Didn't your whole perspective of things change, once you became an Atheist?

Question

From my own experience:
1-Morally, I used to be very judgemental, judging everyone from my own narrow religious perspective.
2-Politically, I shifted from moderatism to extreme liberalism.
I used to admire people who fought and died for their country. Now I see nationalism as evil, and war as unecessary.
3-Religiously, I used to admire nuns and monks. Now, I feel pity for them. I feel they are wasting their time, and holding themselves back from the pleasure of marriage.
4-Scientifically, I used to interpret sleep paralysis and disasters as demonic interventions. Homosexuality as a sin and abortion as a crime. Now I relate everything to science.
5-Living-wise, I wasn't fun at all. Always worrying wether I am being sinful or not, and wether this or that might upset God.
I didn't appreciate TIME much, thinking this life here was short and meaningless. Now I live for every minute.

All in all, more positive.
I feel I was so brainwashed.

What about you?

Answer 1

It sounds like you had a very positive experience. Yay for that!

I think your comment about time is the part I relate to most. Life has the meaning that you give to it, right?

One thing I've always been lucky to have is a child-like sense of awe. The more I learn about science, especially the areas that contrast with any kind of creationism, like evolution, animal behaviour, cosmology, quantum physics, the more things I find to be awed by.

One thing that has changed is my relationship to animals. Realizing that I was an animal was a huge step in taking up atheism. I absolutely love being an animal.

I also love being connected to other cultures, which I find I can appreciate more. I don't just mean people in other countries, but ancient cultures like the Olmec, or Native Americans of today. I find I have much more in common with them than I do most theists.

I'm also a lot more distrustful of our money system and commercialism.

Answer 2

I know how you feel, and agree with the points you made above.

Abandoning baseless mythology is such an eye-opener. No longer does one constantly try to reconcile reality with holy books that are thousands of years old, and are special only by arbitrary decision.

No longer is one blinded to the sheer wonder of the universe and everything in it--one can spend their life constantly learning new things, and sharing in the joy and awe of scientists when they make a new discovery, whether by 'cheerleading' or entering the field directly.

No longer does one waste time gambling one's life away, preparing for an afterlife that probably isn't even there, and even if it was, is very unlikely that it is anything like one would imagine. Instead, they can cherish each day, living it as well as they can, seeking as much happiness as possible, and hopefully endeavoring to help others do the same.

Atheism is wonderful.

Theism can only offer an illusion, a pretense of certainty that is based on nothing but human imagination, that tricky thing that has been shown to be all too deft at deceiving us. One can only feel pity when they see someone making theistic assertions that aren't real, that CANNOT be real, by their very nature. To declare certainty of the existence of any god or gods is absurd, much less to be so pretentious as to DEFINE a god, and arrogantly tell others all about it, as if some lowly human had anything resembling the capacity to even conceive of such a thing.

Answer 3

At the beginning, it did. I was about 15, and I felt betrayed, and , yes, brainwashed. So I kind of became anti-religious for a while. Now I've come around, and realized that all religion isn't bad. I'm only 17, tho, so I don't know how much it has really affected me. I don't think I was all that religous to begin with, I was already very liberal.

P.S. Did you really believe that disasters and stuff like that were demonic interventions? See, I can't even fathom that!

Answer 4

i think of all of us have different reports whilst it is composed of religious indoctrination. My journey became into surprising and instantaneous. I went from being a Born-returned Christian, attempting to grow to be a Christian Cleric, to an atheist interior the blink of a watch (consequently of my minister). the techniques that we can not a danger understand if there's a God is a remnant of your Anglican indoctrination. All you are able to desire to do to appreciate with a extreme point of self belief that God does not exist, is purely replace your attitude. as an occasion, study the Holy Bible. The myths, songs, poems, narratives and oral custom that makes up the Holy Bible ingredients extra beneficial than adequate info that God isn't something extra beneficial than a mythical character created interior the minds of boastful, ignorant, insecure, superstitious goat herders. that's trouble-free to rid your self of your indoctrination by way of applying employing good judgment and reason to it.

Answer 5

I don't understand why people have to feel faith and reason are antithetical. I am a Christian. I am a liberal, open-minded person. I do not take the Bible literally, I don't believe homosexuality is a sin, I don't think you can legislate morality. I believe what "upsets" God is injustice, hatred, bigotry, judgmentalism. I don't believe in a literal hell or satan. I admire people of all faiths who are trying to live lives of faithfulness and sincerity. I believe God calls us to compassion and grace, not narrow mindedness. So, I'm a Christian, and that's a freeing thing.

Answer 6

Since the brief time when I wasn't an atheist was when I was a child and didn't understand most of those concepts anyway--not really.

Although, you should still admire those who are not only fighting and dying for their country, but fighting for something they believe to be right. Don't you think that's worth something? Though I would never be a soldier and though I disagree with our current war, I will always respect and admire those who risk their lives for us.

Answer 7

I have alway been an atheist I suppose. Except for the times that I believed in Santa!
(but Santa had plenty of evidence that he was real stacked under the tree every year!)

Yes, I see your points, because that is how I live.

Although I am not all that forgiving, and I am not upset by Nationalism and consider that wars can be required for certain reasons.

Answer 8

I just think of all the people especially the uber religious and laugh because they waste some much time trying to please someone they dont even know and will never meet . And also hate the fact that people send all there money to churches and think they are helping each other when the preacher is the only one with heavy pockets

Answer 9

Isn't it funny how Jehovah's Witnesses call their paphlete "Awake?" Sounds like they're dreaming to me...

My response is the same as I posted for a previous asker, who wanted to know why they were having so much trouble beleiving in God: "Welcome to the world of rational thought!"

You very accurately point out how it feels to carry religion around with you on a day-to-day basis, and why it makes sense to shed it. I hear a lot about how positive religion is... but my experiences are pretty much the same as yours.

Answer 10

1. Yes
2. Not really
3. Yes
4. Yes, except for the homosexualitiy and abortions
5. YES!

Even though I'm not a COMPLETE Atheist (more Agnostic, really) I find I see things more clearly now.