Atheist in question.?

Question

I have questioned myself and religion very deeply over the last few years of my life. I have found absurdities in the Christian religion, but yet the feeling of intense confusion accepting the unknown. I wonder if as humans we are meant to "worship" to ease our minds? Or are we supposed to embrace the confusion? I just don't know if I should keep on going living in this confusion which is very lonesome. I am a truthseeker and I guess it's true that without pain there is no gain.

Answer 1

I agree with you and we actually follow what we're taught by our families, but as you grow you think rationally then faithfully so those two crash and leave you doubt founded, and eager to find the right answer. But We can't prove God existed nor can we prove he didn't, but believe in what you heart tells you this time, cause when it comes to that the head has more proof but the heart is left empty.

Answer 2

If you were raised religiously and have come to the conscious realization that much of religion is superstition, then you are probably going through a natural period of confusion where your subconscious/emotional mind has not quite caught up to your conscious/rational mind. Our brains are very complex neural networks organized in hierarchical layers. The lower layers were formed in your childhood, before you developed the ability for critical thinking. Now that you can think critically, there is a clash between the upper layers of your mind and the lower layers. It may take quite a few years (a decade or more) for the confusion caused by this clash to dissipate. Give it time. In the meantime, keep studying philosophy and the history of religion, but try also to study some psychology, biology, and neuroscience. This will help you to understand more deeply why there is the conflict. This way, you might still sometimes emotionally feel confused, but you'll at least be able to understand why, and use your rational mind to find acceptance for reality instead of superstition.

Answer 3

We are not meant to worship anything!
The Worship aspect in my opinion was established centuries ago to control the masses. Rather then be them selves and question the law of authority and thrown into jail or murdered for not following the rule that was and is still to this day dominating the masses Religion was born.

No one cared or cares about your opinion or voice outside of the fact that it would disrupt the control of the masses..

1 + 1 = 2. There is no confusion in this fact. What you must decide is if you wish to select confusion over known fact.

I was born and raised as a believer but then made my own choice to end the doubt and confusion.
I am considered as an outcast because I choose to have free thinking, and not that of the masses.

Answer 4

Reality can be confusing. I think a lot of people find comfort in religion because it helps them avoid having to think about everything. That isn't always bad but it is like a drug or alcohol. Getting tipsy now and then is a good way to relax but living your life in a drunken stupor prevents you from accomplishing anything. The same is true of ignorance. A little is bliss but in too large a dose it is deadly.

Being confronted with all the complexities of life can be overwhelming. It can be helpful to explore it with a group of like-minded people, which is kind of the purpose of organized religion.

I might suggest checking out Unitarian Universalism. It tries to make sense of the world in rational terms, without relying on an unseen spiritual world.

Answer 5

I am an atheist.

I understand that it is difficult to manage ambiguity. But the truth is, the world is full of ambiguity. There is much that we have learned, but there is a whole lot more that we do not know. It wasn't different back when, and it will not be different in the future.

If you cannot handle or accept the "confusion" as you termed it, perhaps atheism is not for you. There is no lonesomeness that you cannot remedy. Good luck on your hunt for the truth. Perhaps one day you will find what works for you. It may not be the truth, but as long as it works for you, it's OK. Just make sure that you don't go about insisting that everyone needs to believe in it.

Answer 6

If you were brought up in a deeply religious family, hon, you got brain washed. And my sympathies. My parents taught me how to think not what to think.... But read a great book on sorting out superstition from science... The God Delusion, by Richard Dawkins, available anywhere. Until just a few months ago, on the NYTimes best seller list. Super tight arguments, and worth every dime.

If you see the truth, you see logic, and science, and provability, not revealed religious edicts that ask you "Are you good enough to go to heaven?" stuff like this are fairy tales... but people always have a need to believe... some will believe in anything... And interestingly, if one person believes something outrageous, he's called nuts. If lots do, it is a religion.....

"In every village there is a torch, the teacher, and an extinguisher, the clergy."
Victor Hugo.

Answer 7

Your question is one of importance that has been asked before. My personal faith helps me to be more positive and lead a more giving and happy life. This faith happens to give me direction and purpose. I can understand the struggle that you face, as a young man I had the same feelings. where I see God every day (in the sense of the small miracles all around me) you may not see the same. The advise that I give to you is let your heart lead you. Debating about God is ok, but there is no debate about true faith. We sometimes see faith as being a christian thing. But, faith does work and no religion can deny it. Scientology, Muslims, and Christians as well as Atheist have to admit that they have strong belief in something. Some people belief in their own abilities and do not put their faith in a God, Some have different gods like budda or the great spirit. But one thing is common people have faith in what they belief in. And faith can move mountains whether it is by man made equipment or a man with a lot of faith moving rock by rock. My personal faith as I said is christian. I do not push this on you or anyone else. If ask I will reply. My belief is the way I was raised and the things I have seen in my life.

Answer 8

You feel exactly the way a lot of ex-believers feel when they're on their way to becoming atheists. It's scary to give up what you've believed and lived your whole life up until that point. The familiar is comforting. It's hard to shake the fear that's been instilled in your brain about non-belief all your life.
Don't worry, if you eventually do decide that the belief just isn't there, after a little while you'll be perfectly comfortable with it.

Answer 9

Atheism is the simple answer to those questions. Whereas religion requires all kinds of ad hoc supernatural explanations for everything that happens in life, atheism permits natural explanations. Much simpler. No worship required.

See the link below...it may have some of the answers you're looking for.

Answer 10

I am no fan of organized religion, but I am no atheist either. Remember that religions (all of them) and their holy books, liturgy, rites, and ceremonies are created by mere humans, not God.

Religions exist because humans are afraid of what follows death. We have a natural need to understand the unknown and explain the unexplainable. Therefore, religions exist to comfort us and fulfill our needs.

God would never join any church, would He/She/It? I don't think so.

I think God lets us follow our beliefs as a parent allows a child to believe in an imaginary friend or the Tooth Fairy. The trouble is, that unlike harmless childhood beliefs, religions can and do cause harm to human beings. In fact, the argument can be made that religions cause MOST human pain and suffering.

I believe in God.

But I also believe myself incapable of comprehending His/Hers/Its true nature. So, I just lead my life as I believe a just and loving God would want and hope for the best.

Good Luck!