Location:
Bellevue
How long have you considered yourself an Atheist?
Always, but became fully conscious of the concept of ‘needing’ to be labeled in my teens.
How do you prefer to describe your non-belief?
Common sense…I mean show me some evidence and let’s change the ballgame… no evidence offered to date.
Can you describe a personal event or discovery that had a major influence on your non-beliefs?
The daily Pledge of Allegiance outed me as I felt it was a ‘lie’ to have my hand on my heart or to utter the words ‘Under God’ so by abstaining from this daily, the other kids looked at me and invited me to their churches every week and I went, so that really clinched it for me…the only thing I agreed with was that god was ‘unbelieveable’ but I meant it in a different way than the believers did.
Why did you join Seattle Atheists?
I am one of the founders, and I am a lifetime member of Seattle Atheists. I had moved back to Seattle area shortly after 9/11 to be near family, but there were no organized 501(c)3 non-profits here that I felt were doing enough community outreach or volunteering in the community, so that is why I wanted to start a charity organization that would serve our community.
What do you consider to be a common misconception about atheists?
For some reason, religious folks think we can’t be happy or have morals, yet they seem to fit that bill more than us, I strive to correct that perception among them by alerting them to the facts.
What is the meaning of life?
We are randomly here to procreate and make life continue, but other than that, no real meaning as far as the cosmos is concerned…oh and to have fun, now that’s a universal truth you can believe in!
What are 1 or 2 of your favorite atheist-related websites?
Celebrity Atheists and Atheist Quotes websites…and the Church of Reality is pretty fun too.
If you could have a serious discussion or debate with one living person in the world, who would it be?
I would love to talk to Richard Dawkins, but that would be more of a meeting of minds than a debate…so if I am to debate the opposition, I would need a meeting with Oprah Winfrey as she is a person who has everything and did it all on her own, yet she continues to give the credit to some non-existent god. I have written her a few letters about this, but no invitations as of yet!
Share a favorite quote:
Anything by Thomas Jefferson or Carl Sagan, they’ve pretty much cornered the market on the best atheist quotes, google them for quotes on atheism and read 10 from each and see what I mean.
