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How I become Atheist.

Started by OhCheese, August 03, 2011, 07:07:43 PM

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OhCheese

I grew up among conservative Muslim society, religious society, I learned to pray 5 times a day
and fast of Ramadan, my mother and my brother and sisters liberals, but my father is very religious, rejects anything opposed to the Quran and Islam, He was considered that the western world is the main reason for problems that we have in the Middle East.

When I became 15 years old I began to think about Allah and religion and all about it I asked myself: What you doing??Are you crazy, I thought that Satan is play in my mind so then I stopped thinking about these things. Then that happened
Learned of the existence of religions other than Islam, as I said before I grew up amid a conservative Muslim society
It was difficult to know anything about other religions and I though that Islam is the only religion
On the Earth, but once I know the existence of other religions decided to look it, Christianity, defined by the
A lot and studied the Bible on the Internet and then corresponded with the institutions of missionary
And helped me to get a copy of the Bible  and some books was written by Joyce Meyer, I've been a religious, yes, a very devout Christian, I pray every day, before going to sleep and before eating before the study and almost everything, I've had Jesus in my mind and my heart, Jesus was
My life, and after two years of conversion to Christianity, I felt that all what I've done is a waste of time, I just added a new activity in my life, like some new hobby or something like that , then I went back to Islam again and also became a very devout Muslim and I feel great regret because I thought that Allah will send me to hell because I left Islam, but even with that I keep felt the same way again which I am not doing anything useful at all, all this does not benefit me, all this does not help me, then began to ask new questions about religions and I have lost, yes lost, I did not know who I am or why I'm here and why this is happening to me???, And then tried to stop thinking about, but I couldn't, because the questions didn't stop at all, it was more with the passage of time, then I researched on the Internet again and then came across the something calls "Atheism" and believe me I did not know at the time about existence of people who do not believe in God, because for me it is not logical to live without faith in God, and shocked when I know that atheists are present and alive and defending for their atheism,first I've terrified of this idea, and I remember I visited the forum Arab atheist and when I read their articles immediately I run away from Forum and I didn't back again to it for a while, because  the idea of Criticism of religion and the critique of God was so awesome I can not believe that there are people doing this.
Then I figure out about a theory call Evolution by natural selection, I knew about it and learned that, according to the theory that we did not create of clay and that earth created in 6 days and a lot of ideas that oppose the beliefs religious,However, it has caught my attention the idea that we are that close very much with apes draws my attention because they behave almost like humans, then I remember
I asked my father if he knew anything about evolution? He was shocked and said to me: Where did you come
This? Who told you about this theory? This theory is an infidel, Who created is a crazy man who does not want
Faith in God so he started this theory to justify his atheism, and then told me not to believe anything it is our of Quran, I did not accept the idea that say yes and would not believe anything else, so I've searching more and more and more about the theory.

I will finish the rest later  :)


Tank

Fascinating, can't wait for the next installment!
If religions were TV channels atheism is turning the TV off.
"Religion is a culture of faith; science is a culture of doubt." ― Richard P. Feynman
'It is said that your life flashes before your eyes just before you die. That is true, it's called Life.' - Terry Pratchett
Remember, your inability to grasp science is not a valid argument against it.

xSilverPhinx

Welcome!

Looks like an interesting religious life you've led so far ;D
I am what survives if it's slain - Zack Hemsey


OhCheese

#3
Quote from: Tank on August 03, 2011, 07:16:19 PM
Fascinating, can't wait for the next installment!

Thank you for supporting  :)
Quote from: xSilverPhinx on August 03, 2011, 11:16:26 PM
Welcome!

Looks like an interesting religious life you've led so far ;D

Hi SilverPhinx. That is right, Muslim family and Islamic country, that is mean where ever there are minds thinking  :)

OhCheese

Then I researched more about the theory of evolution, and then it's grandmother is a very logical interpretation of the wonderful diversity in life and the wonderful diversity in the body of every living organism, evolution explained almost everything, and then I moved to the next step which is to make sure of the existence of God or not, because as I said earlier that the idea of ​​atheism were not easy at all for me and for that I needed time to accept the idea at first, and then looking more and removed all fear of the idea of ​​atheism, then I went back to Atheists Forum
Arabs and became a member and discussed with them and I asked (a lot of questions) and found some convincing answers and others not. Then tried to think for myself, think about all religions and atheism against it, and what is more logical to me, of course, all this was happening and it was affecting my social life but all what I was interested at that time was to kill the lost that I am in.
Then I thought of the morally and how the concept of heaven and hell are not rationalism ever, and why someone would burn in hell just because he does not believe in God, although he was a very good person and has done a lot of work that had a positive impact in the world but in the end
burn in hell because he is an atheist, and another example: Oprah Winfrey a Christian, has Etheir of business was wonderful and distinctive role model for all women in the world but yet she will burn in hell because she is not Muslim or Jewish, another example about my mother that I love her very much and she helped me in my life,  she is the first person who accepted me when I told her I was gay, but with this she will burn in hell she  not Christian or Jewish, and many of the similar examples.
I decided that religion really is just an idea created by ancient man in order to find explanation for everything around, but fortunately science has now explained the earth,the universe and the life. Ancient man was afraid of lightning and thunder and was thought it is a signs of God's wrath, but now we walking in the street and talking and eating and drinking and thunder and lightning hitting the ground.

At the point I become an atheist, but this does not mean that my life will be great or I will become happy, because
Atheism is only interested in the idea of ​​"God" but atheism does not tell you how to live or what you do in your life, and here for the first time that I felt responsible and I have my life and now I must decide how to live and what I want to be and the result was that I accepted myself at first as a gay man, I will not live my life for other people, yes I love mom as I said but she always wanted to see grandchildren
but what about me? I do not want to marry a girl and  and then turn our lives into hell just because I decided to live my life for others to be happy.

The next time I'll talk to you for a moment of my confession to my family that I am gay!!

Tank

Quote from: OhCheese on August 04, 2011, 01:03:13 AM
...I decided that religion really is just an idea created by ancient man in order to find explanation for everything around...
Absolutly perfect conclusion, well done!

If religions were TV channels atheism is turning the TV off.
"Religion is a culture of faith; science is a culture of doubt." ― Richard P. Feynman
'It is said that your life flashes before your eyes just before you die. That is true, it's called Life.' - Terry Pratchett
Remember, your inability to grasp science is not a valid argument against it.

OhCheese

Quote from: Tank on August 04, 2011, 08:19:58 AM
Quote from: OhCheese on August 04, 2011, 01:03:13 AM
...I decided that religion really is just an idea created by ancient man in order to find explanation for everything around...
Absolutly perfect conclusion, well done!



And the same reason is gonna cause collapse them!!

OhCheese

The moment of my confession about my homosexuality front my family was not easy, but the atheistic was the first step for me to come out because it has been liberated me from all those negative thoughts about Homosexuality, religion only interested about sex, but did not think about  feelings and love, they say the God is love while the reality is not, so it's hard to find a religious person does not think about sex when
you tell him/her I'm gay or lesbian.  :-[

The night before my confession I did not sleep, I was afraid of what will happen after that, I'm in the Middle East, there is no place to go to in case I get fired, I might go to jail, but fortunately not in my country because Homosexuality is a illegal by law but it is by society  :(
Then came the morning and I was step front step back, moment I want to tell them and other I do not want to, but finally I decided that I should get out of my prison and  live my life as I am.
The first person I told the truth is my mother, and the result was shocking, she did not say a bad thing, she said "My son is gay, so what?" I did not believe what I am hearing that moment, I told her over and over, "Mom, I am gay means I will not marry a girl and I do not care about girls, I
Interested in men will marry a man" and I don't know why I wanted to keep say that, it seems like I wanted something bad happen to me  ;D, she said okay then , that moment I couldn't even explain and you can imagine how it was, then I told my sisters and brother, and had a good position, but my father wasn't, he started yell and became like a mad man, he keeps telling me that  is horrible and unacceptable and I will become a patient
AIDS, that time I said in my mind (WTF??) and God will suffers violence, and .... etc., but in the end he said to me, I agree but not about gay sex, then I said, Well, deal, because I needed to stop that war and just lie because I know he will not stop.

That is all about my Atheism and Homosexual  :)

Crow

Really interesting read, thanks.
Retired member.

Ragnar

QuoteI asked my father if he knew anything about evolution? He was shocked and said to me: Where did you come
This? Who told you about this theory? This theory is an infidel, Who created is a crazy man who does not want
Faith in God so he started this theory to justify his atheism,

Charles Darwin was never an atheist.  In the beginning, he was a Christian, and deeply religious.  The reason why he stopped going to church was the death of his daughter, Anne.  By the end of his life, Darwin was an agnostic.
In ancient times cats were worshipped as gods; they have not forgotten this. - Terry Pratchett.

Stevil

Quote from: Ragnar on August 05, 2011, 05:45:42 PM
Charles Darwin was never an atheist.  In the beginning, he was a Christian, and deeply religious.  The reason why he stopped going to church was the death of his daughter, Anne.  By the end of his life, Darwin was an agnostic.

When you say agnostic, by this do you mean that he had no belief in god?

Crow

Quote from: Stevil on August 05, 2011, 07:35:21 PM
When you say agnostic, by this do you mean that he had no belief in god?

Agnostic - noun
A person who believes that nothing is known or can be known of the existence or nature of God or of anything beyond material phenomena; a person who claims neither faith nor disbelief in God.
Retired member.

Stevil

Quote from: Crow on August 05, 2011, 08:10:30 PM
Quote from: Stevil on August 05, 2011, 07:35:21 PM
When you say agnostic, by this do you mean that he had no belief in god?

Agnostic - noun
A person who believes that nothing is known or can be known of the existence or nature of God or of anything beyond material phenomena; a person who claims neither faith nor disbelief in God.
Just wanted to know what Ragnar means when he says that Darwin was agnostic, because in my mind it has no relation to whether the person is theist or atheist.

OhCheese

Quote from: Crow on August 05, 2011, 01:26:06 AM
Really interesting read, thanks.

Hi Crow, Glad that you read it  ;D


Quote from: Ragnar on August 05, 2011, 05:45:42 PM
QuoteI asked my father if he knew anything about evolution? He was shocked and said to me: Where did you come
This? Who told you about this theory? This theory is an infidel, Who created is a crazy man who does not want
Faith in God so he started this theory to justify his atheism,

Charles Darwin was never an atheist.  In the beginning, he was a Christian, and deeply religious.  The reason why he stopped going to church was the death of his daughter, Anne.  By the end of his life, Darwin was an agnostic.

First of all, Hi Ragnar. second of all, I didn't say that Charles Darwin was atheist, My father who is '' close minded person' said that he is atheist. for me I don't care if Charles Darwin was atheist or not, what I care about is his theory. there is a lot of great theories come by people who believes in God but that doesn't mean I should believe in God too.





Hi Stevil  :)



Ragnar

QuoteWhen you say agnostic, by this do you mean that he had no belief in god?

Darwin described himself as an agnostic.  He wrote in a letter

"In my most extreme fluctuations I have never been an atheist in the sense of denying the existence of a God.  I think that generally (& more and more so as I grow older) but not always, that an agnostic would be the most correct description of my state of mind."

http://www.darwinproject.ac.uk/entry-12041


QuoteFirst of all, Hi Ragnar. second of all, I didn't say that Charles Darwin was atheist, My father who is '' close minded person' said that he is atheist. for me I don't care if Charles Darwin was atheist or not, what I care about is his theory. there is a lot of great theories come by people who believes in God but that doesn't mean I should believe in God too.

Hi ya OhCheese, I know that you didn't say Charles Darwin was an atheist, but if you haven't already, you will hear some strange things about him; that he recanted his theory on his death bed, that he was a racist, that he only came up with this theory to support his atheism, that his theory is responsible for Nazi atrocities, all these claims are complete garbage, put people, usually theists, still say these things.

It took a lot of courage to come out to your family, I am glad that it went well for you. :)
In ancient times cats were worshipped as gods; they have not forgotten this. - Terry Pratchett.