What Changed Your Mind About Your Religion?

Question

For all those who have been religious but turned away from their religious beliefs, what changed your mind? Muslims, Jews, Christians, etc., I'm curious about what it was that changed your mind.

Brian, don't be paranoid.

Answer 1

I realized that RELIGION is just a tool. It uses people's fear to control what they do, when they do it, how they do it, where they do it, and who they do it with without a reason why they should do it besides going to hell. That's when I turned away from RELIGION and decided to seek a more SPIRITUAL path. Being RELIGIOUS and being SPIRITUAL are two different concepts. RELIGION is a tool, SPIRITUALITY is a path. There is no right or wrong answer with SPIRITUALITY. However with RELIGION you either believe the way RELIGION does or go to hell.

My husband can communicate with spirits and he has said that there are many people that died that had a rude awakening when they got to heaven and found out that all that they were taught in life was a lie. So I'd rather walk a SPIRITUAL path and believe my own way and know that I can only guess at what lies beyond instead of following a RELIGIOUS path being told what to believe and that what they say is beyond here is how it is and finding out I was lied to.

Answer 2

Well, in my teenage years during high school, I considered myself a Christian simply because I followed my parents' religion. In fact, I'd never even heard the word atheist. I didn't really give it much thought until I went to college and then I really started to question my religious beliefs. I did some research and thought long and hard about what is more likely, and came to the conclusion that god and jesus were never real all along. By excluding that idea from my life, everything makes more sense and I don't regret that descision at all.

Plus now that I realize it, religion creates so many problems for so many people. Without it, there would be world peace.

Answer 3

I was brought up Christian. What changed my mind:

1. my knowledge of science and history, and the realization that there are no miracles mentioned in the Bible, and no angels to make them happen. Science can explain natural phenomena and human origins far better than religion.

2. the absence of any spiritual value of the church services I've been to in different denominations. The evangelical Protestant movement in the US, which I hope has reached its peak, is the most glaring display of hypocrisy today. Those I know well are far right in their politics and really concerned about national pride / racial segregation and US supremacy in the world. They don't really care about the poor and down trodden and are wealthy and live in expensive homes and drives pricey cars. Not the behavior of those who claim they'll have it all when they get to heaven.

3. the knowledge that the God of Abraham is a human invention, with purely human traits and motives. The mythological sources of the Bible which are obvious, especially Genesis. The lack of evidence for most of Biblical history and certainly for anything miraculous. I think the authors of the Gospel attributed supernatural powers to regular people and borrowed heavily from different messianic theologies of the time.

4. My own spiritual journey, which has taken me from Christianity into Buddhism and back again. There is no one way to truth, good people have different views on salvation or enlightenment.

5. Also, a person can lead a life based on Jesus' teachings and not have to buy into to entire religion, and be a good respectable person, someone I would admire. Jesus was a person who had extraordinary things attributed to him, he taught a radically humane morality for his day, and was obviously seen as a traitor by his people and a threat to stability by the Romans. I find value in Christian, Buddhist and Taoist teachings myself.

........developing.
.

Answer 4

The perception that religiosity made no difference. Some very pious people can be selfish, authoritarian and cruel. Some godless heathens are kind, responsible and generous.

The perception that prayer makes no difference. God grants some pretty awful "prayers" and denies some very worthy ones.

The perception that the practice of virtue has a deleterious effect on the practicioner. The more one stands up for the welfare of the poor and powerless, the more one is likely to lose respect and social status. The greedier and more manipulative one is, the more likely one is to succeed at it and be admired for it. Christians call this, "the world of the flesh", but so very many of them pursue its promises.

I still admire the Christian message of self-sacrifice for the sake of truth and justice, but it clearly has little to do with what is preached and believed in Christian churches. Whatever God may exist is not interested in intervening in human affairs, so I keep my moral frame of reference simple and free of metaphysics.

Answer 5

I wasnt raised with any religion until my mom re-married when I was 8yrs then I was forced into Catholicism. Had to go to church every sunday at 6am. It was a shocker and very confusing. Never made any sense to me because of a GREAT HOLY SPIRIT "GOD" that created everything and created us humans, makes a baby with Mary and has Jesus that prays to GOD. That did not ever make sense with me but I didnt have a choice. The sisters would just get mad at me for asking a bunch of questions and I still didnt understand. Then I got home and my stepdad was pissed off and then beat me.
I became Muslim because there is ONLY ONE GOD. Does not need a human to create another human being for himself. GOD can create a human soul like HE did for Adam & Eve, so HE could do it again and again if HE wills.
~peace

Answer 6

It was a gradual process, over years, as I would go to church, go through the motions, say the words, but not really feel them.

Then, one Easter Sunday morning, when the church was so packed we could not even walk in the doors, my sister & I just went out for breakfast instead. I never went back (except for funerals, weddings & baptisms).

Walking away from the Catholic church gave me freedom to explore the other world religions, finding the good (and bad) in all of them. Taking what felt right from each. Finally finding Unitarian Universalism and agnostic humanism which were basically a structure & name for what I was already doing.

Answer 7

This is a good question, i was once a Christian but i am now an Athiest, however i don't go against others beliefs thats up to them.

I first noticed discrepencies in the Bible and when i asked about them i couldn't be given a clear answer.

i now go with the Karma belief, what goes around comes around etc it'sa more realistic way to look at things

goodluck in your search for answers xx

Answer 8

When I was a teenager I was a Christian Fundamentalist. After reading the bible from cover to cover my faith began to erode, because it was absurd. It was different than what the church was teaching. It was ignorant, tribal, superstitious and silly. And thats what I decided with the attitude of actually WANTING to believe it.

Then I learned more about ancient history, biology, psychology, neuroscience, spirituality, spiritual experiences, and human nature and was never able to even remotely take Christianity seriously again. I consider Christians to be either ignorant, or in denial.

Answer 9

I've changed religions over the years. The transitions were never overnight occurances. It was a matter of losing more and more interest in a given religion. When I found myself doing ceremonies out of guilty feelings of obligation, rather than sincere interest, I said "Time for something new".

Answer 10

I didn't make a formal turning away, I just thought from age 11 or so, that church people might be making a mistake in their lives. If so, they were wasting it. At least that's my 11 year old thinking. Now I realize that we all see the world as it makes sense to us, and if our upbringing didn't skew our emotions too much, then we have the strength to make our own emotional decisions.

Religion is about emotion, not intelligence. Read some of Richard Dawkins online.