Atheists who used to be believers: Please tell about your journey from belief to non...?

Question

What was most difficult for you? What happiness was gained in your life?

This is for someone who I think needs some varied viewpoints...

Thanks! =0)

Answer 1

I don't really remember what was the most difficult but I remember I was much clamer afterwards, I stopped fearing hell, devil, and I began enjoying life - the one I'm living :D

Answer 2

It wasn't an overnight thing for me. I just gradually found myself no longer needing the concept of deity in my life.

I rejected my parents' Catholicism, and Christianity on the whole for that matter, by the time I was 12 or 13. But it was still many years before I dropped theism all together. I did a lot of new age dabbling, spent some time in far eastern religions, and was an extremely devout Wiccan at some point too. That was when I was going to a Catholic high school and living under the roof of Catholic parents, so I think my devoutness in Wicca at the time was fueled in part by being in that evironment, where I felt I had to be on the defensive. Along with that is the usual stuff teens go through at that age: wanting to establish an identity, liking certain aesthetics, wanting to find a creative outlet of expression, etc.

Eventually though I went to college, where I wasn't feeling I had to be so defensive. I was no longer wrapped up in the cliques bullsh*t, and finally had some kind of a social life. Most importantly though, I discovered that the reasons I was into religion in the first place (a love of ceremony and symbolism, the esotericism, identity, etc.) were things that I could get through other means. I was simply no longer thinking about deity and metaphysics on a daily basis. When I found myself practicing out of guilty feelings of obligation, I knew it was time to realize that Wicca wasn't working for me.

Answer 3

I don't know if I am a true atheist. (One that rejects all forms of religion). True, I do have a bit of a problem with 'organized religions' but they perform certain functions that can be useful.
If you ask me if I believe in God or not, I am going to answer "I do not know". For I truly do not understand what you mean when you say 'God'.
For me the journey began when I was 16 and attended a school in London. I was born and raised Roman Catholic. I was told to believe that there is only one true religion and that was the Roman Catholic faith. I said that amongst Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists, what-have-you's.
I was almost thrown out of a 3 story window. From then on, I relied only on the truth that can be scientifically proven and rejected Catholicism. However, that also was a limited view. Many eons later I discovered Buddhism. I currently practice it. There are many that tell me this is the only true religion and all others are false. I cannot think like that anymore for I've come to realize it is not that we have to reject all others but to uncover the truth that has always been with me. I like my practice and I will continue to study and dedicate my life into actualizing this Buddhahood within my life but I will NEVER say this is the ONLY way.
I am happy right now because I know where to find it. It is difficult for me to be confronted by individuals who wishes to force their way of thinking upon me.
I hope I answered your question.

Thank you so much for your soul searching question

Answer 4

While I was never a true believer, I did accept God as a matter of fact... until I started actually learning about him.

I was in Catechism at the age of 8. The more I learned about Jesus, the more questions I had. Jesus turning water into wine. Jesus rising from the dead... these kind of things just
didn't ring true for me and I questioned everything. The nuns who taught the class removed me several times to speak to me privately. I was a very shy little girl, afraid of my own shadow.. these private talks stopped my questions for a few years. I did my First Communion.

Finally at 14, I was at a Catholic university graduation ceremony for my cousin. At the time, I was considering going through Confirmation... although I really didn't know why. Perhaps because nearly everyone I knew was Catholic and that's just what you did. I was going to go with the flow.

Anyway, at this graduation, there came a point in the mass to kneel and pray. I didn't kneel, but remained seated. My grandmother, a Protestant, turned to me and asked me what I was doing.

It was then the most remarkable, and unexpected (even by me) thing came from my mouth, "I'm an atheist."

Needless to say she was shocked, but no less than I. I sat there through the rest of the mass and realized what I had said was the absolute truth. I was an atheist. Through my unquestioning acceptance until Catechism, my questions and incredulity at the age of 8, and my subsequent silence on the matter, I had never really believed. When the words "I'm an atheist" came from my mouth, it was like a weight had been lifted. Finally I understood I was not going to simply follow and not question. I was going to question everything and lead my own life as I saw fit, as it made sense to me.

There was no difficulty when I made this realization for myself, and there was much to be gained from it. I think the biggest gain was that I stopped shying away from it and faced the notions of god, heaven and hell head-on and on my own terms. I am now 34 and so grateful that my 14 yr old self made that realization.

Answer 5

I became a reluctanct atheist at the age of 16. After several years of battling my ever-increasing skepticism, I fell into a deep, and long-lasting depression. I really wanted to be a believer, not an atheist.

It did take me a while to get used to atheism, but I'm comfortable with it now. I can't see myself ever going back (now in my 30s).

What was most difficult? Life without justice or an afterlife. That was hard at first. It doesn't affect me anymore.

What happiness was gained? I've learned to take charge of my life, to take my responsibilities more seriously. There is no deity pulling any strings for me. I also lost my homophobia and mysoginy along the way.

Answer 6

I could write a novel on this... but essential I spent a lot of time looking for something to believe in, something that felt right, because I knew as young as 4 years old that the Christian deity was not a being of love.

I was a New Ager for many years, but after a while I got tired of all the hype that never seemed to turn out like it was supposed to. I slowly started to become more and more practical in my spiritual beliefs. I read a lot and came up with some ideas on my own.

Then one day I was helping someone on a Master's thesis in Rhetoric studying NDE's from around the world. It was interesting, that such descriptions from people who were not brought up in Western Culture were completely different than the descriptions from people who were.... on the surface. The project was an exercise in rhetoric and in studying the words people used and finding meaning in their experiences, it seemed that most people experienced very, very similar things, only in the context of their dominant religion or culture.

I came to the conclusion that deities and all the other supernatural entities are not actually real, but are metaphors for something our human minds can't comprehend - an attempt to define the undefinable.

Later that year I was taking a class in World Religions and was introduced to the concept of the Tao. I liked it very much, it seemed the most apt description of what I always believed.

Besides being abstract, Taoism is also non-administrative and has some interesting wisdoms that I enjoy studying.

A few years later I was researching the origin of the holidays and decided I really liked the symbolism, harmony, and cyclical view of paganism, and since it doesn't conflict at all with a Taoist view I decided to celebrate as a pagan - but I still don't believe in deities.

I continue to develop new understandings and I really enjoy this. I am happy because I am honest with myself and what I really believe, I enjoy celebrating life, and what I do believe seems very right to me - and I came to it on my own. No one else told me what was true. My beliefs are unique and wholly mine. I don't expect anyone else to share them, anymore than I expect anyone else to be me.

Answer 7

I arrived at atheism because God just didn't make sense to me. Praying felt like talking to the wall. So for a while I didn't really believe, but it wasn't until I was about ten before I completely let go. What held me back was thinking "how can all these people believe it? Perhaps it's correct, silly as it sounds to me." But I then realised how credulous people are.

It was an entirely liberating experience. I was not under permanent surveillance from some sky-Patriarch, I did not have to abide by rules I did not agree with. I could live my life as I saw fit. Brilliant.

Answer 8

I grew up immersed in the nonsense of Christianity. We went to a Baptist church and my father was a deacon. The mere act of watching all the hypocrisy, the ineffectiveness of prayer, and the inhumanity of Christians was all I need to start questioning. Then I seriously read the Bible and came to the conclusion that this was just nuts so I stopped believing.

The toughest thing about the journey was when my parents threw me out of the house when I was 16 for renouncing my religion. I was homeless till I was about 20. Those were tough times but I learned a lot.

I guess the best thing is being free and knowing I am responsible for myself.

Answer 9

When I was being indoctrinated with religion at the tender age of 7, I also learned about ghosts and goblins, the witching hour, things that go bump in the night, Kris Kringle, and not to step on a crack or I'd break my mother's back, not to walk under a ladder, and that black cats were evil. It really didn't take very long for me to lump all this where it rightfully belongs, under the category of superstition.

As far as this having a profound effect on my life goes, it didn't.

Answer 10

Born and raised in a Presbyterian home in 1967. In the mid 70's the Viking missions landed on the moon, then the Voyager missions took off, then Carl Sagan published Cosmos, then I read the Origin of Species, then I took biology classes. Over a period of years, religion peeled off me like an oppressive fungus.
Then I opened my eyes to the light of science, logic, reasoning and critical thinking. I have never looked back. I have never questioned. I am 100% happy and comfortable in my belief. And I sit back and shake my head and look at all the hate, bigotry, racism and wars that are brought on by religion. And I am glad that I am not wrapped up in all that brainwashing, lies and mind controll.

Answer 11

I was raised Catholic but after confirmation I became really unhappy with the whole idea of this church which was patriarchal, hypocritical and sexist telling me what to do. I always disliked the idea of confession - Catholics make their first one usually around the age od seven. It really annoyed me - what sins so 7 year olds have? Especially this idea of a man in a dress supposed to be your mediator for god. Aged 13 I decided to leave the church, my parents were great they whole heartedly supported me on this. I attended (but never became) Presbyterian church because one of my friends was a presbyterian but it still didn't cut it. I can't explain it but something just wasn't right. I stopped going to mass and I stopped praying.
I realised I wasn't going to go to hell because I told a lie or because I did the things teenage girls often do and it became really liberating to realise that it was me. I was responsible for how I lived and how life turned out not some plan of this god that I had no proof of. I've been living with my partner for seven years and neither of us has any desire to get married and despite being told by religious people that we're living in 'sin' it feels more right than marriage. We're stronger than most marriages I know and we didn't need to affirm our love by getting a piece of paper to make us legitimate.
I don't have to feel hell and since I don't believe there's the great promised afterlife it leaves me free to concentrate on living life in the here and now and not taking anything or anyone for granted.