Greetings from Texas. Y'all.

[Mathilda]

Willkommen!

[Unsapien]

Hello & welcome.

[Minimalist]

I guess she thought better of it?

[Thumpalumpacus]

Apparently, yeah.

[Free]

Good afternoon,
 
I would like to take this opportunity to introduce myself to the members of the Atheist Discussion forum.  As noted in my subject header, I am a Texan, born and raised in the big, shiny, brass buckle of the American Bible Belt.  Despite the stereotypes associated with my home state and country, however, I have identified as atheist for almost thirty years now.  I am descended from the German Friedenkers (Free thinkers) who settled in this part of Texas during the 1800's.  My grandfather was an atheist, my great grandfather was an atheist, my great great  grandfather was as well.  It's literally in my blood.  Of course, those early Friedenkers were generally from the German intelligentsia; many of them left their homeland for political reasons.  My great great grandfather once wrote:  "My republican mind made me unfit to serve in a king's army."  Rather than be conscripted into a royal army, they immigrated to the US, where they had to learn a whole new skill set to survive.  No wonder, then, that many of them married with the Catholic farmers' daughters who also settled in the area.  The result for me is a lineage in which the worlds of the mystical and the rational, the emotional and the logical, the artistic and the academic, have co-existed pretty peacefully for generations.  I come from a long line of mathematicians, skeptics, writers, and academics.  I also come from a long line of poets, performers, storytellers, and seekers.   

It took me a long time to wholeheartedly embrace the beliefs of my forefathers.  Having done so, however, I have never been more at peace with my place in the larger picture, and I have never looked back.  My moniker, daughterofkarl, is an homage to my great, great grandfather, Karl Wilhelm.  

I was very involved for many years with an atheist debate site that was based in the Netherlands. I was very proud of my work with that forum; I was the only woman and the only American ever invited to be a Moderator on the site.  We lost our server and went defunct several years ago, and I have been looking for a new "home" ever since.  I was very proud of that site, and I miss it very much.   I hope to find stimulating conversation and discussion here.  

Thank you for considering me for inclusion,

daughterofkarl

From Texas, eh? I'm from Alberta, home of the Calgary Stampede. 

Welcome to our forum. Grab a warm cup and sit a spell.