Jambo from Nairobi

[DoubleS]

Jamboni wote,

I was led here from FRDB and it does look like a nice forum.

I am an atheist in a region where being one is viewed as an anomaly. We Africans tend to be religious and also god embracing. We have embraced quite a number of local and foreign gods over the years and we do worship them greatly.Well... at least some of us.

I do try to be rational, not that I always succeed, however some concepts are rather hard to swallow. Gods were some of these.

Be seeing you around folks.

[Silly Sausage]

Hi DoubleS, :wave:

Welcome to Secular Cafe. Its nice to have a new member from Kenya, I think you might be our first. We have members from countries all over the world, and we also have some religious folk here too along with the atheists, humanists etc.
Have you always been an atheist?

Silly Sausage :)

[Ray Moscow]

Welcome.

[DoubleS]

Hi DoubleS, :wave:

Welcome to Secular Cafe. Its nice to have a new member from Kenya, I think you might be our first. We have members from countries all over the world, and we also have some religious folk here too along with the atheists, humanists etc.
Have you always been an atheist?

Silly Sausage :)

I haven't always been an atheist. Came into it gradually after reading quite a few apologists including Thomas Aquinas, St. Augustine et al. I also went through the bible twice when I was younger which made me think that while it made a good story it did stretch the bounds of credulity. Perhaps my then addiction to speculative fantasy help me see the parallels. It took quite a long time lingering in ignosticism before I finally decided not to pretend that I still had some belief.

Our societies, though, are full of belief. Here it is the default stance. It took a lot of courage, and quite a bit of procrastination, to finally come out and admit that I had an atheistic bent. Family still haven't got over it, friends think it a passing fad. Finding somebody this end who will admit that they do not believe in god(s) is harder than finding pork in an arabian restaurant.

I was quite willing to let it lie until people began to insist that I must behave as a good christian person and follow the "right" way. I guess that is when I really came out. I keep on finding veiled references to behaviour that is not African while they are talking about non-christian behaviour, as well as snide comments about worshipping satan et al. For a rather strange reason while christians here can accept that I don't believe in god they find it hard to accept that I don't believe in Satan either :dunno:

Ah well, such is life I guess.

[DMB]

Well, I hope you will feel at home here with all the non-believers. It is good for us non-Africans to have your perspective on things.

[neilstone40]

Hi DoubleS, welcome to the cafe...

I suspect an atheist in Africa must be quite a rarity. I know quite a few people from various parts of Africa and the common theme they seem to have is a strong religious base quite often flavoured with local folk customs as well. I've also met the "you don't believe in god therefore you worship Satan" a few times and it still makes no sense.

I've visited a few predominantly African churches back when I was a believer and the passionate belief is quite infectious and makes other churches look 'quite lethargic' in their worship.

It must be hard to go against the flow but glad you found your way here.

[Barefoot Bree]

Welcome, DoubleS/Jambo! It is very difficult to be the lone, misunderstood nonbeliever in a sea of faith. Many of us have been there, to a greater or lesser degree. I hope you'll find us a haven of rationality to keep you sane.

[Jobar]

Welcome to the Cafe, DoubleS.

I'm from the American South, and although I've met a handful of skeptics of African descent, it seems that most of them are at least somewhat religious. Here, I think it has a lot to do with the fact that the churches were instrumental organizations allowing American blacks to work together against segregation of the races. Understandably- for many years those churches were the only organizations which were allowed by the racist society around them, and they fulfilled many of the social and political functions which were separated from the white churches.

I'd like to hear why you think the same sort of dedication to religion is so prevalent in Africa itself.

[Politesse]

Hodi, karibu! It's good to have you with us.

[Notta]

Welcome! I was raised in a very strong Christian family, and am the only atheist I know of. I never had the courage to tell my parents or siblings, and I only became an atheist after over 40 years of being a devout, believing Christian.

Not all atheists here have always been so. There are many of us who critically examined our faith as adults and eventually left it behind.

[DoubleS]

Welcome to the Cafe, DoubleS.

I'm from the American South, and although I've met a handful of skeptics of African descent, it seems that most of them are at least somewhat religious. Here, I think it has a lot to do with the fact that the churches were instrumental organizations allowing American blacks to work together against segregation of the races. Understandably- for many years those churches were the only organizations which were allowed by the racist society around them, and they fulfilled many of the social and political functions which were separated from the white churches.

I'd like to hear why you think the same sort of dedication to religion is so prevalent in Africa itself.

At one time, I guess, religion was the only outlet that people had. When life is hard on the ground we clutch at straw hoping that it will get better, if not in this life then in the next life. There is optimism that it has to improve otherwise life isn't fair. I don't think that anybody really wants to think that life may just be it. Neither fair, nor unfair. So we get on the religious bandwagon and gain comfort.

I can understand that however I guess I was unable to take comfort in concepts that did not make sense to me. I am unable to believe what I cannot verify. Usually I leave such stuff in my unresolved inbox until I resolve it one way or another. That is probably why I remained ignostic for so long.

My family, my girlfriends, my colleagues and most people I interact with are religious, however I make it clear to them that I am not. I've gotten some strange questions and looks though. I only know of two other atheists in this city. Most people who abandon their Christian and Muslim upbringing simply replace it with pseudo traditional beliefs other than descend into unbelief. My religious upbringing does show sometimes as it evidenced when I say "descend into unbelief". It rather hard to break the habits of a lifetime... :(

[David B]

Good to see you have returned.

Sec Cafe welcomes all, but particularly people from different cultures than the the European or Antipidean culture from which many of us spring.

I would say American culture, too, but it's not entirely clear that America has a culture:evil:

David

[espritch]

Good to see you have returned.

Sec Cafe welcomes all, but particularly people from different cultures than the the European or Antipidean culture from which many of us spring.

I would say American culture, too, but it's not entirely clear that America has a culture:evil:

David

Bah! We have culture. We have lots of culture. Why, just the other day I was singing one of our traditional songs.

"Oh I wish I were an Oscar Meyer wiener! That is what I'd truly like to be!"

P.S. Welcome, DoubleS.

[Phylis Stein]

Welcome DoubleS, I'm new here also.

I wanted to remark that it's not surprising to hear other Africans (or anyone devoutly and unquestioning about their religious belief/s and values) to assume that given you don't believe in god/s that you must indeed believe in Satan. It's the binary thinking we all get snared in, even atheists, the binary logic coding underpinning our language and in turn selves.
You have courage indeed to go against the herd. I find the atheists who have decided to leave the church, of any form, the most interesting as the insight you have into religion as a lived experience is something I cannot relate to at all so I find it - I say tongue in cheek - illuminating.

PS

[Full Tilt Boogie]

Welcome aboard mate - looking forward to reading your input :)

[Shake]

Welcome, DoubleS!

[CincyJim]

Well, I hope you will feel at home here with all the non-believers. It is good for us non-Africans to have your perspective on things.

It has been my experience that people are "the same" no matter their birthplace/home. We have inconsequential differences of no greater importance than our physical differences. Therefore; I assert Africans and "non-Africans" are, essentially THE SAME!

FACT; the latest DNA research asserts ALL human ancient ancestors came from "central, south-east, Africa" (in/around Kenya).


THE important thing, here, is one's atheistic knowledge/life.

[Wizofoz]

Well, I hope you will feel at home here with all the non-believers. It is good for us non-Africans to have your perspective on things.

It has been my experience that people are "the same" no matter their birthplace/home. We have inconsequential differences of no greater importance than our physical differences. Therefore; I assert Africans and "non-Africans" are, essentially THE SAME!

FACT; the latest DNA research asserts ALL human ancient ancestors came from "central, south-east, Africa" (in/around Kenya).


THE important thing, here, is one's atheistic knowledge/life.

That come down to Nature/nurture.

I live in the Middle east and those people who share 99.9% of my DNA can never the less have VERY different ways of thiking and acting depending on the influences of their upbringing.

[Roo St. Gallus]

Hidey-ho to all the new custom. A nice geographical spread, too. I like that.

Find yourself a comfortable thread or two and have seat. If you're bold, start your own. You'll probably see me around.