Athiests: Were you ever a true believer?

[irondork]

I mean really, REALLY a true, devout believer in all things scriptural - despite your particular flavor of what constituted "truth". Or did you always have a prickling suspicion that something wasn't right?

I (mostly) just read the conversations in the Christian thread, have a bi-weekly bible discussion with a retired S. Baptist preacher, and participate in an ex-JW and gay Christian forum, and some of the... the.... CRAP these people come up with gives me a headache. I'm not talking about simple doctrinal differences that can be reasonably extracted from the biblical narrative. I'm talking about religious dogma that is so outside the realm of what the human mind can absorb and still claim sanity. I realize that definition is relative. I still believe in the existence of a God and creator. I suppose that would fall into the same category of insanity for some of you.

I have been a true believer my whole life. REALLY devout, despite my changing doctrinal understandings. But I find myself throwing out larger and larger chunks of the bible and what used to be the foundation of my faith.

What's left of my brain can't take it anymore.

[eltigar]

Mate , I'll tell you something.
All of us are guilty of worshiping our religion instead of god himself .
I don't know if you understand what I mean . I hope you do.

[opto2017]

To answer the thread title - nope.

[Weightaholic]

Mate , I'll tell you something.
All of us are guilty of worshiping our religion instead of god himself .
I don't know if you understand what I mean . I hope you do.

I didn't realise you'd been elected spokesperson for everyone.

What's the pay like?

[tng83]

Nope. Used to say prayers before bed but only because I was forced to. Not since I was 6 or so have I thought there was a god.

[wings_unhinged]

At one point, I did feel like I truly believed. There wasn't any doubt in my mind that a god existed and its name was Jesus Christ.

Eventually, the piss and vinegar ran out and I didn't really like the person I'd turned into.

[DerpHunter]

Yes, absolutely. I was born into it. I started questioning it around my early teen years and was an atheist before I hit 18. I wasn't afraid of where the questions led me, and so, I just stopped believing. Just wait until you start being told "you were never really a true believer." I'm sure you know that many Christians refuse to accept that many ex-Christians were genuine believers at one point. It's really annoying. I think they find us threatening.

[lasher]

No, I've been rabidly anti christian my whole life. I used to be overt and obnoxious about it, but now I infiltrate various christian groups both in real life and online and pretend I am a christian in order to subtly manipulate people away from belief.

[CRyan64]

Yeah, till age 14. I believed that I would always be a Christian lulz...how things have changed.

[Turbomunkey]

Life is a hell of a drug

[HaythamKenway]

I was raised from birth to believe in God. Went to church every Sunday.

I used to pray all the time, and if what I prayed for actually happened, I knew it was because God made it happen.

I 100% knew that there was a God. I believed totally and absolutely. I went to a Christian youth group, CCD, etc.

Then I found this forum. Conversing with so many other Christians showed me the true face of religion: hatred

The more I learned about the Bible and the more I learned about Science, the weaker my faith became.

I went from hardcore believer, to Universalist, to Agnostic, to Atheist. I prefer the term "Humanist"

[mferrandi]

sometimes I wish I was an atheist, unfortunately I'm just not that naive

[Neceseco]

Yes I really believed. When I was 11 I fought a friend of mine because he insulted Jesus. Then at 12 I started to think and became atheist, it was a shock at the beginning, everything seemed pointless.

[Bunpitsu]

Never. My family was, and has never been particularly religious, though my mother fell into the pathetic trap of attending church regularly, going to club meetings and whatnot, getting involved with local church groups, etc- just to keep up appearances. I attended church from the ages of 3~ to 16.

Right from the start I remember thinking 'this all completely ridiculous'. It just didn't seem real life. In fact, I remember being very weirded out by the fact that several hundred adults would come into this building, chant the same hymns and credos week after week, without giving the ideas even so much as a second though. I knew that back then, and it never changed. It was bizarre.

I'm not interested in religion either way. I don't care what you believe, and couldn't give a fukc if you go and practise it somewhere.

[4g64fiero]

Yes, I was studying with hopes to become a pastor when I was 16-19. During that time, when I really looked into the history of everything, nothing added up. This happens with biblical scholars, as intense study on the subject will draw the line for you.

If you look at the fundamental qualities of a monotheistic religion, most have the same stories, aspects, and purposes. We are always subservient and unworthy lol.

I remember, when I was 15 I dragged a cross on my back for my church through the town during halloween lol.

[aRCaNEbrah]

ya before i was little and could think for myself

brainwashed harddd

[Tb0282]

Just wait until you start being told "you were never really a true believer." I'm sure you know that many Christians refuse to accept that many ex-Christians were genuine believers at one point. It's really annoying. I think they find us threatening.

But who was perseverance of saints?

[mferrandi]

sometimes I wish I was an atheist, unfortunately I'm just not that naive

I stand by what I said, even though bbmod1 just turned me red, lol (and I can't even neg him back, I'm sure he feels like such a hero now)

[lasher]

I stand by what I said, even though bbmod1 just turned me red, lol (and I can't even neg him back, I'm sure he feels like such a hero now)

he's the drive by mod negger.

[4g64fiero]

he's the drive by mod negger.

Lasher was reading a 4g64fiero thread in the r&p section when he denounced god lol.

[canuckmike]

No! The only reason people believe in god and religion is fear and brainwashing!

[DrunkBus]

Maybe back when I was a freshman in high school?

[datderecreatine]

I never understood religion. Your parents created you. But everyone knows your suppose to be responsible for yourself Nd its not your parents job to watch over your every move. Why should god? If he created us than **** it. Live and let live. Care about your own well being. I know plenty of "churches" that scam people for tons of money and they sit on there ass gambling and making bank. Trust me there are a lot of fake "churches"

[MaximosJ]

No! The only reason people believe in god and religion is fear and brainwashing!

Oh man, thanks for revealing this to me. brb, becoming atheist

[sawoobley]

Yes, absolutely. I was born into it. I started questioning it around my early teen years and was an atheist before I hit 18. I wasn't afraid of where the questions led me, and so, I just stopped believing. Just wait until you start being told "you were never really a true believer." I'm sure you know that many Christians refuse to accept that many ex-Christians were genuine believers at one point. It's really annoying. I think they find us threatening.

When people say they stopped believing in God when they were 14-17 then they likely were not ever true believers. Most theists I know had to go through a period during those years where they re-evaluated their beliefs and truly became converted rather than relying on the belief of their parents and what was fed to them as a child.

No, I've been rabidly anti christian my whole life. I used to be overt and obnoxious about it, but now I infiltrate various christian groups both in real life and online and pretend I am a christian in order to subtly manipulate people away from belief.

Your not very subtle about it. Dressing up as some Devil like creature and using it as an avi. Just saying.

[DizzySmalls]

I was for most of my life. Now I'm a true believer that human consciousness and self-awareness is an "accident" of an uncaring, meaningless universe that will eventually reorganize us out of the picture. There is little existential hope outside of a deity that hides behind the scenes.

[lasher]

Lasher was reading a 4g64fiero thread in the r&p section when he denounced god lol.

Reading your threads is known to cause brain damage so it's possible that happened.

[webcam]

I think so. Grew up a Jehovah's Witness... Didn't consider myself a believer and just said/did what was expected, but at times remember asking myself what if the Armageddon came tomorrow and trying to rationalize why I'd be left alive. It was more of a "what if" thought but I wouldn't have entertained such thinking if I didn't believe.

[Ice32]

Yeah, I was a trully devout muslim. Reading about it constantly, praying, preaching it around, arguing with christians...and I believed in it 100%. At age of 18, became an atheist

[dakensta]

I wanted to believe.
By the time I was 11 I realised I was just fooling myself.