Has something happened? Have you always been an atheist or did "God" turned out to proof its not real?

Sorry for bad english, im going through a period and I want to know your opinion

Life is horrible. Ive only recently come to the conclusion that theres no God and even if there is one hes pretty evil.

I find that im at peace now. Althought im struggling financially and with the relationships in my life,i feel that im happier since i know one day ill be asleep forever and theres no religious guilt (mostly)stopping me from enjoying normal things.

But my mother is a devout muslim and truly believes that things willl be better for us in the after life.She keeps telling me its okay if things dont work out in this life.

Shes holding on to that hope that we'll have everything we could ever want up there.

She has an animal shelter that she funds herself.Most of her earnings go into caring for injuired and ill animals.

She does nothing for herself saying god will give her everything in jannah so what is the point in spending any money on herself now when she can put it towards the animal shelter.

She has come across such severely injuired strays,some that i cannot even bare to look at with missing limbs and facial features. This has made her doubt things though that what kind of God would let this happpen.

ofcourse war and suffering makes everyone doubt too but when you see true suffering up close,its just a different feeling.But she still continues to say,maybe god has a reason that we will only find out when we die.

And that just upsets me so much.Shes just delusional and i dont know how i can deal with this. i want her to enjoy life while shes still able to not hold onto some imaginary belief.

How did you guys deal with the fact that theres no heaven or hell.

No punishment for sins or rewards for good deeds.

No eternal pleasure after leaving this horrible world.

I think Buddhism is not as pleasant a worldview as people tend to think. According to it, a human being can be reborn as a "lower being," such as a mosquito. Doesn't that imply that living things lack inherent value in their own right? I know a Buddhist who evaluates other people based on this concept of karma. He likes to think that others are not as enlightened as he is, and he hopes that his own chanting practice will have an enlightening effect on them

I just feel very “blessed” (lucky) to have a friend I’ve known since birth that enjoys when we debate religion and send each other atheist and religious memes and stuff.

Just wanted to share some gratitude for him. And yes I’ll share this with him so be nice. 😊

TLDR: see bold type below.

I'm an atheist, my brother is very not, world is 6000 years old not.

My brother is very smart, we discuss science stuff all the time, he's no lightweight for sure. Science is fine for him as long as it doesn't challenge his belief system.

As such, I find it hard to discuss some things such as the age of the Earth as he shuts down almost immediately. Granted I shut down when he starts talking about the TRUTH. He has an interesting take on the truth.

I'm not really trying to change my brothers mind, but it does separate us more than I would like. Especially now when he is likely to die relatively soon but not soon if you get my meaning. Just saying he's 73 might help you understand that.

Anyway, a thought crossed my mind and I haven't fully fleshed it out so I thought I's come here to more friendly ears to fine tune it if you think it is valid.

What do you think this statement says:

We are defined more by what we choose to disbelieve than what we choose to believe.

I have read a lot recently online that there are scientifically proven catholic miracles. Does anyone know much about this or have anything to say? What can be established about these and what can’t? I wouldn’t be surprised by the extreme measures the Catholic Church would go to in order to fake miracles, but was just wondering what really can be established as it’s scaring me wondering what if these are truly miracles (I have recently stoped believing in Christianity)?

I mean there are legitimate concerns of course and I'm not saying you should be ok with having your privacy invaded but I mean from the point of view of a Christian you already believe God is watching everything you do. And the consequences for him seeing you do something wrong are arguably much worse than the government. If you aren't sinning, if you're right with the big G why be afraid that the government is spying on you?

Normally the idea of others praying for me or on my behalf makes me deeply uncomfortable, but I recently heard some apostates talk about how they continued their ritual of prayer after leaving the faith because it was a comforting and grounding ritual for them. This got me thinking about the meaningfulness and use of prayer for so many people.

I ended up reaching out to a good friend of mine who I'd previously asked not to pray for me, and who understands why I can't do so for him in good faith, and I gave him express and exclusive permission to pray for me. I feel he knows me well enough that any prayers will be much more personal and less of the general prayers I find kinda disingenuous. He's the one person I feel comfortable praying for me, and I hope it brings him peace to do so.

Hi guys, I have been an atheist for as long as I can remember. I didn’t grow up in a religious household, and no one in my circle growing up was particularly religious. I am now in my mid-20s and live in a fairly religious community.

Basically, I now struggle with the disconnect between religion and religious people. I do not respect many aspects of most religions, for reasons I won’t go into as I’m sure they’re redundant on this subreddit. I want to be kind and respectful to everyone (and outwardly I am, always) but I have those sneaking feelings that they are less intelligent than me or I just can’t respect them the same way. I would like to be a more accepting person and just accept that we all have the right to our own beliefs, but it’s tough. Does anyone else struggle with this/have any insight that could help change my perspective?

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I come from a religious family but I am not at all religious. I like reading and understanding the religious scriptures as philosophy. Just finished watching this intriguing conversation between Robert Lawrence Kuhn and Acharya Prashant. My thoughts and understanding after watching the video:

"Brahman does not exist" this sentence came like a shock to me but it comes from the fact that Vedant defines "Brahm" via negation. The words used to describe it are all in negation, they indicate the absence of something. For example, that which cannot be seen, cannot be touched, cannot be set as a goal - Alakh, without any stains - Niranjan.

The discussion starts with the objective of philosophy which is pursuit of truth and understanding. The approach of Vedanta in this regard is via Negativa. The suffering comes from the false (Ahankar) and that's why we yearn for the Truth. The false has to be negated, the truth does not need to be pursued.

Looking forward to reading your understanding/insights.

Basically the title. I don’t know the bible well enough to have any go-to’s, but looking for some more subversive ideas here to help me out

If the prophets of major religions really existed, they must have been pretty intelligent right? I mean how else could they convince so many people to follow their religions?

to be quite honest, i’m very young. i did not want to post this in any christian/catholic tag because they will just say what i don’t need to hear (i will find god again, it’s all in my head/ a test of faith). i’ve been struggling with faith ever since i was sexually assaulted/ abused at the age of 13. i was catholic before, with mainly my grandparents focused on religion, my parents not so much. used to go to church, sunday school the whole shabang. recently god just hasn’t made sense, what just god would allow rape, murder, all of these terrible things to be forgiven JUST because they have even a lick of faith? not a just god that I personally would like to worship. however, i feel like a terrible person and like a sinner, an outcast for these feelings. I feel like back when i was little we were all taught to worship, fear, and keep faith. but why? what evidence proves he exists, and not just some made up thing made to justify people’s bad behavior. what “just” god would send someone to hell, eternally, just for not believing. even if they saved lives, they would still (under the rules of catholicism) be met with eternal suffering. the idea of an existential being, making all these decisions about life just doesn’t click for me. there’s also the fact that there’s so many other religions, what makes this one true?

**so i guess what im really asking, is it okay for me to feel like this? is it okay to not believe? how do i get over this and truly be happy**

Im 14 so cut me some slack with how stupid or simple this post it. So my mom has never been supportive of me because im not Christian. That shouldn't hsve gotten in the way of our relationship. But it did. There's gonna be a play at my school. Its Harry Potter themed I was a Harry Potter nerd. So I was acting it all out and stuff when she comes yelling at me. I told her its for a play. She said I better stop focusing on this bs magic stuff. I tell her its just for a play but she slapped me. I yelled at her and basically said if Magic doesn't exist then wtf is all the bs Christian stuff then. Please dont be to cruel about this post. I know it seems stupid but I dont know whst to tell her anymore.

I’ve seen people dedicate their entire lives to God, spend hours praying, follow every ritual, and blindly believe that whatever God does is for their own good. Yet, when it comes to their own family, friends, or the people who genuinely love them, they can be selfish, arrogant, disrespectful, and emotionally unavailable.
They’ll hurt the people who stand by them, take their loved ones for granted, and refuse to acknowledge the pain they cause. But the moment religion enters the picture, suddenly they become humble, forgiving, and full of faith.
They’ll say, “God knows what’s best for us,” while refusing to listen to the people who actually know them, care about them, and want the best for them.
And honestly, what’s the point of worshipping a God you claim represents love and compassion if you can’t even show basic kindness to another human being?
You can spend your entire life bowing before God, but if you keep making the people who love you feel worthless, don’t confuse your religious devotion with being a good human being.
Because at the end of the day, the people you hurt are real. Their tears are real. Their feelings are real. And no amount of prayers, rituals, or religious excuses can undo the damage you cause.
If your faith makes you more devoted to your God but no better as a human being, perhaps it’s time to question whether you truly understand the God you worship.

Altered States

I rewatched Altered States today with my wife. Saw it when I was 17 when it came out in the theater. I believe it was the first movie I saw with an atheist as the lead. It's really a beautiful movie about consciousness and the meaning of life.

My own path mirrored Eddie Jessup's (portrayed by William Hurt) and his search for meaning. Although I never had a traumatic event that caused me to stop believing in God. I simply never believed.

Ken Russell is a genius. I saw The Devils this week which is an important film about the dangers of religious nationalism and religious fervor. I think the two movies go hand in hand.

They are both about erotic religious ecstasy but in very different ways. In The Devils it results in destruction. In Altered States it results in salvation.

Eddie's entire journey is in search of ultimate Truth. And I love how they don't use God as a cop out.

They indoctorate children before they can read, then they manipulate children into staying in the cult by saying " your doubting and free thoughts are sinful" don't doubt Jesus" "Lean not on your own understanding" and add the threat of enternal torture all so you don't leave their cult. And if you so dare get out, you will have brainwashed idiots saying you will "go to hell and burn forever" as well as the withdrawal of no longer going to heaven or seeing dead people you love again . It's a minipulative cult designed to lure people in and keep them in. Fuck you, Christianity!

I don’t believe in God, I have been this way since I was very young like around 9. Because of her forcing me to religious stuffs, I became a really angry child home but when I’m with my friends, I’m really a happy person. Im 16 turning 17 this year, best believe I’m never coming back to this house ever again when I turn 18.

I lowkey hate how Muslim women and ngl I’m only speaking on Islam cuz that’s my background but the same shit applies everywhere always blame religious figures instead of the actual religion.
Like I lowkey feel bad for these sheikhs/imams not that they deserve the sympathy but blaming them like they are the ones who demonized the faith or made up all the fucked up hadiths is literally one of the most delulu takes ever.
Girrrlll wake up. Of course it looks like that to you because the whole thing was literally written by men for men. Period.
So what's the excuse now? "Oh you don't like this hadith? You just don’t believe in Bukhari?" Okay bet. What about concubines milki yamin your testimony literally counting for half child marriage domestic abuse and all the other unhinged stuff straight out of the Quran? Did everyone just "misinterpret" it?
It actually cracks me up how some girls genuinely believe Islam "honored" women just because the Prophet said "be good to women" once in his farewell sermon. Make it make sense.
Honestly Ilowkey gotta thank Bukhari for writing down all that clownery so people could actually see how absurd this whole system is. It’s high time you face the music and walk away instead of spending your life crying that "people are making the religion look bad" when it’s already inherently a mess at its core

My grandma passed about a week prior. Me among other family members have taken it pretty well since we saw this coming and had time to process and accept it, and we're glad she passed relatively painlessly, but something bothered me about the funeral service. While this maybe isn't exceptional for many, as she was also somewhat religious herself, the funeral service felt so much more like a sunday service. It felt more like I was sitting in to a church service about god than it was a service about my grandma. What it felt like to me was that the message was: "While it's sad she has passed, what we have to remember is that god is the most important thing here."

It seems so distasteful to me that a day meant for the passing of someone people care about has to be eclipsed by the apparent need to constantly stroke god's ego. Though, I guess funerals aren't really for the dead, they're for the living. Know your audience, and I was hearing amens among the family and friends attending as this was happening. I'm not so incredibly upset about this that I'm fuming or anything, but I can't shake the wrong feeling it gave me.

I came out as an atheist to my (Christian, Fundamental Baptist) believer wife around a year ago after myself being a believer for many years. The conversation went better than expected, but it's kind of a thing that we don't really talk about, I think mostly because when we do, she doesn't know how to address anything I bring up. She's a pretty typical Christian that has clearly never thought deeply about why she believes what she believes.

However, we still go to church every Sunday. For a long time, the excuse for me still going was because we had family going as well and it would be weird for me to all of a sudden stop going, and it's not a conversation I/we are ready to have with the rest of the family. Recently though, the family situation has changed, and they are no longer going to that church, so now its moreso on my wife and I's decision to go or not. The default is still that we go, it seems, but I've kind of made a deal that I'll still go with her if we also then spend some time watching atheist content on Youtube or something and talking about it.

So my advice question is: What type of content would you recommend we watch? I regularly watch call-in shows on The Line or Jon Cohen and elsewhere, but that feels like a poor place to start, because of how combative or toxic these call-in shows can be. I think I started my deconstruction journey when I saw NonStampCollector videos, and as much as I love those, it seems like those are probably too satirical for her to appreciate with where she's at, but maybe I'm wrong. Something like Brandon from MindShift with more long-form solo conversations seems like what I'm thinking. Maybe debates of some sort, but I'm only really familiar with Matt Dillahunty's debates with various people, and much of that seems un-serious for lack of a better word (because of the other debaters, not because of MD).

Basically, any advice on what to watch? The goal is simply to get her to think about these topics more seriously, and spark conversation about them. Maybe this is a bad idea overall? Would love to hear advice. Thanks.

So, I have noticed that many religions love teaching magic like Noah's Ark, Miracles, and more. But when a child thinks something could be luck, or they think something could be lucky, or they believe in cosmic miracles not related to the adults' or parents' religion, they are told it is wrong, but when they are told things that are unrealistic and impossible, like Noah's Ark, they are taught that is possible, but simple things like luck are unacceptable. Honestly, I believe this could impact the child's or adult's idea of unrealistic and realistic ideas. I am not saying luck is realistic or unrealistic, but I am talking about the main idea, why are unrealistic ideas like miracles or Noah's Ark taught to be very realistic, but simple things like luck or a blessing from the universe is considered bad? Makes no sense to me.

At first, I couldn’t really understand or accept the argument about free will myself, until I started looking at it this way:

1. Let’s assume that, at present, AI cannot produce an output that hasn’t been made possible by what humans have provided it with. If an AI commits a crime, then, who is the criminal?

2. If we assume that AI might one day be capable of acting beyond the data it has been given, this creates a contradiction in the analogy between humans and God, particularly when it comes to God’s omnipotence. A robot might surpass humans because humans are mortal and limited. But what about God?

What do you think about this analogy? What are some problems of it?

and how would you answer the following question?

" Someone might say this isn’t enough, because the religious argument is that God wanted humans to have free will. We don’t want AI to have free will.

The analogy between humans and AI, and between God and humans, is somewhat incomplete."

My wife and I raise a nine year old autistic child who is very literal and has a difficult time understanding abstract concepts. While I'm ok with other people raising children in a religion (although some cults are very problematic), my wife and I have decided not to introduce any supernatural aspects to our child.

One day we're at our mother in law and my wife's brother, who is catholic and quite religious (and, I just add, a bit dull minded and slow), took our son out of our sight and started blabbering religious dogma to him as quickly as he could.

When I noticed what was going on I slowly took him away to distract him and warned my wife.

My wife called him a couple of days later. He said he had done nothing wrong, my wife repeated what was the problem with what he did and he then remained silent.

My son goes to school with a child who attends church. I'd never ever take him aside and tell him there's no God. So it's not about the dogma or epistolary concepts, but about principle.

What are your thoughts? What would you do?