paley - I'd be interested in knowing how you became an atheist after leaving the JWs and how long did it take?
You know, I can't remember. Within 18 months is my best guess.
Was it instant or did your belief in a deity gradually decline?
A decline. I couldn't see any positive result in sincere prayer. I may have well prayed to a piece of string for a better result.
When I woke up from the Watchtower cult I still believed in some sort of god. It wasn't until a few months later that i came to the conclusion that there probably is not god.
I was in a church when this finally dawned on me.
Looking back i can see that it happened in stages:
- Still believed in Jehovah, but not the Watchtower (this is when i considered myself "awake" from Watchtower.
Same here. The GB had become 'apostates' in my mind but the jobo doctrines were all still true.
- Still believed the bible, but that it was gods general thoughts that had been watered down and corrupted over time.
I began to think it better to read a different bible version because the GB were apostates wilfully deceiving us at Satan's direction.
- Believed in a god/goddess
- Studied Hinduism/Paganism/Old Norse religion and was open to the idea of worshiping nature under the personification of gods (at this stage i think i was just grasping at straws)
Yes. I became interested in Witchy stuff and became a freemason, which was a wet let down.
- Read The God Delusion by Richard Dawkins and had a very real mental shift. I was off kilter for a few weeks not really sure of myself.
- Decided that there's no evidence for any god and that the most important thing is to treat myself and others well regardless.
Same book that I read. Along with watching the Atheist Experience on YouPube.
After becoming an atheist again (i say "again" because we were all born atheists) there was a lot of things to think about and to deal with. Yes, i will die and never come back. No, i'll never see my dead father and grandparents again - the memories I have of them are all that are left.
This is still a terrible reality I an terrified of....not death, but getting dead. It may not be nice but it is a harsh reality, like it or not.
Yes, i should work to make my community/country/world a better place, no, nobody is going to solve world hunger overnight.
I have become even more resolute to be good to my fellow man but not those in authority...f*** them.
At the end of it all though, it's made me a much happier, grateful and kinder person. Anyone else feel that way?
Yes. Apart from dark thoughts about those in authority, I see the fragility of life and want to be as kind as possible to people. After all this is all we have.
I get bored with all the mumbo jumbo apologising for and doing mental gymnastics on so called holy writings, to prove god exists.
It's simple. If god existed he'd make it obvious to everyone without silly games.
Nice post Paley. Thumbs up.
