Wysiwyg--other religious people,

Susan, hello. I truly do respect and am happy for you and for all who have found peace just about any way they can do that.

My intention in starting this thread was to make a place where us atheists can tell of the philosophical journeys and paths we trod to get to our ways of viewing this life WITHOUT religious people joining in the discussion at all. So please, kindly exit stage right. Just for now though. We like having you around otherwise. ;-) **SMILE** (REALLY)

We know full well you are out there---and we love you !! So there. My wife of going on 40 years nearly is a very serious Jehovah's Witness. We do love each other. The only times we had trouble simply going by the old "live and let live" idea is when she and I conflicted in a way that prompted either of us to take actions based on our differing views that might have hurt the other one. Still, sometimes it had to go down that way in order for one of us to be able to live with ourselves. There were, and are,those hard places. But as Scotty Peck said, he felt that people get married for the friction !!" It's the hard stuff -- the friction -- that we learn from -- hopefully.

But I wasn't clear enough in my original post. This thread was to be for discussion by and for people who need no invisible means of support. NOT people of faith. No disrespect meant, really, but "faith", or the bible, or any other book is any kind of proof of anything to me---and generally it isn't proof of anything to most other atheists either. It's laws to keep the folks in line when wandering in both the actual desert--and in the desert of their minds.

With respect and affection,

Art