Hell is not knowing who you are, not knowing where you’re going. Hell is inside you. You then externalise it by projecting it onto everyone around you, and that is unfair on them as well.

Everyone and everything that crossed my path helped me get to where I am now, for that I am thankful. Even for the fundamentalist lady I talked to once a week, even the “cult” I joined and the friends I still have there. It was necessary, and it was good. It was the right journey for me. I hope I wasn’t too bad an influence on those around me, in the process of finding myself…

I wish you all the best, and who knows, maybe we run into each other again some time. No hard feelings, and best wishes for everything. Let compassion rule.

I have been searching for myself for quite some time, yes, so I might be the person you’re thinking of. I just want to know what you’re thinking of… *curious*

Humanism is not about metaphysics, the existence of things, whether to assert or deny them. Humanism is about ethics, asserting that right and wrong do exist and do matter, and they are a human rather than a divine concern.

As Humanist Albert Einstein put it, “I believe that we have to content ourselves with our imperfect knowledge and understanding, and treat values and moral obligations as a purely human problem – the most important of all human problems.”

Where is the measure of what is right and what is wrong? Humanists say it rests firmly in human experience. As Humanist Karl Popper points out, if an act results in a reduction of needless suffering, it is a good act.

Human experience is known by observable evidence interpreted by reason. This is solid ground on which to build. It provides a dependable ethical foundation better than the speculative claims of alleged supernatural revelation.

Good luck and much happiness!

Anyways, the difference between: atheist, freethinker, skeptic, agnostic, humanist, secular humanist, bright, unitarian universalist, and liberal christian is mostly a question of semantics…

As long as one stays friendly…!

Why announce a label change? Because I feel I should. It feels more honest, it feels like living in the light. It follows naturally from what I learned from Christianity.

To attempt to clarify some of the confusion: the italic stuff is not at all condescending, no. It is meant completely sincerely. It is a translation to another world-view, I am talking to specific people there, and I hope they understand what I mean. It might make sense if you think of those bits as written before I “switched” world-views. Despite calling myself a secular humanist, I reserve the right to still write/talk about God. Dawkins might argue I’m misleading people. CS Lewis might argue my internal moral compass should be called “God” anyway. Whatever… different perspectives, different definitions, the same thing, really.

All labels are misleading in some fashion, as everyone has a different impression of a given label. Labels are chosen for quick classification purposes, what they really mean, what they are pointing to, can only really be determined through a longer, “deeper” relationship. (And as I said, I’m still the same person. I still think very much the same as I always did… just switching arbitrary labels here…)

I hope there aren’t many people who misinterpret it in the condescending manner, I cannot explain in any more depth right now.