The Real Reasons Why People Become Atheists

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I wasn’t meaning to suggest that she meant harm. Most religious people have the best of intentions when they engage in that sort of behavior. In my experience, it’s often an unintentionally manipulative thing they do to help a person’s faith which they genuinely believe in.

Last edited by TwilightPrincess on 31 Aug 2024, 8:08 pm, edited 1 time in total.

Going back to the nun, she did say "don't overthink" it. Just do good. I recall the Lord Buddha said something similar. One day he was being challenged by a sceptical acolyte who was worried about the purpose of ritual, prayer and austerity whether it would all be enough to escape rebirth. Buddha's response was even if the acolyte didn't believe, following good practice would not harm him and if in the end he's wrong then it won't matter either way. I think this is also the basis of hinduism. Basically if nothing else, do good and be good. Jesus's core message is also the same, do unto others as you would do to yourself.

Yes this is probably right. to her I was a young catholic boy on my spiritual journey. She must have thought her advice was helpful.

Jesus had various other teachings which were significantly more harmful. Sure, a person can sift through scripture and take the pleasant bits although even the pleasant bits aren’t perfect. Still, as I mentioned previously, they could be a good starting point for further discussion. “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you” isn’t always ideal although it’s certainly a good start. I say that it isn’t ideal because people might want to be treated differently than I want to be treated (and vice versa) due to stuff like different tastes, preferences, and cultural backgrounds.

I don’t believe overthinking is typically a problem when it comes to something like ethics. Serious thought can be quite useful in helping one find their own moral compass and in figuring out what they believe.

Last edited by TwilightPrincess on 31 Aug 2024, 8:44 pm, edited 1 time in total.

this is the dilemma that all adherents to monotheistic religions face in 2024
Jews - god > state and following their own scripture believe they are the chosen race of god which if they follow literally means they are above all others and partly explains some of the excesses of the state of Israel
Muslims - god > state If they follow literal meaning of the Quran that non-muslims and gays will burn in the fires of hell so it does not matter what they do to them (take their women, tax them, enslave them or kill them in jihad).
Christians - God is > state and religious law must come first. Gays, blacks, non-christians will burn in the fires of hell. A lot of MAGAs, Jehovah's witnesses and some others still believe this because its literally in the bible. Women can't be priests or should get a job. they should stay home and tend to their family.

Jehovah’s Witnesses do not believe in a literal Hell. They believe those Bible passages are figurative. NonJWs will just be dead while good believers will mostly be on a paradisaic Earth. 144,000 will be in Heaven. One of their leaders - a Governing Body member - is black. That’s not to say that there’s no racism in the organization, but they certainly don’t believe that black people will go to Hell or that they’ll be denied everlasting life in Paradise or Heaven.

Don't Mormons and JHWs believe only a chosen few will make it to heaven? Also black people really need to have their heads examined if they choose to follow mormonism.
https://www.fairlatterdaysaints.org/arc ... -blackness

JWs do not follow the Book of Mormon. The groups appear more similar than they actually are due to their formal preaching methods.

JWs believe 144,000 will go to Heaven while the rest of the good believers, presumably millions of them, will be resurrected on Earth.

Folks become atheist because...their PARENTS become insecure in their faith but fail to acknowledge that even to themselves...forcing said insecure parents to double down and force the faith onto the children in an oppressive way that cause the children flee religion...and sometimes to become militant atheists.

Oh I see! so rebirth back on earth. Actually that sounds weirdly like hinduism and buddhism. Enlightened ones become one with the universe and the others must go through samsara (circle of life-death-rebirth).

It's also easier and more convenient to be atheist. Not to mention saves money.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tithe

^^ No, it’s not like hinduism or buddhism. After Armageddon, Earth will turn into a Paradise like the Garden of Eden. Those who are resurrected will live there forever as perfect people without dying unless they sin. It’s basically like many people’s idea of Heaven. The few who go to Heaven will serve as kings and priests because, apparently, God will need extra help when everything is perfect.

I think that's true but for me I never had religion strongly forced on me, and I have been an atheist since my early teens, and no one tried to dissuade me. I was brought up perfunctorily Catholic, and I think my father was probably an atheist.

It’s true that I found religion oppressive, but it’s not why I became an atheist. I’m sure it happens like that sometimes, though,

Yes. They are both equally heretical ...deviate from Orthodox Christianity by a comparable amount but are different from each other. Mormons want EVERYONE...living and dead...to convert to Mormonism ( once you convert you can convert your dead ancestors to Mormonism).

JWs think that Christ was martyred on a stake and not on a cross. So their "cross" is just a straight up and down spike. Seems like an inane change in graphics to me.

About the stake/cross thing, I could never understand why it mattered so much. Whether it was a stake or a cross, the end result was the same. Everything was such a struggle for me.

JWs believe that folks who didn’t have an opportunity to hear the message but were good people will be resurrected and given a chance, but they don’t believe you can convert people who are actually dead.