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Why do you reject the idea of religion?

Admin 9 June 19
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26

Religion began as a way for primitive humanity to explain the unexplainable. As we as a species and as a society have evolved, gained knowledge and found the true scientific explanations for natural phenomena, religion has refused to evolve along with us, and refused to concede to evidence of truth in the process. I cannot have blind faith (or ANY faith) in a group which chooses the comfort of what they want to believe to be true over the evidence that is right in front of them. Futhermore, the practice of religion is fraught with hypocrisy when it comes to morals. Those people who claim to leave judgement to their "god" are the very same people who do not live by the ideals which they preach. The idea that a person needs religion to be moral is as disgustingly hypocritical as it is just plain wrong.

Loved your post. The only thing is I'm pretty sure 'blind faith' is redundant. 😉

Great post...very succinct and absolutely true.

I think religion is progressive. All of the major revealed religions follow each other in a chronological order, the pattern is not difficult to discern. They are links in one unbroken chain.

The reasons why some people do not advance and instead remain attached to the dispensation of their choosing, are many and varied, but it is they that are refusing to evolve, not religion itself.

22

Religion is a mental illness.

Teresa Level 6 Oct 16, 2017

I agreed.

I also agree.

Well, since auditory experiences and hallucinations are common among the extremely religious people, I would say that in some cases religion and schizophrenia are closely related

@DUCHESSA I’ve met people who told me that they actually hear the voice of God in their heads. If that isn’t disturbing, I don’t know what is.

A well organized mental illness where people make money.

@EmeraldJewel - My neighbour hears god - OUTLOUD. Reminds me of Son of Sam. Scary and disturbing.

@Teresa disturbing.

I don't know if you jest or if you are serious. It by definition is a delusion. In psychology it fits the definition of delusion but gets a nice exemption from diagnosis. Group think is the major cause of religious thinking. When many people share the same delusion then perfectly sane people can buy into it. A good example is Orson Wellls Radio program of War of the Worlds.

We should just start referring to churches as insane asylums.

@DavidLaDeau - I believe honestly that it is a mental illness, I can understand being deluded before you have someone point out fact and non- fact, proof and absence of proof. When they radio announce it was a spoof everyone stopped - with religion when someone proves something else they deny it. I mean my neighbour thinks one of every sex of every dinosaur was on the arc and they starved to death because then they were all vegetarian dinosaurs.

@Teresa That's funny actually...Evidently your neighbor has not considered that his God did not know or plan for that....

@DavidLaDeau The saddest part is she believes EVERYTHING is per-determined so when he daughter passed away in a car accident she has been praying to god for an answer to why for the last six years and posted on FB last week. " The only joy I know is knowing I am one day closer to seeing you again" Since she has a husband, and 2 other kids and 4 or 5 grandchildrne, how can a post liek that make them feel.. Soooo sad.

19

I grew up in a pentecostal home, with a mother who is still the "music director/pianist" for the church.

I've seen it all man... "speaking in tounges", "slayn in the spirit", endless rants and endless days or evenings of "worship"... I was grounded if I didn't go to church 3 times a week.

So many stories...

I was taught about Hell as a toddler, and terrified of it, and all that goes with it.

I was taught that if you read anything other than the Bible, you'd be "in danger of Hell fire"... so many more things...

The christian religion has drivin my mother loopy, I can barely stand to be around her, and that's sad to me, because I love her.

When I was 18, I was hit by a truck and awoke from a 2 week coma... I was given a copy of "The be here now" and I started the life long research into "what, where, who, why, when, how, religion came to be in the first place...and it's been 24 years of it now...and I'm still continuing to expand my mind every day.

"Religion" is like a disease to me. It has destroyed my relationship with most of my family, because I have enough sense to think for myself.

That being said, I don't need to be religious to be a loving, kind, thoughtful, charitable, empathetic man.

Must be hard when you have a family of believers.

19

In my late 30’s I began a degree in Theology. I had been a “born again” protestant christian for about 20 years, with a childhood background in catholicism.
My aim in my degree was to major in Pastoral care and counselling with a view to working in that kind of area. I did finish the major studies which I loved and learned more about my self than I thought possible. However I came unstuck when I began on biblical studies.

I discovered that the bible and Jesus simply do not stand up under the rigours of academic enquiry. The bible and the life of the christ are based on myth at best and hearsay/outright lies at worst.

I realised I could not believe this stuff and maintain my personal integrity at the same time. I entered possibly the the worst period of my life, it felt like an abyss. Fortunately it only took about 6 mths to work my way through it and I have been an atheist for more than 20 years now.

Excellent post.

I have always questioned religion (my parents were fairly progressive people). But when I came to the conclusion that there was no God as an adult, I found myself feeling a bit of a loss. But I got over it , it wasn't the worst time in my life fortunately.

You nailed it, Veronica. I too grew up a roman catholic, with strict adherence to all the dogma. And in my late teens, early twenties I took religious studies and retreats alongside religious novitiates to strngthen my faith. It ended up cracking it wide open.
I felt as though I had fallen off a cliff, it was a very scary few months. Until I realised that the world worked quite well without a deity, in fact, it worked better.
Devout atheist ever since.

9

God/gods are created by men to control men.

9

At first it was how teachings from the Bible made me feel worthless because I was female. After years of learning more about different religions, I just felt so much hate from them in some form or other. Learned that most wars were based on some sort of religion issue. The more I learn the less they make sense. They just feel like a way to control, comfort, explain or just have set rules for the masses to follow with some sort of fear of retribution to keep them in line. It's like lazy parenting when they make up all the "If you are good Santa will bring you presents" and "if you are bad you will burn in hell" bs.

DeiP Level 5 Oct 1, 2017
8

I was raised by a Jew & an Irish Catholic and have seen plenty of evidence from an early age that religion does more harm than it does good simply by observing conflicts within my own inner family circle. This assumption was only strengthened over time by reading/studying the history of religion, as well as witnessing plenty of tragic scandals among various religious communities big & small....other than the obvious war mongering and murder done in the name of God, I take huge issue with child abuse culture inside religious communities.

Right now, there is huge push against the Mormon church and child abuse issues by bishops who interview young kids behind closed doors about sexuality. Things these people have gone through. Horrendous. Will make u cry.

8

I was raised as a conservative christian. The dogmatic nature of religion, as well as its fear based teachings, did a lot of damage to me. It took me a long time to realize that I had the power, and the right, to reject religion and live a secular life. When I finally made that decision, I began to realize that it wasn't only my religion that was dogmatic. In fact, many religions (not just cults) use brain washing techniques that include gas lighting, fear mongering, intense peer pressure and the threat of exile to keep their followers in line.

There are thousands of people out there who are still getting over the long term effects of their affiliations with religion, and there are even more people who haven't yet broken free. I understand that religion gives people hope, but more often than not, that hope is based on an intense fear of some kind of sin related threat, like hell. And more often than not, the hope offered by religion comes at the cost of higher reasoning and an unbiased understanding of science. I happen to feel that the cons outweigh the pros. That's why I reject religion.

8

Like the concept of Santa, I outgrew the need for a god.

LOL

I wonder if SANTA and SATAN are the same bloke with the N moved over ??

7

It is the single most damaging thing to free thought ever to be invented!

religion rules by fear of a jealous and selfish god

yes it is

6

I see people suffering in the countries i toured. Was i just lucky to be me? Why would god high 5 me and step back on other's? Does suffering build character? Who cares! People need real help and love and compassion. Why should they have to cry and beg and make promises. Damn.

My husband and I have been fortunate to be able to travel quite extensively. When I saw the poverty in many places we travelled, I realized there was not much I could do, I am not a millionaire ( a thousandaire ) then I found out about KIVA and have made small business loans to people in over a dozen countries, some as small as $75.00 but it made all the difference in their lives ( and mine, against all biblical stands I do take pride in helping others ) and so far no one has defaulted on a loan.

@Teresa. That sounds great.... your very kind hearted.

5

Because if there were a god in the religious sense, he/she/it would not have created a world where people kill each other over different interpretations of who and what god is. The religious god is an idiot, a narcissist, and not a very nice being.

Brian Level 2 Sep 29, 2017
4

Because I am in love with the truth

4

I don't. I reject literalist interpretations of religions, because, in addition to being potentially dangerous, they obscure the wisdom to be found in a metaphorical interpretation.

skado Level 9 Nov 26, 2017

Yes, religion if we must have it should certainly be taken as metaphorical. I also think that there would be so many great brains in heaven at least one of them would have been able to communicate with us by now in some way.

4

I believe religion is orchestrated by man to control the masses and that it is one of the two fornicators.

3

You seriously ask this question??
Always based on the supernatural. In other words, based on that which doesn't exist. How could anyone not reject it?

For me it is so nonsensical that to even contemplate it never enters my mind. For any thinking aware person who knows anything about world history, science and observes daily life and the fact Trump is president, it should be crystal clear instantly and without thought.

3

Because religion was made by men in order to control the mindless people that will follow them and believe ANYTHING they preach whether here in the present or their make believe past that they pass off as factual. Religious people are the most group hypocritical created.

3

I reject any ancient streaming's rights to tell me what to think. Generally religions are man made and seek to impose their beliefs without being able to present evidence as to their correctness. Just as I wouldn't believe in a Flying Spaghetti Monster, I don't think the concept of God holds much water, and neither bribes in the form of heaven nor threats in the form of hell are going to move me.

3

Because we live in a world that thinks Pastafarianism is religion. That was supposed to be a joke about teaching creationism over evolution in schools. The flying spaghetti monster is just as valid and has as much right to be taught. Not realising the lighthearted tug at the ridiculousness of religion as its source (and fact-checking) some people think its legit.
I saw a kid more willing to believe in psychical storage or memories, as in the power of the brain and sciences ability to learn more and more about what makes us and the world work (that is amazing) then a neurology student. Why? Because that would mean that you're not a soul.
Birds have hollow bones and catch wind currents to fly. That's real. Volcanic lightning storms, real. Phantom touch. Real. Santa. Nope but based on the green man.
Finding the answers has way more wonder in it than god did it.

3

It's not true. It's as simple as that, I can't force myself into accepting a lie.

3

I no longer think about it enough to really reject it. Religion is not only highly improbable, it is also impossibly boring. There are so many more interesting ideas to think, talk and write about. I'm amazed that it captures so many people.

How long did it take you to get to the point where you no longer think about it? Also, I would ask, why join a community such as this, if that were true? (I realize that may sound rude, but I assure you, I mean no Ill will, just curious.) 🙂

@jayknostic I don't think about it much. I was wrong but I assumed when I joined most people would be talking about stuff other than religion.I wasnt thinking about all the recovery issues related to religion

3

Theres just too much paranoia and mind control in organized religion.......Not to mention all the damn ritualism......Do this do that etc etc......

3

Because each organization under the umbrella of religion is based upon views and beliefs of mere men. Thus, we have sooooooo many different religions and beliefs to mirror the differences in our physical beings.

3

I guess I come at this issue with kind of a 12-stepper's perspective. No one knows what happens when we die. There is absolutely no evidence whatsoever for any kind of after-life or definitive proof that an after-life doesn't exist. If that's the case then why waste any energy on that issue at all? Why not control what you actually can control? Why not live the best life you possibly can right now? I try to do right by my friends and family, the larger community, the environment and the whole world itself. This is my higher power (see I told you I was a 12-stepper????) and I only really matter as a part of these greater wholes. Now I will acknowledge that I do not accept faith. I cannot accept something without some kind of reason/logic/evidence behind it. Since faith seems to be a fundamental tenet in pretty much all religions I do reject them on that basis. Plus 'because' as an explanation or justification for anything is a 5 year-old's answer.

3

I judge most things by their results. Most of the results of religion are wars.

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