Your reasons for disbelief?

Question

The lack of evidence is obviously a big one, but I think that the Catholic church's actions during the renaissance and reformation put the nail in the coffin. I'm talking about the counter-reformation and how they attempted to handle the whole situatuion. What are your reasons and what do you think about the whole Catholic church thing?

But you forget to mention the burnings at the stake to combat the reformation, the pagan conversions and so on...

Answer 1

When the stories from all over the United States started sprouting like dandelions in spring about priests molesting pre-pubescent boys, and the bishops who tried to hide the priests by shipping the molesters off to other parishes so they could be free from prosecution and free to start their activities all over again in a new environment.

This is when I lost all respect in Catholicism, and really began a disbelief that is just as strong today.

Answer 2

I think a lot of people here have missed the point slightly (Question asker included).

Mistrust or lack of faith in the Catholic church (or any church for that matter) is not the same thing as disbelief. In fact they are completely separate issues. To reject the possibility of the existence of any deity is normally a decision based on the evidence put before us by science, and the lack of evidence to the contrary. How people behave in the name of 'God' is something quite different to whether 'God' exists.

The examples you state in your question, and that some of your answers state in their answers of 'unchristian' acts by the church, are evidence of a flawed institution. In no way are they evidence for or against the existence of a supreme creator or deity.

For the record, I am an atheist in the true sense of the word, and have studied this subject at depth. A common mistake in the analysis of theology is to attribute your argument(s) to only one religion. However to understand the full picture, you must look at religion as a whole, and not get distracted by the misdemeanours of any one cult (such as Catholicism).

Answer 3

I'm not religious, however I respect religions that are honest and authentic, yet the catholic church is neither.
They stole several pagan festivities, rites, stories, and instead of thanking or at least show a little respect for those religions, they burnt people, they cursed magic when magic is implicit in the many pieces from which they built they their dogma, they reversed ancient beliefs just for their own benefit, they even fought the jews, when they are a cosequence of judaism. They have filthed humankind with the ridiculous idea of sin and have added grief to the world with their gloomy puritanism and guilt.

Answer 4

Although baptized a catholic it wasn't the church that made me become an atheist, it was more sitting down and thinking about god in general. Invisible man living in the sky who hears and knows our every thought, satan, jesus coming back from the dead all based on a 2000 year old book. Its only recently I've become a militant atheist and thats because of christians, muslims, jews. No problems with Bhuddism as that strikes me as more of a philosophy and a damned sight better one than the abrahmic religions

Answer 5

The catholic church is on par with all the other man made religions available today. It is all false, those that follow it are brainwashed or just too lazy to think for themselves.

This 'religion' will die out like all religions have done before it. Where i am from, religious people are a total laughing stock.

Answer 6

My reason is Reason. At the very least, I do not accept the existence of an interventionist, benevolent god. It just doesn't tally with the things I see happening in the world.

Answer 7

Hm. It's hard to prove a negative. Reasons I don't believe in christianity, though, that's easy. Any religion that sides with the rich against the poor, the $ against the disenfranchised, and Dubya against common decency CAIN'T be right.

Answer 8

Besides lack of evidence, the so called authorities on God, present an absurd and contradictory view point on what that god actually is.

Answer 9

sept. 11, human suffering, war, child molesters. And on and on. And the whole idea of " if you dont belive me ill kill you" attitude. Chuches don't pay taxes. Can go on all day.

Answer 10

with the rise of protestanism and all its falsehoods leading people astray from the one true catholic faith, the church stood her ground proclaiming the truths of the revelations of Chirst and standing against the heretics, from that time came many saints, and also many who left the catholic church but on their death beds came back.