a person lived inside the belly of a whale for a few days, I’m more concerned about whether this is factually accurate and why the person believes it, rather than passing judgment on the person themselves.  Lots of good, well-intentioned, smart people believe a lot of impossible-sounding things.  I want to know why.