question for non believers or whoever..............?

Question

ok, did you ever belive at one point. i dont want to hear any of the there is no heaven or hell crap. if u ever did believe, what mad you stop. NO HEAVEN OR HELL CRAP, GOT IT

Answer 1

As a child, I went to church with my family and believed in the religion. As I got more mature, and started thinking for myself and paying attention to my feelings, I realized I didn't believe it. No one thing made me change.

Answer 2

I'll answer seriously -- in fact, I've thought about this question myself. I come from a very Christian (Methodist) family, and growing up I went to church every Sunday, went to youth group classes, eventually was confirmed, etc. So I was raised to believe in a protestant God. That said, by the time I turned 14 or so, like many other kids that age I began to theorize about lots of things in general that I had just before taken for granted -- and so religion was one of them. I didn't just stop believing all of a sudden, though; actually, I remember trying to rationalize Christianity to fit in with all of the other things I was starting to learn (such as philosophy, scientific theories, etc.). But the problem was that I was just encouraged, especially by my teachers, to think and think, and so no matter how hard I tried I really couldn't resolve the illogicality inherent in the very religion on which I was raised. The turning point for me was when I realized that if many of the major religions individually claim to offer the only means by which to reach transcendence, then logically they cannot all be simultaneously correct; which also meant to me that the basis of many of these religions was not some sort of evident truth, but instead just each religion's collective construction of "truth". For me, it wasn't just a matter of there being no heaven or hell, but more importantly that "heaven" and "hell", as well as all other aspects of Christianity, were just human-made concepts. It was a bummer, because in some ways I think I'd be more content if I were to live with the sense of security that comes with the belief in an organized religion -- sort of like ignorance and bliss. But that's another response.

Answer 3

Alright, I think this can pertain to me, because I didn't believe at one point. Because I considered myself a man of science, and that the evolution theory, and the big bang theory, and that creation just didn't make much sense to me. It sounded as made up as the other religions of the Greeks and such to me. So I stopped for a long while, and I wanted proof that it all existed. I was never an atheist, just agnostic. I thought that a god that is all powerful, and who is completely good, wouldn't let our world come to the way it is. But then I gave up questioning everything and decided that it doesn't prove that he doesn't exist, just that he works in a way I can't possibly fathom. And that I didn't need a miracle to prove against all logic that something exists. I still don't believe everything in the scripture, because I think the church has changed things to fit their beliefs in the past. But I do believe in right and wrong. And I just didn't think that once we died, that we just goto a hole in the ground and thats the end of it, so I chose to believe because it gave my life more meaning, even if people call it delusional. I like to believe that god exists, and that things are they way they are, so I do.

Answer 4

Fair question. I use to be an Evangelical Fundamentalist Christian. I was working a job and had a server rack fall on me. I was unable to work for a few years. It was then, while being shunned, and condemned as lazy for having injured my back, I cam to see how evil, hateful, and hypocritical they are. The injury required surgery, and yet they acted as if it was MY SIN that caused it. That is crap. That is not supported in the New Testament, or the Old Testament. Evangelical, and Fundamentalist are evil in the collective and institutional expression. Individuals are not to be trusted until they prove themselves. I have my own expression and understanding, and I don't need man's approval for what I see as true. I don't give a tinker dam what the likes of Falwell, Robertson, or 98% of the Christians have to say. I have no use for them.

Be well.

Answer 5

I used to believe before my dad started buying alien books (Chariots of the Gods, etc.(30 some years ago)). That got me to thinking that God might just be aliens that came to visit. More research has shown that God (Jehovah) was really the personal war god of the Jews in a time when everyone had a personal god to follow them around. Monotheism was developed in Egypt, and anything that is 'developed' isn't so much 'inspired' as 'marketed'. The more I was disappointed with people, the more I became disaffected with their gods. Once I realized that Life does have a purpose that doesn't come from anywhere but Life itself, I found that it was a lot easier to say "no" to gods. Now I realize that most religion is like a drug that is marketed to children who can't say 'no'. Some religions use it to enhance life, some use it to 'hook' their kids into it.

Answer 6

Yes, growing up in a Christian family I did believe but I think I start questioning in Sunday school, really doubting by my early teens, and became agnostic by the time I twenty. I stopped believing in Christianity but I still try to keep an open mind about God, just not the Christian version. So I guess this is why I don't believe in the Christian God.

When I was little it started with the vengefulness of God in the OT. Also, with the strange obsession the OT God had with receiving material gifts and offerings. Seemed strange a divine being with powers to create the universe would devote so many paragraphs of sacred, divinely inspired words to what gems, gold, and kinds of animals he wanted. I know all about how Jesus is the new covenent with man but it doesn't change the essentially unloving nature of God that we see from the OT. A God more concerned with having people worship him than anything else.

Why didn't God set more loving rules for us than stoning disobedient children, making rape victims marry their rapist, etc... I've heard that this is just the way primitive humans were so God made allowance but why? Why wouldn't he give us a set of truly just laws and use his powers to enforce those. He was willing to kill thousands of Moses's followers for making a calf out of gold but not to make us stop selling people into slavery and treating woman like chattel. God also orders his people to dash the head of their enemies infants into rocks. I just don't see a kind, loving, or remotely prolife God there.

In the NT Jesus does preach a nicer message but also affirms that he upholds the old laws and prophets. The NT is full of misogynistic view towards women. Women should not speak in church or teach, if the go to church with their head uncovered the should have their hair shaved off, etc... Some people say we don't take all that stuff literally or times were different but then they selectively do still cling to the parts they want, which differs amongst branches of Christianity. If we realize that some parts are archaic because we have evolved as a society(such as the NT doesn't prohibit slavery) can't it also be argued for instance, that we lived in a much more sparsely populated world with higher rates of infant mortality then while today we recognize the value of women beyond traditional sex roles of the Bible and we live in a world of burgeoning populaton so in today's world maybe birth control is not a sin?

Then there is all the biblical scholarship that raises questions about authorship, wide ranges of dates over which gospels were written, mistranslations, inconsistencies, forgeries, the gospels and writings that didn't get into the bible, similarities to pagan myth stories, etc... Thus, I don't think the Bible is an accurate picture of what a really divine being would be like. So I can't believe in this Deity. I haven't really found another and my life seems to roll on just fine. I think ithe Bible was written by humans with an agenda. I think Jesus may have lived and preached but his words have been twisted, corrupted, changed to evolve a story that fit the needs of those who wrote the stuff many years after his death. Of course there are all the question of reality of whether things like a man being able to survive inside a giant fish for three days, a world flood where some Creationists claim dinosaurs were on the ark with Noah. Different Christians interpret these things in varying ways.

I won't go into all the stuff about problems with free will arguments, why God would allow evil, and God's conspicious absence from the world today, aside from people like my Christian neighbor who believes her prayers allowed her husband to say they could afford the more expensive marble countertops even while other people are starving. This is way too long and rambling already. Sorry, but a journey of years is hard to cram into a few frantic minutes of typing in any sort of coherent way.

Answer 7

try reading my deconversion story. its very long.

From Catholic girl to Daoist
.: posted Saturday, October 08, 2005 ::: by .:webmaster:. ::: EmailThis! »

sent in by Bria

I was born raised and baptized Roman Catholic by two wonderful parents.
My bio grandfather insisted I go to a catholic school. After a few years at a secular private school, I left because the principal was physically abusive.

I went to catholic school for a few years and did not do well academically. I wasn’t happy there and tried to do anything to get thrown out.
The principal was a fake, he put on a front to show he was nice but he was very arrogant.

When I was 8 years old a spirit said someone in this (my grandmother’s) house would be murdered. Five months later, my grandmother was murdered by her best friend as the spirit said. I’ve had other spiritual experiences but this one was the most profound.

At 16 I was walking through a bookstore with my Mom and I picked up a book called Zen Catholicism. At 17 my boss had a book called the Te of piglet. I read it for a few minutes while I was at work.

It opened the door slightly. I felt unsatisfied with Catholicism, the service was boring. (The history of Catholicism was unsavory too, considering my ancestors were Native Americans it puts me at an awkward position.)

I went to other denominations: Lutheran Baptist Pentecostal Anglican Messianic Jewish and Nazarene. At 23 I saw a fight break out in my best friend’s church. I also noticed the hate pamphlets lying around at the front of the church apparently Lutheran Missouri’s use denomination bashing to win converts (I'm sure there’s more that do this I remember hearing many Baptists say they hate Catholics, and being raised Catholic, it does hurt.)

At 25 a few things really shook my beliefs. My best friend who wanted to be a priest (or so I thought) nearly became atheist. How could such a thing happen? Several months later I went to Odessa to meet my blood relatives. I had an aunt and a blood mom that fought over “who has the right version of Christianity” and “the false Christian was going to hell.”

This started to get to me a bit more.

I decided to research other beliefs and read Taoism I felt a joy surge through me that I never felt with Christianity! I told my Mom and she was fine with it (she believes there are many paths to God.

I told my best friends parents I became a Taoist my best friend a staunch Lutheran Missouri fundie wasn’t accepting and told me Only Christians go to heaven He also told me I was stupid for de-converting.

I was angry that he would suggest such a stupid thing and I realized Christianity was an arrogant belief system, especially since it talks of love and acceptance and most people get fear guilt shame and the holier than thou attitude.

Answer 8

I used to try to believe in fundamental Christian, because my dad is and it seemed very important to his life. I now realize the only reason why I believed in it was to make him happy. He was very condescending and would get angry and upset at me and my siblings if we didn't believe. I am still afraid to tell him my opinions.

Also what made me stop believing was the fact that it says homosexuality is wrong, and women are secondary to men. These, I do not believe. These are very old "morals and traditions." I refuse to be seen as "less than a man," because I am equal. And how the Christian God can be so cruel to people, and not accepting. The bible was written by humans. It is tainted, even if God was telling them. People are not perfect. People make mistakes. If you're going to tell us your word, doing it by human makes errors happen. The bible is tainted of going through the human brain. Also, it seems wrong and evil to condemn people to hell for eternity not believing Jesus died on the cross.

I do believe in a higher power though.. and I believe God is very loving. God is love.

Answer 9

I used to not believe but i came to a point where my heart told me that their is more to life then just all this wickedness,I stop for a while because i thought i was wasting my time but now i see that we are close to the end and i want to be on Gods side not the devil's,their is a heaven but only Jesus and 144,000 people or going to be their.the rest of us that are righteous are going to be hear on earth.but it is not going to have all this wickedness.hell is where all the bad people are going.hell is everlasting death. REV.20:10 ,14,15 .a place of inactivity.

Answer 10

I was raised a Christian, but started questioning as an adult. None of it made sense so I considered myself an agnositic for many years. Have recently started learning about Judaism and discovered that I've always been a Jew. It's about LIFE and peace on earth, about freedom and justice for all, and all the other things Christians teach, but we learn that we have to do our part to make it happen. The messiah won't do it for you.
Everyone has a share in the world to come regardless of race, sex, or creed.

Peace

Answer 11

I'll tell you what made me stop. I can't stand any religion who portrays themselves to be the religion who is perfect, the best, the most innocent and most of all politically righteous. What about all of those who have no beliefs or belong to a religion that sit in front of the computer or tv and watch wars go on with people dieing on both sides? Sorry can't and won't be any part of those faiths.