I am sure we all have more than one reason, but what is the main one for you?
I don't like organized religion because it professes "my God is better than your god."
I didn't think it made sense that an omnipotent being would create creatures in their image and then create millions of species of animals, parasites, bacteria and toxins that could kill them in so many ways.
It makes no sense. Also most if not all religions have blood on their hands, both currently and historically. The christians, muslims and Jews have all killed each other for thousands of years.
I just like to avoid cultures that engage in murder or war in general.
Could be, but I don't think the Christians would like the idea of light cumming from God, in that way.
Well, to start with, I AM religious: I'm an atheist Pagan. But I don't believe in gods or the supernatural. Religion isn't just about what you believe--it's about your values, and what you DO.
I do not follow any of the mainstream religions because their values suck and they are demonstrably wrong about the nature of the Universe. Their gods are imaginary.
That's why.
The main reason I don't believe in magic is because I have enough education to understand where that kind of thinking comes from, but that education also brings the knowledge that believing in magic is not a sufficient definition of religion. Religion is just whatever discipline people use to maintain their sanity in an insane world. A thorough rejection of magical thinking alone does not necessarily provide protection from depression or fear or anxiety. Healthy, science-based practices exist which can do that, and from a historical perspective, they should rightly be categorized as religion. If my tool isn't doing what I need it to do, I get a better tool. I don't say tools are useless. We don't need the two thousand year old dirty bathwater but we very much do still need that baby.
I agree with you. I have 6 year old twins they ask if magic is real. My response is to make something happen you have to plan think it through with patients and diligence. If you want to call it magic it happens. They ask is Santa real so as not to burst their innocence bubble. I say Santa is as real as you want to make him in your mind.
Science is my biggest reason. No one has proven there is one or many gods.
Ironically, it was on a retreat in a convent in Stepney, London, at the end of my 'religious years' that I came to the conclusion - over several hours at night and with an open bible before me, and after much soul searching (no pun intended) - that I simply DID NOT BELIEVE IT.
I studied a couple of other religions before it dawned on me that it wasn't just ONE religion I didn't believe in.
Because I've yet to find any religion that fits my way of thinking. I've always been a sucker for logic, and most all organized religions are anything but logical.
Plus I'm secure enough in myself, to not need the "groupism" that comes along with the "ole Sunday (or Saturday) meetin' houses".
I take bits of wisdom from many sources - along with life experience, and gather them all together, and pick out useful ones every now and then.
Religion is apart of my family for all the wrong reasons. I grew up Baptist and anytime I had a question about significant subjects I would be told not to question god. I was always told you're looking too deep into this. Just believe. That's when I knew I no longer had a rational belief in a god nor the rest of my family for that matter.
I do not like the audacity of religion in the way that they actually think their religion is correct and the others wrong . This is the main reason religion is detrimental to society in that It segregates people in to diverse groups that do not respect each other which leads to wars .It also dumbs down the civilization due to their being satisfied with their moronic fairytales to explain unexplainable scientific mysteries.
Well shit, there’s like 9000 interpretations of religion. How can I be sure of the right one?
I’ve never been one who just believes something, just because you should or something like that. I can’t be religious. I think it’s a biological impossibility with me. My skeptical, critical and curious brain won’t let me. I’m so curious, sometimes I wonder what it would be like to believe in a specific religion, but then my brain shorts out and says, “but what about this contradiction and this irrational concept?” When we play games as a child we invent rules and stipulations that are based on nothing really and we just play the game and have fun. Maybe that’s religion. It’s just children-people still deep in gameplay. I get why the game is fun. It doesn’t take much thinking, you just hop, skip, and think yourself into a magic wonderland. Drugs can do that too. Ancient Hindus valley Brahmans in northern India (in the vedas- roots of Hinduism) did soma, a type of drug. Whatever gives you that special feeling, man. Do it, but be careful. Moderation. Yin Yang.
Wow from Italy!
I’m a third generation-Italian. My Italian grandfather once flipped a table with cookies and cakes at his Catholic Church bake sale, because he suspected the church was hoarding all the money. I was just told this story a couple weeks ago by his 99 year old friend who is still alive. Religious, but EXTREMELY great guy. The best.