Nonbelievers, how did you lose your religion?

Hepheastus420

Hepheastus420

Well-Known Member
Kaendar said:
Exactly. When people are about to die, majority of them snap back into realizing that life is too precious for a god not to exist. Our minds, thoughts, emotions, love, passion, is of too much value to just stop existing when death comes. Another thing is that alot of atheists start worrying about the destination of their previously non existent soul when they are about to die.
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It's hard to grasp dude. It's scary to realize you're nothing but a flicker of light.

People used to tell me this stuff and I'd get mad, much like what you do. Now that I see what they mean, I can appreciate them and realize that they didn't mean any harm. Hopefuly one day you'll be able to look back and realize that we weren't trying to be dicks in the beginning. Maybe someday you'll overcome your fears. Yeah yeah.. go ahead and say you're not like me and your faith won't fade. But deep down you know the truth. I just hope you deal with it better than I did.
 
Heisenberg

Heisenberg

Well-Known Member
patlpp said:
When you face inevitable death, you will pray to God. Trust me.
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When you are faced with death, will you pray to Zeus? How about Poseidon? Xenu? Tabaldak?

No? Why, is it because you do not believe in them? I don't believe in any God, so how will I know which one to pray to upon death?
 
Hepheastus420

Hepheastus420

Well-Known Member
Heisenberg said:
When you are faced with death, will you pray to Zeus? How about Poseidon? Xenu? Tabaldak?

No? Why, is it because you do not believe in them? I don't believe in any God, so how will I know which one to pray to upon death?
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No, he'll pray to hephaestus. :bigjoint:
 
Padawanbater2

Padawanbater2

Well-Known Member
Hepheastus420 said:
Nice thread pad.

At this moment I'm having a serious brain fart and I can't really remember my journey. I will give what I can remember though.

1994-2001: Happy as can be. No influence of religion or didn't have to think hard to be happy. There was no logic thoughts and there were no illogical thoughts. I just lived in the now.

2001-2002: I remember having an amazing dog that was my friend. I loved that dog and played with him all the time. I don't remember his cause of death but I remember feeling grief. My father told me he went to "doggy heaven. I was so gullible. I didn't question what he told me since it made me feel alot of joy that his death was a good thing. Faith was born.

2002-2006: I would visit my grandma alot and every once in a while she would take me to church. She has a thick spanish heritage and understands spanish the best. Needless to say, the church she took to me had a spanish speaking preacher. I couldn't understand a word he was saying. My grandma would translate the basics for me. God loves you so be good. Don't kill, steal, or be bad. No questioning from me since it wasn't neccessary.

2009: For some reason I catch on to conspriacies and get more interested in those than my "religion" (which I still haven't looked into). I start researching the illuminati, the mayans prophecy, and all that crap. While watching youtube videos, I would watch related videos on religions and how god would stop all these people. I got deep into conspiracies and UFOs which lead me to believe the world was evil and god was the only way to justice. I start researching more about religion and my faith builds a new strength. My faith is the strongest it's ever been at this point.

Through my HS years, I mentioned religion to some of my friends and it turns out most of them were atheists. They wouldn't mess with me or anything. They just said they were atheist and dropped the subject. Nuetral subject with them.

2010: I actually start thinking. I don't want to. I converse with different people on the subject. Friends tell me it's ok not to have a religion. My dad tells me he doesn't think I should question it. I was too scared to ask my grandma since I know she would just be pissed. I pretty much kept my thoughts to myself. "oh well.. I just need to keep my faith strong. Everything will be fine if I trust in god".

2011: I forgot the the name of the "prophecy" but he had thousands of followers. His group started spreading the word that the end of the world is close. "Holy fucking shit!!!! This can't be true!!". I start thinking I'm gonna go to hell for all my bad deeds. I started drinnking and singing bob marley songs in the backyard. Weird.. I "feel" that memory. Gloomy times but I feel like I learned something important. I remember filling a water bottle full of whiskey and walking in the streets at night. One night I called my mom while crying at told her that I don't want to go to hell and that I love her (lol.. calling people while drunk is funny). She tells me not to worry about it and the end of the world isn't coming soon.

I don't believe her though. I ask god for forgiveness and build up my faith. My faith is still strong.

2011 (later): It turns out that dipshit was wrong. I wake up and the world is the same. I realize I was so stupid. How could I fall for something as stupid? I start thinking seriously about my other beliefs. They all seem kind of crazy. But I don't want to think about it because it's a sin. I remember lashing out at a few skeptics here at this point in time who told me my beliefs were crazy. I hear other points from different people.. Alot of people tried to tell me the truth but I'd close my ears and yell "my faith is all I need" (metaphorically of course). I was ignoring the truth. I felt bad for questioning my faith. It was the start of the breakdown.

2011-2012: I gain alot of wisdom and views on life. I realize my beliefs are kind of crazy and I start finding it harder and harder to believe in them. I go through suicidal tendencies. Not being melodramatic. But I like for things to have a point. "what's the point of life if there is no god" I would ask myself. "there is no point.. no point in anything" blah blah depression.

2012: Not too long ago I bounce back from my depression. I feel new and good. I don't need religion any longer and thinking logically comes naturally (well in most cases). I haven't thought of my previous beliefs in conspiracies in a while. I can't believe I actually believed in that stuff.

Some of the years might be off but that's pretty much how it went down.
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Beautiful to read, and not so different from my own experience.

I was once shackled to a belief that held no foundation in reality. The thought that could happen alone is scary enough, but it's very scary to actually believe the teachings of Christianity, especially at a young, impressionable age. I'm at the point, now, where I believe teaching a child whose unable to comprehend such concepts is child abuse. No different from teaching a child it's wrong to be homosexual. They do it to trap them into the belief at such a young age. It's wrong..

Without that, they know their religion would die off in one or two generations because it can't hold up to logistical claims. Claims made real by the application of science (another reason they oppose it so much..). Bullshit is hard to pass when the truth is a click away...

This is why I'm highly confident in the youth of the nation.. Most of them won't be taken in by the bullshit, they'll realize the truth without having to research every facet of lies in print. It has become virtually impossible to con the masses into believing a lie (with the exception of politics)..

Get used to it.
 
mindphuk

mindphuk

Well-Known Member
Chief Walkin Eagle said:
Are you saying I should report him if I got a problem? Wtf will that do? Im sure who ever made him mod agrees with his beliefs and intentions, and they are quite alright with him sermonizing the god out of the believers.
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Did you read the whole post? I pointed out why your constant complaining about this is not only fallacious but incredibly stupid and it's getting quite tiresome. I have to hear people complain at work all day, most of the time about stupid stuff, but your complaint takes on a whole new level of stupid. Who should mod the political forum, a democrat or republican? Who should the S&S&P mod be, a highly spiritual person that disallows criticism of spiritual arguments? Do you honestly think that's fair? Has Pad actually censored you or prevented from offering your POV? Your complaint is vacuous, give it up already.
 
Hepheastus420

Hepheastus420

Well-Known Member
Padawanbater2 said:
Beautiful to read, and not so different from my own experience.

I was once shackled to a belief that held no foundation in reality. The thought that could happen alone is scary enough, but it's very scary to actually believe the teachings of Christianity, especially at a young, impressionable age. I'm at the point, now, where I believe teaching a child whose unable to comprehend such concepts is child abuse. No different from teaching a child it's wrong to be homosexual. They do it to trap them into the belief at such a young age. It's wrong..

Without that, they know their religion would die off in one or two generations because it can't hold up to logistical claims. Claims made real by the application of science (another reason they oppose it so much..). Bullshit is hard to pass when the truth is a click away...

This is why I'm highly confident in the youth of the nation.. Most of them won't be taken in by the bullshit, they'll realize the truth without having to research every facet of lies in print. It has become virtually impossible to con the masses into believing a lie (with the exception of politics)..

Get used to it.
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Thanks dude.

Yeah it was a scary belief. They baited me in during my early years and hooked me with fear tactics in my later years. Fucked up if you ask me. It's even more scary to leave your beliefs behind.

Poor kids. It is really fucked up. My little sister believes that her rabbit went to heaven. She told me that the other day. I didn't know what to say. I just told her the rabbit had a good life. My father could have taught her a different way. He could have taught her of the circle of life. Instead, he started the cycle of faith all over again. It kind of kills me to hear her believe in lies. And that's on a small scale. I hope she steers clear out of the way of religion. I hope she can just be happy realizing she has this one awesome life.

I hope the best for the youngest generations.
 
Kaendar

Kaendar

Well-Known Member
mindphuk said:
Let me explain once more. I understand you believe and you think the proof you have is sufficient. However, if you want to convince another person that your belief has merit, you MUST present good REASONS for this belief, otherwise, people will continue to reject your claim as unreasonable. I have a dragon in my garage. It is an invisible dragon and breathes heatless fire. You can't see him but I know he's there and that proof is good enough for me. If someone called that an irrational belief, they would be right in spite of the fact that I know my dragon is real. What you think is true has absolutely no bearing on whether it appears as an irrational belief to other people or not. As I said, rational beliefs can be backed up with rational reasons. Claiming proof that is not good enough to withstand a court proceeding certainly isn't going to sway many people.
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I have more proof than just my belief. Miracles are all the proof I need. Bill collectors suddenly being unable to find the account in debt, tumors disappearing, surviving injuries that should have killed.. the universe!
 
Heisenberg

Heisenberg

Well-Known Member
Isn't this enough?


Just this world?


Just this beautiful, complex
Wonderfully unfathomable, NATURAL world?
How does it so fail to hold our attention
That we have to diminish it with the invention
Of cheap, man-made Myths and Monsters?
If you're so into Shakespeare
Lend me your ear:
“To gild refined gold, to paint the lily,
To throw perfume on the violet… is just fucking silly”
Or something like that.


But here's what gives me a hard-on:
I am a tiny, insignificant, ignorant lump of carbon.
I have one life, and it is short
And unimportant…
But thanks to recent scientific advances
I get to live twice as long
As my great great great great uncleses and auntses.
Twice as long to live this life of mine
Twice as long to love this wife of mine
Twice as many years of friends and wine


[video=youtube;y1yxDWxUIM0]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y1yxDWxUIM0&[/video]
 
Padawanbater2

Padawanbater2

Well-Known Member
Hepheastus420 said:
Thanks dude.

Yeah it was a scary belief. They baited me in during my early years and hooked me with fear tactics in my later years. Fucked up if you ask me. It's even more scary to leave your beliefs behind.

Poor kids. It is really fucked up. My little sister believes that her rabbit went to heaven. She told me that the other day. I didn't know what to say. I just told her the rabbit had a good life. My father could have taught her a different way. He could have taught her of the circle of life. Instead, he started the cycle of faith all over again. It kind of kills me to hear her believe in lies. And that's on a small scale. I hope she steers clear out of the way of religion. I hope she can just be happy realizing she has this one awesome life.

I hope the best for the youngest generations.
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The more you reveal, the more it applies to my own life, man..

I have a little sister, 5 years younger than me. She used to be highly into youth group. For anyone who doesn't know what that is, it's a group of religious people who get together weekly an discuss religion and the benefit it has on the individuals life. Absolutely nothing to frown upon or look down upon, it's a positive group only looking to improve the quality of their lives. Totally admirable. I know people who still go to youth group who are excellent individuals who should be looked at as moral guidelines. They're great people. But I expressed my views on organized religion to her, let her know what I believe and most importantly, why, and she evaluated her opinions.

Now, she's an atheist, with little belief in a physical God that controls the universe...

She's also a more humane individual than before..

I find it interesting, most people, once they accept the logistics of atheism, tend to disagree with capital punishment or anything similar... Smart, obvious human rights issues and subjects seem to become logical for some weird reason once people see the absurdity of their previous beliefs based on shaky foundations... HMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM!!!
 
Heisenberg

Heisenberg

Well-Known Member
Kaendar said:
I have more proof than just my belief. Miracles are all the proof I need. Bill collectors suddenly being unable to find the account in debt, tumors disappearing, surviving injuries that should have killed.. the universe!
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You've just said "I have more proof than just my belief, my belief is all the proof I need", and then go on to demonstrate a disregard for parsimony.
 
mindphuk

mindphuk

Well-Known Member
Kaendar said:
I have more proof than just my belief. Miracles are all the proof I need. Bill collectors suddenly being unable to find the account in debt, tumors disappearing, surviving injuries that should have killed.. the universe!
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None of that means anything to any other person that you must convince. Your experiences are irrelevant to another person. Your belief in miracles that may or may not have occurred isn't enough to convince me.
My dragon speaks to me, he creates miracles and heals disease too. I have proof my dragon exists.
 
Kaendar

Kaendar

Well-Known Member
mindphuk said:
None of that means anything to any other person that you must convince. Your experiences are irrelevant to another person. Your belief in miracles that may or may not have occurred isn't enough to convince me.
My dragon speaks to me, he creates miracles and heals disease too. I have proof my dragon exists.
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If I saw your dragon create a miracle or heal a disease that would be more than enuf proof for me.
 
Hepheastus420

Hepheastus420

Well-Known Member
Padawanbater2 said:
The more you reveal, the more it applies to my own life, man..

I have a little sister, 5 years younger than me. She used to be highly into youth group. For anyone who doesn't know what that is, it's a group of religious people who get together weekly an discuss religion and the benefit it has on the individuals life. Absolutely nothing to frown upon or look down upon, it's a positive group only looking to improve the quality of their lives. Totally admirable. I know people who still go to youth group who are excellent individuals who should be looked at as moral guidelines. They're great people. But I expressed my views on organized religion to her, let her know what I believe and most importantly, why, and she evaluated her opinions.

Now, she's an atheist, with little belief in a physical God that controls the universe...

She's also a more humane individual than before..

I find it interesting, most people, once they accept the logistics of atheism, tend to disagree with capital punishment or anything similar... Smart, obvious human rights issues and subjects seem to become logical for some weird reason once people see the absurdity of their previous beliefs based on shaky foundations... HMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM!!!
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I notice many coerellations with people that lose their religions. I'll refrain myself from saying them since I can think of two people that would take it offensively. I noticed many with myself. One of them is my spelling. It seems to have improved alot. Another is my thinking proccess. I put alot more thought into everything than I did before.

Did your sister go through a hard time? What does she think about her youth group now? If my sister gets mad at me for something that has to do with religion or if she's curious about my views when she's older, I'll let her know what I believe (or don't believe).
 
Kaendar

Kaendar

Well-Known Member
Hepheastus420 said:
That rabbit doesn't have a conscious mind. Saying it had a good life was my opnion. It's not a lie.


Not sure if that was a joke or not. I have a feeling that you had an agenda behind that question though.
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Did it really tho.. how would u feel living in captivity?
 
Chief Walkin Eagle

Chief Walkin Eagle

Well-Known Member
mindphuk said:
Did you read the whole post? I pointed out why your constant complaining about this is not only fallacious but incredibly stupid and it's getting quite tiresome. I have to hear people complain at work all day, most of the time about stupid stuff, but your complaint takes on a whole new level of stupid. Who should mod the political forum, a democrat or republican? Who should the S&S&P mod be, a highly spiritual person that disallows criticism of spiritual arguments? Do you honestly think that's fair? Has Pad actually censored you or prevented from offering your POV? Your complaint is vacuous, give it up already.
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The horse you sit on is becoming more apparent. It was always apparent actually. Even when more well spoken individuals present a good argument you act like what they say doesnt matter, convinced that only your point of view can be right and you simply dismiss what they have to say. Your more big headed than that ugly guy in your avatar with the five head... So to have a spiritual mod to look after the SPIRITUALITY, Sexuality, and Philosophy forum would be unfair? Someone to bring balance to this subforum of nut hugging know it all atheists is unfair? Compared to a stone cold materialist whos apparent goal is to try and convince believers that they'er thinking irrationally and shouldnt have their beliefs? I dont care if anyone questions god, I dont think I even argued god here. Its the fact that its his GOAL to try and convince believers that their beliefs are irrational, in what way is that different from a crazy christian trying to recruit followers to christ? Please, tell me. As a mod, its not his job to convince believers that the concept of "spirit" is irrational, because hes a fucking spirituality mod. Why do you even need to question our spiritual beliefs anyways? We know what you think, we heard atheists our whole lives saying that believing in god is stupid, if they dont change our views, what makes you think you can? The only reason I can think of that you band of nut hugging know-it-all question spiritual beliefs is to boost your already soaring ego, to further convince you that theists are mentally superior and that you have a better grasp on reality than they do. You are not changing anything with your blow hard responses against spiritual beliefs, give it up already.
 
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