Please allow me to introduce myself. My name is Will, and I am the Southern Atheist Gentleman. I will warn you all, though. I am a gentleman in name only. I guess that would make me a GINO... which is unfortunate. I want to explain who I am and why I am writing this blog. I was born and raised in Charlotte, NC by a very religious family. I don't think the last part was necessary, but I threw it in there in case someone didn't know that the south is like Taliban-controlled Afgahnistan, only with more racism.
Speaking of which, I am married to a black woman. And I am white! I know, right? Crazy! I met her while stationed in Camp Pendleton, CA. Oh yeah, I was in the Marine Corps for 6 years. That was an experience that I am sure I will write about one day.
I will put this out front: if you are easily offended, you are in the wrong place. I am a social progressive, an atheist, and I'm bi-sexual. Don't expect me to be nice to conservatives, the religious, or the homophobes. I have enough of those in my own family to be nice to. I will try to post every day, even if no one reads. It will make me feel better.
Until soon,
Will
Welcome to the world of blogging
ReplyDeleteGreetings Will! From the Triad Area in NC. Found you at the Friendly Atheist site. I'm always thrilled to find a fellow southern atheist & NC native!
ReplyDeleteRaised in Cary, on to Raleigh, then to Yadkin Co. (d/t divorce, single parent, & my mom is here, etc). Raised in the 80s in a family of Southern Baptists, Reagan-worshipping, conservative republicans (family dog named Reagan), Air Force (grandfather ret AF brass & brother a Lt. Col, F15-C pilot), family business in insurance industry (capitalism is king). In spite of that, they're intelligent & educated, folks & it was a loving family.
I'm still in the closet as a liberal atheist and it's sad when I hear all the right wing BS coming from people I love. They're not tea-baggers or extremists, but that whole mindset is hateful. I'm raising 2 teenage daughters & they know more about how I feel. I try not to polarize them & keep my militance to minimum. I've raised them to be open-minded but I have to counteract alot of the christian nonsense they get from living in a small, rural town infested with the usual ignorance. I'm so proud, when I hear them call a homophobic classmate an idiot.
And when my daughter corrected a friend that said Democrats worshipped satan.
About 3-4 months ago my daughter's best friend of 8yrs came out to her that she was gay & was secretly dating a girl at school. Daughter didn't bat an eye. But what the girls went through w/ their parents was maddening! My daughter runs interference for the girls against their parents so the can see each other. It's become a whole cat & mouse game!
Anyway, sorry for life history. It's just nice to ventilate to someone who gets it. Enjoying the site, & bookmarked.
Sincerely,
Amber D.
OMG! Found you site Will while I was actually looking for a story relating insanity and belief in religion. I was born in Texas. Yes we are part of the South. My parents were from Mississippi. My family was one of those that had tons of stuff hidden in the closet. Some I still don't know and probably won't given both my parents are dead. My dad was a Marine and gay. I am not sure what my mom was given she knew about his sexuality when they married. I was raised in a very evangelical, cultish religion. I realized I didn't believe in god when I was 12. I told my mother at that time that if god killed good people who did not worship him the way "we" did that she could keep her god, I'd rather burn. I also had serious issues with a god who expected my to strive for an afterlife of singing praises to him on bended knees. Seriously? That's all I get? But, I tried many other religions and I tried very hard to believe. This is it never took. Well years later, after severe physical abuse by two husbands in part thanks to the fact that I was indoctrinated into a life style which required that I have a dominate male to submit to and the other part of being taught to be a good Southern girl and hide family failings and be loyal and supportive, I am now free of a lot of weight. I came out finally as a bisexual woman. I am still recovering my life and trying to put the pieces back together, bt its easier to do so without the burden of guilt. I too and sorry for the autobiography! Thanks
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