Scared to be atheist

Why would we be scared to become atheists?

Because they think god might be mad at them. Seriously would even the most hard core sceptic stake their life on the non existence of big foot, the yetty or the lock ness monster? Just because you've never seen met him doesn't mean to say there isn't a god. So why be surpassed when people refuse to rule it out.

Also I think the vast majority of people, even the very irreligious, have some innate sense of a higher being beyond them selves. How many irreligious people or indeed even ardent atheists find them selves praying to some unseen other when faced with imminent disaster.

okay, why would we be afraid to reject the religion we've been born into. even if we dont want to follow it any more.

Well possibly because not wanting to follow a religion is not the same as not believing in it. But then I fundamentally believe no one is 'born in' to a religion. No one can truly be said to be a follower of a religion unless they hold a personal religious conviction.

Also I suppose many people are afraid of disappointing their families or alienating their communities.

Maybe thats it, dont want to follow the religion. but i believe its the correct one. is that slightly hypocritical?

Only if you hide that fact. To be hypocritical you'd have to be dishonest or duplicitous regarding your personal values and the way they mismatch your actions and life style.

Still it's worth asking some questions about why you can't bare to follow something you believe to be the truth. Surely that suggests there might be something wrong with you or that it might not be the truth.

i dont know, i cant tell people because they'll look at me like im about to die or mentally ill, but theres some stuff i just dont get. how can eveyone else in the world miss this if its so true. i mean how can one religion claim to be the correct and everyone else is wrong. if every one is saying this then whos to say im right? what if i follow this my whole life and wake up in some next world and go oh whoops. its such a bloody risk.

I don't think religion is democratic. As if any religion needs a minimum number of followers to be credible. ... but why would people think you are crazy? As a Christian I think most members of my religion would see asking questions about ones faith, if they're asked with faith in an open minded way, as something positive that will strengthen faith.

It's not seen as curiosity or looking out of the box but seen as satanic doubts.

i just think that i can't just settle and accept this is the ultimate truth, there must be more out there, im just open to everything, ive read about many faiths and if i was to choose one itd be mine, but i still want to see if there's more.

I think with faith it's got to be more than choosing a 'religion'. As a Christian I believe what the bible says about god. That he is a rewarder of those diligently seek him. Maybe you should pray god reveal him self to you in some personal way so that you can have confidence in what you profess.

Everyone lives in green glass houses that they never go out of.

Every - one is different and so are the houses - some big some smaller.

Imagine you in a glass house. You have only little to compare it to because you can't see the others properly.

One day you decide to scratch at the glasshouse and go beyond the framework of what you know - you go on an adventure. As you erode the edges light begins to shine through. As light shines through you begin to see more things by this, and what you see is proportional to your effort.

However, it is exceptionally rare for a person to do this of their own will. This is because it realy isn't in their nature to take such jumps - unconciously or conciously this is in their nature.

What normally happens is that a stone is thrown by someone else into your glass house. Depending on how big it is, the speed at which its thrown and the size of your glass house at stake - it will affect the person. If the stone is small it may pierce a small hole in which light shines through. From there the individual may start to look out and want to see more.

If too large a stone is thrown, it may all be too much too soon and the individual will simply disregard anything of it. This isn't their fault. If anyone's its the person that threw the stone.

This may sound like I think atheism is a shining light. Far from. You can't judge what is right until at least you have two sides. Some people will get things better than others - but it also depends on the manner in which they or someone else reveal or conveys the message.

Thank you.


This is a problem i have with religion, or ideologies, philosphy, sometimes its not even the religion, or the frame of thought that is brilliant, but most of the time yyour decision is dependant on who conveys i, or it will effect your decision in a some minor way. i wanted to talk to a person of a different faith about what they believe in. this scared my sister to a high degree because she said my faith is low, and i could easily be influenced. i dont think so. its not that its low, i just want to see if there is more. she said dont, perhaps he will say it in such an eloquent way that it would change your mind. then i thought this is a problem. why should the religion you choose be so heavily influened by who tells you of it. shouldnt it be the faith, the religion.itself. yeah, thats a big problem. anyone want to comment?i studiied my religion for 5 years and was a cm aware from rejecting it, then i went and studied it somewhere else, and then i accepted it more firmly. the only difference was the way i was taught. that shouldnt be so. how can you blame someone for not following a certain faith, oh god, i dont get it.

Hmmm...

quote:

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Maybe thats it, dont want to follow the religion. but i believe its the correct one. is that slightly hypocritical?

her

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I think this is illogical to me. If I truly believed any religion were the "correct" one then I would be completely immersed in trying to stay in line with it. Otherwise, I would be volluntarily living a life in opposition to my own interests (that is, if I believed the ultimate goal of my entire existence was hinged upon this religion). Therefore, not following this religion, which I believed to be the "correct" one, would mean that I somehow do not feel worthy or do not deserve what this religion promises. That would suck.

But thats the problem,so what if i think its the right one, it dont make it the right one. i mean yeah you want to pursue it, but what if you just thought it was right because of who taught you, your circumstances, whatever, your whole life you give your life, you dont do things you long to do, then die and again i say whoops. this sucks, it is a big fat risk. is this what atheists did, did they think, the hell with all this religion seeking, lets just say there is no god. or do they actually believe he's not there.
I cant just sit back and say yea, this is the religion for me. this is the ultimate truth. because there is so much i dont know.

But i guess we never know the actual truth about anything, we never know, we can just try and if we make a mistake we're human. BUT, not with religion. if you mess up, if you have the wrong religion, either its eternal damnation, or its a waste of tthe only life you'll ever get it. see its fickle.

I understand your dilemma. I was brought up Catholic, but attended numerous churches, from Pentacostal and Fundamentalist Christian to Jehovah's Witness, Mormonism, and even Hari Krishna for awhile, but none of them struck me as "the correct one." I don't think you necessarily need to have a specific religion to believe in the existence of a so-called "Higher Being." Most religions are screwed up. Especially "social" religions. They're just a form of mass control. If you believe in God, then you can make personal committments only you need to know about. Keeping them makes you feel spiritually powerful. Of course, each person makes his or her own committments based on what they believe would be true sacrifice for themselves. No one else needs to know about it except you and your God. I have to believe there is more than the impersonal physical universe, and this belief is based on my own personal understanding and observation of the world around me, and the interactions of the people in my life. Each person makes their own conclusions, I guess.