Greetings to all!

[Kveldulf]

I'm a former wingnut who left the Right behind once and for all over 16 months ago, after years of soul searching, doubts, unanswered questions, and ethical dilemmas.

It began with leaving Christianity for the first time, eleven years ago. Free of the fear of Hell and the pressure to placate an implacable god, I was able to finally give the politics and ideas of the Left an honest evaluation, unafraid that I was damning myself by daring to give the other side a look. But, it took a long time, and a lot of reactionary viewpoints were clung to, for one stupid reason or another, and little did I know, it would take me years to finally sort them all out and reject them completely. During those years, I had a couple of relapses back to Christianity, each time desperately trying to justify my religion in the face of the doubts and issues I had with it; Marx was so right when he noted that religion was our opium, and I was a longtime addict!

Because of my religious views, I was driven to the Right; after all, the Right were the ones who supported traditional Christianity, so they must be the people I should side with. No matter how much the Left goes on about the poor or the disenfranchised or the unempowered, as long as they didn't support the same basic religious views I had, they were wrong and worth only my opposition. As long as they stuck up for Jesus, they had to be correct, period. Conservatives were not just godly, but manly, macho, and all around awesome; after all, they supported not just my religion, but guns, wars, and the police. What could be more cool?

I wasted a lot of time in my life, both trying to justify my religion in the face of science, but my politics in the face of reality. I was born a blue collar workingman and remain one now, working in an iron foundry, seeing firsthand the fallout from Right-wing anti-union and anti-healthcare policies. In fact, I had seen these things all my life, but wanting to back the party of Jesus and Smith & Wesson, I stuck my head in the sand - over and over, for years.

16 months ago, I left the Jesuscult behind, and left the Right along with it. Hours of discussions with friends who lived overseas in countries with little religion, virtually free healthcare and social services, and a progressive attitude towards science and culture, forced my eyes to open. Contrary to the claptrap of the Right, people living in such places as Norway or Denmark or the UK didn't live in misery and poverty with an overbearing government micromanaging every single aspect of their lives - but rather, led happy lives, enjoyed peaceful and progressive societies, and rested comfortably knowing that their education and healthcare were either already paid for or easily affordable. The horrors of "free stuff", right there in front of me - anything but horrible. I saw the capitalist system of the US for what it was - the truly horrible thing.

I've finally come to admit to myself that the Right isn't right at all - the Left is. The forces of social justice, scientific inquiry, equality for all, and a cooperative and progressive society are the real good guys, and those who support policies that empower the wealthy over the working people and the poor are not the friends of the common man or woman. All the doublespeak about trickle down economics, guns, religion, and "traditional values" I saw for just that - doublespeak and bullshit. It's hard to look at the basic tenets and goals of Communism or Social Democracy and see them as impractical or Utopian - much less evil. Despite the brutal excesses of totalitarian societies who used revolutions for their own ends, the politics and ideals which were abused are still full of potential and justice - which is more than can be said for the religions and other such nonsense that were once brutally spread and brutally enforced throughout the West.

I've been loathe to use labels, in case I become a fanatic like I was when I was a conservative Catholic, but that's also just a bit of paranoia. Deep down, I wonder if I'm a Communist; the basic tenets of Communism are far from disagreeable, and as a whole, pretty worthy of emulation. Whether or not I take up that label won't matter - I've pulled my head out of my ass, I'm no longer afraid of the words "socialism" or "communism" or the like, so time will tell. All that matters is that we keep steering the ship of society towards the Left and away from the coral reefs that lurk just underneath every ship in the GOP's fleet.

I've wasted too many years. Time to stop supporting the people who would see me work myself to death, spend every cent I earn, and lay awake at night worrying about Hell. I might not be overly active here, but I will do more reading and learning than opining; high time I started learning more and pontificating less. If I've learned anything in the past 16 months, it's that I need to learn more.

I glad a forum like this exists!

[Q]

Welcome

If you have political questions, you can ask them in the Learning forum. That's why it's there after all!

If you have questions about your account, don't hesitate to send me a PM or ask here.

It appears that you've had quite a journey! I doubt that it is 'wasted' though, we all get there in our own way

[Chomskyan]

I also am a former Christian fundamentalist and right-wing nutjob. Nice to meetcha.

I became a leftist before I left Christianity. I only left Christianity in October of last year. I became a leftist in 2013.

I was a fundamentalist in my youth, became Eastern Orthodox briefly, and recently abandoned it. I was pretty fanatical myself for a time, I would´ve described the Pope as ´a heretic´ and Roman Catholics as ´Papists´ a while back. St. Anthony the Great said something along the lines of ´God is only ever love´ and the Church Fathers consistently describe that God is supposed to be perfectly loving etc.

When I realized that this is the worst possible Universe that could exist according to the laws of Physics, I couldn´t square the two beliefs and it fell apart. How could God create such an imperfect Universe if he loved us?

My politics changed after I was disillusioned with Obama´s victory over Romney, and Romney´s victory over Ron Paul. I was more on the anti-interventionist side of the right-wing. Then, I found Noam Chomsky and other leftist intellectuals. He is probably the most important influence in my political change. He isn´t anymore though, for the record...

I was very passionate about US imperialism and interventionism, even as I was on the right-wing. My problem was that I blamed x administration or y party. Noam Chomsky simply traced it´s origins back a century, and along with that analysis came the anticapitalist analysis along for the ride.

[Kveldulf]

It appears that you've had quite a journey! I doubt that it is 'wasted' though, we all get there in our own way

Thanks for the welcome!

Yeah, that's true - it wasn't entirely wasted, as I believe I've learned a lot about reactionary thought processes and motivations as the result of having been a damned wingnut for so long. Though I do lament having made the wrong political turn in the road in my teenage years, when I went Right instead of Left; had I gone the way I ought, I like to pretend that I'd be, at least, wiser today for not having given in to so many delusions for so many years.

Or, maybe I wouldn't have, so best to just accept things as they are, learn, and move on

I also am a former Christian fundamentalist and right-wing nutjob. Nice to meetcha.

I became a leftist before I left Christianity. I only left Christianity in October of last year. I became a leftist in 2013.

I was a fundamentalist in my youth, became Eastern Orthodox briefly, and recently abandoned it. I was pretty fanatical myself for a time, I would´ve described the Pope as ´a heretic´ and Roman Catholics as ´Papists´ a while back. St. Anthony the Great said something along the lines of ´God is only ever love´ and the Church Fathers consistently describe that God is supposed to be perfectly loving etc.

When I realized that this is the worst possible Universe that could exist according to the laws of Physics, I couldn´t square the two beliefs and it fell apart. How could God create such an imperfect Universe if he loved us?

My politics changed after I was disillusioned with Obama´s victory over Romney, and Romney´s victory over Ron Paul. I was more on the anti-interventionist side of the right-wing. Then, I found Noam Chomsky and other leftist intellectuals. He is probably the most important influence in my political change. He isn´t anymore though, for the record...

I was very passionate about US imperialism and interventionism, even as I was on the right-wing. My problem was that I blamed x administration or y party. Noam Chomsky simply traced it´s origins back a century, and along with that analysis came the anticapitalist analysis along for the ride.

Nice to meet you, too. Always great to see when people wake up after being under the influence of reactionary opiums. Feels great, to be free

Yeah, when you realize that science and the claims of reactionary religion don't jive, the latter always collapses. In fact, it's great to watch the house of cards topple, because you know that instantly, room has been made for something better.

I still struggle with theism, but largely between my deep interest in Asatru/Heathenry and atheism - Abrahamic religiosity is right out, period. It's not a stressful struggle, as I know that either way, whether Heathenry or atheism is true, there is no Hell for someone who doesn't believe or believes incorrectly. I also study Zen, but there's no question I'm one of those sorts who only is interested in Zen philosophy, not in the religious ideas carried over from faiths like Hinduism (additionally, it seems inevitable that Zen will become entirely nonreligious, but that's another discussion).

Either way, my overall political and ethical struggles are over, and being able to be honest with myself and admit the Left is right has really helped open my eyes

[Chomskyan]

I also study Buddhism, I have books by Thich Nhat Hanh, the Dalai Lama and others as well. It´s not a very big interest of mine though. I read more philosophy, politics, linguistics, history, etc. than Zen stuff.

[Kveldulf]

I also study Buddhism, I have books by Thich Nhat Hanh, the Dalai Lama and others as well. It´s not a very big interest of mine though. I read more philosophy, politics, linguistics, history, etc. than Zen stuff.

I love philosophy and history; Stoicism has a powerful appeal to me, as well. I'm not overly well versed in it, but it seems very sound and rational, and rooted in the here-and-now.

That's what appeals to me about Zen so much, the focus on reality and the here-and-now, as opposed to unknowable, assumed afterlifes or unchangeable pasts, letting go of unnecessary attachments, and resisting the temptation to clutter one's perception of reality with assumptions and presumptions. Also, all the mindfulness meditation is known to have positive effects on brain health, and my brain can use all the help it can get

Also love linguistics; wish I had learnt Polish when I was younger, but lacked any sort of discipline or work ethic. Even just on its face, knowing another language is a great thing, I think

[RedAnarchist]

Hi, welcome to the forum!