Once I realized there were major problems with the theology of the JW's I finally began to disengage from the fear I had felt all my life, of not doing enough, EVER.
Releasing yourself from the fear can make all the difference in determining what it is you really believe. I'm still figuring that out, right now I'm agnostic bordering on atheism.
I don't have alot of wisdom to give, but if pressed, I would say first give yourself permission to explore ideas and information without fear of repurcussion. And give yourself some time.
im an atheist and i like the idea of being an athiest but its kinda hard
by Lotus65 43 Replies latest jw friends
-
redredrose
-
jaguarbass
They say there is no such thing as an atheist in a fox hole, or an atheist in a life boat.
When things are good its easy to be an atheist.
I've read Dawkins, all he does is change what creationist say by 5%. His books are the same as an evangelist with a 5% twist to no God.
Read Darwin and research it and you will find Darwin and Dawkins both tell you why evolution is impossible dont take my word for it.
Like the other posters say read both.
Have you ever seen anything come from nothing?
Can you shake up a bag of screws and come up with a clock?
Atheist appear to have a vendetta and anger that clouds clear thinking.
Dont take my word for it check it out.
That little voice in the back of your head is reality and common sense.
-
KW13
your not much younger than me, so i wont treat you like a kid, but i'll tell you something that helped me. if there is, a loving God that wants the best for you and me, in his own time he will reveal himself to you, until then there is NO sin in you exploring your own thoughts on the matter. its important! if you continue to deny yourself the chance to evaluate things, to truly accept what your gut instinct tells you, then you'll live to regret it. but before all that, before you worry yourself into an early grave, enjoy the next few years at least and forget about it. the decision will wait.
-
Gopher
Hi Lotus65,
I too declared my atheism, almost exactly one year ago. It's not necessarily an easy thing, because atheism carries a stigma in our society. I found attending a few monthly atheist meetings helped cure me of my shyness about atheism, and now it seems quite natural.
I looked it up -- and a group just started up in Maryland in April. Here's their website: http://www.marylandatheists.org/
If you scroll down to the bottom they have a link to their meetup page, and they're meeting this Saturday 8/2 in Silver Springs. I know they'd welcome you there, as I've seen people from their teens to their 70's attend here in Minnesota.
-
Snoozy
Jaguar , you listed one of the reason I would be an atheist..
Something can't come from nothing..... That would be God.
I just can't fathom that.
Snoozy...who still prays..just in case...
-
Gopher
Snoozy...who still prays..just in case
But how do you know which of many deities to pray to? The default in our Western society may be the Christian God, but that's an accident of geography or culture we were born into.
Just in case..of what -- punishment if we don't? That's Pascal's Wager -- the assertion being it's safer to believe in God than not.
If fear of punishment is the motivation, then what one should do is study theology to find out which God is the meanest and threatens mankind with the worst punishment. Just in case.
If praying works for you, fine. I'm just thinking out loud here.
-
jaguarbass
Jaguar , you listed one of the reason I would be an atheist..
Something can't come from nothing..... That would be God.
I just can't fathom that.
Snoozy...who still prays..just in case
I dont really believe the bible, its got as many or more problems as evolution.
And maybe I am an atheist. Because I'm not really sure which God I believe in.
I'm just looking for the truth and trying to be unbiased about it.
Maybe God, the designer had a begining. The way I imagine it. The creator is in another dimension, some call it the spirit realm.
We dont really know much about it. I kind of lean toward beliving in reincarnation and a God or designer that would go along with reincarnation.
I will say that it's a good point and I have used it myself. If something cant come from nothing than God shouldnt be able to come from nothing either.
The jury I am on is hung at the moment I'm seeing the evidence pretty much 50/50 and even if at times it goes 60/40 I dont see that as a perponderance, or evidence beyond a reasonable doubt.
I appreciate the atheist they are willing to ask the hard questions.
I guess we will all find out what happens when we die.
I really doubt there is a hell. I think when we die. We probaly wake up as a little child.
It works for me.
-
funkyderek
Lotus65:
im just kinda in a jam because i need to try and find something to completely lose the thoughts in the back of my head that say what if im wrong and i "suffer" because of it.
That's one of the tricks religion uses to keep people enslaved. If the consequences of being wrong are sufficiently horrific, many people will err on the side of caution. That's why hellfire and Armageddon are made to sound so scary. Conversely, it is also why heaven and Paradise are made to sound so great. None of them is actually real but by being made so vivid, they can have a disproportionately strong effect.
i feel that if i can find something to destroy these thoughts i can be alot more comfortable with my views and opinions. anyone have any thoughts on what i should do.
You're doing it already. By examining why you have these thoughts, you can discover the best course of action. Study philosophy and you'll soon see that you're not the first person to ask these questions. There are of course lots of different answers, and I certainly haven't found a foolproof way of determining which one is correct. Be very very wary of anyone who claims they have.
what did u guys do when u became atheists?
I found it relatively easy. The evidence for the existence of gods just wasn't there. Once I realised this, I had no problem with worrying about what imaginary deities might do to me.
i feel like its alot easier to remain agnostic and in a state of neutrallity rather than to actively choose a position. what do u guys think?
Well, if you're not sure, then by definition you're agnostic. But not all possibilities are equally likely, so strict 50/50 agnosticism is not always the best option. For example, the likelihood of a wacky 19th century apocalyptic American pseudo-Christian sect actually being true cannot completely be discounted but it should not be given the same weight as the possibility that it is a load of bunk, the position most strongly supported by the evidence. Just shrugging and saying "I don't know" is probably the easiest answer but that doesn't mean it's the best.
-
BurnTheShips
im an atheist and i like the idea that comes with freedom of though and analytical thinking that follows being atheistic vs having a religion im just kinda in a jam because i need to try and find something to completely lose the thoughts in the back of my head that say what if im wrong and i "suffer" because of it. i feel that if i can find something to destroy these thoughts i can be alot more comfortable with my views and opinions. anyone have any thoughts on what i should do. what did u guys do when u became atheists? i feel like its alot easier to remain agnostic and in a state of neutrallity rather than to actively choose a position. what do u guys think?
It sounds to me like you want to "be" something. You don't have to "be" anything. If you have freedom of thought, you have freedom to explore. There are many paths. Don't "cubbyhole" yourself. Cheers, Burn
-
funkyderek
jaguarbass:
They say there is no such thing as an atheist in a fox hole, or an atheist in a life boat.
Only assholes say that. Whatever truth it has is no more profound than saying there are no clean underpants in foxholes.
I've read Dawkins, all he does is change what creationist say by 5%. His books are the same as an evangelist with a 5% twist to no God.
Then you haven't read Dawkins at all, or if you have, you've somehow completely misunderstood everything he's written. That would not surprise me, although I doubt very much you've read a significant amount of his work. You really don't seem up to the task.
Read Darwin and research it and you will find Darwin and Dawkins both tell you why evolution is impossible dont take my word for it.
The beginning and end of that sentence manage to contain good advice although I'm sure that is purely accidental. Everybody should read Darwin and Dawkins (to be honest, there's not that much need to read Darwin's work for an understanding of evolution, the science has of course moved on in the last century and a half) and nobody should ever take your word for anything, for obvious reasons.
The middle of the sentence, of course is more your style, being as it plainly is, complete nonsense. Darwin managed to show not only that evolution takes place but in broad principle how it happens. Dawkins and many many many other scientists since Darwin, have refined the original theories and found a superabundance of supporting evidence, to prove beyond all doubt that evolution is a fact, and demonstrate in exquisite detail how it happens.
Have you ever seen anything come from nothing?
Can you shake up a bag of screws and come up with a clock?
Had you even seen Dawkins on a TV chat show - let alone read his work - you wouldn't even think of asking such inane questions. What have they got to do with evolution by natural selection? The first question of course is always assumed by the theist never to apply to his god. Something can't come from nothing except an all-powerful intelligent creator. What nonsense!
Atheist appear to have a vendetta and anger that clouds clear thinking.
Of course, that's why people don't believe in gods, because they want revenge. It's hard to believe that there are people so eye-wateringly moronic that they think atheists only pretend not to believe in imaginary beings because they're angry at them. It's a cheap and lazy shot even from someone as profoundly idiotic as you.
Dont take my word for it check it out.
Again, some accidental good advice. Nobody should ever take your word for anything. Luckily, I don't think that's very likely.
That little voice in the back of your head is reality and common sense.
I bet you wish you had a voice like that in your head.