Mr. Neil is here

Hey gang. I'm Neil; commonly going by Mr. Neil or Neilsama online.

I'll keep the intro short. I grew up in what I guess you would call a universalist household. There was a belief in God, and sometimes Jesus was mentioned, but there were no religious practics. Heaven was simple; Good people went up, and bad people went down. We never went to church. I was brought up and encouraged to pursue scientific answers. Aside from God belief, mystical thinking was completely discouraged.

I became an atheist at some point between the ages of eight and ten. I think it was the exposure to the religion that did it more than anything. Somewhere between my astonishment of what real Christians believe and my realization of other religions, I couldn't find any acceptable reason to hold theistic belief. It was always a case of special pleading.

So I "deconverted", and I've been a happy atheist ever since.

As far as my role here, I guess I'm the new guy for Question Of The Day. Franc wants me to ask more social questions, and I think I can do the job. I'm a little overwhelmed here at times, because I'm not an ethicist. I guess I'm more of a science freak. I came into the whole freethought community as someone who was alarmed by the anti-scientific climate that continues to grow.

I think I can be more fun than Franc, and I hope I can toss some good questions at you guys.