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Why are you an atheist?

Rasheed

I don't know anyone that is an atheist and was just wondering why people are atheists, were ye religious at one stage and did something change your mind? Or where ye parents atheists and pass it on? Just curious about it!

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Dades

Rasheed wrote: »

Do you mean Catholicism or all religions? It's actually mad all the religion that is programmed into children in primary school, in my day anyway, don't if is different now.

It's not mad at all - it's calculated.

If you don't get it into them at a young age - you'll almost certainly never get it into them. Religions completely know this. Try telling an adult there's a guy in the clouds watching him in bed every night...

[Deleted User]

Unless they've had some horrible accident/troubles/trauma and need someone to swoop in and prey on them :rolleyes:

swampgas

bluewolf wrote: »

Funny to see a few "then I learnt about other religions and it all ended"
i guess that's why the other side are obsessed with brainwashing them from childhood as much as possible

I suspect that many religious groups want their own "faith schools" to make sure their kids don't get exposed to anything except their own One True Faith.

It seems an inevitability of religion that they want to self-segregate, especially in education. Another reason why compulsory secular state education is a good thing, IMO.

Nodin

Rasheed wrote: »

I don't know anyone that is an atheist and was just wondering why people are atheists, were ye religious at one stage and did something change your mind? Or where ye parents atheists and pass it on? Just curious about it!

I was taught in a school run by Priests. Some of them didn't pass muster as people, let alone "holy men". I remember being in 3rd class and people asking if God was everywhere why did you have to go to confession to confess your sins, which seemed a fairly valid question.

There was the rather common problem of human suffering - there seemed to be rather a lot of it, mostly taking place on the entirely blameless. The holocaust in particular, the famines of the world, the slaugher in Latin America during the early 80's, Apartheid and so on.

Then there was puberty during which a number of thoughts were on my mind

Sex.
SEX!!!!!!!!!!!!
SEXY SEX, SEX, SEX, SEX
This is a supposedly natural process
SEXETTY SEX BOSOMS LEGS SEX
But Sex is a Sin
XES, SEX,
And thinking about it is as bad as doing it

And this in a Universe supposedly unfolding as the creator intended. The basis illogic of church teaching dawned on me. After a while it struck me that all churchs were full of it to one degree or another....then later I rejected all belief in the supernatural. I'd say I was an agnostic by 15 and atheist by 20.

old hippy

Rasheed wrote: »

Nope, sorry the name prob doesn't suit but I'm Irish! From the back if beyonds, and I probably do know atheists but no one as ever told me they are! I have absolutely no problem if someone is religious or atheist, each to their own, I am just curious regarding how people come to be that way! I'm in my twenties and when I was going to school, we said prayers four times a day, had religion classes once a day and emphasis placed on communion and confirmation. I think it's lovely to see school that are now less catholic orientated as it's not everyones cup of tea. There was one Protestant in our school and I always felt sorry for him as our school was very catholic teaching based.

Plenty of Irish people with "unusual" names, Rasheed

it's not all Sean or Joe! And don't worry about your CofI schoolmate, he probably felt just as sorry for ye

MagicMarker

Because I don't believe in god.

biko

OP, when you explain to me why you don't bend knee to Odin I will explain why I don't pray to your god.

Sarky

Duh, because Odin won't respect anything less than an attempt to smash a beer glass in his face. Kneeling is for pussies.

[Deleted User]

biko wrote: »

OP, when you explain to me why you don't bend knee to Odin I will explain why I don't pray to your god.

I thought Odin was what you used to flash your Android phone...

Nervous Wreck

Tbh, when I found out Santa was a myth, the idea of God just seemed ridiculous.

nozzferrahhtoo

Rasheed wrote: »

I don't know anyone that is an atheist and was just wondering why people are atheists, were ye religious at one stage and did something change your mind? Or where ye parents atheists and pass it on? Just curious about it!

Simple. I dismiss all claims that are unsubstantiated. The claim there is a god is not just slightly but ENTIRELY unsubstantiated. At this time there are no arguments, evidence, data or reasons on offer to lend the claim even a modicum of credence.

18AD

"If you're having God problems, I feel bad for you son. I've got 99 problems but religion ain't one."

[This message is not representative of the authors actual beliefs or lack there of.]

Rasheed

Just want to thank everyone for contributing to this, ye cleared a lot up for me!

shizz

I think I always had a feeling that something was up with regards to religion, but because I respected my parents so much I just thought it was right and didn't want to raise any questions to them. I remember being in mass one day when I was a kid thinking "Sure couldn't someone just have wrote this book as a story?", but still I "believed". I say believed but what I really mean was went with the flow tbh. Mass itself is enough to turn you atheist just so you don't have to go.

I always thought I didn't believe in a god but I also always felt uncomfortable about that. It put me off making the final decision for a while but in the end my love for science really won out. The universe is so much more wonderful without a god in it. Not to mention religion really is bat **** crazy.

Daniel S

I'm not anti-religion or anything, but as a student engineer I think logically and personally I don't think religion makes logical sense. Also, one of the biggest issues I had was I was effectively forced into Catholicism. When you're 8/12, you'll say you're whatever they tell you to be for hundreds of euro.

Basically, in Catholicism, bread turns into the body of Christ...

Eh... no.

Islam is just ridiculous IMO.

TBH, it's great that people have religion. It gives them specific morals to follow, but common decency suits me just fine. I've never felt the need to explain why I'm here, nor have I given life after death much thought.

Malari

I don't think religion came before morals!

Chuck Stone

swampgas wrote: »

It seems an inevitability of religion that they want to self-segregate, especially in education. Another reason why compulsory secular state education is a good thing, IMO.

Unless, of course, the state becomes the deity.

Rasheed

Does any one find they have go explain themselves and how do people react eg. Do people try to change your mind or do you yourselves try and change people's minds regarding religion? Would it turn off potential dates for example!?

AleaIactaEst

No evidence for the existance of a deity, or an afterlife.

Why would I believe?

Dave!

Rasheed wrote: »

Does any one find they have go explain themselves and how do people react eg. Do people try to change your mind or do you yourselves try and change people's minds regarding religion? Would it turn off potential dates for example!?

It doesn't tend to come up. Once in a blue moon I'll end up discussing it with a mate or something, and it either ends in tears or else I don't bother getting into it cos I know it will end in tears.

Rasheed

Dave! wrote: »

It doesn't tend to come up. Once in a blue moon I'll end up discussing it with a mate or something, and it either ends in tears or else I don't bother getting into it cos I know it will end in tears.

Ya I completely agree with you. Whoever said not to talk about politics or religion at dinner parties had it dead on!

I'm just thinking of myself now and if I met 'the one' an they were an atheist, how would I feel if they refused to get married in a church or raise the children with religion.

Now I'm by no means mad religious so I don't know how hard I'd push it, just wondering how people deal with them kind of situations!

007IRE

GarIT wrote: »

For me personally I would not go near a church for any reason. I dont go to funerals, weddings anything in a church because of the crimes the church has committed and still commits today.

I think is a crime against a child to have it baptised before it can make its own decision. If I could sue my parents for what they did to me I would.

You need a chill pill

Supermensch

I'm atheist for the same reason I am, in effect, a nihilist; lack of evidence of some sort of universality, or a purpose to life.
(I'm not as morose as I sound

)

I don't get into debates about religion. Really there's no point to it; one party is believing in something with no concrete evidence to back it up, and all the other party end up doing is slinging logic at them. You never get a resolution from that. And if believing in something makes people happy, and it doesn't effect me too much, then who cares?

Rasheed wrote: »

Ya I completely agree with you. Whoever said not to talk about politics or religion at dinner parties had it dead on!

I'm just thinking of myself now and if I met 'the one' an they were an atheist, how would I feel if they refused to get married in a church or raise the children with religion.

Now I'm by no means mad religious so I don't know how hard I'd push it, just wondering how people deal with them kind of situations!

Yeah, if a partner wanted to get married in a church, I'd have no problem with it really. As far as I'm concerned it's just a building. As for raising the with religion, personally I wouldn't really have a problem with getting kids baptised or the equivalent, if it really meant that much to whoever I'm with, again, it's just water in my opinion, but I would want to bring up the children to think for themselves, and form their own opinions.

shanered

For me, the first lie was Santa Cluas, after finding that out I realised some things are sugar-coated to make everybody be good and think that they will be rewarded for that behaviour.
I realised that religion, well Roman Catholicisim is quite the same thing.
I just decided, until there is some tangible proof, ill stay skeptic.
Its usually a good choice to be skeptical until you have some proof of some sort.
Still havent seen anything remotely similar to proof, but I do have to believe I like the notion of a god, but sure I liked santa too so that says alot about what I'm saying.

Turtwig

I don't like making assumptions that I'm encouraged never to doubt.

legspin

I look around me at the world and I can't but think if there is such a thing as god, he/she/it is doing such a poor job they don't deserve worship. So even if 'god' does exist he gets nowt from me other than contempt.

Dave!

Rasheed wrote: »

Ya I completely agree with you. Whoever said not to talk about politics or religion at dinner parties had it dead on!

I'm just thinking of myself now and if I met 'the one' an they were an atheist, how would I feel if they refused to get married in a church or raise the children with religion.

Now I'm by no means mad religious so I don't know how hard I'd push it, just wondering how people deal with them kind of situations!

Not sure how I will/would deal with it to be honest. I don't necessarily mind getting married in a church, as long as I don't have to do anything too humiliating in the name of appeasing the priest.

General Relativity

Rasheed wrote: »

I don't know anyone that is an atheist and was just wondering why people are atheists, were ye religious at one stage and did something change your mind? Or where ye parents atheists and pass it on? Just curious about it!

You are an athiest, you just don't know it.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_deities

Look at all those Gods you don't belive in. Maybe when you realise why you don't belive in any of those, you'll realise why I don't belive in yours.

Malari

Rasheed wrote: »

Ya I completely agree with you. Whoever said not to talk about politics or religion at dinner parties had it dead on!

I'm just thinking of myself now and if I met 'the one' an they were an atheist, how would I feel if they refused to get married in a church or raise the children with religion.

Now I'm by no means mad religious so I don't know how hard I'd push it, just wondering how people deal with them kind of situations!

I don't think it's unusual for people who are atheists to make compromises for their loved ones in terms of wedding venues and their kids in terms of education, etc. Some people will be more inflexible (like me

). I could not see myself being happy with a person who believed in god, but I think that's probably more unusual than you think.

seamus

Malari wrote: »

I don't think it's unusual for people who are atheists to make compromises for their loved ones in terms of wedding venues and their kids in terms of education, etc.

In many cases the atheist is very unfussed about these things, and since the various chants and rituals of whatever religion have no inherent meaning to them, but do to their partner, they'll often go along with them.

The logical view is that - it makes them happy and doesn't make me unhappy, therefore why not.

Baptism I think is a little bit more contentious (because you're doing something dishonest on behalf of the child), but in many cases the athiest goes along with it because it's seen as being in the best interests of the child because it means they won't be discriminated against in their choice of school.

My guess is that when large swathes of schools are taken out of Church control, or it becomes illegal to discriminate on the basis of religion, then the baptism rates in this country will collapse because people just can't be bothered with it.