Interviewing a former atheist

[kowalskil]

Interviewing a former atheist

I am 80 years old and I have been interviewed last summer. Some of you might be interested. Go to:

http://pages.csam.montclair.edu/~kowalski/interview1.html

Ludwik Kowalski (see Wikipedia)
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[columbus]

Interviewing a former atheist

I am 80 years old and I have been interviewed last summer. Some of you might be interested. Go to:

http://pages.csam.montclair.edu/~kowalski/interview1.html

Ludwik Kowalski (see Wikipedia)
.
.
Perhaps you'd post a note when the transcript is available. I am much more inclined to read online than listen to an audio.

Tom

[MrFungus420]

Can you give any reasons or evidence that led you to being a former atheist?

If not, then why would I care?

[Ray Moscow]

I used to be a theist. Can I do an interview, too?

[Jobar]

Kowalskil, are you willing to answer questions from those of us who are still atheists?

For several years, I kept up the list of Internet Infidels deconverts (http://www.freeratio.org/showthread.php?t=172452) at the old II board. I have an interest in those who consciously deconvert, or re-convert; it's been my observation that those atheists who go back to a former religion, or who convert to a new one, do so for emotional or social reasons, never for rational or logical ones.

[sohy]

I'm not willing to listen to a long interview, but I glossed over some of your transcripts yesterday, Kowalskil. It seems that you never had a previous religion and you were never really introduced to the concept of god in your younger years. Is that correct? I also got the impression that you were attracted to your Jewish culture and that is what attracted you to become a member of a religion. Correct me if I'm wrong.

I admit that I looked at your diary very quickly but I never saw anything in the least bit convincing or interesting as to why you became religious. I got the perhaps wrong impression that it had more to do with your hatred of Stalinism and communism along with your interest in Jewish culture. Maybe you would care to explain if there is more to than that. I certainly may have missed something very important to you.


Unlike you, I was raised by parents that wanted me to adopt a very strict and narrow version of Xianity. Until I was about 18, I went along with it, then it stopped making any sense. When I became an atheist it was due to many years of inner struggle, thought, consideration and knowledge of other religions. I'm quite satisfied that there are no gods, but I have no desire to convince anyone else of that. I will however on occasion try to convince those that follow harsh or harmful religions to do a little more thinking and exploring of the facts. I think we all should search and reach our own conclusions on these matters. I'm going to guess that you feel that way too.

[Ozymandias]

Heh, I misread the title as "Interviewing a former theist" and without listening to the interview couldn't understand why you were all being so hostile.

That will teach me to skim read titles!

[trendkill]

Why is this book free? Because writing it was a moral obligation to my parents, and to other victims of Stalinism. The more people know about proletarian dictatorship the less likely will we experience it. Most of us here are just as opposed to Stalinism as you are, and for many of the same reasons as we oppose religion. Personally I don't think trading one form of authoritarianism for another is very inspiring.

[Ray Moscow]

Maoism was bad, therefore God.

[Paul1]

I'll read the transcripts once they're out. I don't want to download a 100 MB file, although I will do so to recompress it if you like. If it's voice only it could probably be a LOT smaller.