Xalten2
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Aug 13, 2026 10:44 AM
Xalten2
19811
525
41
VinnyVeritas
It isn't a binary decision. There is an infinite spectrum.
NickRivieraMD
| follow the church of booty. Praise the booty.
Intentionallysapphic
I grew up in a Mormon cult with a mother who genuinely threatened to help a man force me to have children.
I left the church and I'm now a Heathen/Pagan (heathenry is the name of the belief)
My mother blamed growing up watching Buffy on my fall into corruption, even though TV had less an effect than she wants to believe.
slopwizard
Growing up means questioning why "the absolute morality" always behaves like a jealous girlfriend or a toddler throwing a tantrum
BARP
Religion is a cancer on humanity. Proud atheist here.
Zetor
Wow. so edgy. (top one, just in case)
Arbitrarynamehere
Well, both are
KyleZombie
I used to be an atheist but then one day I went outside and I looked at a tree. Now I'm absolutely convinced that's a God, you guys.
KyleZombie
*there's
idiotsonfire
Oh shit, its Andrew from New Jersey!
tentacularfleshscape
That fucking guy
evilspock
Did it speak to you?
sfrinlan
It did! It called to him, summoned him inside to fight a giant spider, and then gave him a shiny rock.
MasterChristopher
Then it died!
shyriath
I totally understand reality being too much to deal with, but if I reach the point of giving up it'll be via drugs or alcohol like an adult.
Nanntuckett
I used to be religious until I started researching religion
zufallszahlen
Like everyone else, I was born an atheist. Unlike most, I'll die an atheist too.
Valase
"Hm. Hard to believe." - "Yes, exactly."
ME2BNS12
I mistakenly read that last part as "in an atheist zoo" and chuckled
ChiLLeCheeze
Your life is now narrated my David Attenborough.
zFUBARz
Where do I sign up?
VulcanTourist
You're getting more godless company every year.
RevRagnarok
And I broke the generational trauma. Two healthy teenagers who never once had that BS shoved down their throats. One had a friend say something about men being superior because the bible said so and was warned if he ever said anything like that again, she's never talking to him again. 🤣
Otomasoteraph
I used to be a devout catholic, then I grow up.
zHurk777
At catholic elementary school we went to mass occassionally during school hours. One time during Easter there was a sermon about how Jesus wasn't in his tomb and it was implied that since the large stone was still in place, this was proof that he had been resurrected. 13-year old me thought: If the stone could be rolled into place to block the tomb, why couldn't it be rolled out of the way? I think about that thought often.
Evi1Gav
Let's be fair, it doesn't say they found religion, it just says they grew up. Which could mean they switched from being an atheist to being agnostic.
whereismymind86
There are, generally, no such thing as former atheists. There are christians who stopped going to church for a while and then started again, and pretend they were atheists for clout, but I've never seen or heard of a legit case of an actual atheist who actually converted back to religion. It's just something christians like to pretend happens as a gotcha.
Forodir
He grew up and started to belive in some Kids stories?
Imapseudonym
FaeVikingPrincess
If religion was grown up why do they need to indoctrinate kids?
DemonicFruitfly
rrlyrae
i often see the claim that abrahamists are monotheists, but really, they all have hundreds, if not thousands, of gods.
grandfalloon
At least with magic rocks, you can huck 'em at someone and say, "God smites you!"
zFUBARz
If you really cared you'd Huck magic animals and people at someone too. Coward!
randomwalrus
Hey, don't you dare disrespect my Pet Rock(tm) or I'll declare jihad upon you.
swedeonamoose
Tbf people who claim to speak for the things in the sky have prolly existed just as long as religion itself.
CheeseCoffeeChests
It started with interpreters... many times guys high on drugs.
Leonon
I speak for the sun. The sun says "AAAAAAAAAAAAAA".
Sypurist
Gifs you can hear.
Arguile
Aliens?
ToSisPoS
Charlatans with an eye for the gullible.
Arguile
Yes yes. Opiate of the masses and all that. But… But…. could be aliens?
ToSisPoS
Like the Stargate Aliens, or Asgardian Aliens?
dixxienormus
Age 13 is when you should have realised all religions are all baloney.
birdnerd360
More people desist in their religious beliefs than the reverse so this is silly at multiple levels.
MachineInterface
As a kid I believed in God. Then I was an atheist. Then an agnostic. Then I believed in God again. Then I was an atheist again. Now I'm non-committed deist. Growing up isn't a straightforward march toward progress.
ButImNoExpert
What do you mean when you say "agnostic"? It doesn't mean being unsure about whether you believe or not. Agnostic means uncertain that your position is "true" (in that it matches reality)., whatever position you hold. You can be an agnostic theist or an agnostic atheist. It sounds more like you mean "unsure".
MachineInterface
It, like many words, admits multiple definitions. Being unsure about the existence of God is one of those that is in use.
ButImNoExpert
Yes, being unsure about the existence of god, versus being unsure of YOUR BELIEF in the existence god (which is what atheism and theism address).
Which is why we have agnostic theists and agnostic atheists - Those who believe but are not SURE that god exists versus those that do not believe but are not SURE that some god does not exist.
Agnostic fits between the two gnostic statements (knowledge): I know god exists / agnostic / I know god does not exist.
42what
After growing up a devout Christian, I became an atheist because I followed t he facts. After reading the NDE research, I am not longer an atheist. Not a Christian, but not an atheist
ButImNoExpert
NDE are well understood phenomena of a brain losing consciousness.
I am extremely doubtful that you looked at actual "research" because nothing there would point you towards theism in any manner.
42what
Uhhhhhh, tell me you dont know about nde research without telling me you dont know about nde research
ButImNoExpert
Then share links to your *best* research papers.
42what
Show me the Wikipedia article that says there is no active research into the subjective experience people have after nearly dying,
[deleted]
[deleted]
ButImNoExpert
Yes, 42what blocked me like a coward because he was unable to support his position whatsoever, and then started deleting his later posts. To the surprise of nobody.
ThisGuyPostingThings
Fuck, I dislike aggressive atheism almost as much as aggressive evangelizing. Just avoid racism and sexism, please, unlike Dawkins & co.
wadatahmydamie
Atheism is fine, Gervatheism is masturbatory
bladderinfection
I remember the moment I grew up. Fifth grade, Catholic school, I realized the universe makes sense if god is fiction.
idiotsonfire
I stopped believing when I was 17 in the Shrine of Knock in Ireland. I was praying for a miracle cure. I stopped, and looked around me.
idiotsonfire
Everyone around me was 40+. Some had visible health issues due to age. Others might have been praying for people in their family/life.
idiotsonfire
I asked myself; "How many people here would attribute a rapid or even temporary health recovery to this prayer?" Then I sat down.
idiotsonfire
Then I never prayed again for anything in my entire life.
zFUBARz
Man I really can't even comprehend it. Not growing up in a religious family (my mom is spiritual, but does her own thing and isn't preachy or a believer in any church) I have no memory at all of a time when I might have thought god was real. Good for you and those who can learn and grow though for sure.
VulcanTourist
I never believed. I tried and failed. Then I had to be a hypocrite every week for years to fit in until I finally convinced my parents to stop enslaving me.
LiquidGoldMonkey
I started to read the Bible at 12 and by 14 I no longer believed.
bladderinfection
Shortly after, I stopped going to Sunday mass with my parents. “You can stay home, but you will have stay in your room all day.” I have no idea why they thought that was punishment for an introvert. A few months later they stopped going as well.
VulcanTourist
Indoctrinating you to believe in a system that was merely inertial for them was apparently the entire remaining point for them?! Gotta love these generational delusions.
VulcanTourist
And who the fuck downvoted your personal anecdote? Do you have a stalker like me?
bladderinfection
Haha, people are people. Especially on the internet.
DdCno1
I also have a downvote stalker. Welcome to the club.
zonedymo24
ehh I would love to hear the arguments as to how growing up made the not be an atheist anymore.
zHurk777
Probably when he grew up he couldn't understand how things were so sh!tty, so god must be the reason?
RevRagnarok
Well, BELIEF in the imaginary sky daddy sure isn't helping...
zHurk777
ps: implied that believing god is why things are sh!tty so let's everybody believe in a sh!tty god, since that make sooooooo much sense.
m4uboy
he was almost certainly raised in a faith, rejected it, and returned to it. and probably thinks about this in the same way as being liberal while young and becoming conservative as an adult.
NorwegianSheepknuller
I don't care enough to take a hard stance so I'm going agnostic on your ass.
CheeseCoffeeChests
I am agnostic myself too. Friend of mine once said as a joke, that there is a special hell for agnostics. nothing is certain untill it has to be. looks like heaven, but is hell. Everything could be cake, vegan or meat until you try to actually use/eat it. You have to go to the toilett but dont know if number 1 or 2. You wont know if you wiped your ass enought until you pull up your pants. You grab for new pants. but it could only a picture of pants or the wrong size. The coffee could be decaf.
NorwegianSheepknuller
I believe that's pergatory and I'm not sure if we're already there.
ElectricLeprechaun
This sounds like an argument between toddlers
LuminoZero
Because it is. People just need to leave other people alone. Faith is personal, what you believe is your business as long as you don't make it my business.
RevRagnarok
Yeah good luck with that as Christo-Fascists take over your country.
ParryLost
How does that work? Everyone lives on a separate island? Everyone has to stop believing in things before voting in any election? Solipsism?
LuminoZero
Do you... seriously not understand to keep your beliefs to yourself or how to share them only when asked?
That's a pretty wild admission.
ParryLost
wow you sure got me. okay your vaguely pleasant-sounding meaningless nonsense sure does make you smart or whatever, carry on.
ChelVanin
I remember edgelord atheists being this cringy in the early 2000s (yes I might have been one of them, fuck you that isn’t important). Funny seeing the shoe on the other foot.
wadatahmydamie
They have a whole-ass vanity press now. My former coach published his book under their banner
birdnerd360
It just shows how much their cultural beliefs are being threatened by human progress that they think being a believer is counter-culture. Hopefully we're witnessing their death rattle.
probablywontbearoundlong
Look at some of the comments on this very post. Atheist cringe never stopped.
LuminoZero
Edgy atheists are STILL this cringy.
graifazig
You mean the Dawkinists? People who "became" atheist because of Richard Dawkins' book? The bulk of those went on to become Gamer Gaters and incels who today complain a lot about wokeness. I don't want to go "no true Atheist" here, but this kind of subset of people seemingly priorities to belong to a group the feels superior. Chauvinists first and foremost.
whywritemythesiswhenihaveinternet
As I grow older the thing I've come to realize is that every single social group has a subset who are just fucking assholes and use whatever their chosen thing is to be bigger assholes. Pick a thing, and you will find assholes. Religion? Definitely. Political party? Oh yeah, every single one, bar none. Sexuality? Unfortunately, yes. Fandom? You better believe it. Competitive sandcastle building? I have no clue, but I'd bet my ass there are.
graifazig
Unfortunately. Having become an agnostic atheist almost de decade before already, a thing that annoyed me from the get-go about "New Atheism": is that it didn't follow older atheist movements who usually argued against the monopolization of empathy based morality by organized relition, but instead seemingly rejected religion for its commandment of empathy. Empaty was more or less declared "unscientific". A rotten foundation to build any ideology on.
graifazig
As far as I can see, Dawkings invented the idea of the "mindvirus" by contrasting what he coined "memetics" vs genetics. A type of dogmatic idea that it's the corruption of the natural and evolved. These days, since American Christian institutions have declared empathy to be a sin, it's not much of a surprise to me to find Dawkins writing passages in books for those same institutions, making self-contradictory definitions of "biological gender".
foxpotate
All religions are cancerous polyps in the the rectum of humanity pretending to be anal ribbing for your pleasure.
LaffertyDanie1
I'm not religious and can't get onboard with the dogmatism but can't throw the baby out with the bathwater that it's all bad. Turning to religion can do a lot of good for certain individuals and there are a lot of religious people and organizations that do a lot of good. Does the good outweigh all the terrible things done in the name of God? Idk but I don't feel like I can call it all evil
MCFLYYY
There's nothing with spirituality. The problem is "religion" is weaponizing it into a version of nationalism where "we" are better than the "others" and their "stupid ungodly religion" so we should kill them all and take their land.
LaffertyDanie1
I don't think it's fair to say that's a defining characteristic of "religion" as a construct. Every single person who adheres to any religion views the world that way? I can't buy that
MCFLYYY
I put "religion" in air quotes because that is how religion is being wielded - it's just an extension of nationalism.
LaffertyDanie1
I agree and is exactly what I meant by weaponization. Is that an indictment of the entire idea of religion? I'm not trying to argue religion has even been a net positive to humanity but I think it's unfair say religion is across the board evil. If someone considers themself religious, do you think that automatically makes them a bad person?
kmccre3
Look up Sikhi and it's core beliefs/ practices. I would argue what you are directing your ire at is abrahamic faiths, which absolutely deserve ire. I am as progressive as I can be, and have been following Sikhi for 3 years and at no point have I felt compelled to become more conservative. If anything my faith compels me to stand in solidarity with the oppressed. I hate christofascism too, and will oppose it as long as I live. Look at my comment history/ post history if you dont believe me.
GravyEducation
There's a real simple answer here. Religion is not inherently bad, and I'll fight for the freedom despite still believing its dumb that you believe in various gods and stuff. It's dumb but you have your freedom to practice it, because denying practice makes you the bad guy. Evangelicals are the main source of the evil. Cue 10 comments telling me I'm too soft or an idiot or some bullshit.
LuminoZero
Then I'll balance them out by being one comment thanking you for your calm and rational argument. A rare thing on these posts.
GravyEducation
ParryLost
lol
n0gal
My issue is with the concept of "faith" itself. Actively turning off your critical thinking skills specifically to accept something without any evidence is in and of itself harmful. As Voltaire said: "anyone who has the power to make you believe in absurdities has the power to make you commit atrocities"
GravyEducation
But you can't take a freedom away to that religious idea. If the religious idea is actively doing harm, there's ideally a social justice system or court of public opinion that can check that. The specific people who would commit the atrocities would have committed them, the specific people who would have done good would have done good. I just don't get the absolutism argument where all religion harms.. that ultimately seems to me like a ptsd response from people who only got the abusive religion
n0gal
Nah, I've met plenty of otherwise good people who were christian vehemently defend genetal mutilation of babies. I've met plenty of otherwise good people who were sikh who oppose women's healthcare because it "interferes with divine creation". The moment you turn off your critical thinking skills, you're more likely to be convinced of bad ideas.
GravyEducation
+1 But then could you recognize those skills in a person who does have faith? Because that is my real question. If you believe all people of a faith would fail in critical thought, I would say you yourself might have a deficiency in critical thought. You might not be able to understand how they might be good people despite your preconceptions
kmccre3
Again, I am a Sikh and dont believe reproductive Healthcare somehow interferes with divine creation, both because I was pro choice before embracing sikhi, but also because my faith Advocates for people to recieve Healthcare when they need it, and if a person wants not to be pregnant but is. then the Healthcare they need is an abortion. There are Sokhs who disagree with me, but I resent the idea that me believing that the universe is divine means I have turned off my critical thinking. I haven't,