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If you were once religious, why are you not now?

Admin 9 June 19
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122 comments (26 - 50)

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2

I was born into a Lutheran family, was brought up to be a very well-behaved child, which included not questioning anything. Do what you're told, children should be seen and not heard, be polite no matter what, all that good stuff. Then my mom basically got excommunicated from the church she grew up in because she decided to divorce my dad, but she kept my brother and I going to church after that in our new city, trying out different kinds of churches to find one with a good community to it. So, up through high school I was still identifying as Christian. There were a couple of different occasions that shook me, though, and helped to get me thinking about other possibilities.

At the Lutheran church I still went to with my dad on our weekends with him, there was one sermon around Christmas where the pastor actually talked about how the word 'Santa' could be re-spelled into 'Satan'. Which I thought was a weird thing to have in a sermon. And then a few months later, there was one where he was talking about which Bible verses we should put on our tombstones. And I thought 'is this really what you're choosing to talk to us about?' And there were thoughts I had around that time like 'if we wanted to come back for another life, why wouldn't God let us' and 'wow, the Universe is HUGE - how can we possibly know what it's all about?'

So, many years later, finally settling into a take-no-guff personality, and still, unfortunately, stinging from that upbringing of mine, I've decided I like the world 'unaffiliated', and think anything is possible. I would rather not narrow this crazy, unfathomable Universe to fit any one set of beliefs. (For myself. What you believe is just as possible as what I believe.)

2

I couldn't reconcile the concept of a all loving, all powerful god with the ambient reality. I decided that if there was a god, I didn't like him very much. Then, through reading about the origins of the various religions, I lost all belief. You might as well believe in Oxen. Once I rid myself of the god thing, the world made more sense and I have been a lot happier.

2

At age 15, I asked too many questions that no one had any logical answers to. Outta there !

2

never was

2

I had a psychotic break after "speaking in tongues" with the congregation of the baptist church I was a part of. I was subsequently diagnosed with schizoaffective disorder, and have been taking medication for religious delusions for more than a decade. I was too naive and too receptive to the negative, damaging aspects of fundamentalist christianity and have been paying the price ever since.

2

Simple reason: I looked at the evidence, or actually, the lack thereof. I do have Skeptical Inquirer and Free Inquiry magazines to thank for an assist.

2

I went to a religious school but I really did not consider the truth or validity of religion at that time, I was really not concerned about it, later as I got older I began questioning the validity and found it seriously lacking

2

Hypocrisy, mendacity, stupidity, naivety - and whatever other y ending noun you want to come up with. Religion is poison and effects every aspect of society but generally not in a good way. Science has taken us to the moon, allowed us to feed an every expanding global population, helped rid us of some nasty diseases, etc., and allowed us to see the truth about the lie that is belief in religion. Religion is now used as a base of power to influence the masses while the elites really don't give a crap about whatever god you believe in. Their god is money and power.

2

The better you are at preaching the richer you are. Joel O'Stein is my favorite but look at the financial net worth of any prominent preacher on the Internet and it is abundantly obvious why they preach. But you have to have lots of hair, look nice and sound good. They are entertainers.

2

I just had a hunch after graduating from high school at 18 that the existence of gods and mythical beings seemed preposterous. I had watched other atheists on YouTube and read articles on the web that seemed to confirm what I had been skeptical about. Since then I have been in the closet about my atheism with the exception of people I have befriended in college.

2

I was raised in Pentacostal fear-based dogma. Those off-the-deep-end sects tend to result in members either buying into it whole hog--drinking the Koolaid-- or throwing it out as the hurtful nonsense it is. I chose the latter, of course, but it isn't easy or automatic. When your identity is wrapped up in a paradigm that uses fear of damnation to keep you from questioning, it takes time to break free. I lost my faith (aka suspension of critical thinking) in stages. First was spotting the hypocrisy of church members and especially leaders. That taught me that the church was not the infallable mouthpiece of God that it claimed. The next step was learning bits and pieces of the flood of errors and inconsistencies in scripture, coupled with a bit of history on how the Bible was actually assembled and endlessly re-edited, not just translated, but edited over and over. Once I had thrown out faith in the Bible, it was easy to see my very conception of what/who God is was built on fairytales and wishful thinking. I coupled that with the epiphany on the oxymoranic notion that a supposedly omniscient, omnipotent, all-loving creator of the universe would create us humans, flawed and stupid as we are, tell us to have faith in the impossible and to ignore our human natures, then punish us for with eternal torment eternal torment for screwing it up, which he KNEW we would do in the first place, because of how he supposedly made us. It is impossible. That realization finally allowed me to stop looking over my shoulder in fear of punishment "for guessing wrong."

Getting away from that fear of punishment, that judgment of others, and most of all, the judgment of yourself, is best thrown away, allowing us to truly experience the joys of life.

2

I learned how to think and how to avoid being merely a religious ventriloquist dummy. Actually, for me 19 months in combat did a hell of a lot to eliminate my religiosity.

2

I came to the conclusion after looking at the facts that it's all bullshit used to con and control people.

Trade the gullible a soul for their labor and money.

2

I was raised in a large Italian family and was put into catechism class so I could receive the sacraments at the age of seven when the church says you reached "the age of reason". That concept got me thinking about what "reason" meant. And, when they started preaching about Original Sin, that really set me off. Why was I being blamed for something that happened before I was even born. Starting reading different religions and found most, if not all, demeaned women, hated anyone, not them and used the threat of eternal hell fire to keep control. Never accepted unearned guilt and found their answers to be hollow at best when I asked questions.

The Catholic concept of original sin is just amazing. It is not messed up enough that they are asked to believe in a god who needed to sacrifice his son so that you could be saved from the sin that the god invented?? And apparently that god loves you....... as long as you give him 10% of everything you earn..... and other conditions necessary for his love..... CRAZY!

2

Religion is a giant bubble. Every religion should promote a rumspringa. If you love it, set it free. If it returns, it loves you back.

They would lose too many members. They realize fear is their best tactic for hanging onto adherents.

2

I blame Marilyn Manson! But in all seriousness I used to teach Sunday school and go to church until the age of 13, I guess being an outcast in highschool makes you question a lot of things, that's about the time I quit believing in god.

2

The last time I read the book of Job it made me sad and question why would a loving god do something like that to him.

There was a missionary who visited my old church often that would just lie to the church about miracles happening in Africa. Those special miracles didn't happen in the US because we didn't believe hard enough. I wanted to walk out of service when he spoke.

I have gay friends and hated when the pastor would say things like his kids can't hang around gay kids. He loves them but didn't want them influencing his kids. I always thought that was hateful. I believed even while Christian that they were born that way.

And then the unanswered prayers, lol. I was a good Christian and couldn't understand why I was never sent a good man. I'm in the middle of divorce. I was a good Christian when we got married. I'm sure if I was still Christian I'd be praying for help and change.

The list goes on and on.

2

Because most atrocities are committed in the name of religion. Because I am more concerned with my time here and how I treat those I share my planet with than I am with what happens after I die. Because ...SCIENCE!

2

I just began to see the absurdity of it all and began to question, a lot. Once you really dig in, read, discover the conflicts and the terror, it was pretty clear to me that I could not remain that way.

2

it's the issue of integrity.and sincerity . . . most of them don't practice what they preach

2

I use to be religious. It was only until I grew older and wiser did I began questioning all that I was taught only to get vague answers. I thought by sacrificing my time, talents and money, it would get me into this wonderful place called heaven and spare me from hell. Common sense began to overwhelm me with doubt until I finally became cautious. Since then I realized I was brainwashed most of my life. Religion keeps you from living and making suitable choices for yourself without condemnation. If you can be controlled you are vulnerable for mulipubation. When the church is in need, they turn to the people. When the people are in need, the church points them to their fake god

2

I figure things out after all ....

lot of lies .. grown up lies

1

I came out gay and my religion rejected me and then I rejected it so I could heal.

1

Logic. None of it was adding up.

1

Seeing christians act worse than those they brand as haters (freethinkers, atheists, secular). By the time I was in college, I called myself agnostic. By graduation, I was an atheist.

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