I am losing my faith. But I have such a poor opinion of atheists...?

Question

You gotta realize: growing up encased in a conservative, pietist Christian church, I am given to emotional ideas about things. When someone tells me they are atheist, I seem to feel that they actually know a God exists; they simply like being able to act against Him. I mean, honestly, I instantly see them spitting on Jesus as he walks down that road with that cross. Moreover, I have always assumed that an atheist is uneducated on religion--if they had studied, surely they would understand. But after a rather exhaustive search, I've returned empty. Are there others, like me, who sincerely tried, but came back with nothing?

I don't like them because of the bulk of the responces I recieve from them.

Answer 1

pray and read the word of God

Rom 10:17 So then faith [cometh] by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.

Answer 2

Follow what you believe, and please don't let the few Atheists that are rude turn you away. I haven't let the rude Christians stain my view of the nice ones. I grew up strictly Catholic too, and then I looked for my own truths.

You sound like an Agnostic-- you are open to both the idea that God may exist and also open to the idea that He may not. It's not a bad thing, it's a pretty open belief that allows much soul-searching and looking for the truth.

Don't let anyone dictate your beliefs or how you live. It is your choice and finding you own path is preferred to simply going with the crowd if you're not so sure. Find a life that is peaceful and where you can worship-- or not-- how you like.

And in the case that you become Atheist, it doesn't suddenly make you a mean person, or a rude one. Most Atheists are kind people unless they're harassed again and again about their beliefs. Atheists really don't think God exists any more than you think Thor exists, trust me on that-- they are exactly the way you are on your ideas about Thor, Anubis, and every other god or goddess you don't believe in. There's no difference. It's not a choice any more than you not believing in my Patron. Anyone that tells you that they're just trying to ignore God just doesn't know what they're saying. And it doesn't even mean that you can't still hang out with your same friends even if they are Christian.

Peace.

Answer 3

Don't lose faith. I've felt like that before.Instead of trying to figure out exactly what name/label my god has (which I will never truly know until I die)I just have to let it go and have faith.Part of faith is the ability to believe in something that's not tangible which is prob why your search felt a little futile. It wasn't. Trust me.I'm sure you've evolved from the readings.Try not to be too hard on yourself for not having an exact answer.All I need to know to believe in a god is that there's something out there making the sun rise and the sun set which is much more powerful than any human source.Pat yourself on the back for the search.It sounds like ur in a funk right now and that's why it feels so "expty" as you said.I know that when I, "act as if" and pray even if I don't have a specific vision my life becomes a lot better.You're right where you're supposed to be and you'll be fine.

Answer 4

Yeah, me about 7-8 years ago. Except for me it was attacking religious people.

I reasoned that there had to be a God--one God alone--since it was the most rational explanation for the universe for me. But history and anthropology and geology and astronomy all contradicted every monotheistic religion out there (well, the three big ones all believe the same thing up through Genesis 25 or so). But eventually I resigned myself to the fact that one of the three was probably pretty close to the mark, and Christianity had the best supporting evidence.

Your church is what is making you feel that way about your faith, and about Atheists ironically. If I were in a church like you describe, I would probably feel the same way you do. To much in the way of rules and consequences, not enough praise and worship... That old catchphrase of "What would Jesus do?" needs to be replaced with "Why would Jesus do that?"

And don't go thinking that about Atheists... most of them are pretty good people. They just see the facts differently than people like us do. The true Atheists are as sure that there is no God as I am that there is. They believe that because of a lack of proof, and if Jesus (the real Jesus, not some homeless man talking to himself) appeared in the flesh many of them would not spit but convert, since they would have the proof that they thought did not exist.

Answer 5

Are you losing faith with your church, jesus or God? They are three separate entities and you have to look for the real answer from your heart.

There are many religions that teach about the existence of God. Study them all. How can you appreciate the value of something when you don't know the importance of it? How can you understand God when you haven't seen how He is praised and prayed to in mosques and synagogues? How can you know God when you read only one book, the bible, that is believed even by the bible scholars to be full of distortions and interpolations?

God is everywhere and anywhere. You just need to look up and see the sky then ask yourself... If there is no God (Allah in Arabic) who then created the stars and the moon and all the things in the sky with perfect balance without any flaw?

The signs of God are everywhere...

Answer 6

With all due respect, you're a victim of the prejuidices ingrained into you by your 'conservative, pietist Christian church'.

"...I seem to feel that they actually know a God exists; they simply like being able to act against Him". By your admission, this is an emotional response, not grounded in logic. I do not believe any god exists (the christian god is not special in my non-belief). It has nothing to do with acting against him. I live my life as I see fit, within the confines of the laws of my country.

"I mean, honestly, I instantly see them spitting on Jesus as he walks down that road with that cross." More emotion, without logic. There is no evidence that the man christians refer to as Jesus even existed, let alone was executed by the Romans...NONE. The image portrayed in the passion play (the tale of the crucifixion, as well as the events leading up to it) may evoke an emotional response in you, it holds no water with me. Without evidence of its occurence (outside of the bible, or hearsay accounts, such as those by Josephus), it is another myth, and nother more.

"... I have always assumed that an atheist is uneducated on religion". You don't atheists too well then. I spent 9 years in a catholic school, as well as another 10 years in spiritual pursuit. I didn't limit my research to holy writings, rather I explored every avenue I could. The answer that I came up with was simple. Gods, in all their incarnations, were nothing more than characters in stories, used to explain the unexplainable (due to a lack of technology), give hope, and control the masses. I'll debate the bible on many points.

This may sound colder than intended, but put your emotions in check, and lead with your mind. The answers to your questions should become clear.

Answer 7

At age nine, I finally understood Christianity. I remember the exact moment; the disgust, the feeling that I was being lied to. It is because of this understanding that I have been an atheist for eighteen years.

Why do you hate atheists so much? Your brain was scrubbed of any ability to accept differences by your conservative upbringing. When you regain a few wrinkles in the grey matter, you will see that your opinion is not based in fact, but rather your parents' opinion.

Think for yourself and shed the weighted chains of oppression. I wish you luck.

Answer 8

Being a chilly blooded dude; a businessman and a vulture capitalist would not exclude being of a spiritual faith. certainly, in the rustic, being a Christian seems to be the comparable as being grasping. and since the Bible would be utilized to justify almost any absurd social stance, then 'turn flopping' is purely approximately needed. As for ought to he be a closet atheist, properly particular, with the aid of fact the rustic is this manner of primitive society, to get into workplace of any form, you are able to desire to be - or faux to be superstitious even 12thC. So, ought to Mitt Romney actually be a closet Atheist? particular, yet I very lots doubt it. purely yet another Christian fool and bigot.

Answer 9

I don't have anything against god or jesus, I have a problem with people like you that **** on people that don't believe what you do and fyi the reason I am an atheist, as many others are, is because I understand religion. Well, thats just ONE of the driving forces.

Answer 10

You were taught that Atheists were anticrists ,but that's just not true.They are merely people who do not believe the things that you were taught.REGULAL people,just like you and me.I was raised Catholic,and my logic ,my common sense,my knowledge of history has taught me to reject it.Am I an evil ATHEIST,or just somebody who dosent believe something?I dont NEED a book to tell me what is right or wrong.I dont need a classification.If anybody askes me what I am,my answer is "Mike".If they want a religious classification(and,it's the fanatics that always want it),I tell them "Agnostic",which basically covers all bases.
It's HARD to be a thinker in this society,but it's SO worth it .Don't give up thinking.

Answer 11

Who sincerely tried what? To find justification for your hatred of atheists?

I'm an atheist. I'm a happily married mother of three. I have, so far, one child in college - the very first child to attend college in my extended Christian family. Am I really that damned bad? By the way, I was raised Catholic, and have read the Bible more times than I'd care to remember.