REM.

I've never had strong religious beliefs to begin with. I was raised by a Christian mother and a Muslim father, so I grew up with a spiritual, non-denominational belief in God, at first.

I became a deist at around 12-13. It became increasingly obvious to me that religion had no grasp of the workings of the material world, so how could it be any authority on what's beyond? Over time, I moved towards agnostic atheism, but I still consider deism to be a possibility.

I doubt we came from nothing, what could explain the origin of life itself?

Once I found proof I stopped needing belief. Also why I left religion.

I found the morality (of the text and its adherents) inconsistent and often woefully inadequate, then studied enough history to follow the debate on the laboriously long and convoluted journey from scripture to modern dogma. Along the way I learned enough to get passed first causes and other such arguments leading me to agnosticism, and then soft atheism.

Currently, on my path, I am most proximate to Mahayana, as it adequately explains (at least to me) what science has failed to clarify, synergizes well with the best of my Christian heritage, and strikes me at an intuitive level. Most importantly, it provides an exceptional moral code.

Science.

Life and questionning. I mean, i'd like to believe in Kali destroying the corrupted world by erasing it by dancing, or the dream-egg thingy of the Aussie aborigens, or that we will be saved by believing in the resurrection of Christ, but there are so many things that just does not make sense.

And besides, i'm absolutely for the couple Dyonisos/Athena as my main gods. But they just aren't real.

I was told I was going to hell regardless. So why believe religion or even care if my fate is already sealed? Apparently redemption isn't a thing anymore to the church or the pastors. Every thing is fire and brimstone now and everyone is considered an unredeemable demon just for having different ideas. God is't preached as a merciful god out to save souls, instead he is preached as an executioner out to throw people into the lake of fire forever. I can't get behind that.

i discovered r/atheism and it opened my eyes

The church I went to started it.

Girl I dated in high school went to a specific church, and I started going with her. All was well, but her mother would *freak the hell out* if she saw us so much as kiss, because "that way lies temptation."

Turns out she knew what she was talking about, as she was having an affair with her oldest daughter's husband (oldest daughter was maybe two years older than me, for reference; probably 19 or so at the time). This was in the 90s; it *should* have been an episode of Jerry Springer.

That wasn't what did it, but the rank hypocrisy coming from mom didn't help.

We were at youth group one night, and the youth pastor asked what our parents did for a living. My dad's a retired Marine. I said so. Youth pastor asked if I'd forgiven him yet.

I asked what I could possibly have to forgive my father for.

"Being a killer."

That's the closest I ever got to punching an adult when I was a teenager; I got up to walk out, pastor grabbed my wrist, and I told him right then that either he was going to let me go or I'd be going to jail.

After that, I started reading the Bible more closely. KJV and NIV. Then the Concordance. Spent some time talking to our head pastor--and then the pastors and priests of other churches in the area--about what I felt were inconsistencies between different sections of said Bible, and discrepancies between the text and what we were being taught every Sunday.

I did not like the answers I got.

So I put my faith down, walked away from it, and have never once looked back.

The anecdotes make it sound like all this happened in the space of months, but it was a process of years. For a long time, I was angry; my faith had been a significant part of my life.

Now, a quarter-century-plus on, I'm glad faith can give strength to people who need it, detest those who use it as a shield for their bigotry, and will never again pick it up for myself.

And that's about it.

Just like politics, religion is nothing but poison and a brainwash theory to gain power and control over you, and a way to take your money. Nothing has caused more war and death in the world than politics and religion.

I’m just a non practicing Christian. I sorta believe in God and the bible, but I don’t really go to church or fully believe in everything. But sometimes it’s nice to have someone to talk to (God) about stuff when there is no one else to listen (a lot of the time).

Originally posted by Moose931:

Just like politics, religion is nothing but poison and a brainwash theory to gain power and control over you, and a way to take your money. Nothing has caused more war and death in the world than politics and religion.

Yet without them we wouldn’t live in this modern world today. For all we know, we could still be in the Stone Age without them.

Originally posted by Maximus10113X:

I’m just a non practicing Christian. I sorta believe in God and the bible, but I don’t really go to church or fully believe in everything. But sometimes it’s nice to have someone to talk to (God) about stuff when there is no one else to listen (a lot of the time).

me neither, i only visit churches and cathedrals because they're pretty, im more spiritual

Never really bought into that stuff, ever since I was in my mid teens.