I don't want to "be on a mission", but...

An office-mate of mine came up to another peer and said, "Hey, guess what Dave? The Atheists are having a convention this weekend in San Francisco!" To which Dave replied, 'Great! Now all of the idiots can gather in one place!" Both laughed arrogantly.
I stood there amazed. Here I was, in my work place, making a living, and now I am being ridiculed for my religious (non) beliefs! THIS is exactly why I do not "preach" Atheism to anyone. I believe that all people should be able to think for themselves, make their own choices and follow their own conscience, all the while staying away from trying to convert people into their way of thinking. Funny thing about this instance, I couldn't speak up for myself...
In this town, being an outright Atheist can place you into the wrong crowd. I would be lumped into "one of those hippy, new age druggy freaks that are going to hell". My future within the city and possible city government would be hindered greatly. Why? Because I choose to believe in myself and take responsibility for my actions. I do not ask of anyone to save me from anything, I do not ask to be protected, I do not ask for money, I do not ask to be given anything out of life without me actually working for it. I'm a good person. I used to be a youth counselor for the County and have helped 100's of children. I have relocated one child that was being abused at home, I became a good role model for another who was sent to a boys ranch, and became an advocate for a boy being raised within a gang and had numerous run-ins with local authorities.
I have two children
I own my home
I volunteer at my daughter's school
I exercise regularly
I eat right
I don't smoke
I don't bug people
I keep mostly to myself, but am very friendly and have a good time in crowds
I respect others' opinions
I have morals, values, and try to do right whenever there is a chance...
Am I going to hell? Am I a heathen? Am I someone who would not fit into my social circle anymore if they knew I was Atheist? In their view, quite possibly so.

I know this country was founded upon religious freedom and freedom from religious persecution, but we are a long ways from there during these days. Under God, Atheists in foxholes, creationistic science, evolution being banned from schools, prayer being put back into schools, religion in many aspects of government, ... it's like we hardly have a chance!

What doesn't help are these other Atheist groups who have very "unique" representation, take Dave Kong (http://www.atheists.org/ca/images/k1.jpg) I know he has done a lot for Atheists in California, but why the funky haircut? I admit I'm not totally clean cut, my hair is somewhat "spiky", but very "normal" as far as society is concerned. What I am not totally happy with is the pictures of the leaders of the Atheist movement seem to be those people I tend to steer clear of. They just don't "fit in" to normal society. I know there are several Atheists out there who are leading members of society, contribute daily to Federal, State and Local governments, but are not activists in the fight for Atheism. This is where I am stuck. Should I now become an activist hidden behind the keyboard? Or just keep my views to myself and let the others fight it out for me? Should I "come out" myself? (Too mush to lose for my family) From what I know and from past experience, I believe I should begin by (gasp) starting a web site. Heheh. Just like everyone else in the world with a voice that wants to be heard. But I do have a unique skill, I used to work in internet web development and marketing, so hopefully this will be of benefit. We'll see and I'll keep this blog updated.

Being a better Parent by introducing God?

Well, as you will find out, I am neither religious or believe in any "higher power". I don't necessarily call myself an "Atheist", as there are so many limits placed on that term as well. I believe in what I believe in and don't expect anyone else to follow me.

However...

I just received an email from ParentCenter.com. So far they have had great information regarding children and problems parents face. Today's email had a title, "Seven ways to be a better parent in 2005". I figured I'd take a look and see what they had suggested for 2005. To my surprise, the second to last one listed was "Encourage your child's relationship with grandparents — and God".
After reading their description, I see they tried to make it more of a "develop the spirituality of your child" instead of "develop your child into a religious follower". However, there was a definite bias toward learning about God. I feel bad for my children, that there is still a huge portion of the world that believes in God, or A God. People's arguement for that is, "if so many people in the world believe in it, it must be true, you are the minority, how could you not believe?" Well, I don't believe in slavery, and the majority of the world used to believe in that. I don't believe in treating women as inferiors, and most of the world believes in that. To me, all of these things reflect a weak world. That is all, nothing else. The majority of the people in this world are weak and need a "crutch" to help them through life. Why do you think alcoholics, drug abusers, and people coming out of the penal system almost always "find God"? They have been broken down and need the support of an outside force. They believe they are bad and do not have the strength to pull themselves through their issues because they do not find themselves as powerful. Not powerful in a way of being physically powerful, but powerful in a way of being positively supportive to themselves and others. They don't believe in themselves because they have been acused of being "bad". What they have done could definitely have been "bad", but that does not mean that they cannot be supportive of themselves. This can be a source for truly "bad" people, as they may do terrible things, but have the personality to support themselves and therefore do not see themselves as being "bad".
However, strong people are able to take care of issues. They can break down problems, take a step back and look at the situation. They can then realistically look at the problem, their role in it, how it affects them, and create a plan to work through it. Hmmm, kind of sounds like a religion, doesn't it?
So as far as my children are concerned, I don't feel that it would be inappropriate to teach them about "God", I would just let them know how people use this mythical figure as a way to make it through rough times in their life if they aren't strong enough to make it on their own. Looking at my children now, I don't think they will have any problems.