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formerHACgirl · 07-18-2012, 12:39 PM

(07-12-2012 05:05 PM)squiz Wrote: How about picking a passage from "Origin of the Species" at random and using that to justify doing what you deep down wanted to do in the first place?

This is truly hilarious! I think I need to print this out and put it on my desk somewhere. Thanks!

formerHACgirl · 07-18-2012, 12:41 PM

(07-17-2012 05:46 PM)DaisyDeadhead Wrote: Former HAC girl, check out the work of Albert Ellis. A little too much for you right now, but it will help you in the future when you have these issues again. Don't look for the therapists and alla that junk, just check out the books, whatever you can find in the library... "A guide to Rational Living" was the breakthrough book for most of us. There are very few Ellis-oriented therapists now (as there were in the 60s and 70s), but his books are very thought provoking and can lead to a new appreciation of (your own) personality and behavioral differences.

http://www.albertellis.info/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Albert_Ellis

I will be doing this. Thanks so much for the advice. Smile

oneflewoutofthecuckcoosnest · 07-18-2012, 02:07 PM

(07-12-2012 10:51 AM)formerHACgirl Wrote: Hi everyone. I am relatively new to atheism, having only deconverted a little over 6 months ago. I have to make my first big life-altering decision as a non-believer. How do I go about doing this? When there is no "God's will" to worry about, and no "Peace of God" to know I did things right, how do I make a choice?
I work in a fundy Christian school teaching science (which would be a total joke except that all of our science teachers are closet evolutionists or evolutionary-theists). My contract is up and I was going to walk away, since I am not a Christian anymore. However, when I walk away, I have to leave Korea, I have to leave my apartment, and I have to leave my students. I want to stay and protect the kids, but I know that I can't be that effective, considering I can't even protect myself that well. When I told administration I was leaving, they guilt-tripped me with all the responsibilities that they have me doing.
What should I do? How do I make a choice? Is there a way to be selfish here without giving atheism a black eye?
What code or rules do you live by when making major life decisions?
Thanks in advance for any replies.

My thought on this would be does the administration know that you are now an atheist? What does that look like for you and for them? As an atheist, would they still want you? As an atheist, would you still want to work for a fundamentalist Christian school? Can you be authentic there?

formerHACgirl · 07-24-2012, 12:17 PM

(07-18-2012 02:07 PM)oneflewoutofthecuckcoosnest Wrote:
(07-12-2012 10:51 AM)formerHACgirl Wrote: Hi everyone. I am relatively new to atheism, having only deconverted a little over 6 months ago. I have to make my first big life-altering decision as a non-believer. How do I go about doing this? When there is no "God's will" to worry about, and no "Peace of God" to know I did things right, how do I make a choice?
I work in a fundy Christian school teaching science (which would be a total joke except that all of our science teachers are closet evolutionists or evolutionary-theists). My contract is up and I was going to walk away, since I am not a Christian anymore. However, when I walk away, I have to leave Korea, I have to leave my apartment, and I have to leave my students. I want to stay and protect the kids, but I know that I can't be that effective, considering I can't even protect myself that well. When I told administration I was leaving, they guilt-tripped me with all the responsibilities that they have me doing.
What should I do? How do I make a choice? Is there a way to be selfish here without giving atheism a black eye?
What code or rules do you live by when making major life decisions?
Thanks in advance for any replies.

My thought on this would be does the administration know that you are now an atheist? What does that look like for you and for them? As an atheist, would they still want you? As an atheist, would you still want to work for a fundamentalist Christian school? Can you be authentic there?

Admin has decided that they like me, so they don't care about my religious affiliation. As long as my butt is in their church on Sunday and I don't blast my beliefs to my kids (which I wouldn't do, because that isn't what their parents are paying for) they truly don't care. I am the only Biology teacher in the history of the school who actually had the background to know what she was talking about, and my yearly dissections are the talk of the school. The school allows me to present both sides of the scientific issues, and then I just tell my kids to make up their own minds about what they will do with that information. My kids truly love me and they actually learn from me, so that to me is worth having to limit who knows what about what I believe. When I told the VP about my deconversion, he said that as long as I walk and talk like a Christian duck, it doesn't matter what I believe in my heart. He also mentioned that this is probably just a phase, but that is because he is one of those people who think you choose atheism because you are mad at Christianity.
I was going to leave, but now I almost want to stay, but making a choice is so difficult. I am female, so I could always just have a male make my life choices for me based on the perceived will of God for my life. It is so weird to gain basic freedom and the ability to choose over such a small amount of time.

FmrMarine · 07-24-2012, 01:10 PM

(07-24-2012 12:17 PM)formerHACgirl Wrote:
(07-18-2012 02:07 PM)oneflewoutofthecuckcoosnest Wrote: My thought on this would be does the administration know that you are now an atheist? What does that look like for you and for them? As an atheist, would they still want you? As an atheist, would you still want to work for a fundamentalist Christian school? Can you be authentic there?

Admin has decided that they like me, so they don't care about my religious affiliation. As long as my butt is in their church on Sunday and I don't blast my beliefs to my kids (which I wouldn't do, because that isn't what their parents are paying for) they truly don't care. I am the only Biology teacher in the history of the school who actually had the background to know what she was talking about, and my yearly dissections are the talk of the school. The school allows me to present both sides of the scientific issues, and then I just tell my kids to make up their own minds about what they will do with that information. My kids truly love me and they actually learn from me, so that to me is worth having to limit who knows what about what I believe. When I told the VP about my deconversion, he said that as long as I walk and talk like a Christian duck, it doesn't matter what I believe in my heart. He also mentioned that this is probably just a phase, but that is because he is one of those people who think you choose atheism because you are mad at Christianity.
I was going to leave, but now I almost want to stay, but making a choice is so difficult. I am female, so I could always just have a male make my life choices for me based on the perceived will of God for my life. It is so weird to gain basic freedom and the ability to choose over such a small amount of time.

I can't help but find the humor in the fact that the school's most educated teacher who is actually a subject matter expert on biology decides against Christianity and they assume it is out of anger as opposed to a decision reached out of examing available information and evidence and coming to a conclusion based on logic and reason.

lucrezaborgia · 07-24-2012, 04:42 PM

(07-24-2012 01:10 PM)FmrMarine Wrote: I can't help but find the humor in the fact that the school's most educated teacher who is actually a subject matter expert on biology decides against Christianity and they assume it is out of anger as opposed to a decision reached out of examing available information and evidence and coming to a conclusion based on logic and reason.

In their mind, it is illogical to deny the existence of the Judeo-Christian god.

formerHACgirl · 07-29-2012, 11:47 AM

@FmrMarine: Yeah, it is ironic. All that college learning made an atheist out of me - it just took several years after graduation. Actually, the biggest single factor in getting me to examine my Christian beliefs was Hyles Anderson. The Bible college made an atheist out of me!

Thanks to all of you for helping me work through this. I have decided after a lot of thought to stay one more year at the school so I can see my first Biology students graduate. They are my babies and I feel I owe it to them to stay. You guys are, for lack of a better term, a great blessing to me, and I mean that sincerely. Thank you.