# Why did you stop being a follower of whatever religion you followed?



## rapidfox1

What's your reason?


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## Noca

I came to my senses, as I continued on my path to recovery from years of being brainwashed as a child.


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## LordScott

im just to lazy to go


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## MrGilligan

I thought about it and decided it didn't sound very reasonable.


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## PaysageDHiver

Belief gradually left me when I began studying philosophy and hanging around atheistic philosophers.


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## NWZ

I read the bible, and realized that I didn't have any basis for believing in it.


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## TragicDreamz

I just couldn't believe in something that I couldn't prove was real. Religion means a life investment and I can't dedicate my life to something that MIGHT be real.


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## The Sleeping Dragon

Short answer: I began to question. 

Though I did become agnostic after I fell from Christianity. I tried to fill the god gap and considered following a new religion. But the more I read about gods (the new and old) the less I became agnostic. Till one day I realized it's very improbably that one of all these gods is real and that science is a much better way of explaining the world. And the realization that I can be a good moral person without a god.


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## jsgt

I had someone ask me a question which knocked me right on my ***. "How do you know there is a God". He was my health teacher in 1996 and shouldn't have been talking about religious topics in school, but I'm so glad he did. That one question changed my life.


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## tehuti88

I won't list my former religion, even though I never actively practiced.

I just eventually came to realize it was too exclusive, and there was just so much of a "God won't love you if you don't _____" or "God will only accept you if you _____," that it made God feel terribly discriminatory and judgemental to me. I don't TECHNICALLY belong in this forum as I still believe in God and have my own belief system, but it's not part of any organized faith, so I feel terribly uncomfortable around such groups.

I get excluded enough in real life. Why would I want to belong to a faith where even God would exclude me for any little thing? Plus, many of the beliefs seemed petty to me and not in keeping with my own impressions of things. I gradually came to realize I could not by rights follow a faith I barely even agreed with. So I guess it's a good thing I was never practicing anyway.


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## McdonaldMiller

I went to church since I was young...I did all the things they talked about. Somehow, though, my life became a mess and it cannot be fixed now. I really do not want to blame the church but I have lost any kind of faith and I will not go back in the foreseeable (sp) future.


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## HarryStanluv25

As things got worse for me in high school I began to think why would a god do things like this and I lost faith in him as there was no reason to believe. It was a simple case of only following because my family did as a young child then coming to my senses and having a mind of my own as I grew. 

That's the short version anyway. :roll


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## The Sleeping Dragon

I thought a bit more on it today and actually it was a matter of cause and effect. As a kid I was very interested in dinosaurs... do the math.


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## McdonaldMiller

HarryStanluv25 said:


> As things got worse for me in high school I began to think why would a god do things like this and I lost faith in him as there was no reason to believe. It was a simple case of only following because my family did as a young child then coming to my senses and having a mind of my own as I grew.
> 
> That's the short version anyway. :roll


Yes I grew up this way also in the church. High School was hell and I was actually mocked at church.


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## Rodin

I don't think I ever truly believed, was just going through the motions. I rebelled pretty early against going to church. Probably 7-8th grade.


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## low

It was retarded on every level.


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## NWZ

Rodin said:


> I don't think I ever truly believed, was just going through the motions. I rebelled pretty early against going to church. Probably 7-8th grade.


I was in the same age range when I fell away from religion. In my case I fell away because I attempted to strengthen my faith by reading the bible. By the time I got through Genesis I realized I could not subscribe to a fundamentalist doctrine since the bible seemed to clearly contradict itself and the world at large. From there it was only a matter of time before I realized that there was little or no basis for any form of Christianity.


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## Rodin

NWZ said:


> I was in the same age range when I fell away from religion. In my case I fell away because I attempted to strengthen my faith by reading the bible. By the time I got through Genesis I realized I could not subscribe to a fundamentalist doctrine since the bible seemed to clearly contradict itself and the world at large. From there it was only a matter of time before I realized that there was little or no basis for any form of Christianity.


The Achilles heal of religion I think are the contradictions. BUT...some people overlook this by saying "I am just a lowly human, how can I understand the mind of God?". Soooooo, when it doesn't make sense just blame it on your own stupidity as a human.


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## hobo10

Its weird...I do believe in god...it's not a matter of _"if."_. Not for me anyway. HOWEVER, I DO NOT believe in the bible. Therefore I can't call myself Christian. I guess I came to this point after realizing that the bible is written by man, and finding out about various stories that have been omitted or changed for the purposes of Religous persecution and manipulation. Plus, I don't think you have to be a Christian to go to heaven. I also don't think god has a problem with gays.


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## hobo10

tehuti88 said:


> I just eventually came to realize it was too exclusive, and there was just so much of a "God won't love you if you don't _____" or "God will only accept you if you _____," that it made God feel terribly discriminatory and judgemental to me. I don't TECHNICALLY belong in this forum as I still believe in God and have my own belief system, but it's not part of any organized faith, so I feel terribly uncomfortable around such groups.


You and I think alike. I too still believe in god but not necessarily in a Religous way...i have my own beliefs. My sister joked that I should start preaching what I believe and start my own religion.

I don't understand how super Christians say god is all loving and forgiving while remaining adamant that you have to be a certain way to gain his favor. Isn't that just contradictory?


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## forbidden

I prayed daily as a child and somewhat in my teens...until i recovered some information regarding sexual abuse in my past. I began to question how an all loving being could let that happen to me, and from that day forward ive been a semi-atheist. I just became someone who doesnt really believe in anything other then myself.


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## Rodin

forbidden said:


> I began to question how an all loving being could let that happen to me, and from that day forward ive been a semi-atheist.


Standard response if what God does makes no sense: We lowly humans cannot fully comprehend God's ways and God's plan for you.

Standard response if what God does makes sense: God is great, give glory to God.


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## bedroommonster

no reason to beleive in false beleifs


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## rymo

I was like 12...and I suddenly realized that the concept of god was silly, despite being forced to go through all the Catholic sacraments. Cooincidentally I went to a Catholic high school and the first year or two I was petrified of letting my lack of belief be known to anyone because everyone else seemed to be pretty devout. I was the lone rebel in a sea of zealots. I was Indiana Jones creeping through the Temple of Doom, hoping i wouldnt get my heart ripped out and then get kicked down into hell.

Later though I realized that many of the other kids were actually sane like me and when my religion teacher junior year told the class that masturbation was a sin I suddenly stopped caring about religion, god, or letting it be known that I was an atheist. After all, if I were to have taken him seriously then with my resume I would have to believe that i will eventually be taken to a dark corner of hell reserved for only the worst of the worst. Hitler, Osama, and me: the masturbation world record holder for all time.


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## Toppington

hobo10 said:


> I don't understand how super Christians say god is all loving and forgiving while remaining adamant that you have to be a certain way to gain his favor. Isn't that just contradictory?


While I no longer believe in God or much of anything related to the Christian faith, this question is basically what convinced me to officially give it up after years of asking it with no real answer.

"Oh, yeah. He'll love you no matter what. But not if you're one of those GAWDAM QUEERS!" :roll

Things like this make the idea of even associating myself with a church where a lot of the people that attend think like this completely unbearable. I also can't stand fanatics when it comes to any religion. I just no longer have a reason to believe with all of the holes in the story of religion in general.


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## shyshisho

I was Christian for many years, but recently I found I could no longer believe many of its ethical teachings, particularly on sex, marriage, and gender relations. I still incline towards theism, though.


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## ryobi

I went to a basketball camp...


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## hobo10

ryobi said:


> I went to a basketball camp...


Basketball made you nonreligous?


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## ryobi

Yes...it's a long story. Basically, it was a, "christian basketball camp" and they used cult like tactics to convert people. That experience, and experiences with chrisitains has resulted in my non-religiousity


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## ChadsWick1234

I see to much pain and suffering in the world to believe in a loving god. I don't care if he see things differently than we do. Maybe it's my job as a correctional officer just most people I come accross I don't like. If religion gives you inner peace good for to each his own.


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## zane777

i remember when i was little, not too little though and i was in the bus going to school, i was ****ting myself because i had a very important exams, i kept praying and praying to pass the exams ... i failed those with flying colours lol, i remember asking myself why did i fail when i prayed with such emotions? it was funny cuz when i asked the question to my parents they replied "because you didnt study enough", "but i prayed", "thats not enough, son, if you dont learn you wont get anywhere" i thought to myself i can leave praying and still pass, i can leave praying and still have sucess, lead a normal life.... where is the point to pray? obviously as time went along my arguments became better but thats how i stopped following religion


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## Patriot

I discovered Hitchens


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## millyxox

It's the people in the church that made me stop following religion.They are so controlling,manipulative,I'm glad that I opened my eyes to see right through their brainwashing tactics.I want to leave,but my mom forces me to go every week.If I do leave,they will call at our house & make my mom feel guilty by telling her that she is not being a good mother.So basically, my mom forces me to go because she dosen't want the other church goers to call her a bad single mother who can't control her teen.The more they push me into it, the more I want to rebel & leave.The only option for me is to move to another city where they can't reach me.

I also got sick of their anti-gay sermons.I have gay friends who got bullied to death & it makes me sick when they say that you have to be kind to everybody , be like Jesus yet they preach really hateful messages.


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## ryobi

^same


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## McShakesalot

My aunt believed in God and went to church every sunday, she was the nicest woman in the world. Her and my 2 cousins got shot and killed. There is no God.


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## whattothink

nirvana


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## AmericanZero

I went to church this one time.


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## regimes

i never honestly believed. i tagged along to humor my mother. i stopped calling myself a christian when i realized i was happier when i didn't live under restrictive, false pretenses.


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## Brad

I stopped being a "follower" when I came to a realization that I didn't even know why I was following the religion that I did, and that I simply went to church and subscribed to their teachings because my parents taught me it was true while raising me. I probably came to the turning point when in Confirmation classes, the pastor seemed to be trying to scare us with the idea of hell, and persuade us with to believe with the idea of heaven. I was around 14 then, and I now realize after studying Christianity, and Religion in general that there is absolutely nothing credible about it whatsoever. It is no more than a 2,000 year old book written in the stone age by goat herders in the middle east. There is nothing that any Christian can say that would prove that their religion is true, and the other hundreds in existence are false, and vise versa.. Because they aren't true, and are based on blind "faith", believing stories without any evidence or logic.

It's like when you're a kid, your parents tell you that if you're a good boy Santa will bring you presents, you truly believe in your heart that Santa exists and your good deeds will be rewarded, but eventually learn that Santa doesn't exist, and his false character was just inspired by a past story. I think Religion is a great sales pitch, and that people believe it because they find comfort in the idea that there's something after life, and that they'll meet the ones they love in some sort of paradise. That and the prospect of burning in hell for eternity isn't so great. I know alot of Christians who say "well what if i'm right, I won't burn in hell", doesn't hurt in taking a chance", which is a complete joke and just proves that they don't really believe it and just follow their beliefs out of fear.


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## Puppet Master

My dog died I decided the christian god was an ******* and the rest took care of itself.


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## Jnmcda0

It was for a variety of reasons and my lessening believe occurred over the course of a few years. I'd say the biggest reason I initially stopped believing is what John Loftus calls the "outsider test for faith". In other words, you examine how your beliefs would look to an outsider. I wondered: had I been born in another part of the globe, India, for example, would I still have been a Christian had I been born to Hindu parents, with the vast majority of my friends, family, and neighbors being Hindu or, to a lesser extent, Muslim? Probably not. Christianity would like have seemed as foreign to me as an Indian as Hinduism seems to me as an American.


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## Crystalline

I read the Bible. Last straw was going to theology class and reading how much time and effort was spent hairsplitting on the nature of the Trinity and excommunicating sects for the most idiotic things.


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## anomalous

I don't remember one particular "aha" moment, but it was sometime around age 13. At the time, my family had just started going to church (partially as a result of 9/11, I guess?) for the first time since I was too young to remember. The dearth of intelligence among the congregation was probably a big part of my wake-up call, mean as that sounds.

What interests me most about my personal history with religion is not so much why I stopped believing, but why and how I _made myself_ believe up to a certain age, despite having serious doubts lingering beneath the surface. I realize in hindsight that my "belief" was extremely superficial and motivated primarily by a desire to conform and please my parents/society. I can only assume this is a big factor for many current believers, too.


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## Soilwork

After mulling it over for a while, I decided there was no good evidence for the existence of God.


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## lookingforthemagic

There are actually a couple different reasons. 

One is that at some point I realized that I just didn't believe the stuff church was teaching me. That's the simple reason. 

But the main reason are the followers themselves. I got tired of hearing sermons saying to give money to the church, remain pure, don't be gay etc. 

Also I'm a lesbian, so obviously the church doesn't want me anyway. 

I still consider myself "spiritual". I just don't do any "isms".


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## AceEmoKid

Also I'm a lesbian said:


> I think you might be looking into the wrong churches...but it's hard to find any worship center however that does not have its stupid biases. That's part of the reason I guess I never really got into Christian religion....
> 
> ...I remember I had to perform for a morning service at some little church for choir, and I listened to the sermon after...The guy categorized "same sex relationships" with adultery, stealing, and murder. What an *******.
> 
> I also consider myself spiritual though. I don't exactly believe in higher powers, but I *do *believe in fundamental morals....


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## wolfeyes

tehuti88 said:


> I won't list my former religion, even though I never actively practiced.
> 
> I just eventually came to realize it was too exclusive, and there was just so much of a "God won't love you if you don't _____" or "God will only accept you if you _____," that it made God feel terribly discriminatory and judgemental to me. I don't TECHNICALLY belong in this forum as I still believe in God and have my own belief system, but it's not part of any organized faith, so I feel terribly uncomfortable around such groups.
> 
> I get excluded enough in real life. Why would I want to belong to a faith where even God would exclude me for any little thing? Plus, many of the beliefs seemed petty to me and not in keeping with my own impressions of things. I gradually came to realize I could not by rights follow a faith I barely even agreed with. So I guess it's a good thing I was never practicing anyway.


what you said is so true. I went to church a few times and was disgusted by the judgmental mentality. the God I believe in would not be like they made him out to be. these people's heads were so far up their ***'s that they thought anyone who didn't believe would got to "hell." one pastor also had the nerve to say that all other religions are wrong!


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## minddrips

jesus didn't show me his dick after he told me he would if I went first:mum


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## TryingMara

I was in love with my religion, it was my entire life. It was those feelings that propelled me to learn more about it. The more I studied, the less I believed. The more I read the Bible and learned of the culture and time in which it was written, the less I believed. Learning about how important aspects of my own religion existed in other belief systems centuries prior to my religion, shattered any lasting vestiges of faith I may have had.


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## Sumguy7

I never found any of it convincing to begin with.


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## Foh_Teej

If you want "are you ****ing kidding me?" and facepalm moments, start a thread on why someone actually believes what they do in the spiritual forum. I would but Im banned from posting there.:b


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## millenniumman75

Foh_Teej said:


> If you want "are you ****ing kidding me?" and facepalm moments, start a thread on why someone actually believes what they do in the spiritual forum. I would but Im banned from posting there.:b


There has been a longstanding clause in the Spiritual forum about debate - the very rule you have consistently broken when in that forum. There have also been outright attacks on other members in that area, including yours truly. You were given a time out to cool off. The extension into this area depends on you at this point.


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## kismetie

Aw, the seed of doubt which lead to questioning. I was never really religious to begin with and when I was little I did want I was told to. But after I really thought about it none of it really made any sense. For someone who is suppose to be not affected my human conflicted God seemed very human in his expectations and reasoning to me. He didn't seem merciful at all to me and rather cruel and egotistic. Christianity is just simply not for me.


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## lkkxm

Because I realized believing in some deity is like begging the guy with the gun against your head not to shoot. **** that. I'm not begging.


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## justpassinby

With Buddhism, I was never on board with reincarnation. Coming back as a different living being seemed unlikely, so I could never embrace the religion (or belief system). Also, meditating did not help my anxiety, it just made me tired, I would fall asleep, only to wake up equally as anxious. I never honed in on the underlying cause for the anxiety with Buddhism, just sort of circled around it. Seemed I was doing a lot of the work with absolutely no results (zen, yoga, meditation, visualization, other new age stuff). With Catholicism I don't understand the need for priests since we have Jesus. So, to me, those religions seemed false.


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## SweetNSour82

Because they were all self righteous judgmental hypocritical a....
My own family who I grew up with (apart from immediate) treated me like I had some infectious disease and refused to come to my wedding because I was pregnant and had refused to get baptised first. At least I didn't get an abortion and keep pretending like I was innocent like so many of them. So I thought f*** them. So many of them have been busted for cheating and other things I won't mention. Can't help but feel a little satisfaction. It was like a cult!


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## orchidsandviolins

i found myself believing and standing up for things for the church, and not for me.
plus i had questioned religion since i was a kid.


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## MrBakura91

For years I believed in fear as a kid then I started looking at critical info and didn't know what to do, my fear was lessened but I still thought I needed religion to be happy and I tried for months and started over as a "true" Christian and even was a member of a Christian forum and I would pray morning and night but I still had doubts that were accumulating more and more till finally I was like "Why am I trying to fool myself, who am I kidding?"


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## KeithB72

It wasn't something that happened all of a sudden, and I even think I fought it because I actually wanted to believe in something. But, as time went on, I just came to realize it made absolutely no sense, no logic, had no proof, and in some cases was downright evil. It was a completely gradual thing that probably happened over a period of 15 years as I became more enlightened and slowly let go of what I wanted vs. what made sense.


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## kindasorta

Being from Sweden this response doesn't really help many on here. I was born atheist (as all are) and my parents were either agnostic or atheist. I was never introduced to religion other than in school and for various events such as baptisisms for relatives and funerals and such. I've never been tempted to turn to religion. I did get confirmed and baptized at 15 but that was just to get presents and please my grandmother.

When I was feeling particularly lost I actually started talking to a priest about my problems, the conditions were that she wouldn't try and sell religion to me and I wouldn't bash religion to her. She was nice, she had a background with a full CBT education too. It was mutual respect and I felt relatively safe confiding my secrets I felt I couldn't tell my therapist at the moment.


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## theaddicane

I don't get why anyone believes it - it's obviously ridiculous nonsense. I was raised in a cult but from as young as I can remember I deduced the flaws in the theories.

So my reason is this: Comee onnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn, it's bull****!


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## MsDaisy

Growing up I went to Christian sunday school and was a firm believer in God and Jesus. As I got older I picked up the bible and actually read the whole thing. Its terrifying, could hardly stomach it, and most all of it can be interpreted so many different ways. I get more satisfaction out of praying to the winds and hugging trees. At least they are here, I can feel them, and I understand that no one is really listening... I find comfort in knowing someday I will be only ashes, and dust to dust.


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## CabecitaSilenciosa

I was raised Catholic. As a kid I prayed, believed in God and whatnot, but at times I found myself questioning and not caring for some of the beliefs and practices (like the whole gay thing confused me, and I disliked church). I became more and more skeptical and disinterested as I grew older and became better informed (and unhappy). I pretty much have an agnostic theist view of 'God' now. And sometimes I can be a bit of an apatheist...

One of my most defining moments was when I realized that I was praying only out of fear and habit.


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## Midnight Laces

Well, after the **** these religious people are doing, I just stopped following. 

I am talking about people who want to convert LGBT into straight people or they want them to die and burn in hell.


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## Addler

Couple of reasons. I realized I was only a follower because I was afraid of an angry god that didn't really even fit the beliefs of the system I was supposedly following and that I was getting zero benefit from it. I also realized that I didn't actually believe the core beliefs of that religion. The last thing was that I was studying Latin (high school), and everything the ancient Romans believed in is just stories to us, and everything anyone believes in is just stories to everyone else--nobody's got a better claim to truth.


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## Death from Behind

I stopped being a christian after seeing how many fanatics are out there. People gathering at church praying to the sky. All i saw was a bunch of sheep who believe everything from the bible. Also, history played a big role. So many wars, so many people tortured and killed in the name of God. I will not become a sky worshiper. If God really is real, then he is just a sadistic, cruel being.


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## Watercoulour

I never really was a "follower." My parents never brought me to church and they are both against organized religion. They told me I can do whatever I want in life so long as I don't become an orthodox follower in any religion (they threatened to disown me). Although they said buddhism was okay.

But I grew up learning science and eventually thats what I followed. I don't believe in a divine entity and I don't believe in divine judgement nor do I believe in heaven or hell. This may seem a bit offensive, but I believe that not belonging to any religious group has defined my morals more personally and has made me more open minded.

I was also repulsed by the people trying to shove their religion down my throat and telling me I'm going to hell. Also, living in california, I had to see prop 8 being passed which is obviously against the constitution (separation of church and state). In the end, religion just seemed more like a corrupt business than salvation. I'm glad my parents didn't bring me to church.


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## Meli24R

I was never a follower. I wasn't raised religious. My parents didn't discuss religion at all when I was a child. They didn't encourage or discourage me in anyway..I was free to make my own decisions regarding this.
I didn't know much at all about Christianity until high school when some of my classmates tried to convert me. I went to church a couple of times and began studying the religion. Frankly, I thought it was insane right off the bat.


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## Daft

My family tried to raise me Christian, but even at five I knew to dig my heels in against being taught through means such as fear and mockery. I know a fair number of Christians now who are actually intelligent, upstanding people, but my mother never was and the school I went to for a few years certainly wasn't. 

I was interested in Taoism for a couple of years after a friend introduced me to it, but I had some philosophical differences and felt that I couldn't really practice it with any kind of due dedication or respect.


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## Lamento

i was thinkin that i actually should enjoy my life to the fullest, and believin is only making me suffer. and a religion is supposed to give happiness and peace, which it obviously didnt.


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## jaded1973

I grew up Mormon. But I stopped believing in it when I was 28. It just never seemed logical to me, I wanted religion - not just Mormonism to make sense. I was always convinced that it was something that was wrong with me. But I like logical explanations so no religion really fits well. However, I am drawn to certain spiritual beliefs and practices like Zen Buddhism.


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## Salvyrn

My family was never very religious to begin with, in fact my father was an atheist for as long as he can remember and my mother never forced any beliefs upon my brother and I. I was the one who got word of God and Jeebus around seven or eight and wanted to try out church, which actually wasn't too bad. I never took it too seriously though, and I was always really skeptical of the things they told us, especially of the whole 'Hell' thing. 

One major nail in the coffin was a session where my bro and I and a few other kids sat around a table and were told how the loving God would send us to Hell to burn and scream and cry if we didn't obey, which yes, was what we were told word for word. 

By the way, my brother is autistic. They were aware of this. And I believe I was sitting next to a cute little girl who always came in a frilly pink dress. God would have set her on fire for disobeying. Sigh.

Most of the people were nice, save for one woman who was sort of... overly dedicated. She was fine...

...until I brought Harry Potter to church. This lady pulled me aside to tell me how Harry Potter, who is a good guy, was leading people away from God with Satanic black magic. I was ten. I thought this lady was on crack. I guess she was just on Jesus. My own mother thought she was nuts. I asked my mom if I could just stay home and play Starfox 64. She said yes. I love my mom.

Later on I discovered black metal and my deconversion was complete.


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## Beamer

I was probably about 13. Nothing really happened. I just thought a lot about things, including my beliefs, and came to the conclusion that some of them didn't make any sense.


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## ohxsweetxinsanityx

I was 13 when I became an Agnostic. I was somewhat raised Christian I suppose. My family and I didn't attend church frequently. We only went sometimes. My mom taught the basic Biblical things when I was a small child.

But yeah, when I was 13 I also researched Atheism and Agnosticism. The Big Bang Theory and Evolution makes sense to me, but it's not believeable for me at the same time.

I decided that there's really no way of knowing if Creationism or Big Bang/Evolution Theory is real. But it could be possible. We're meant to ponder about these things for some reason 

Also hypocrisy pushed me away from Christianity.


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## wordscancutyoulikeglass

I was in my christian church and the pastor told us that we would never understand go and we will never be worthy of god and god is too big for our minds. It made me ponder and think about the whole religion and how illogical it was. Then, one day in the locker room I was getting dressed down for PE, and my best friend who's atheist brought up something about god, trying to debate, but I agreed with her, and that's when I realized I wasn't christian anymore, but agnostic instead.


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## Knowbody

I probably already responded to this thread but whatever.

I stopped being a christian when I realized my entire belief system was no different than any of the other creation myths that have existed since the dawn of man. Scientific fields such as biology and anthropology only solidified my assumption that my belief was fraudulent. Reading philosophers like Sam Harris, Hitchens and Dawkins was the nail in the coffin tho


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## there.is.no.they

ohxsweetxinsanityx said:


> ... My family and I didn't attend church frequently. We only went sometimes. My mom taught the basic Biblical things when I was a small child.
> 
> ...
> 
> Also hypocrisy pushed me away from Christianity.


Ditto.

I live in a predominantly Catholic country and I was raised as one by my parents. The thing that I've held on to as proof that God existed was this one time in my teens, I was alone at home and starving for we didn't have food. I pitied myself and kneeled down beside the bed to pray to God. A few moments later, a cousin of mine who lives nearby came knocking at our door and told me to join them for a meal.

Now that I've gotten older and learned how the mind can work, I've come to understand that there could be a more logical way of explaining that other than the existence of an all powerful, all-knowing being. As I've read and watched stuff I'm now able to view from a different perspective and come to realize that the ones against religion are the ones who are making more sense. The beliefs/rules I was indoctrinated into have been limiting for me. I am turned off by those who claim to be Christians but are the very first ones to do unchristian-like deeds. Plus I haven't been really comfortable with the rule of not questioning God. Well, maybe I just wasn't that much of a "firm" believer from the start. It's kinda hard explaining to my folks though that not being Christian does not automatically mean that I follow the devil.


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## Mauricio5

Because god never answered my prayers. After awhile I figured out I was just talking to myself.


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## MsDaisy

Because some of the crullest most judgmental people I know call themselves Christians. Because all throughout history, in the name of Jesus, religious peoples have pillaged the land and enslaved the people, then they preach that Jesus will save us. What a crock of bull!


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## xTKsaucex

quite easy, when my prayers went unanswered, and 'god' decided to kill off thousands of innocents each year. 

I lean more on Lucifer to be honest. Not to be mistaken with the Devil or Satan, Lucifer is a fallen Angel who challenged god and his/her/its love of mankind - a somewhat pathetic race.


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## Paper Samurai

Although my family has never been religious par say, I did hold the belief of some all powerful guy in the sky up until my my mid teens. Sadly for me though I attended Catholic schools up until 17, and quickly learnt that the most judgemental and hypocritical people tended to be the most religious. That shook any notion of religion that I had pretty badly, I then just did some reading and finally decided it was all pretty much baloney - just way to many contradictions.


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## moxosis

I can't say I followed the religion that I was put in, I never felt part of it. I didn't tell anyone that I didn't believe in god until 26, for me going to church on Christmas was nothing but going to a house with bunch of people and a Choir singing songs and story telling of kid being born, before we ate dinner. (weirdly we celebrate christmas at 18:00 on 24th of december, makes no sense)


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## simian4455

Mauricio5 said:


> Because god never answered my prayers. After awhile I figured out I was just talking to myself.


Good one.


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## windchimes

I think the groups at church were the worst for me, like someone else said, I already have social anxiety so it doesnt help when there are people judging me, and I have been severly judged, when my husband did not go to classes on wed night, it was somehow my fault, even though i was there to learn and help out..I just never felt I measured up to their or really anyone standards, I am tired now, too old for the group dynamics that always leave me excluded, in fact from what I read about group behavior and experienced all my life, I am now not really wanting to be part of any group, individuals show they are not jerks are ok with me


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## Jinxx

I started to have a change of heart. I was raised a Christian but it seemed like every prayer I made was a waste of breath after awhile. I became an Atheist & was going through a huge denial at age 14 but then I had another change of heart. I became a bit more open minded & converted to being Agnostic at 15. I'm the most content being Agnostic & love sharing my thoughts with others that're the same. Funny how my life has become the most 'in order' since I became Agnostic despite my Depression & Anxiety being bad but I don't blame being depressed upon not being a Christian. I will say this though... I do believe at times that there could be a God but I refuse to worship him because I hate how he supposedly 'tests' people to see if they will someday belong in his precious Heaven or not. Why bother putting people through so much crap just to state some moral value? Eh... Don't pay much attention to me though. I'm probably sounding like a Stooge to you all.


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## guitarFreak

Hard to explain everything but I could atleast state that I was also influenced by concluding:
god is either 
(1)non-existent or
(2)A sadistic tyrant worse than anything we've ever seen before

I went with number 1 for the sake of my sanity.


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## Daemon 06

I too was "indoctrinated" by this belief system from the time I was born. I never really stood a chance at developing my own beliefs as a child because of how heavily my family was doused in this organized religion. However I started to question this track I had been set on ever since I truly became aware of the atrocities in the world and the horror. Moreover, after seeing the hypocrisy in most of its 'followers' that I've come across, I began questioning Christianity even further. It really is, to me, just another method or ploy of controlling people and directing what can and cannot be done. People are like sheep in this way, happy as long as they're being taken care of. Security is a comforting promise, even if it's a lie. The unknown, death, is scary and some people are just not ready to embrace it; so they embrace a lie. I'd be fine with this if they would stop shoving their belief in everyone's faces, forcing them to *believe* and threatening them with hellfire if they disagree. And the worst part is that the children of these _believers_ are rarely ever given a chance at choosing what they want to believe. Children are soo susceptible and innocent, they never stand a chance when something such as Christianity is forced down they're throats. I'm done ranting haaha. Here's a quote I like to think of about christianity and forced religion in general:

He that cannot reason is a fool. He that will not is a bigot. He that dare not is a slave.
Andrew Carnegie


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## dragon9234

I felt as if FEAR was the reason behind me not questioning religion... Than when you open you eyes... you learn and can see past the fog.


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## Xenos

When I was about 13 or 14 the whole thing just suddenly seemed incredibly fanciful to me. It felt very much like I was outgrowing my belief in Santa Claus or the Easter Bunny. One day I looked around and understood that a super-powerful sentient being who knows everything and loves everyone is not the sort of thing that actually exists in real life.


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## Kascheritt

I was never religious to begin with, church seemed like an evil place. I was tired and sick of participating it that bs.


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## howard26

I want to echo what some people have typed here. Some of the meanest people i knew growing up went to church on sunday. For instance, a black couple came to our church, and after church, outside on the steps, a church member said "look at them ni***rs". All i could do was laugh. We were at church! Also, there was a time when nothing was going right, and i was pissed off at everyone and everything; including god. I asked myself "what's going to happen if i stop praying?" I wanted to feel god's punishment. Bring it. The opposite happened. I was much happier, and life was smoother. Then, i started the process of educating myself about it all.


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## inkstain

I never followed any religion from the get-go. I studied different religions throughout the years, but always gravitated to a Humanist perspective. I couldn't be happier with my decision.


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## xFindingLifex

ive been around it all my life, of course as many others have, and i accepted the belief of "God" because thats what i was told to follow. Growing up I started recognizing the trend of people saying "I believe in God" but they wouldnt go to worship in church or read a bible. I started wondering if people merely stated tha they believed in god simply because everyone else said they did. For this one reason I separated myself from admitting any devotion to God because I haven't given myself to the lord. I can't say i believe, i hardly know anything about it, and my mother never put much effort into teaching me about it. I will admit its interesting to read the bible but I don't know about putting my faith into it. My views now is that I don't do the right thing simply because I fear a higher being will punish me if I don't, I do what I deem is right because I feel it in my heart that it is what I must do. Who knows that could be God speaking to me too?


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## AlazarRamir

I used to be a devout catholic. Even used to be an altar boy. But one day, when I was really ill and could not participate in mass, I called the priest to tell him I could not make it. His response was: If you don't have time for God you can **** off!

Needless to say I was still young and quite impressionable. It opened way too many doubts and questions that I decided I could not and would not deal with them.


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## howard26

Gee Wiz, if you had a recorded message of the priest saying that, it would be gold!


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## theCARS1979

I grew up Catholic and followed it also to like 15 or so then I was like in limbo for awhile and didnt go to church. I would just pray. I think i started changing from Catholic to Agnostic when I saw something on TV and the internet about the secrets of the painting of the Last Supper painted by Leonardo DaVinci. that the painting revealed that Jesus Christ was indeed married to Mary Magdaline. The Church did all they can to cover it up and make Mary Magdaline look like a Harlot and a wh**e for 2000 years. The greatest hoax in world history. The Roman Catholic church begged the news not to air what they found in the grave in the mountains that day a few years ago and they didnt want them to reveal it. The fact that Jesus Christ had a possibility of 3 to 4 offspring surprised me. I started think that the whole thing about the Roman Catholic Church was infact a hoax. The oldest hoax in human history. I dont beleive in celebasy and the fact that the Virgin Mary was a virgin either. The reason they did that cause of Mary was to have Jesus she would be considered holy and the Catholic Church didnt want women to have any type of power so they made it up. That everything is considered a sin. I believe that if you enjoy something , why stop. The fact of not eating meat on Friday during lent. Its Bullsh*it and I believe that to be made up. They tried convicted and sentenced them to death and hung the witches for helping people and doing witchcraft. They started calling them evil and everything that had to do with them was heretic. They started making up things like the 7 deadly sins of the world and if you committed a sin your gonna go to hell, with the devil, bulls**t. Also the fact that Catholic priests were caught with molesting children and other things brought up and dug up over the years. This has been going on for over 40 and 50 years. The Roman Catholic church is said to have its own country and its own money. you cant just walk in there either. Jesus Christ had a brother named Joseph, so how can there be two miracles such as this? it doesn't make sense. Jesus Christ did exist and God does exist but I follow it spiritually. How does Leonardo Da Vinci know this? He was a student of the Knights of the Templar that were the followers and descendants of the one and only Jesus Christ. The Roman Catholic Church tried to kill off the family of Jesus Christ. Mary Magdaline and the family had to run and hide someplace in France and hide the holy grail. I think it was a girl and her name was Sarah. Some think the holy grail is the chalice but in reality its the holy child they wanted to destroy. The child Sarah and the rest of the siblings had offspring of their own. You know what that means, that people today could be related to Jesus Christ. The Knights of the Templar still exists to this day and your able to join them. the Davinci code movie stars long time actor Tom Hanks


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## theCARS1979

Insecure said:


> I started to have a change of heart. I was raised a Christian but it seemed like every prayer I made was a waste of breath after awhile. I became an Atheist & was going through a huge denial at age 14 but then I had another change of heart. I became a bit more open minded & converted to being Agnostic at 15. I'm the most content being Agnostic & love sharing my thoughts with others that're the same. Funny how my life has become the most 'in order' since I became Agnostic despite my Depression & Anxiety being bad but I don't blame being depressed upon not being a Christian. I will say this though... I do believe at times that there could be a God but I refuse to worship him because I hate how he supposedly 'tests' people to see if they will someday belong in his precious Heaven or not. Why bother putting people through so much crap just to state some moral value? Eh... Don't pay much attention to me though. I'm probably sounding like a Stooge to you all.


that's cool , i grew up Catholic and now I am Agnostic, follower of the Davinci Code and Holy blood line idea


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## wordscancutyoulikeglass

I prayed my whole life, waiting for millions of answers from god. 

He never answered. 

So I became agnostic.


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## AwkBoy

Deep down I've never believed in Yahweh. I've just never been able to suspend all my critical thinking faculties and be a "sheep" in some pastors "flock". The idea of following someone or something blindly and absolutely without asking questions and thinking critically about it is repulsive to me. 
*No Gods, No Masters*.


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## 84929

I didn't come from a religious background to begin with. My mom is a catholic and my dad is a christian. But both don't really practice it. For damn sure my dad doesn't. They weren't the type that hit church every Sunday. But my mom does read the bible now and again. She prays and so does my dad. They never thought me in who should I believe in.

In fact I kind of started to follow my grandfather's way of thinking. That was don't be a slave to a religion. He was raise a roman catholic. But not a practicing one. He believe you didn't need to go to church every Sunday to hear God or talk to God through a priest. He believe if you wanted to speak or hear him you don't have to leave your living room to do it lol. I guess I was around 13 maybe when I began to wonder if there really was a God and a reason for life....do we all have a purpose etc.

I didn't believe in those stories from the bible. I just think it was a story and a old story at that. I can't take anything serious in it when you consider all the facts. When I was about 18. I began to wonder what is God really like. And ponder if there was a God would it be male or female. I came to the conclusion that God would be neither; but a thing. A thing made up of pure energy. It wouldn't have no race, creed or gender. And that "God" was more about 'free will' then anything else. We make our own lives for better or worse. Cause if 'it' answers prays then that would be interfering with free will. 
(This stuff can only come from a mind that is sleep deprived lol)
With all these thoughts. There is no real place or should I say religion another then agnostic. so that's what I am.


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## Quinn the Eskimo

because it seemed like I had no control over my life, therefore I was not responsible for my "sins"

plus, it made no sense. an all-loving and perfect god would not create a universe like this. he also would not send people to eternal damnation because of doing thing that he set up for them to do himself. he would not send anyone to eternal damnation, period, if he was all-loving.


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## Arthur911216

*Why:*

I stopped believing when I was ending junior high, I had lots of familiar, self-esteem and social issues, people picked on me a lot and I was depressed and alone all the time, I've always felt disconnected from people around me but at that time everything increased. That gave me a lot of time to think about what was wrong with the world, with me, and to seek an answer beyond what I already had.

I just started becoming more critical and religion just became nonsense to me, I just feel its not that important and that if there's a god it may just as well not care for us. Right now I don't know if it exists and I don't care, I try to believe in the now and in the ability of humans to improve their lives instead of waiting for a saviour.

Besides if there was a god, why would I want to worship it?


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## amene

I admit I did believe, but bad things kept happening around me. I prayed for God to help my family, friends and it just got worse. Things have not changed when I did to now, when I don't. High school was hell for me too. I cried all the time and felt so alone. I was bullied and abused. Also the fact that if no one taught about God, you would know nothing of it. So people who know nothing of God or any God are all going to hell supposedly for not believing even though its not their fault. Many others reasons too..but that is too much to type, I trail on too much as it is.


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## Fain92

I left because it was a cult-like church that twisted the Bible so that it said what they wanted it to say. They would take verses and say "oh, well it doesn't actually mean _THAT_..." and then take other verses literally. They also believed thing like that all non-Conservative Christian music was sinful and will take you to hell. They were really controlling and you had to be perfect. I got tired of it and stopped believing that way while still remaining a Christian. Then I later started to feel that the Bible could not possibly be the inerrant word of a god, so I deconverted to Agnosticism.


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## And1 ellis

Because I figured out that religion does more harm than good and it is full of flaws and contradictions.


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## John316C

i believed everything my christian catholic religion told me. then i started seeing a lot of it was a lie. i thought i was a bad kid growing up but i wasnt. but i beleived it. and because i beleived it i beleived that the way to go to heaven was to be nice to everyone even if they abuse me. thank god i dont beleive it.


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## Arcane

Religion and science always clashed in my head, and eventually I just pushed away religion. Praying never solved any of my answers, but inferring and studying did.


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## Revan

Well, lately I found myself at a crossroads regarding religion and after looking at it from all possible angles, I have concluded that it is all b***sh**! And my reason for coming to that conclusion is simple. It was messing with my head. Instead of actually manning up and taking responsibility for myself, I've always tried to look "out there" for the answers, only to find that there are none. Like I thought some imaginary man with a beard had it in for me and was going to strike me down, or offer me some kind of reward. Here's a thought. IF...and this is a big IF...but IF God DID exist, maybe he just doesn't want us to know. Maybe he wants to become self-reliant and actually figure this life out for ourselves and enjoy it while we've got it. At least I'd rather die only to be pleasantly surprised. Plus, once you start believing in any religion or attach yourself to any ideology, you're only thinking yourself into a box which allows you to be easily manipulated and controlled.

This is where I feel we've always gone wrong. Once you start to confront your own mortality, a lot of anxieties start to just fade away because you realize it's utterly pointless being afraid. What are we afraid of? Being alone, being nothing, not existing. That's why I meditate and practice mindfulness. Besides calming me down, it's actually good practice for being dead.


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## musik021

Because religion teaches people to be homophobes. I don't believe in the bible or that it has any validity at all. I don't believe that even if it had any validity that anyone should still be living by it today. I'm sick of hearing people saying that God this, God that. It's so annoying when something terrible happens that people still "thank God" for blessing them somehow. I'm sick of people believing that their prayer is the reason something happened, as though that same thing would have never been possible if they hadn't prayed. Religion is just a load of b.s.


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## Define Me

Because God seemed more important to me. So now I'm a believer of God.


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## Rachelchloe

I used to go to a Catholic school, actually. But as I suffered through the pain of being forced to go to church and believe in 'God', it just became pointless to try and believe.

I'm proud to say I don't believe.


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## kc1895

I wanted to become a fundamental Christian. Not only did I have to devote my entire life towards the way of Jesus and living without sin, I also found that the only way was to "change" my sexuality (because it was a sin) and my entire identity. It lead me to a greater depression, and eventually a fallout of the religion.


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## T-Bone

being preached at sucks.


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## ineedtopunchsomeone

fhgh


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## Markus

I just couldn't be bothered to get out of bed for a 2 hour religious preaching... I like my bed


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## WaitingForGodot

The church as an institution pretty much put me of religion….


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## shinigami91

Christianity is one of the best explanations for a person's receptiveness to social anxiety who's grown up in a terrifying, judgmental atmosphere. Allowing young children to hear at a very young and impressionable age about a place of eternal suffering and damnation in a place like hell is more traumatizing than the boogy monster or an R-rated film could ever be. And kids have a great imagination, but they're Christian parents are just poisoning their mindsets. Then telling them that the God who sends people there is all-loving and all-good is a total distortion of the truth. In turn, we allow people to use us, abuse us, and walk all over us because we are told we must 'turn the other cheek.' And that is where social anxiety kicks in. When you think about it, it really is just the perfect breeding ground for an anxiety disorder. What good is this horrible religion? Its false, deceptive, controlling, and once you've figured out it was a lie all along, it then ruins any ties left you have with your family.


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## Kirceratops

I would have to say I became Atheist about the age of 8. I was abused as a child, and used to pray to god to make my stepfather go away. But it never happened, and quickly realised I was stupid for believing in such a thing. Into my teenage years, I fell in love with science, so that made me who I am today.


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## ugh1979

shinigami91 said:


> Christianity is one of the best explanations for a person's receptiveness to social anxiety who's grown up in a terrifying, judgmental atmosphere. Allowing young children to hear at a very young and impressionable age about a place of eternal suffering and damnation in a place like hell is more traumatizing than the boogy monster or an R-rated film could ever be. And kids have a great imagination, but they're Christian parents are just poisoning their mindsets. Then telling them that the God who sends people there is all-loving and all-good is a total distortion of the truth. In turn, we allow people to use us, abuse us, and walk all over us because we are told we must 'turn the other cheek.' And that is where social anxiety kicks in. When you think about it, it really is just the perfect breeding ground for an anxiety disorder. What good is this horrible religion? Its false, deceptive, controlling, and once you've figured out it was a lie all along, it then ruins any ties left you have with your family.


Indeed. I believe religious indoctrination of children to be a form of child abuse.

For those of you who think that is isn't, how would you feel if someone raised your child to believe that pink sky unicorns controlled everything and they should ignore all contradicting claims made by the likes of scientific eduction?


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## stradd

I never believed in it. I was raised in a *very* religious family but something about the entire thing always just felt.... wrong. I hated going to church on Sundays and I always felt like I was just being fed bull**** even at a young age. I sort of developed a resentment about my parents trying to force it on me, never giving me a choice or asking my opinion, just making assumptions and it's so ****ing aggrevating. The entire thing always stunk of bull**** since I was a little kid. 

Frankly, every time I went to church, I always felt it was stupid, and around 11 years old the entire thing felt almost cultish and weird, the ritualistic nature of it, also I was made to go to confession but I didn't say anything. The whole thing just felt like a front. I dunno why I'm ranting so long I'm just venting. I have never said any of this to my parents but sometimes I wish I would just tell them off.


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## Freddio42

When i was growing up I never really gave religion much thought. I knew it existed and I basically believed it I suppose, but I didn't actually think about it. Then as I started to learn religious education in secondary school (about 12 years old) and discovered the fact that it's all just based on a book, it occurred to me that there isn't in fact any evidence to support God, and hence no reason to support following organised religion and all the claptrap that comes with it. Even if there was a God, who is to say that this God is as described in the bible? Why would God even have a human voice, what is the distinction between humans and animals? Do animals go to heaven too then? What is the difference between Gods of different religions, are they not all referring to the same thing? There can't be more than one. None of it makes any sense, to me it is all stories and propaganda. I mean, people believed in witchcraft and burnt them at the stake for it only 200 years ago, imagine what the world was like 2000 years ago. I am a man of science and truth, I'm not going to base my life around something like this for literally no reason, it's like being a monk or something but instead people see it as something compulsory (i.e. They will be punished for not obeying and go to "Hell") which is just a load of rubbish in my opinion. That's exactly the sort of thing they would have come up with 2000 years ago to control the masses, it is so obvious to me. It is more valid to be a sun worshiper and come up with a bible pertaining to that, at least we can actually see the sun. Besides that there is no distinction between that and organised religion. Anyway I'll stop ranting.


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## A3rghee029

My Father was always an atheist at heart.He has this story(tells all the time) that the reason he turned to Christianity was because we were toddlers on welfare and times were rough and he became so weak that he felt he needed help believing in something greater during that stressful time. One night as they were leaving a family event he saw his 5yr old daughter collapse to the floor praying, begging to god to stay. And that's when he stopped TRYING to believe.
I never cared about religion. My mother was catholic so the times I went with her were creepy. We also went to a non denom church we called "the dome" and THAT was some talking in tongue ****. I had been to friends churches growing up once or twice. Baptist, Presbyterian, Mormon which was the only one that didn't gimme the heebie jeebies. 
I guess I just never took it seriously. Even as a young child my thinking was old boring stories that people took way too seriously.
I read the book God is not great by Hitchens right when it came out, But there was a reason for that. I'm not necessarily against religion, or consider myself a non believer. but, yeah, maybe I'm just still hoping. or hiding in the closet.


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## PopulationOfZero

I had concluded that people who are born into religion, constantly around it enough, would believe in such stories being true. Tell a child that an apple is an orange and he/she will grow up to believe that the apple is an orange..

don't get me wrong.. I have no problems with religious people (despite how annoying some of them are for trying to force-feed it), it's just not for me. I am agnostic by the way.


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## xMouse

Once I passed the age of wanting to please my parents, no matter the cost, I got skeptical. I didn't like how so many questions were glossed over or left unanswered. I didn't like the fact that we were supposed to isolate ourselves from the outside world. I didn't like the fact that the religion did not approve of higher learning (and, on occasion, outright condemned it). I didn't like the fact that they would prefer a family to live in poverty and attend every service than for them to be well off and not have time to make every one. I didn't like the sexism and the double standards. After a while I also got tired of never having Halloween, or Christmas, or birthdays.


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## Gothika

For me my father was an atheist and my mother a hardcore catholic and well I began to talk to my father at the age of 13 about his religious views and how he knew he was an Atheist. His response was every year as he got older he found it harder and harder to believe in a god. Well at first I was skeptical and I was afraid in a way that if there is no god what's the afterlife like? The question of life itself was constantly being thought of and I became less and less influenced by an organized religion. Also my father bought me the book God No! By Pen Jillette which really helped me realize that yes I am an atheist and thats okay


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## John316C

because they didnt actually care about the followers.
priest wouldnt talk to me unless i called him father. he aint my father


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## MNM

As weird as it sounds... Ricky Gervais changed me... I was able to really think things over after hearing things and realized I had no grounds for my beliefs, other than, I grew up to believe it.. 

Plus everytime I used to pray, **** got worse or never happened so I just figured, it was pointless


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## queenbanana

I come from a somewhat strong catholic family, but I've never really been that into church. I was actually an altar girl when younger but idk, I just did it because I was told to do so. I don't completely disagree with theirs or anybody else's beliefs, I just question them. I can't blindly believe what I'm told. I especially question the beginning of the human race, do I really believe I was made from dust and some guy's kidney? Is there really a powerful being that can potentially cure me from some disease if I faithfully pray to him? Will I really go anywhere after death? Do I have a "soul"? What am I? Questions such as these can't simply be answered by being part of a religion. I don't know what to think or believe in, but for now I'm labeling myself an atheist. My life long dream is to discover the true origin of the universe, or at least the **** sapiens


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## wrightg1990

About the time I was 9 years old I was fed up with Christianity because it didn't make sense to me and my parents kept pushing it on me so much. I started questioning the free will vs omniscience paradox and from that point on I couldn't take religion seriously.


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## sleepydrone

I was never Indoctrinated. I never followed. I just tagged along.
Allowing myself an opinion on that matter took 23 years.


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## GammaRadiation

Pentecostalism teaches you to hate yourself, so **** it. I feel like my mom is like trying to give me an exorcism everyday.


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## Flint

I grew up going to Catholic school. I remember believing in it when I was young and ignorant. However I am terrible with authority, I question everything that is told to me. 

I started questioning in about grade 6, I was always asking trying to understand why the religion was the way it was.. Nobody had answers for me, not teachers, not priests, my parents (who both really weren't all the religious) so after a while I just started to believe it was BS. 
There were so many inconsistencies, so many things that contradicted themselves.. I remember this one time I asked a teacher "If god will forgive us for everything, then how can we go to he11?" 
Her response after staring at me open mouthed for a moment was "Because some things are unforgivable." From there on out I got angry at the religion, especially the day my best friend told Jesus was going to send me to he11 because I didn't believe in god.. to which my retort was Jesus can go **** himself then! 
I spent a lot of time hating Christianity, now I just really don't care.. I believe there was a Jesus, I believe he was an enlightened man, I just believe people took his words WAY out of context. I believe all religion is based on some loose form of the truth. Except Scientology.. I quite literally believe that was a fiction novel.


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## Pennywise

I went to a Catholic school from kindergarten to 6th grade, so I was always raised in that environment, even though my parents didn't really enforce it at home. I became an atheist when I was 13-14 after getting into George Carlin's HBO specials by chance. Then I started listening to Joe Rogan's podcast when I was 17 and realised that agnosticism was the way for me, because, while I don't believe in an religions, I acknowledge that I can't _disprove_ them either, and that nobody knows the answer.


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## duckie

i attended church with my family but i never really believed. ultimately it was extremists like this that really pushed me away.






i've been around many that were just as delusional as this lady. ok, maybe not as bad.
those poor kids. :um


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## Antihistamine

I was raised in a religious family. In my teenage years I just weighed the evidence and, based upon my conclusions, religion didn't seem to have a concrete basis for their claims, other than, "What that one person may have said during that one time!" Coupled with the fact that god's miracles over time have gone from raising the dead, creating earthquakes/natural disasters, curing diseases, etc., to occasionally appearing on toast, just seems to coincide with human understanding of science throughout history. So, I'd say this is why I don't believe: I see no basis to it.


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## skitch

My parents made me go to church from an early age, but I never fully understood the logic of a god. Like, it just made absolutely no sense. So when I was about ten, everything in my house became too hectic and we never had time to go to church anymore and I thought 'well, I've not got time for god anymore!'. But there was also stuff like, I hated the fact that god was always calling me 'unworthy' and 'sinful'. I mean, it was so horrible to sit there and listen to it! And one day I thought 'well, to be honest, all I have to do to stop this stuff is to just not believe' and that was pretty much it.


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## mesmerize

i didn't stop being a follower. i just started giving it some thought and figuring out why i was folliwing it and maybe make some changes to whatever was related to it that didn't make much sense to me.


----------



## rawrguy

Religion just never made sense to me, nor is it attractive. As an agnostic, I still believe that there is really no way that we can know that there is or isn't a god. Religion is just a really lousy way of trying to make sense of the nonsensical. I would rather not know nor care about things like what happens when I die. That is more attractive than having to believe in some stupid religion just so I don't go to a place where I would suffer and burn for an eternity.


----------



## pointlesslife

I was never born into a religious family.... my family let me think for myself and so I became a Agnostic


----------



## Raphael200

I don't follow religion,i follow Jesus!


----------



## olschool

common damn sense


----------



## Cranewalker

I used to be Christian but after spending some time in a Catholic School and studying the Bible, I realized how flawed, repulsive, and dark the god of the religion was. I then turned for the arguments for the existence of this god but to find nothing conclusive. I turned to other religions and did the same but to get the same conclusion.

So now, I've been an Agnostic for three years now for I do not wish to live my life in fear or arrogant lies about our existence and our world.


----------



## ElectricEnigma

olschool said:


> common damn sense


Common sense isn't so common.


----------



## TobeyJuarez




----------



## ugh1979

:lol


----------



## FairleighCalm

I no longer wanted to "claim god as my own". I believe the only place god exists is in the present moment, and how we interact with it, gives god character. So I try not to be in disagreement with the present moment, but I try to exhibit loving and nurturing behaviors. I've made peace with the present moment. If I've had a bad nights sleep etc, I don't hold others responsible for my crankiness.


----------



## olschool

ElectricEnigma said:


> Common sense isn't so common.


the hell does that mean


----------



## Foh_Teej

Colonel Terrorist said:


> yes,"common" sense is for commoners like u.Noble sense is for us nobles,aka Dumb Christians.


This makes no sense. However, I will point out that trolling in this forum is forbidden. I'd really hate to see mods escort you out as this will preclude you from saying more stupid ****. We atheists can't have that as we value the entertainment that theists provide on a daily basis.


----------



## Sloqx

I started thinking for myself. I stopped believing in Christianity when I was 12/13. I'm 21 now.


----------



## Foh_Teej

Colonel Terrorist said:


> Then i have proven my point:clap


That you are a dumb christian? Point duly noted


----------



## nathalex01

I was never really a follower of any religion, and neither were my parents. I've never really been satisfied with being told how things are the way they are; I'd prefer to collect enough evidence to formulate my own perspectives of the truth, which is probably why I'm so into science.

But the real "God doesn't exist" kicker for me happened about... 8 (?) years ago now. My grandmother, who was a pretty devout Christian, was a smoker all her life, and ended up really sick. She always told me never to worry, because "God looked after her". As you can guess, one day when my family went to visit her, my grandfather called my father, and delivered the devastating news that she passed on. Her last words to me, therefore, were telling me that she'd be fine, and God looked after her.

But he didn't. The only person in my family that even acknowledged a God suffered in her faith until she died. So that's why I don't believe in miracles. Or God. Or religion, or whatever. Blind faith simply stops you from realising there ARE problems in the world. Dismissing them to let your imaginary friend take care of them is a truly stupid and ignorant thing to do.


----------



## Foh_Teej

Colonel Terrorist said:


> Usually,i would be angry with u,but not anymore,i have learned that atheists also deserve my respect,even if they don't appreciate it.:squeeze:squeeze


Your emotional response to an atheist is irrelevant. I'd focus on meeting your burden of proof without relying on arguments from ignorance or personal anecdotes.


----------



## ElectricEnigma

olschool said:


> the hell does that mean


I mean that what people think of as common sense isn't that common. The world is crawling with idiots. I didn't mean you were an idiot, olschool.


----------



## fredbloggs02

How does someone know they are free of brainwashing?... Such an undertaking seems like teaching yourself to forget a language. Guiding a tree's growth to a certain height with a certain water when exchanged for another type doesn't immediately rid itself of it's earliest growth.


----------



## HarryStanluv25

illmatic1 said:


>


Oh goodness.... :teeth:teeth:teeth Can't pick a fav!


----------



## BeyondOsiris

I was brought up as a Christian and was forced to attend church every week up until I was about 12 or so. As I grew older, I began to realize the hypocrisies that were everywhere and began to question it and wonder why people would believe in this stuff. That was about the same time that I really began to get into the sciences, and this might be one of the main reasons why I stopped following religion. I just couldn't believe in something that had no proof. Ever since I was a child, I have loved nature and have revered the universe as a whole, and I eventually discovered something called Pantheism that just fit me so well, so I now identify myself as a Pantheist.


----------



## Chieve

he didnt listen, and a lot of my prayers were unselfish


----------



## TheCentralScrutinizer

The family were (are?) very weak Baptists; I simply employed my brain and logic dictated that not only was there no need for it, but also that it just didn't make any damn sense. Santa Claus suffered the same fate when I was about 7 years old.


----------



## simian4455

I prayed for world peace everyday. He didn't give it, so I stopped. I now worship women religiously.


----------



## faction

I was born with cleft lip.
One day I asked myself, If there is a god why would he allow that this happens to me, to innocent child? I started thinking about that, when I was depressed because of human nature of people. You automatically don't gain much respect, if you are born with birth defect. People rather ignore you, than ask what happened to you. And than my thinking spread wider to other people that are born without legs, hands or have mental disorders.

Since I started thinking about that very early I somehow came to conclusion by myself that many things are not logical with what religion was claiming.

1 is 1, it cannot be 2. Logic.
I like /r/atheism on reddit too. Lots of useful information about progress of atheism.


----------



## NeonSloaney

I never really had "faith", I guess you could say I was agnostic. I was agnostic till I was 17, and my Physics Teacher straight up said he didn't think there was evidence for any of it. And he was right. Besides I always thought the Bible was boring. Tried reading it once, I got bored out of my mind in Genesis. Would have like to maybe have gotten to Samson, or maybe Jonah and the whale. I should get around to Job, it sounds terrible.


----------



## Mr Deuce

Even as a young child, I realized that religion made absolutely NO sense and there was no proof of any of it. So I was never a believer. I do follow Taoism though, but that's not a religion. It's more of a way of life than a religion. :yes


----------



## Chilantree

I stopped because I realize that even if God created us, he seems to not care about us. We get our achievements by our own doings. No matter how hard you pray, you can't get an answer.


----------



## AncientOwl

I just saw through the b.s. I found a path that fits me better..


----------



## Bluueyyy

1. Neglected by entire congregation. No one took any initiative to help me fit in despite my embarrassingly terrible SA

2. Vile, disgusting verses in scripture. Contradictions between theology and scriptures

3. Vile, disgusting behaviour by so many believers


----------



## Potsie

I went to Catholic school for 8 years and really couldn't believe any of the things that they would teach. Like that dude living inside of a whale? C'mon now.


----------



## The Sleeping Dragon

Logic thinking.


----------



## arnie

In high school I was exposed to new ideas via the Internet. Ironically it was a Christian High school, before that I want to public school that was in a bad neighborhood.


----------



## dismiss

Lots of things, but even as a child of about 8... I went to CCD classes, & learned about a bunch of intricate fables... That's all the stories in the buybull ever were to me. They are so far removed from any reality we now know... 
At about the same time, my stepmother started her whole abusive, narcissistic work on me... That all to real everyday horror show lasted five years... Her daughters were encouraged to join in...
She was the force pushing us all to go to church. I hated it, I hated her... Her hypocrisy stoked that fire. How could anyone so intricately evil like that be regarded as this fine, upstanding citizen? As someone close to this god being? Gave me a lot to chew on, so to speak...
Still, I had too much abuse growing up... So, I pretended to be a xtian until I got older and got the courage to never have to cop to believing in a deity ever again.

Other events drove me to join websites like Internet Infidels later in life. Though I do not care to debate the issue.


----------



## Glacial

I studied the Bible extensively when I was a teen and up until the age of approximately 21. I tried very hard to believe and did believe when I was very young; however, there came a time when I realized most of the events in the Bible just weren't plausible--they didn't add up, scientifically, logically or emotionally. There is a verse in Romans about god creating certain "pots" of clay for his glory and certain "pots" as essential "garbage." This was an an analogy for his creation of human beings...he cites, in the same chapter/verse how he loved hated Esau and loved Jacob...it was predestined, just as it was predestined for Pharoah's heart to be hardened to prove a point. And then in the OT, there is just so much violence, but that is too much to go into now.


----------



## vstar401

Believe me, I tried believing when I was about 12. Even had a mother mary pendant or something. Then I realized everything is based on a book. I was like WTF?


----------



## apx24

October 2008 when I was 16, I was getting bullied at school for no reason and suddenly I just had enough and snapped and told myself I will never be religious again. It just suddenly happened, my faith in Hinduism disappeared. I had never planned to give it up.


----------



## my3rdmolars

I believe in God, I just don't like the way he controls my life.

The more I get closer to God, the more trials I encounter (to test my faith I guess). That's why I keep losing my faith

I feel more at peace when I live in sin. My sins help keep me together, makes me feel complete.


----------



## ElectricEnigma

my3rdmolars said:


> I believe in God, I just don't like the way he controls my life.
> 
> The more I get closer to God, the more trials I encounter (to test my faith I guess). That's why I keep losing my faith
> 
> I feel more at peace when I live in sin. My sins help keep me together, makes me feel complete.


You need to question your faith more. Keep questioning it. Other Christians may tell you otherwise, but keep questioning it. Doubt isn't the bad thing they tell you it is, doubt ignites your desire to find out more, it ignites our curiosity and enlarges our knowledge.


----------



## jackroo

pain then common sense!


----------



## m27

I reached the age of reason )


----------



## Canucklehead

I did mushrooms, and tripped out in the forest.


----------



## shammie

I was a Christian by birth. 

One day, I had a vision. God came to me, and spoke to me. 

He said "Stop following me - I'm not God. Leave me the hell alone dude."

And so I no longer believe in him.


----------



## vstar401

Faith is good. Believing in random stuff written millenniums ago is a good way to live life.


----------



## ElectricEnigma

vstar401 said:


> Faith is good. Believing in random stuff written millenniums ago is a good way to live life.


My sarcasm detector just went off, although it could just be miscalibrated.


----------



## cucumbermoisturecream

I started to think critically about it. Plus, I didn't like the idea of somebody watching and judging me all the time. Didn't sit well at all with the old sa.


----------



## notarobot

I was about 10 years old. After learning about a few different religions in social studies, I started to question my Christianity. I thought to myself, what makes my religion the correct one?


----------



## vstar401

notarobot said:


> I was about 10 years old. After learning about a few different religions in social studies, I started to question my Christianity. I thought to myself, what makes my religion the correct one?


One word: faith. Advice: Do not question.


----------



## dead24

me too, currently I dont know if I should believe these Christian beliefs or not. When i was younger i simply believed in them but right now i just dont understand the point of all this. I just dont get the point of existence; to love our neighbor? to sacrifice for others? to forgive others? If nothing existed in the first place then nothing would happen.


----------



## Aetuip

I started actually reading the book myself around 14, it's weird how when you grow up in a religious family you manage to never read the things you are taught by 'the adults' yourself.. Anyway it wasn't what I expected at all. I'm done with religion now and I don't miss it at all, no loss in 'morality' or whatever 'they' say either lol x).


----------



## JtheCreator

I think I was 6 or 7 when I was no longer convinced. I wasn't a gullible child, and religion just seemed like a bizarre elaborate scheme to keep me in check. I've always been too concerned with my free-will, to pay god any attention.


----------



## jc22

I was born one, just like everybody I know


----------



## Eliza

*Just wasn't believable to me*

I feel that each person has the right to decide what they believe and respect that right and their right to follow such beliefs so long as they aren't harming others or infringing their rights and freedom. So it's a bit tricky for me to discuss this without feeling what I say will rile up the other person or make them feel I don't respect their right to a different opinion. That said, the easiest way for me to answer why I stopped believing is to ask why a believer may have believed in talking animals, the Easter Bunny, Santa, or whatever cultural equivalents they had once they got older and considered the belief. The same basic process and reasons they did so apply to me on the topic of religion and existence of a gid or gods or goddesses. I reach an age where I thought about the claims and found they seemed very similar to far out mythologies we easily reject as implausible. I then started studying my religion and read my holy text (Bible for me) at first looking to shore up faith but really only confirmed the implausibility of it all for me. I took a world religions course in college which was very interesting and I do think humans have injected some good advice in various religions trying to work out how best to live and get on with one another although there are also bits that I think are off or we've moved ahead as a society from. In the end though they make supernatural claims that must just be taken on faith as they lack any real objective evidence. I also don't think there is any real evidence for any god. I don't normally go about just believing far fetched things that lack evidence and
can't seem to just opt religious and theistic beliefs out of my normal evaluation criteria.

So there you go, I doubt anyone is even going read all this but if you did I hope it helped you understand.


----------



## Givenupongod

People killed my faith.


----------



## diamondheart89

If real, god is uncaring if not plain cruel. Otherwise so many bad things would not happen to innocent people. And the whole "testing your faith" is a crock of ****. There's only so much you can torture someone before they break.


----------



## vstar401

I wanted to believe, like most people around. Until I realized it was based on a best-selling book written 2k years ago. The disconnect is too great.


----------



## Noca

vstar401 said:


> One word: faith. Advice: Do not question.


Exactly, I use that in every area of my life. For example, when crossing the road, I don't check to see if its clear, I just "faith" it and walk anyways.


----------



## Noiitekk

I was raised Catholic and attended church every Sunday and went to CCD until I realized it's a bunch of bull**** and I quit all of it. I was disowned by a few family members but I can live without them. Dicks.


----------



## vstar401

Noiitekk said:


> I was raised Catholic and attended church every Sunday and went to CCD until I realized it's a bunch of bull**** and I quit all of it. I was disowned by a few family members but I can live without them. Dicks.


That is sad to hear. Religion shouldn't do that to people.


----------



## Noiitekk

vstar401 said:


> That is sad to hear. Religion shouldn't do that to people.


What really burns their asses now is that I've taken to LaVeyan satanism since then. That dropped a few more family members off the radar. Feels like high school where if you're not part of the clique you're out.


----------



## B l o s s o m

rapidfox1 said:


> What's your reason?


- Because people who claim to follow the predominant religion in my country are actually the ones who have hurt me (and are still hurting me) the most. 
- Because when I had doubts, these same people got angry about my questioning and rejected me as their friend.
- Because wars in the name of religion and their god have left a disaster in this world. 
- Because I disagree with the Church on certain issues. 
- Because nobody forgets the times of the "Holy Wars" and the "Inquisition".
- Because the Bible is just a book. Even if it does have some good parts, anything in it is just symbolic like the metaphors used in any literary piece. The "values" brought out in the Bible have been already been valued by Man before religion was ever invented.

and 
- Because if a god existed, it wouldn't have let me go through all of the pain and suffering I had to endure during the best years of my life. Moreover, it wouldn't have left my pain affect my loved ones. 
- Because there is so much pain in the world.


----------



## Killer2121

B l o s s o m said:


> *- Because people who claim to follow the predominant religion in my country are actually the ones who have hurt me (and are still hurting me) the most. *
> - *Because when I had doubts, these same people got angry about my questioning and rejected me as their friend.*
> - *Because wars in the name of religion and their god have left a disaster in this world.*
> - Because I disagree with the Church on certain issues.
> - *Because nobody forgets the times of the "Holy Wars" and the "Inquisition".*
> - Because the Bible is just a book. Even if it does have some good parts, anything in it is just symbolic like the metaphors used in any literary piece. The "values" brought out in the Bible have been already been valued by Man before religion was ever invented.
> 
> and
> - Because if a god existed, it wouldn't have let me go through all of the pain and suffering I had to endure during the best years of my life. Moreover, it wouldn't have left my pain affect my loved ones.
> - Because there is so much pain in the world.


Those are pretty poor reasons.


----------



## simian4455

Killer2121 said:


> Those are pretty poor reasons.


Well how about this: religion is crap.


----------



## krystalashes9

I do not like how religion puts fear in people if you do not follow their lifestyle of serving a god.


----------



## B l o s s o m

Killer2121 said:


> Those are pretty poor reasons.


Well, thank you for your perspective.

Another one... The Church in my country before we had a referendum on whether divorce should be introduced here:"Those who vote for divorce, will be making a sin".

That's sick to the stomach, controlling people that way.


----------



## Wurli

Well I never started in the first place. So yeah...


----------



## A name

I stopped believing in about 5th grade. There wasn't some tragic event that made me stop believing or anything. I just started thinking about it one day. And realized how fictional it sounded. Talking snakes, woman made from ribs, a magical man in the sky I mean really?


----------



## SarahJan4

*Formally Renounced Roman Catholicism*

It was around my 50th birthday that I realized that I simply could not believe in a personal God--one that cared how my day went--anymore. It's all about wishful thinking and imagery. I became angry at the things going on in the RC church, how we were taught to respect without question priests and nuns, etc. Those people are actually no better than anyone else. They have flaws. Sins. They need to earn respect like anyone else. No putting up religious people on pedastals for me. Eff that.

I had got into the Charismatic renewal in the late 70s early 80s and attending healing services, prayed for a personal relationship with Jesus, the whole works.

I prefer this life, making the best of what we have, learning about where we come from and where we're going as a civilization.

I like Science.

I could go on for several more pages, but I'll stop now.


----------



## Killer2121

B l o s s o m said:


> Well, thank you for your perspective.
> 
> Another one... The Church in my country before we had a referendum on whether divorce should be introduced here:"Those who vote for divorce, will be making a sin".
> 
> That's sick to the stomach, controlling people that way.


If me and you had time together, I guarantee I could convert/convince you


----------



## B l o s s o m

Killer2121 said:


> If me and you had time together, I guarantee I could convert/convince you


Why do you have to convince me if you already know that religion is the way to go?

I don't mind discussing these matters, as long as no-one hurts or is obliged to feel that his/ her opinions don't matter.


----------



## Killer2121

B l o s s o m said:


> Why do you have to convince me if you already know that religion is the way to go?
> 
> I don't mind discussing these matters, as long as no-one hurts or is obliged to feel that his/ her opinions don't matter.


Well that was kind of a joke. I just try to help people understand God and Christianity (specifically Catholicism) when they have their doubts.


----------



## B l o s s o m

Killer2121 said:


> Well that was kind of a joke. I just try to help people understand God and Christianity (specifically Catholicism) when they have their doubts.


I know you have good intentions, but I disagree with the Church and the Bible on various issues.


----------



## Killer2121

B l o s s o m said:


> I know you have good intentions, but I disagree with the Church and the Bible on various issues.


So do I. Doesn't stop me from believing.


----------



## Goopus

I was about eight, I was abused and my religious family members offered no support other than "It was God's plan for you." And that made me screech to a stop and think... "What? It was God's plan for me to be molested? And I'm supposed to believe this guy in the sky loves me, that you people love me?" That's when I realized a lot of the stuff people take for granted is simply lies and BS.


----------



## millenniumman75

diamondheart89 said:


> If real, god is uncaring if not plain cruel. Otherwise so many bad things would not happen to innocent people. And the whole "testing your faith" is a crock of ****. There's only so much you can torture someone before they break.


How do you know it's not evil that does the bad things?


----------



## simian4455

millenniumman75 said:


> How do you know it's not evil that does the bad things?


Because it means god is retarded. Evil always wins. Holocaust, tsunamis ... pretty useless entity no?


----------



## SASsier

tehuti88 said:


> I won't list my former religion, even though I never actively practiced.
> 
> I just eventually came to realize it was too exclusive, and there was just so much of a "God won't love you if you don't _____" or "God will only accept you if you _____," that it made God feel terribly discriminatory and judgemental to me. I don't TECHNICALLY belong in this forum as I still believe in God and have my own belief system, but it's not part of any organized faith, so I feel terribly uncomfortable around such groups.
> 
> I get excluded enough in real life. Why would I want to belong to a faith where even God would exclude me for any little thing? Plus, many of the beliefs seemed petty to me and not in keeping with my own impressions of things. I gradually came to realize I could not by rights follow a faith I barely even agreed with. So I guess it's a good thing I was never practicing anyway.


AMEN!! :clap


----------



## diamondheart89

millenniumman75 said:


> How do you know it's not evil that does the bad things?


Because if god created everything, evil was also created by said god. Otherwise the rest of the story becomes even less logical.


----------



## 87wayz

As a child, I asked my mama if Jesus was Santa Claus, as they are both judges of character who are omnipotent.

I believe that there is very likely a creator beyond our scientific understanding, but also beyond our religious attempts to account for such an energy. So I dont worry about morality in the "god as the police" sense - I do right because its logical. I dont laugh at spiritual people, but religious people seem way off to me.


----------



## JustBeingMe

I never really believed it, just went along with it. I started to question it at 15.


----------



## fredbloggs02

diamondheart89 said:


> Because if god created everything, evil was also created by said god. Otherwise the rest of the story becomes even less logical.


If I plant a bulb, only in a limited sense do I create the petals, or the punctured kit-car. The word "everything" and "evil" are subject to interpretation, we don't all see them the same way and I don't buy the apparently irreconcilable incongruities that arise pitting one against the other. I probably seem to be splitting hairs, but I think that is probably what people do if they are motivated enough to argue it out.

Even if evil arose from a God who created everything "responsible" is a strong word. Why not culpable? I'm not sure I repudiate evil in the way most Christians do... It seems to automatically follow in most people that as a consequence of evil the world is imperfect, or that God is necessarily a bungler.


----------



## ugh1979

millenniumman75 said:


> How do you know it's not evil that does the bad things?


"Evil" isn't an entity. It's just an opinion.


----------



## WasMaxReallyMad

rapidfox1 said:


> What's your reason?


I lost my faith when i lost my friend, we were both kids (10year's old) he drowned i almost drowned. I asked my self why did that happen? Why did nobody wanted to help us? Not even God and as kids (me and my friend) we went regularly to church and to mass, and we were serious while we were at church (we didn't do any funny stuff). So when he drowned i felt betrayed by God because not even him helped us and they teach you how God is great and all mighty and everything and i ask myself were was he when all of that was happening?


----------



## tario

I never did. Was forced to go in churcg at school and stuff. I stopped believing because it was logical to me. I believe more in free thinking/agnosticism


----------



## Archaeron

I thought about that a few years ago and I just don't understand people who believe in religions (don't get me wrong, that doesn't mean that I don't respect them!). How can there be a God, a god, gods, something that controls us, or whatever? From a scientific view it's impossible. Of course, I know that science can't explain everything, but still. I mean, the way the Church defends itself and the things it says, it all makes no sense. They just indoctrinate children with religion.

I read something interesting once about how the Church defends itself: "The Bible says that God exists, the Bible are the words of God, God is always right, so God exists."
*dizzy*

Even our teacher of religion (that's a lesson in high schools here) said that there is no god. He said that there's "something" though, and it took him the whole school year to describe what that "something" was. That was another reason for me to think that there's nothing. I lost him after a week lol.

I believe in science.


----------



## simian4455

When you are young and naive, you always think the adults are rational and use their brains before believing in something like that. That is until you realize the whole religion is based on a book written two thousand years ago. 

That alone should bring up a big red flag. I mean, the people two thousand years ago believed the world is flat. How much credence do we give to that?

I think when I was young I was hoping for something 'magical' like a crown or cloak or whatever that can float that is enshrined in the church somewhere, or something ... but a book? get real ...


----------



## millenniumman75

ugh1979 said:


> "Evil" isn't an entity. It's just an opinion.


Evil is a presence; it's not necessarily an entity.


----------



## ugh1979

millenniumman75 said:


> Evil is a presence; it's not necessarily an entity.


Which dictionary definition of "presence" are you reffering to?


----------



## Hawx79

Religions have been so modified over the centuries, especially Christianity, that its almost not to see how most of its contents are utter lies.
I used to be very stubbornly religious but that stopped when i was around 25. 
But i do confess i still am in need of a form of spirituality and my interest in the paganism has increased. 
I would say im agnostic now.


----------



## KootieTokki

*Simply...*

...I didn't grow up with a religion. And I was never interested, and I never once believed in what someone else said regarding their religious beliefs. I have been someone targeted to "convert" but I never budged. :no


----------



## joey22099

KootieTokki said:


> ...I didn't grow up with a religion. And I was never interested, and I never once believed in what someone else said regarding their religious beliefs. I have been someone targeted to "convert" but I never budged. :no


You do know you will be going to hell for that?


----------



## FeelNothing

I never believed in religion. My parents weren't religious and despite all the attempts I wasn't brainwashed at school so I never considered myself a follower of the religion (in this case, Islam).


----------



## RoarOfTheMemphisBelle

I grew out of it in the same way a disillusioned child grows out of the lie of Santa Claus. It just _happened._

Of course this is a simplified version of events - along with it came the dawning sense of horror and disgust at what religion really is and all it leads to.


----------



## simian4455

RoarOfTheMemphisBelle said:


> along with it came the dawning sense of horror and disgust at what religion really is and all it leads to.


Enlightenment and eternal happiness?


----------



## RoarOfTheMemphisBelle

simian4455 said:


> Enlightenment and eternal happiness?


Bahaha. Obviously.


----------



## fetisha

because religion scares me


----------



## ROYALwithCHEESE

Catholisism....

-When my father passed away they raided his house for anything sellable.
-I as his son was seated at the back of the church and unable to carry his coffin

Then the whole molestation stuff coming out about the catholic church and its hiding/handling of it.

I realised those who run the church have less morals than myself.
If god or whoever has a problem with me not worshipping him weekly or following his rules when can discuss it when I die....

I am agnostic.


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## DamnExtr0verts

i stopped believing in Jewish zombies along time a go, right after the tooth fairy and lepresy


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## 111

I never stopped. My whole family has forever been atheist but we still practice some Catholic rites out of respect to traditions.


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## ugh1979

DamnExtr0verts said:


> i stopped believing in Jewish zombies along time a go, right after the tooth fairy and lepresy


I assume you meant to type leprechauns there?


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## Implicate

I've never prescribed to any religion, even as a young child.


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## Maria24678

When I awoke to that fact it was somewhat ridiculous to fear 'burning in hell' for my so called 'sins' and that the exsistence of an all knowing creator is completely illogical


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## AxeDroid

I never believe, I do believe in a Creator but that's it. I don't like how the main-stream realigions are trying to lure you into their religion. "Give 10% and you'll get 100% in Heaven" are you kidding me?


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## SilentWitness

This is a great explanation of why people 'created' a god, from one of my favourite comedians, Dylan Moran  I no longer believe, I've grown up.

*You see, people never really grow up. I don't mind most religious people, I talk to them. I listen to them, you know, banging on. "I prayed very hard and then the fairy came." "Did he? Good. Have a biscuit." I only get annoyed when they try and make me see the fairy.

"You have to let the fairy into your heart." Look, I wouldn't let him into my garden, okay? I'd shoot him on sight, if he existed, which he doesn't. Now have another biscuit and be quiet, will you please?

But you can absolutely understand the desire to believe in something, to support you. Children like to be supervised by adults. That's why children go, "look, no hands" or "look, I can do this" or "I'm really good at this". Whatever it is. Because it validates them, it shows them that they are there, that somebody else is watching over them.

Grown-ups are the same, not that there is any such thing as a grown-up, really. They liked to be watched by something. Because the planet's not gonna miss us, when we've finished ****ing it up and killing each other. So we needed the idea of God to have somebody to miss us, or at least notice that we weren't there anymore.*

:teeth


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## won

I used to be Catholic until just last year because:
1) If God truly is perfect, why can't he create a perfectly happy world? Why did people such as myself have to go through such horrible things? 
2) God has never answered any of my prayers.
3) What's up with everyone being afraid of God? If he's so "kind" and "loving", you shouldn't feel threatened and afraid of him. 
4) God just isn't real. Period. I mean come on...
5) Let's say Heaven really does exist, and let's say that I die and go to "heaven". How could I be happy up there without my family and friends who I love so much? I would be so sad. I don't think Hell exists, either... In my opinion, every bad experience you have in life is a little piece of "Hell", and every good experience you have is a little piece of "Heaven".


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## ugh1979

jesica24 said:


> A very observant person once said" anamateurs built the arc, proffessionals built the Titanic'


Oh yeah because the arc was real. :lol

What are you going to say next? That you heard a snake that could talk?

Oh wait...

:roll



> I think books coming from the past are as valuable as those we have nowadays. No matter what ,they are records of our ancestors.


As long as they are fictional that can often hold true. Otherwise, not so much.



> Religion apart, a book like that holds words of wisdom valuble for any atheist.


Surely wisdom is valuable for anyone?


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## joey22099

jesica24 said:


> Religion apart, a book like that holds words of wisdom valuble for any atheist.


If I go to Amazon.com now, I can find countless books with more value at a better price.


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## ilana

I was an atheist then an anti-theist, but then I just stopped caring anymore. Guess that makes me agnostic?


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## One Man Wolfpack

ilana said:


> I was an atheist then an anti-theist, but then I just stopped caring anymore. Guess that makes me agnostic?


None of those are mutually exclusive. You can be an atheist, an anti-theist and agnostic all at the same time.

Also, maybe apatheism describes you best?


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## ilana

.


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## MartyMcfly3210

I grew up in church and then I became an adult. I stopped because my religion was based off faith and faith is believing in something with no proof. I'd need proof to dedicate my life to anything. If god was all powerful and want people to do good and right, then there would be no better way then to give proof of himself/herself/itself whatever..


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## realitysucks

As a Hindu, I was exposed to infeasible, absurd and without a doubt the most dangerously mind numbing piles of rubbish imaginable. The religion itself was simply get down, pray, wave a scented lit stick around and listen to some priest chant gibberish at the temple when we went. But this was supplemented by the prejudice and hatred of my parents towards other religious groups and with the 'truth' that snake-oil, psuedoscientific innuendo and concoction like homoeopathy and crystal healing works and 'cures cancer.' My parents being raised in this state is enough for me to ignore it and lay low, but becoming atheist was the best decision I've made in my life and I'm outta here asap.


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## alice25

haha I think one of my first experiences of anxiety was at church. The awkward shaking hands with strangers moments and realising that in my boredom as i was staring at peoples faces and scrutinizing them that perhaps people behind me were doing the same to me. Then when I became so nervous that I would withdraw at family gatherings and feel unhappy and extremely uncomfortable knowing I had to attend any of them, I realised that the popularised notion of heaven...being reunited with family and friends etc was more of the same hell i was experiencing on earth. Then as I got older I became more aware of how impossible it is to define good and evil, and to judge the actions of other people, that religions make no sense. I believe in being kind to other people and I am compassionate, but I think partly my mental health problems have lead me to reject religion...so it's ironic that I've come to what is the sanest and most rational way of thinking, through it.


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## AntiGravitySlimePig

My particular religious heritage was ridiculous, egotistical, pathetic, violent, misogynistic, and as a whole utterly cruel. It was static garbage in a dynamic, living and changing world. But above all else, I couldn't believe it.

And then in my explorations, I found the supernatural didn't make even the slightest shred of sense any which way you slice it, and you always have to slice it - so I'll just take it as a whole and outright reject it.


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## Phoenix16

I finally get to sleep in on sundays.


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## morped

Honestly I just stopped believing, just like a person can't help not believing in Santa Claus (not comparing god to santa claus), I can't help but feel that god is so unnatural. It was hard at first telling my parents I am an atheist since I was raised in a strict catholic home by my mother but I think her love for me has surpassed her opinion of my secularism.


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## Sabriel

My disbelief was more of gradual journey. I've always had my doubts, even from a young age, but until high school, never really thought anything of it. During high school, a friend of mine was seeking this boy and the only way she figured she could meet up with him was through his bible study group. She wasn't particularly religious and so she wanted to drag someone along (me) so she didn't feel weird. 

During the times we went I met this other boy there and we ended up dating for a couple years. During that time we had many disagreements about the practice of the church and they would pop up during things like weddings and news shows and family "discussions." You see, during the end of high school and into college is when I became very interested in social politics and from what I learned, religion, especially Abrahamic religions, were pretty darn sexist, racist, and homophobic. I didn't want any part of it. One of the last straws that further drew me away from religion happened within that bible study group itself, ironically the very place my faith was supposed to cultivated.

The thing is, whenever people would talk about god in their life, I just couldn't relate. Nothing. I didn't feel any other presence, I didn't notice any kind of being guiding my path, helping me in anyway, or doing anything. Yet here this group of people were, professing their thankfulness and love to a god that I had never came to know or understand no matter how hard I tried. It made me angry and frustrated. This was during a time I was actively trying to find this god and seek its wisdom and warmth. Well, that never happened.

As time went on, I came to accept that I just didn't care anymore. I didn't need god and if a god or gods did exist, they didn't seem to need me. The more I disregarded any remaining attachments to faith, the better I felt. I didn't need to be good anymore with a promise of heaven, I wanted to be good for the sake of goodness. Fast forward to the present, I think I've found myself happy dabbling in secular humanism. It's scary to think of non-existence now that I've gone without faith, but I suppose I wasn't here a couple decades or so ago and it didn't make a difference then.

It sucks now that I must hide my disbelief from the majority of my family, but I live with it. I don't think they'd disown me, but there's always the chance and really, I'd much rather be left alone instead of constantly having new pressure to "re-find" their particular sect of Christianity... Though whenever my extremely fundamentalist uncle goes on his rants about how the faithless are destroying America, I'd like to tell him a thing or two. But it'd fall onto deff ears and it wouldn't exactly help with familial cohesion. So there's that.


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## PurrPanther

Hey, 

I'm not gonna write my life story and how I perceive everything, since it's not the question, I'll try and keep it nice and simple 

I was raised in a very catholic family, we all had to hold hands and pray, go to church every Sunday, go to catholic schools....I never really was passionate about it and never knew why I should believe in this one....So I made research on other religions and I still didn't think it was meaningfull at all (no matter how hard they try to make it seem like it is)

So when I was 10, my uncle bought me an astronomy encyclopedia and THAT made me passionate...I basically just got into learning about nature, science and space. I knew that what we see, what we have proof of, what we can study and what ACTUALLY has an effect and influence on our world is what I believe in simply. I don't need to put a word on this, a label, I'm not atheist, agnostic I'm just a young woman interested in everything that fills up our universe and this is what gives me strenght to not give up, gives me confidence and also keeping this interest of mine keeps me out of trouble.


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## diamondheart89

I had a reasonable amount of intelligence and saw the hypocrisy and blind faith and its consequences as I became older and learned more about the world.


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## ci444ci

First, my mom stopped taking me to church about 11 years ago. I was sent to about 3 christian,private schools from pre-k to 12th grade, and the things they were teaching in religion class didn't make sense. It didn't make any sense to me then, and it doesn't make any sense to me now


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## Estillum

A mixture of hatred of it's followers and disbelief in their religious text.


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## undefinedattheorigin

i decided that just being a good, kind person and not doing anyone any harm was enough. if there is a god, it knows my heart. i shouldn't have to prove myself otherwise. and most religions seem judgmental of others to me. i'd rather not...


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## N2Trouble

I always have avoided and never discuss the subject with anyone. I keep my views to myself; but here I will let go a bit and let this be an exception. 

I have come to learn that you cannot trust people. We are always lied to, whether it is in person, in the media, in so called history books or anywhere else. Religous books have been used for centuries by others to brainwash and to secure power over the people. I am a non-believer when it comes to any written text and I refuse to be victimized by it. 

I honestly do believe that there is something bigger than us, but it is not what any of us can ever imagine or put in a book.


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## Lazuli

When I was young I was taught that I should love god (roman catholic) above all, even my parents, and that really annoyed me. It was frustrating trying to love someone I've never seen more than I loved my parents, who were always there for me no matter what. At the age of 10-12 my perception of everything started to change drastically and I found out that praying wasn't doing anything for me 'cause no one was listening. I "came out" atheist when I was 14 and everyday since then I find new reasons not to believe.


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## Nightwalker12

The main thing that got me was that my youth group acted pretty much like everyone at high school and I was just a tool for them. Eventually things just decayed even further and I started to research religion and found to many things that either didn't make sense. Also after praying for years before hand and not a single one answered it just added to it all.


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## ugh1979

N2Trouble said:


> I honestly do believe that there is something bigger than us, but it is not what any of us can ever imagine or put in a book.


What does "bigger" mean in this context?


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