Atheists/agnostics, why did you become atheist/agnostic

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:for people who "never bought it" even though you were exposed to religion as children, how did you deal with the fact that no religion means no afterlife?

That is, how did you deal with the fact that life is finite; that you would die and that would be the end of it?

No religion doesn't mean no afterlife.

We were all dead before we were born.

yes, but before we were born, we didn't know what life was like. Know we know that we will lose it, at some point.

Religious people - some of them, at least -- believe they are going to heaven when they die. It gives them something to look forward to, even if it doesn't work out that way in the end.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:for people who "never bought it" even though you were exposed to religion as children, how did you deal with the fact that no religion means no afterlife?

That is, how did you deal with the fact that life is finite; that you would die and that would be the end of it?

This is where science comes in with facts that are more wonderful than religious fictions. As Carl Sagan said, we are all made of star stuff. The fact that we are composed of tiny molecules that will continue to exist and remake themselves into millions of things is a type of immortality.

Yes, but it's not the type of immortality that some religions promise -- seeing your loved ones again, or coming back to earth as something better.

[Anonymous]

When I was 11, my sister was killed by a drunk driver. My parents were crushed by the experience. Nothing about those days was good. Nothing. I hated the people who told me it was gods will, or that my sister was in a better place, and I decided within a few months after quite a bit of praying and soul searching that I'd been sold a false notion of a kind and loving god. Realizing that was deeply sad, but over time it felt quite liberating too.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:When I was 11, my sister was killed by a drunk driver. My parents were crushed by the experience. Nothing about those days was good. Nothing. I hated the people who told me it was gods will, or that my sister was in a better place, and I decided within a few months after quite a bit of praying and soul searching that I'd been sold a false notion of a kind and loving god. Realizing that was deeply sad, but over time it felt quite liberating too.

I am so sorry, PP. That's a horrible loss, and I am so sorry.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I never really bought into it. It always just sounded like bullshit to me.

Same. I’m Jewish, and I enjoyed the culture and history of my community, the religious part seemed like nonsense to me. So as an adult, I joined an humanist congregation.

[Anonymous]

I grew up in a deeply religious family. I went to church twice a week and went to religious private school. I was devout as a kid. But from my earliest memories I remember having questions and experiencing what I now understand was skepticism. I was a logical little kid (later became an engineer), and some of what I was taught just didn't make sense. But I was also terrified to admit it and kept my doubts quiet.

In college I stopped going to church as soon as i said goodbye to my parents, even though my mom signed me up (against my wishes) with the campus Christian fellowship group, who proceeded to stalk me for four years. I also met a lot of people with totally different backgrounds, some atheist, and they were all good people. I started losing my terror of disbelief and went through a phase where I called myself an agnostic. I also got very angry at what seemed clearly to be a form of mental control during this period. My questions weren't wrong, but I was made to feel like something evil or wrong just for having questions.

Finally I dropped the pretense entirely and accepted that I was atheist. I still remember the walk I was on when I was finally honest with myself. I remember feeling an enormous sense of peace and relief. It was as if a lifetime source of pain and tension was just alleviated. It's been over thirty years now and I still feel that sense of comfort and relief in being an atheist. I don't have to pretend I am something I am not; I can finally be my authentic self.

[Anonymous]

I was raised orthodox Jewish. I figured out that I didn't believe it in high school around junior year. I don't think I ever really believed it. I was just indoctrinated that that's the way things are and didn't question it deeply into high school.

I feel so much more at peace now and would be happy to never think of religion again.

[Anonymous]

Grew up Catholic, went away to summer school and befriended by an atheist who explained why she was an atheist to me and that she wouldn't judge me for being religious but she just didn't get it. How all of the weird things in the Bible just didn't make sense. Dying and coming back to life didn't make sense. Didn't they make more sense as the stories humans tell one another to try to make sense of things and try to teach people lessons, and keep them in their place? What if the Bible was just a sort of comic book of the times?

And also I had tried to talk about religion with my priest several times and I just could not relate to anything he was saying. It was all mumbo jumbo with no basis in anything I could relate to.

That's how I became an atheist.

[Anonymous]

Fascinating stories -- and devoid of the evil and ignorance that believers are told (often by clergy or devout family members) are central to disbelief.

Non-believers do describe a lot of angst and pain and rejection, though, via believers who try to convince them how wrong they are, and of the punishments that they'll suffer due to their lack of belief.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Fascinating stories -- and devoid of the evil and ignorance that believers are told (often by clergy or devout family members) are central to disbelief.

Non-believers do describe a lot of angst and pain and rejection, though, via believers who try to convince them how wrong they are, and of the punishments that they'll suffer due to their lack of belief.

The only evil and ignorance I suffered in my journey to atheism was the terror I felt as a child when I knew deep down that I didn't believe it but everyone around me did (or pretended they did). I spent literally years as a child secretly thinking I was evil or defective. To question the very existence of God when you are a small child who has been taught God is literally everything in your life and means everything to all trusted adults is very scary.

As an adult, I think that is significantly cruel to a child. My children will fortunately never experience that.

[Anonymous]

Reading about the Catholic Church vs the Reformation movement and learning that a lot of the priests were translating biblical text errantly for hundreds of years and none of their parishioners had a clue.

Then studying current (and still current) news only to see preachers, pastors, and priests being charged with everything from sodomy to pedophilia to assault. If these are the servants of God, why would I want to be associated with them?

https://www.foxnews.com/us/louisiana-archbishop-blasts-demonic-sex-act-in-church-orders-altar-removed-burned

https://www.fox26houston.com/video/859971

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:for people who "never bought it" even though you were exposed to religion as children, how did you deal with the fact that no religion means no afterlife?

That is, how did you deal with the fact that life is finite; that you would die and that would be the end of it?

If life is all there is and then we are just dust, then I better live a full and meaningful life. I better treat people well since their memories of me may be my only legacy. I better try to contribute and create so that my one life has as much purpose as possible.

Also, I think it is useful to focus on the consequences to your actions here, in this life, rather than in an afterlife. Thinking about how your actions help or hurt the world around you is a much more immediate way to think about morality than checking to see if they violate a list of behaviors handed down from a mysterious entity. I don't need a god to tell me that killing something would be wrong. The golden rule works pretty well. Read some Kant. It's pretty straightforward.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I never really bought into it. It always just sounded like bullshit to me.

+1000. There's a lot of us out there like that - we had to wait until it was an acceptable choice WRT family and residence.

Once you are free to make that choice, it is very empowering.

/catholic upbringing, including school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:for people who "never bought it" even though you were exposed to religion as children, how did you deal with the fact that no religion means no afterlife?

That is, how did you deal with the fact that life is finite; that you would die and that would be the end of it?

No religion doesn't mean no afterlife.

We were all dead before we were born.

yes, but before we were born, we didn't know what life was like. Know we know that we will lose it, at some point.

Religious people - some of them, at least -- believe they are going to heaven when they die. It gives them something to look forward to, even if it doesn't work out that way in the end.

But some of them also believe they, and others, could wind up in Hell or Purgatory, sometimes for arbitrary reasons.

Growing up Catholic, one of the most disturbing things I learned was that Catholics believe babies who die before baptism live for eternity in Purgatory. That is super messed up.

I also remember my sister, who became born again in college, explaining that Gandhi went to hell because he didn't accept Jesus Christ as his Lord and Savior. Can you imagine thinking Gandhi is in Hell being tortured right now?

Oh, but Catholics also believe you can buy your way out of Purgatory if you tithe enough money to the church. Cool cool cool.

Yeah, thinking that we probably just all go back to being dirt after we die sounds pretty good, actually.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:for people who "never bought it" even though you were exposed to religion as children, how did you deal with the fact that no religion means no afterlife?

That is, how did you deal with the fact that life is finite; that you would die and that would be the end of it?

If life is all there is and then we are just dust, then I better live a full and meaningful life. I better treat people well since their memories of me may be my only legacy. I better try to contribute and create so that my one life has as much purpose as possible.

Also, I think it is useful to focus on the consequences to your actions here, in this life, rather than in an afterlife. Thinking about how your actions help or hurt the world around you is a much more immediate way to think about morality than checking to see if they violate a list of behaviors handed down from a mysterious entity. I don't need a god to tell me that killing something would be wrong. The golden rule works pretty well. Read some Kant. It's pretty straightforward.

This all makes sense, but sounds more like an adult's thinking than a child's. Did you think this way as a child, when you rejected religion?