Anon on atheism

Can't really pretend like I know how ot is for everyone but I know I absolutly hated religion in my late teens and early 20's. I no longer do, grew up and gained some perspective. I grew up in a highly religious christian houselhold, with one of the negative stereotypes of a father who used it to compensate for his 'sins' while refusing to grow as a person. It got bad. Pratical brainwashing to the point I was muttering matras under my breath well past dropping the faith in my mid 20's. Beatings and torture, I couldn't pick up a sketchbook until my late 20's withought feeling the ghost sensations of burning in my arms. And I was hardly the only one, arguably I got it easier. My sister was molested by my father on multiple occasions. I was also gay, which my father hated once he found out. It took my mother taking the brunt to keep him from coming home and beating the ever loving fear of god into me the night he found out. I was told it was a sin, that god could 'remove all sin', and as one who, at the time, was truly fairhfull, I prayed, self flagulated out of guilt, and betated myself mentally as punishment. But no matter how much I prayed, I could never stop liking men, and had no intrest in woman. I eventually came to believe I must be a devil spawn in the body of a boy. What else would explain it? Why else would god no heed the desperation of his loved follower? Was I not worthy? Was their something wrong with me? There must be. I'll stop there, it's enough to get the point across, if I kept going I'd write a short novel. Point being, I blamed religion for many of the hardships I grew up with. But as I aged, I relized that some of the positove things I believe I never would have gained withought the positive side of my old religion. I knew amazing Christians, one of my best friends in my mid 20's was a Christian man and he was one of the best examples of a human being I ever had the pleasure of knowing. It wasn't the religion, it was the people that were the problem. I eventually saw the same problems with other groups. Athiest, those who follow 'science' and their own morality. They all have groups that practice the same things, while putting the words of who, or what they proclaim on a pedastal akin to idol worship. Athiest being the topic here, I can't tell you how many athiest I've met who quote science, all while being the modern day equivalent of your grandparents believing the guy in the comercial wearing a docter's suit. They rarely understand what they're talking about, and quote faulty, questionable studies with utter faith. This is when I really started to relize that it was never religion that was the problem. The ignorant and sinfull with rally behind any banner they can in order to justify their actions, that just seems to be the way it's always operated. Religion is just one of those options.