Yes, I am blogging again. After many failed attempts to write this post over the course of a year, I’ve decided to just come out and say it. I’ve been wanting to write a lot in this blog, but felt that this post needed to come first. So instead of delaying my desire to write, I’m going to put this out there. No use trying to perfect this kind of announcement, because I am not perfect.

The announcement I’m about to make is known by many in my life. It won’t be groundbreaking to those who have known me well over the last few years, but there are others out there who may know me, who don’t know this yet.  This kind of thing has been hard on others; some of whom I know well. It is my hope that those who think negatively of what I’m about to say, remember that I’m still the person you know and love.

So just say it already!

I, Patrick Regan, do not believe in God. That is to say, I am an atheist. This will not come as a surprise to many, but it may to some still. Particularly my extended family.

But you’re such a nice person…

I still am. Chances are, you have thought of me as a good person, and I acted kindly to you while I was an atheist. Have you interacted with me since 2009? If you have, you’ve interacted with an atheist. I really started self-identifying as an atheist in 2009, but I had been calling myself things like “non-theist” or similar since about late 2005-ish. So chances are, you’ve been talking to, laughing with, hugging and loving someone who doesn’t believe for quite some time now.

Being an atheist doesn’t tell you what I do believe though, it only tells you “Patrick doesn’t believe in any gods.” I do however believe in doing the right thing. I’m not immoral or amoral. I am what is called a secular humanist. I believe that beliefs need to be tested. They need to be shown to be right, not just told they are. In many ways it’s easier to be moral without God. I will explain what I mean by that in future posts.

How could this happen?

Well, for me there was no “Eureka!” moment. It was a gradual and long process.  The total process is too long to write in just one blog post, let alone a subsection of one, but I’ll try to summarize as best as I can. Keep in mind that religions beliefs, specifically Catholic ones, have been explained to me my whole life. That’s 26 years of explaining. I’m asking that you give me the patience to explain why I believe the way I do. It can’t and won’t be done in one letter to the public.

As I have mentioned in my first blog post here, I am someone who is interested in facts. At first it was just useless trivia. Science, was always a major interest of mine. I would read and learn about all kinds of things. I learned how to ask questions, and learned about things like null hypothesizes and effect sizes. I would investigate tons of things. Religion was not really something I thought about in that way however. Not until I went to college at least.

But didn’t you go to a Catholic college?

Yes I went to Loras College, a private Catholic College. It was what actually accelerated the rate in which my doubts multiplied. I didn’t choose to go to Loras for religious reasons, but when I first arrived, I tried to use it as an opportunity to learn more about the religion I was raised in. It was through the various required religion courses and my own investigations that my beliefs started to change.

I don’t understand, what about…

You may or may not have a lot of questions. That’s okay. I am willing to answer questions, and explain in more detail why I believe this way. All I’m asking for is some patience, since it can’t be done in one sitting. I didn’t arrive at this conclusion after reading one blog post, so I can’t explain how I got here in just one either.

The important thing for you to know is that I still am the person. I’m still the one you love, and the one who loves you back.

Expect more here soon!

Do you remember that kid, when you were growing up, that was a know-it-all? The one who seemed to pick up tons of useless trivia from God-knows-where and tucked it away in his otherwise completely vacuous brain. The one who saw all this useless lore as exceedingly important, and was compelled to share it with you whether you asked for it or not. Remember that kid? That was me.

Those who knew me when I was younger knew that the phrase “Well actually…” could only be more irritating coming from my mouth, if I was able to telepathically shout it into their minds. Today, I confess to the world that I am a Know-It-All. Not only do I keep random data stored in my cobweb infested skull, but I feel the need to share them with the world. I still constantly correct people when I know they are wrong, and I don’t know if that will ever change. I can say that I’m becoming more humble when I am shown to be wrong myself.

I have started reading many science blogs in the last few years. And reading the blogs of great thinkers has shown me that to be a science nerd is to not know everything. But in fact to be humble about what you don’t know. To learn to admit when you are wrong in the face of evidence is even more science like. This was something I had always had problems with. That said, I’ve also learned that it is okay to stand your ground and politely tell someone they are misinformed.

This blog is going to be my personal rants, raves, and exclamations of “Well actually..” to the world. I hope you enjoy.