How long have you been agnostic, athiest, wiccan, etc.?

Question

please tell me why you are who you are as far as spirituality and why you don't believe or believe in something.

Answer 1

I am what others have called me an agnostic. I neither believe nor disbelieve in a god. I have tried several religions - christianity, wicca, mormon, shaman, etc. All of them seem to have a ring of similarity to them, love above all. But I noticed that the majority of those practising these faiths did not exhibit that love or understanding.

Unlike Atheists, I cannot believe that there is no god either. I would like to believe that I am not arrogant enough to believe that I am a superior being to all that exists in this universe. However, even in that, I don't know whether we humans are or not.

I will never adhere to any doctrine placed before me that was written by the hand of man (human). I cannot ever just blindly follow the lead of a faith that has spawned individuals to perpetuate such atrocities as most faiths have.

I admire the Hindus/Buddhists, but again, written by man. Although they do seem to fall into the need that I have which is inner peace. But they also have a plethora of deities that I cannot know for sure that exists or not.

I practice tolerance for all that have their own beliefs and for those that do not. It's just that I am a truth seeker. For in truth, there is justice, and in justice, there is peace.

Answer 2

I have been agnostic ever since a HORRIBLE experience being a Mormon. Even my parents thought that religion was too strange to hang with. As time went on after that, I realized why waste time chasing something there is no proof of, no tangible evidence of, when I can directly help people out instead in the universe around me..
I believe that the universe is governed by laws of physics. The truth is, We know how man evolved, we have physical evidence. We even know how the universe evolved, and we're discovering incredible new things every day.
Now I know this will sound kind of strange, me being Agnostic, That being said, a friend who is Buddhist took me to a Buddhist church for the very first time the other week, andI was completely fascinated by it. There was a live feed from a Buddhist monk in Tibet, who talked about why it's important to look within yourself for answers, and why it's important to treat others with kindness and compassion. Never once did he mention God, or Heaven, or Hell, or retribution, or sin. He simply talked about human nature, self worth, and the importance of self-sacrifice. He was so peaceful, not one negative comment or judgement upon others came out of his mouth, imagine that! I liked it so much I will probably go back. So beliefs can change, if you find something that makes sense. I guess that's the difference between Agnostic and Atheist. But you still have to really dig down and ask yourself, does this make sense FOR me, not necessarily does this make sense TO me. I don't need religion to be happy, but if I find something along my journey in life that makes sense to me, great! And that's what I believe :)

Answer 3

I've always had suspicions about the validity of religion and God. I had so many questions and the whole "have faith" answer just didn't cut it with me. I still went to church, became confirmed (Lutheran), sang in the choir, taught vacation bible school, and did all that was expected of me while I read the bible, talked to pastors, and went to bible studies.

There were just too many contradictions and dead ends, "facts" that didn't make sense and no one could give me sufficient answers.

I was starting to excel in science class at school... and I took world religions class and philosophy class... and they had more answers than my own church or pastor. As my world grew, so did my quest for answers.

In my mid-20s, I started referring to myself as agnostic... there is something out there we can't explain but I don't know if it's god or not. I really didn't completely believe that either, but because I was rasied by some very devout Christians and I knew the world didn't look kindly on atheists, I stuck with something that was less controversial. I stuck with agnosticism for about 10 years.

Then Mr. Bush happened... and ID happened... and my rights as an American came under attack from all sorts of religious groups... and I could no longer hide behind the safe shield of agnosticism. I "came out" (as it were) as an atheist in 2004 and the second I said, "I'm an atheist" outloud, I felt a peace I'd never known before. I felt calm yet ready to take on the world. I felt that I had finally found my place in this world. I finally had he right adjective!

Ever since that day, I have not hesitated to tell anyone who asks that I'm an atheist. The other moms and the administration and my son's very small school know and, for the most part, I'm accepted. The school rents space in a church, which sometimes becomes problematic (when I see god signs up around the classrooms that must be taken down), but I deal. It was my choice to take him there.

So there you have it... why I don't believe and where I stand now.

Answer 4

I've been a Wiccan only for about a year after I left the Catholic Church at 14 and spent 2 years as an agnostic.

Answer 5

I left my church when I was 12 because it is silly to believe in this all-loving god when he destroys so many people on a whim really. Why did he destroy so many tribes when Moses and the Israelites were wandering the desert. I heard it was because they could not live next to unbelievers but then they just move on and destroy another group of people.
I didn't join up with the wiccian/pagan movement until I was 16. There was no rhyme or reason really. I can feel positive energy in a plant or in nature. I feel like I'm being strangled in church.

Answer 6

I've been Wiccan for nearly 4 years now (it will be 4 on Samhain/Halloween). Before that I was Evangelical Xtian for about 20 years, and I was Catholic before that. I think that, for me at least, my beliefs have changed and grown as I've allowed myself to study more and not been so blind and stubborn. There are a lot of beliefs out there - I believe that most of them are right to a certain extent, but that people are afraid to consider that fact. Most people believe that their way is right and all others are wrong. I believe that there is one "great power" with a lot of different names and faces - it's all just different paths to the same God/Goddess.

Answer 7

Agnostic/Humanist since about the age of 11. I realised that the World is too chaotic and riven with absurdity for there to be a single guiding hand. Nothing has really altered this view although I've sometimes wished it could.

Answer 8

I'm agnostic, and I have been for only a short while. In fact, I hesitate to take a label as my worldview is still evolving somewhat... but agnostic fits right now, and I think I know myself well enough to know that agnostic is where I'll be for a while.

I am looking into Buddhism, though...

I can't tell you why I don't believe in every single thing I don't believe in... that would take forever. But I can tell you that I was Christian and left for many reasons... the Bible itself, with all its contradictions and the evil way it portrays God, was the biggest reason.

Answer 9

I believe there is no meaning to life. I think we know this intuitively but refuse to accept it. So we search for meaning. The more sensitive we are, the more determined we are to find meaning. (As in, an explanation as to why there is so much suffering in the world, and a perspective that will help us tolerate our own suffering and find more joy and motivation in life) But in the end, it's all circular reasoning. It's all built on a foundation of denial and wishful thinking.

Mere existence is not meaning.

Seeing as I'm here and won't get another shot, I keep goin. I don't like the idea of others suffering needlessly, so I keep truckin instead of offing myself or living destructively. But in all honesty I'd just as soon blow my brains out with a shotgun and be done with it. I don't find it THAT fascinating really. Most of life is a pain in the behind I endure while waiting for what I really want and rarely get, and always under some sort of threat. I tire of obeying the slavery of my senses and thoughts.

Okay, that's my nonsense for ya. Hope you liked it :)

Answer 10

I have been Atheist for about 7 years now . I used to be Catholic . I changed my mind after someone told me some stupid god joke and how god wouldn't let someone nuke the birth place of Jesus (one of the stupidest things I have heard in my life ) . After I heard that I started to look more into it . I learned the immorality of the christian god , the contradictions , lies , things done in history for this belief . I also looked into other mono-theists religions and found the same thing . The only religion I have come to like is Buddhism . If I wasn't atheist I would be Buddhist . So now I have no reason to be anything other than atheist .