Unusual Religious Beliefs

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I am an atheist. In my family this is very unusual as they are either Catholic (on my dad's side) or Pentecostal (my mother's side). Has anybody seen Jesus Camp? That was my childhood

I've seen it o.o Dude, how come you made it out of that place unscathed? It reeks of brainwashing in that vid. <.<

I really have no idea exactly why I came out ok, a few theories though... I guess possibly my need to always have evidence for the things that I am told. I was never given any evidence in Sunday School for the things they taught. I was told "you just have to have faith". I don't understand how to experience faith. I loved science books as a child too and that was actively discouraged, which confused me as I was impressed by much of the methodology used in science and made me question why those things were discouraged. For exampe, I actually knew nothing of evolutionary theory until I was 19. Now I read about it frequently as I find it fascinating. I think this Richard Dawkins quote sums up my feelings on the topic well "You cannot be both sane and well educated and disbelieve in evolution. The evidence is so strong that any sane, educated person has got to believe in evolution."

Also my parents split up when I was nine and my dad went back to being a drug addict (he was a drug addict then "found God" for a while, but ended up going back to the way he used to be after many years of being a hardcore evangelical Christian). When I stayed with him I was exposed to the secular world somewhat and preferred that a lot more. Though my dad is still a Young Earth creationist and considers himself a Christian, although he does not go to church and is a drug addict. My mother also became a lot less religious over time after my parents split up.

I stopped going to church at 15. But it took a few years to recover from my experiences there. It was an awful experience, to be rasied religious, and I do not wish it on anybody. Much of my family in Australia is still Pentecostal.

It's not so much my religious beliefs themselves that get me into strife, but the fact that I adopt positions based on Scripture (I believe in Biblical theology) quickly compared to my peers at church. To me they are obvious, but to others the response is often "Well I know that Jesus loves me, but I can't know whether the earth is young or millions of years old, and it doesn't matter anyway..." etc. So when someone asks about what my position on this or that is, I come accross as arrogant. In the last few years I have just simply passed up the opportunity to share my understanding when someone asks (which is not often).

But you were saved!

Saved? XD no, places like those are hell, they are evil, and I say this, Ezekiel 25, 17 "...And I will strike down upon those with great vengeance and with furious anger those who attempt to poison and destroy my brothers. And you will know that my name is the Lord when I lay my vengeance upon thee."