What benefits do you get from not having a religion?

Question

I'm trying a new approach for today.
I thought it's time we share our benefits to no religion.
There are so many so please speak up,

to surfer4776, a positive attitude gains positive results.

Maus having an ego is just another word for being self defined and making your own choices, we've been so bombarded by religious views that we forgot that we have a spiritual side....

There is a North American saying...

A human has 4 rooms in their house that they should visit everyday....
MENTAL
EMOTIONAL
PHYSICAL
and
SPIRITUAL
it's like becoming balanced in your own unique way.

Answer 1

Many people curtail their entire lives believing that some strict father figure is watching over them ready to spank them if they do anything naughty.

Without religion you save the time you would waste in church. You can be a good person content that the good comes from within, not from some fear of a God smiting or eternal damnation.

You can enjoy healthy sexuality without fear of sin. In fact you are completely free to do whatever you like without worrying about whether your religious peers will shun you or judge you.

Finally you are also free to intelligently consider ethical and moral situations without referring to some contradictory old religious text written by a bunch of men hundreds of years ago. This leaves you able to be open minded and free thinking.

Answer 2

This is an interesting question.

I suppose in this day and age one benefit would be that you would not have to sift through the many different beliefs and practices there are in order to decide what you think is true.

You could decide on your own how you will live and what your personal code of behavior would be, without being afraid of eternal consequences.

We know that part of the human behavior since prehistoric times has been to develop myths, religions, spirituality and practices in order to find comfort and a sense of belonging in the world. Part of this comes from our innate sense of curiousity, trying to figure out the world and creating possible understandings of how we came to exist. Some scientists believe that religion-making is actually a genetic surivival mechanism in our brains to help us face adversity and loss and to develop moral compasses so that we work towards the survival of humanity.

Food for thought!

Answer 3

I was raised Catholic. And almost led into the Priesthood. But I realized that religion is a belief system with rules surrounded by guilt. I live with no religion, just the thought of being a good person and accepting that everyone has the right to believe the way they want is not only refreshing, but liberating

Answer 4

Surfer4776 is woefully mistaken.

Without faith I am free to realize that the good things and bad things that happen to me are not at the whim of some creator. They are the result of bad luck, good luck, hard work, or not enough hard work. Circumstance can be fickle, yes, but at least I am not the plaything of some invisible deity.

Without faith I am free to not worry about whether or not I will be rewarded or punished in some imaginary afterlife. I can focus on the here and now without wasting time praying for "salvation."

Without faith I am free to be responsible for my own actions. "The devil made me do it" is simply not an excuse that I can offer or accept.

Without faith I am free to live my life fully without the need for approval from imaginary beings.

Answer 5

liberation. I realize that I alone control what happens to me. If something bad is going on, I change it. I do not pray to imaginary people to help me. I am not saying that I am positive that religion is false, but I realize that chances are it is.

Edit: I love the Christian view of us godless heathens, like in the first answer. It is truly sad to me that you cannot envision living a life w/o this imaginary crutch helping you limp along. Guess what; I don't believe in God, and I am happy, rich, married, with a child, and couldn't be any happier. We are not all little miserable goth kids.

Answer 6

Well let's get clear that having no religion doesn't mean you don't have a spiritual belief. You just don't choose to affiliate with organized religion. I have a very strong belief in God, but no church. The benefits are that I can make up my own mind, I don't have others shoving their belief systems down my throat and I don't have to deal with the hypocrisy you often find at churches.

Answer 7

Free Sundays (or whatever other day your religion chooses to have it's gathering), a little extra money spend on said commute or 'voluntary' donations. Freedom from guilt about missing a day of church, or not strictly adhering to an abitrary set of moral rules.

Knowing that you have time to yourself, to explore, ask your own questions, and decide what's right for you.

Obviously, this kind of free approach to life doesn't work for everyone.

Answer 8

well, religion is just something to give hope to cowards who are living some pitifully meaningless lives. so you wont get any benefits by just dropping your religion. your ego needs religion in order to be happy. you gotta be really brave if you wanna become an atheist. if you was really religious and then you turn away from god, all of a sudden youll feel like youre standing in the middle of nowhere with nobody to help you. i think atheism is actually only for people who dont have egos, or who are tryin to lose their egos, like me. otherwise, if you wanna stick to your ego, sooner or later youd come back to god. you dont get any benefits from not havin a religion, unless youre tryin to get rid of your ego. then, not having a religion gives your the freedom to do so.

Answer 9

No more sleepless nights; no baseless fear; no unearned guilt. I've stood taller and breathed easier for the last ten years than at any time in the previous thirty-five, and all because I got out from under the deadweight of religion.

Answer 10

Loneliness, sadness, confusion, pain, suffering, empty meaningless life, nothing to live for.
I believe in Jesus Christ, that He was sent to earth, that he bore my shame and was murdered/crucified for me. And I cannot ever thank Him enough, because that was unthinkable what He did. THANK YOU! Thats just how I know it feels to not have Jesus in your life. Luckily He now lives in me, and I have a personal relationship with him.