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K_Kelly
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29 May 2014, 8:14 pm

I have heard about people "changing" their religion or becoming an atheist.
I don't exactly understand the process.

Which resources does one find all information on different faiths all in one place?
I'm also interested in studying atheism/agnosticism.

Just a few ideas:
-I'm politically conservative
-I'm White
-I'm a young person
-Christianity doesn't exactly work on me 100%



hyena
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29 May 2014, 8:34 pm

I think you should read The god Delusion by Dawkins. It's a great book.
Curious, why doesn't Christianity work on you?

I think all religions are BS that deluded ancient lunatics made up for various reasons. Don't waste your time with them. In my opinion the closest analog for atheists to the "spiritual fulfillment" that religions provide to their followers is philosophy.



khaoz
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29 May 2014, 9:50 pm

Read the Bible. Every version. Every word. If that doesn't change your way of thinking, maybe stick your tongue in an electrical outlet.
Maybe a bit harsh, but, yeah, read those books.



seaturtleisland
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29 May 2014, 10:15 pm

I lost my faith in Christianity when I just stopped caring about God. I had no interest in him. After that I continued to believe in the supernatural for a while but I stopped believing in that as well because if I didn't I'd be dead.



MjrMajorMajor
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29 May 2014, 10:21 pm

I never grew up with a definite religion. I believe in the golden rule, and like the idea of karma. I don't believe any faith should be unquestioning and ironclad. A strong belief system holds up to all of that. Still haven't quite found my own...



TheGoggles
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29 May 2014, 10:46 pm

khaoz wrote:
Read the Bible. Every version. Every word. If that doesn't change your way of thinking, maybe stick your tongue in an electrical outlet.
Maybe a bit harsh, but, yeah, read those books.


I'd rather do that last thing then read the word "begot" again.



drh1138
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29 May 2014, 11:15 pm

K_Kelly wrote:
I have heard about people "changing" their religion or becoming an atheist.
I don't exactly understand the process.

Which resources does one find all information on different faiths all in one place?
I'm also interested in studying atheism/agnosticism.

Just a few ideas:
-I'm politically conservative
-I'm White
-I'm a young person
-Christianity doesn't exactly work on me 100%


There is no "process". You change your mind upon considering new information, much the same way as you might change your mind about what to have for lunch.



arielhawksquill
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30 May 2014, 7:40 am

If you really have an interest in religion and want to study all of them, you could start here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_re ... traditions

Or you could just take this handy quiz: http://www.beliefnet.com/Entertainment/ ... Matic.aspx

Most white American males who don't believe in Christianity are simply secular. There's nothing requiring you to have a religious affiliation.



leejosepho
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30 May 2014, 8:45 am

K_Kelly wrote:
I have heard about people "changing" their religion or becoming an atheist.
I don't exactly understand the process...

I'm also interested in studying atheism/agnosticism...

-Christianity doesn't exactly work on me 100%

drh1138 wrote:
There is no "process". You change your mind upon considering new information, much the same way as you might change your mind about what to have for lunch.


Yes, and some people do that quite casually on a whim or to possibly just follow the latest trend or with much serious thought such as when I recently (a few months ago) stopped eating all meat, dairy or oil and switched to a strict, plant-based diet in order to hopefully avoid the cardiologist's scalpel (CABG).

For myself, Christianity ultimately rendered me agnostic by having no sensible answers when my life fell apart at age 27. After that, some people who were actually living the kinds of lives I had only ever heard about began showing me how to do the same and I have never had to rely upon myself to come up with any new plan or philosophy.


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techstepgenr8tion
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30 May 2014, 10:26 am

You have to sort out ontology as best you can on your own.

A few posters mentioned it, if you feel like most of your knowledge on the bible is second hand at best then it would be wise to read it through from start to finish at least once to have an understanding of what's in it, what isn't, and what mainstream Christianity is doing with the book.

One of the things that's been indispensable to me in understanding the bible, aside from reading it through a couple times, was reading the classic Hermetic and Neoplatonist texts from that time period.



TallyMan
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30 May 2014, 12:37 pm

K_Kelly wrote:
I have heard about people "changing" their religion or becoming an atheist.
I don't exactly understand the process.

Which resources does one find all information on different faiths all in one place?
I'm also interested in studying atheism/agnosticism.

Just a few ideas:
-I'm politically conservative
-I'm White
-I'm a young person
-Christianity doesn't exactly work on me 100%


The process is simple. If you no longer believe in a particular religion then you have nothing else to do. There is no ceremony to become a disbeliever. I was brought up as a Christian but when I went to university and studied the sciences it became obvious that all life on the planet has evolved and that the tales in Genesis regarding the creation of the Earth, Adam and Eve etc are just mythology. With this realisation you have to question if a god really exists; because there is no physical evidence of his existence or of such a being having ever done anything. The entire old testament can be written off as a mishmash of mythology, history and legend with endless barbaric acts against humanity portrayed by a vicious, vindictive and narcissistic god.

I've long been an atheist now; or to be more accurate a Zen Buddhist. There are no gods in Buddhism. Buddhism offers a peaceful way to live with our fellow humans and to reach a deep inner peace. Buddhist also welcomes the knowledge revealed by science and doesn't try to deny it or pretend it doesn't exist, unlike Christianity, Islam and Judaism. I won't go into the deeper philosophy of Buddhism here as it wouldn't be appropriate.


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naturalplastic
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30 May 2014, 3:42 pm

drh1138 wrote:
K_Kelly wrote:
I have heard about people "changing" their religion or becoming an atheist.
I don't exactly understand the process.

Which resources does one find all information on different faiths all in one place?
I'm also interested in studying atheism/agnosticism.

Just a few ideas:
-I'm politically conservative
-I'm White
-I'm a young person
-Christianity doesn't exactly work on me 100%


There is no "process". You change your mind upon considering new information, much the same way as you might change your mind about what to have for lunch.


This. Its like changing political parties, or brands of breakfast cereal. Life happens to you and you rethink stuff.

Or...you become the lead singer of R.E.M..



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30 May 2014, 6:39 pm

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8JFGdH5wgCs[/youtube]


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raisedbyignorance
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30 May 2014, 9:00 pm

The easiest way to lose a religion like Christianity is to be around people who represent the worst aspects of it.

That's how it happens for most of us.



drh1138
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30 May 2014, 10:45 pm

raisedbyignorance wrote:
The easiest way to lose a religion like Christianity is to be around people who represent the worst aspects of it.

That's how it happens for most of us.


I would partially counter, partially add to this, that being around others with a different set of beliefs than your own. When your exposure is limited or nonexistent, it is easy to dismiss others as simply being irrational, misled, or pawns of some evil force.



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01 Jun 2014, 8:03 am

I think it's very personal. As you grow older you get to know yourself better and work out what is most important to you. The experiences you have and the people you meet change you and open your eyes to things you hadn't taken into consideration before.

Your new experiences either cause your faith to grow stronger or grow weaker depending on what your take on them is. Or then you discover something you didn't know before and you start to think about how what you already belived relates to that and you decide which one makes the most sense to you.