I do not presume to know. I am a novel LWian.

Indeed, I hoped to not give in to Benedict's "totally crying for attention". Yet, here we are discussing it even further. I am new to the site, and assumed it was not the place for paternal issues or internal conflicts with your God/deity of choice.

Hindsight. How do you know he wasn't? No matter what label you choose to give (H)im, that isn't the point though, if you ask me.

By discussing this, we're only giving in to this;

| Oh but dang if there aren't like over a thousand comments here, jeez i don't want to sound like i'm crying for attention but i'm TOTALLY CRYING FOR ATTENTION, srsly i need help you dudes

It seems like my words are changed in your comment. Isn't there a difference between what you want, and the decisions you decide yourself ?

I decide that it is not worth our discourse whether or not Benedict's parents really love him or not.

I think we're ending up doing this;

|Oh but dang if there aren't like over a thousand comments here, jeez i don't want to sound like i'm crying for attention but i'm TOTALLY CRYING FOR ATTENTION, srsly i need help you dudes

Hey Benedict,

My name is Wes and I am a new member here as well. I read your intro and all I have to say is just don't let anything bother you. Adopt your own form of spirituality, and let it be non-passive resistance, Zen, or following Jesus' Third Way. There needs to be nothing theistic about it, simply rational and philosophical. When you come into an argument with your old man or your family, just don't be perturbed. If they love you, they should let you make decisions for yourself. A teacher of mine once told me, "Making up your own mind is the only freedom we really have."

If you realize what all religions really strive for, then I think a compromise can be reached. You can have a spiritual side, you can admire and stand in awe of the infinite, the eternal, and the beauty of nature and what they call 'God'. Yet you do not need to call it under the name of the Christian God or give it any one singular definition. Recognize that there is a Higher Power, and your father will agree and will understand. When he prays, you meditate. It will simply be 'God', as you understand him. This power greater than yourself can simply be a group of humanist and rationalist people who gather on-line to share each other's wisdom. This collective here at LW is more powerful than you or me, and any one of us on our own.

Or it can be something deistic, pantheistic, or non-theistic - the choice is yours, and shall always be.

Just know that your way is ultimately the right one for you, and one day they might realize the inadequacies of anthropomorphic or cultural-specific monotheism. Practice turning the other cheek (Jesus was a philosopher- such a good one that weaker men deified him). They will see your enlightenment, whether you call it spiritual or not, through not your words, but your deeds. In the end, I'm not qualified to say this and mean no offense, but I'm guessing LW is not the spot for overcoming religion. Nor for overcoming family issues. Check out r/atheism or PM me at http://www.reddit.com/r/futurology/ my friend.

W

Hey Less Wrong,

My name is Wes von Hochmuth and I am a 21 yr-old college Junior at the University of Puget Sound in Tacoma, Washington, nearby Seattle. I'm studying History and Neuroscience with a minor in Computer Science. It's an interesting combination. Tell you the truth, I am studying History because of my interest in Futurology and Futurism. Details aside, a thesis of mine has been, "If we study the past with history, how is it we study the future, history's opposite?"

This interest has driven me to start a community of my own, called r/Futurology under the name Xenophon1 on Reddit.com. Please check us out and subscribe,

http://www.reddit.com/r/Futurology/

I've a passion for everything from A.I., to Transhumanism, Singularitarianism, and Futurism. We've grown exponentially in just 6 months, following Singularity-like growth curves. I am always looking for mods and help running the sub so PM me if your at all interested. I am a local Oakland, CA, native and I recently just applied for an internship at the Singularity Institute for this summer and I'm crossing my fingers. I have read through most of the sequences and a lot of the historical best posts, and look forward to showing up at the Wednesday Berkeley LW meetups soon.

I discovered LW through a random friend on reddit, who I noticed was intelligent and asked him to be a Moderator on Futurology. It turns out he is an intern at The Millenium Project for Global Futures Studies and Research.

Its a pleasure and an honor to be a part of the LW community, amongst rationalists and a lot of brilliant people.

Our human future is infinite,

Wes