I have been married to my best friend and wife for 16.5 years and together with her for 18 years. Together we have 4 awesome kids (16 yrs - boy, 14 yrs - boy, 11 yrs - boy and 10 yrs - girl). I have been the field of technology as an engineer for 15 yrs. Education - Masters Degree in Information Systems Management, BS in Electronics Engineering, 8 IT field based technical certifications. Also, I have been around wrestling for 30 years (Completed and coaching). I have been coaching for 10+ years and am a high school wrestling official.
Did you always know you were an atheist? What was that process like?
I grew up in a liberal Catholic home and went to a Catholic grammar school and Catholic high school. I knew that I did not believe in a "god" at the age of 4. I remembering daring the god that I was taught about, to strike me down or prove to me that it existed. It wasn't until I was in 7th grade when I openly said that I was a nonbeliever. By the time I was 18 yrs old, I was an out Atheist and never cared what people thought of it.
Did you grow up in a religious family? How did they take the news that you think differently?
I grew up in a liberal Catholic family. I never hid it, so it wasn't a shock to them. The best part was that they were all cool about it.
How do you describe what you think about the meaning in world to others? What are your personal and social values? How have they developed?
Someone that does not believe and any god, based on the lack of evidence (then would go on and explain what evidence is).
I do not want to do anything that will cause harm to another living thing. My goal is to leave place better than when I got here.
They developed over time. Through exposure to different situations and ideas, my values changed or socialized to reflect the mixture of who I was, how I was brought up and in what society that I was brought up in. I think it will continue to shift as my life goes on. :e)
What do you think about religion?
I think religion is a virus that consumes a person to such an extent that the person, their ideas and their religion become one and indistinguishable from each other. I do not see a need for it. Religion pushes tribalism to a global scale and is the hot bed of the idea of different being wrong and evil.
It stops a person from asking questions by using a variable. It starts with their answer and backs into all the questions.
Has anyone tried to convert you? How did you feel about that? How did you respond?
Ohhhh yes. I love and welcome the open discussion, but prefer to have an audience. I look at those conversations as opportunities to reach the individuals watching the discussion and not for the person that I am talking with.
Since religion totally consumes a person, the discussion usually ends with them thinking that I am attacking them and not having a conversation.
I really enjoy debating this topic.
What do you think people should know about atheists?
That we do not eat babies, we are typically normal, we are usual very knowledgeable to other religions and that we are just like them minus a dependency of or attributing things to a god. Same feelings of love, wonderment, awe, anger, hurt, joy, etc.
How do people respond when you tell them what you believe or don't believe in?
They are usually extremely surprised. I usually hear "But you are real nice" type things.
They can't believe that I am a good person, good father, good husband, so easy going and mostly normal without believing in a god.
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