Atheists, or non-believers, how did you break away from religion?

Question

Most athiests didn't come from atheists parents, so most likely they went through the same kinda "brainwash" we were all subjected to, so how did you break away?
Secondly, where do you draw the "warm and fuzzy" feeling religious people say they get from religion, you know like "hope"?

Answer 1

Easy, just started reading about other stuff. Got hooked on Edgar Cayce and thought reincarnation might be a possibility and put religion out of my mind. Why agonize over the afterlife when no one really knows what comes next, if anything.

After many years, I became a Jew-by-choice where the afterlife is not an issue. Living this life to its fullest and doing everything possible to bring help others and to bring peace on earth is every Jew's goal. Logic is a prerequisite for Judaism!

Jews don't have "warm and fuzzies." We're too busy living this life to be dreaming about eternal bliss.
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Answer 2

My biological father is an athiests, his parents did not belive, my mother is a New Age reverend, her parents believe and the man that raised me is Catholic.So then I am none of the above!

(I believe in a God, yet with all these regilions and what is wrote in the Bible how do I know who God is or what God really stands for? How do I know what it is "God" truely wants me to do or how he wants me to be; How do I know that it just wasn't some person making this stuff up so that we would follow what it was this "person" wanted us to? I don't know, there fore can't and won't, I am not saying the Bible is full of lies, that it is fiction or that someone did or didn't write this just to get us to believe that this is the way and the right way. I am not saying anything other then I question everyone and evrything when it comes to God. I will not quesion him/her just everyone else.

How and where does it say that it's o.k. to have all these different religions? That's just it no where dose it say it's right or wrong and if it is documented where's the proof of who said it and what! Peopel lie and have from day one for personal gain...

I have had my own personal spiritual experience past, present and probably will have in the future and this is why I believe there is a God to begin with, yet I am not sold that it is the one we all read about in the Bible maybe some of it is true maybe none of it is, I know I will not believe everything I read and will wait to see for myslef if I have the opportunity to at the end. Till then I can not follow any one religion or what others write or say if I were I'd almost be doing wrong right there and betraying God in a sence. (Other then the fact I wouldn't and don't know any better and pray I am forgiven if it is wrong to believe the way I do). I can not believe in any one story and I can not believe others that tell me they know so much about God and his way b/c why then in the first place are there so many religions to begin with and why do they all think that their religion is the right one, why did people die over reilgion - the God I know isn't like that at all! and he only has one religion, his! Not this or that or the new one that came out last year). We are all Gods children and he accepts us all maybe with conciquences, maybe not!

To answer your question then the fuzzy warm feeling I bet my dad feels when he is hunting and kills his supper for the night.

How did I break away from religion after going to all these different churches all my life is to come to a conculsion that no matter what you believe everyone is right and everyone is wrong. Who needs the confusion God doesn't want me to be confused nor does he want me to make a choice between one or the other. I am me and he acceopts me for who I am, like I accept God for what it is. It doesn't matter if I have been baptised or if I attend Church regularly - it doesn't even matter if I don't believe in God at all - God knows what is in our hearts and that is all that really matters and if that is right for me it doesn't mean it is right for you.

Answer 3

I don’t know about the brainwashing thing since I don’t belong to any atheist club or atheist organization. I am my own person. No one brained washed me. My feelings come mainly from my experiences, travels throughout the world, and from my dealings with religious people.

I will tell you I was raise in a Methodist household. During my youth, I don’t think I ever felt the “feeling” that I think a lot of people feel when they feel a spiritual connection. Maybe some people don’t feel it. My travels and experiences in the military convinced me that there is no God. Look at what goes on in this world -all these people of religion killing each other - for what? For centuries there have been numerous examples of people killing people in the name of God. That has never made sense to me. I has never thought that God was a deity that demanded his believers to conquer others to spread their beliefs.

Due how screwed up this world is, I would think that if there was a God – he would have destroyed the world saving only the righteous and start all over again

Answer 4

~~~ Dahlia ,,,Firstly, you've made a Presumption that we go through a similar "brainwash" like an addict who just moves from drug to drug. I personally broke away by reading from The Masters of History,,, The Great Thinkers who Intellectually Challenged the Church Authority and Dogma of their day. And studying the Evolution of Mankind's Gods and Religions/Mythologies. The late Prof. Joseph Campbell saved us a lot of work in researching by writing extensively on this very subject. He very clearly and comprehensively lays out how ALL Organized Religion came to exist in it's present forms.~ The "Warm & Fuzzy" comes from Joseph Campbell's most famous saying, "Follow Your Bliss",,, and for me the Understanding of The Law of Karma,,, which is the Spiritual Equivalent to Newtonian Physics of the "Law of Cause and Effect" ,,, or as the East refers to as The YinYang Principle, as represented in the Symbol of the Tai Chi. I also practice Random Acts of Kindness, The Golden Rule and my favorite, Anonymous Altruism. ,,,,and this excerpt from the poem "Desiderata", ,,,",,,You are a child of The Universe. No less than the trees and the stars, you have a right to be here,,, and whether or not it is clear to you, The Universe is unfolding as it should."

Answer 5

Upon further review, I realized I never believed (I'm agnostic, not atheist). I went through the motions for my mom. Then I decided it was time to live my life according to my own beliefs, so I told her I don't believe. So I didn't break away, I was just never drawn in.

All the things in life pointed to there not being a God. Not tragedy, just science and things like myths. I mean if we can get rid of everyone else's gods, why was this one special?

My warm and fuzzy comes from all around. I see people taking care of others, extraordinary discoveries, children. Although the world may be arbitrary, people can shape it into what they want.

The odd beauty of that is that you can use religion, science, art, music, whatever to bring you to peace. I'm pretty close to mine, without "God's" help.

Answer 6

I grew up in a christian home and family. When I was little, I believed in God because that was what I was told. But as I got older and began to think for myself, religion didn't explain life anymore. It seemed more and more like a coping mechanism than an honest search for truth. I don't like believing in things just because they make me feel good because I've learned that unrealistic expectation will only lead to disappointment. As far as those "warm and fuzzy" feelings, I don't think I have or need those. I'm pretty stoic and I derive my hope learning not faith.

Answer 7

I am a non-believer by choice. I was never brain washed. I was raised in the church was taken there 2-3 times a week by my mother as well as to sunday school and bible study. It just never felt right to me. When i was old enough to make my own mind up about religion I chose to not believe the way Im going to assume you believe because it didnt feel right to me. You dont need "God" to have hope or that "warm fuzzy feeling". I bet your Christain god is happy this holiday season and I hope he likes war, intolerance, prejudice and violence, because that’s what he's getting from his so-called followers – again

Answer 8

I broke away after I read the Bible and realized that it was written by a bunch of people in the desert who attributed the ups and downs of life to deities. No different than any other society of deity worshippers. I don't need a warm and fuzzy feeling. I delight in knowing that nobody knows the truth and it is out there for us to find. There have been numbers of philosophers who have thought about this and I challenge myself to find out what the meaning is for myself. For me hope in times of despair is unnecessary. Determination is all that matters and the fact that you win some and you loose some.

Answer 9

I got away by applying rational thought to the religion in which I was indoctrinated. Of course, it took awhile because most of us are taught how to turn off our rational abilities when it comes to religion.

The warm and fuzzy feeling can be derived from anything from religion to drugs to meditation to the placebo effect. Hope of what? An eternal afterlife of happiness? Hoping that after I die, then things will be great? Hoping that something somewhere loves me unconditionally because I'd feel lonely if that wasn't there? If I ever needed empty hope, I'm sure I could make myself have it. But reality isn't that hard to deal with once you get used to it.

Answer 10

Most who break away are usually just tools.

When you listen to the vast majority you find out that they were upset with the "church" of whatever flavor. They didn't really know what the religion was all about. They got an experience of "religion" not a "religious" experience... Most will say "o I didn't like those priests molesting children so bam I'm an atheist"... With that kind of religious attitude they never belonged in church in the first place because they weren't going for the sake of God but why many go for the sake of going to building with other people... I have no problem with people who know what the religion is really about, what the truth of the doctrine is and so fourth. Then make whatever decision you want, but so many base their decision of atheism on the physical building and groups of people and never look into for the truth...