Not on my case... not my experience.

I am so thankful I figured out religions was BS before my teens.

I never felt that way. I simply felt free to define myself.

For me becoming an atheist was a relief. I was finally free of the painful and stupid aspects of Christianity. No more concept of Hell. No more fear of God's hostility.

That is why most who have doubts continue on... they don't want their lives disrupted.

Humans are animals that evolved in groups for safety. We tend to mostly associate in groups today because we are drawn into groups instinctively (animal instincts are still present in humans, and usually expressed as emotion). Mos people have a fear of leaving a group tht they are a part of, because they feel safer (instinctually) when they belong to a group and have place in that group. The idea of leaving or losing their place in a group causes feelihngs of fer and insecurity.

Like it or not, your place in a group may add to your status and attractiveness to others, jus tliek in animal groups. So, stepping away from a group also involves a loss of status among your acquaintances and group members.

It takes a lot of courage to leave a religion considering that it goes against our innate animal instincts to leave a group in which we are established and have a place. Because as the Meme says, you do have start over for a large portion of your life.

Isn't it odd that people feel a sense of loss when they give up something as vile as religion? It's like climbing out of a cesspool and washing all that shit off in the shower and then looking down the drain with remorse because you are suddenly clean. People are very strange indeed.

I was thrilled, actually. After I read the Sumerian texts my main feeling was profound relief that it was all a lie after all. I always wondered why we were told to love everyone while the Hebrew god ordered people stoned just for picking up a stick on Saturday. Sick.

I was lucky enough to have a slow transition from belief to common sense. I see this picture and it makes me want to help those people who are in that state of mind.

I'd been dropping transistors and circuit boards for a while before the whole religion thing turned sideways for me, so it wasn't quite as traumatic for me as this meme. When the student is ready, a teacher will appear.

Starting over piece by piece.

It certainly clears the mind of antique junk, religion was such a hard cross to bare.