Anyone used to believe in God but has now completly lost their faith?

Question

and if so, why?

Answer 1

I lost my total belief and faith in God, when my mother died 2 years ago from cancer at age 57. She put her complete faith in a religious cult (Jehovah's Witnesses), tried to live up to their ridiculous expectations and beliefs, and died within herself when she couldn't. I express no anger against the cult anymore. My mother made a life-choice to serve them, but I can no longer continue with her religious motivations she wanted her children to have. (Considering I never had any to begin with.)

Answer 2

I was very religious for much of my life. I was raised catholic, became an evangelical, then went back to Catholicism. I studied theology and philosophy. I very much wanted God to be real. I finally realized one day that I was forcing myself to believe things I knew were not true. I decided I had to be true to myself, that forcing myself was not right. I sat down and started examining what I thought was true and I came out of the experience an atheist. I don't hate God, I don't hate Christians, or anyone else who lives a faith based life. I feel good about things now, as an atheist. I feel honest, which is a wonderful thing.

Answer 3

I have to agree with an answer above. I questioned God's existence when I became an adult. I took Cultural Anthopology and understood the purpose of religions in most societies for explanation of the unknown and rules for group control.

But when I had to take Old Testament and New Testament classes in college and read the Bible from cover to cover and participated in heated discussions, that was it, my faith was dead. Further study in science, religious history and other subjects just keep nailing the coffin shut.

Answer 4

Yeah, that happens sometimes.

It's just a natural progression of spirituality.

Like when you found out Santa was just a trick to make you behave.
Then you found out Jesus was just a trick to make you behave.

If you continue down the road you will understand why these stories are needed, and how you benefit from them, even if you do not believe in them.

Remember the belief that there is no god is just as valid as the belief that there is. It is a subject matter where there is no evidence, and there cannot be a "correct" judgment made on these types of subjects.

You'll find out when you die, till then..go see a movie or something, Dam!

Answer 5

I believed not knowing what god was. all the churches seemed to talk about was hell and how everyone was going because they werent good enough or they didnt believe in the right god. I have faith in life and evolution and mother earth and spirituality, not an almighty god. It's no longer days of Gods and mortals. It's time to move on.

Answer 6

It was a long process, but I eventually intellectually evolved. I realized that faith in a being for which there was no evidence of its existence was simply irrational.

If other people believe in God, I can understand it at times, but that doesn't mean I have to respect such beliefs.

Answer 7

Once you belong to God no one can take you out of His hands. Some people believe in religion and not Jesus Christ. My faith is stronger and it becomes stronger as we get closer to the appearing of Christ again in the clouds. I will hear the words, "come up hither."

Answer 8

I was raised Protestant and believed as a child, but around the age of 11 or so I began to question the whole religion thing, and after years of talking with representatives of various religions and reading a lot of religious texts and philosophical works, I became fully Agnostic.

Answer 9

Raised christian I started questioning around the age of 5-6...got older and more educated and saw the bible for what it really is, just a storybook. But I did try really hard to be a good christian, to feel the holy spirit...but it just never happened.

Answer 10

The lack of God did it for me.

As a child, I thought God was real. I heard him speaking to me. He told me all those things that churches tell you God would say. He told me everything I expected God to say.

Then one day, I examined that voice. It was me. I told myself when things were wrong. I kept myself company (geek kids tend to be alone a lot). In fact, I could have that voice in my head again if I want. It can tell me all sorts of things that I want it to.

It's like a Ouija board; it works because you want it to.

Then, I put some more thought into it. After all, if I was wrong about that voice, what else could I be wrong about? I examined church doctrine and saw just how wrong it was. I saw how churches used God to intimidate people, especially with their lies about other religions, music, and human nature.

With my own "observation" debunked and the church debunked, I examined the notion of the Christian god. I realized how ludicrous it is to believe that am omnipotent being can be loving while the notion of Hell exists. I saw the absurdity in a ubiquitous being wishing to be believed but unable to manifest before everybody.

After a couple of decades, I saw how empty the Christian god is.

Now, that's not to say that a god doesn't exist. But, it isn't the Christian god. Any god that exists is either incapable of being known or doesn't care to be known. If that's the case, then it has no bearing on my life.