Happy Atheist Forum

Hi! I joined just before the Christmas break and was away for much of the period, so I am easing my way back in by opening a topic - with a question.

Did you 'lose' your religious belief in the process of becoming an atheist or did you just gradually move from a vague non-believer/agnostic to be clearer about it in your own mind.

In my case I grew up in a non practising vaguely UK Anglican family, 'caught' religion in my teens, and lost it almost as quickly. Then throughout much of my adult life I think I was vaguely 'looking', dabbling and so on. It was only when I started reading Dawkins, Hitchens and the like that I finally decided that I had been fence sitting much of my life and made a sort of mental commitment.

I didn't lose it, I left it behind on purpose.

I decided that reality mattered to me, so anything that can't show to be real got left behind.

I lost my religion... and how!  :hide:

I wouldn't say I lost religion, more of an intentional toss.

I didn't really lose mine. I grew up Catholic so I never really had any religious beliefs per se, it was more of a habit and an inconvenience going to church and CCD classes. Once I grasped the futility of it all, I did in fact leave it behind, but will occasionally go to church, (mocking everything much to the delight of my wife the whole time) just to appease my mom.

I would say I lost my religion. It was more of a gradual decay than any event in particular; in fact, I can't even remember when or how exactly I stopped being a Christian and became an atheist.

All of my life up until one-to-two years ago I was a Christian, indoctrinated from birth. As I entered my teens my doubt/skepticism began to grow, and eventually I started to researched God, science, and religion on the Internet, bringing me to atheism (reluctantly, at first).

I never had it.

As I began studying philosophy and critical thinking, I started holding myself more accountable for my ideas.  I feel like I gained clarity and lost nothing.

-a-train

Religion was never a part of my childhood, so...yeah.

The church I was in transformed into a dangerous, mind-controlling cult. That provided a distance in my perspective on mainstream Christianity, which had been like a hard drug addiction for me up until then (found something even harder, Lol). Then several events, including a trip to a large religious gathering, gave my perspective just enough distance from that cult. Soon enough, I was able to look at both a lot more objectively. At that point, having seen with my own eyes the logical end of the direction of my thinking, it was easy to see that all of it was bullshit. It was completely intuitive; all the reasoning and logic came later, while I was trying hard to find any details I might have missed, before committing to non-belief, just in case there was a way back in. After about a year of that, I realised I was much happier to be out. That was about 12 years ago and I've had no relapses.

Quote from: "REM"That's me in the corner
That's me in the spotlight, I'm
Losing my religion
Trying to keep up with you

Born atheist. Never changed for the lack of reason to.

How come Thomas got to hang out with Jesus for ages, saw the miracles and Jesus Zombie too, even got to feel the wounds?
He got a rebuke I suppose but I don't think he was rejected.
All I'm offered is hand me down platitudes.
I attended Sunday school at St. Thomas' Kingsgrove, doubt's good I think.
But it's better to wipe that stuff off your shoe altogether.

OK, i wrote out this whole big answer to your questions, and have decided to delete the whole thing, answering you with 3 words:

Gradually, via Dawkins.

Quote from: "REM"That's me in the corner
That's me in the spotlight, I'm
Losing my religion
Trying to keep up with you

God, I hate that song.

I didn't lose it
It lost me.

With my dedication, work ethic and charisma, I would have been a big earner for the offering plates

Quote from: "Cecilie"God, I hate that song.

I forgive you.

Quote from: "Cecilie"God, I hate that song.

Me, I am reasonably indifferent to it  

Quote from: "Asmodean"

Quote from: "Cecilie"God, I hate that song.

Me, I am reasonably indifferent to it  

Apparently you don't listen to the radio much. They play it A LOT. Or at least they used to...

Quote from: "Cecilie"Apparently you don't listen to the radio much. They play it A LOT. Or at least they used to...

Radio Norge in the car... They don't play too much of that one, but there are a couple of other classics I can no longer stand because of it  

Quote from: "Cecilie"

Quote from: "REM"That's me in the corner
That's me in the spotlight, I'm
Losing my religion
Trying to keep up with you

God, I hate that song.

Yeah, but God listens to Slayer:
"Cult"
Oppression is the holy law
In God I distrust
In time His monuments will fall
Like ashes to dust
Is war and greed the masters plan?
The bible's where it all began
Its propaganda sells despair
And spreads the virus everywhere

Religion is hate
Religion is fear
Religion is war
Religion is rape
Religion's obscure
Religion's a whore

The pestilence is Jesus Christ
There never was a sacrifice
No man upon the crucifix
Beware the cult of purity
Infectious imbecility
I've made my choice. Six six six

Corruption breeds the pedohile
Don't pray for the priest
Confession finds the lonely child
God preys on the weak
You think your soul can still be saved
I think you're fucking miles away
Scream out loud here's where you begin
Forgive me father for I have sinned

Jesus is pain
Jesus is gore
Jesus is the blood
That's spilled in war
He's everything
He's all things dead
He's pulling on the trigger
Pointed at your head

Through fear you're sold into the fraud
Revelation revolution
I see through your Christ Illusion

The war on terror just drags along
My war with God is growing strong
His propaganda sells despair
And spreads the violence everywhere

There is no fuckin' Jesus Christ
There never was a sacrifice
No man upon the crucifix
Beware the cult of purity
Infectious inbecility
I've made my choice. Six six six

Quote from: "Gawen"

Quote from: "Cecilie"

Quote from: "REM"That's me in the corner
That's me in the spotlight, I'm
Losing my religion
Trying to keep up with you

God, I hate that song.

Yeah, but God listens to Slayer:
"Cult"
Oppression is the holy law
In God I distrust
In time His monuments will fall
Like ashes to dust
Is war and greed the masters plan?
The bible's where it all began
Its propaganda sells despair
And spreads the virus everywhere

Religion is hate
Religion is fear
Religion is war
Religion is rape
Religion's obscure
Religion's a whore

The pestilence is Jesus Christ
There never was a sacrifice
No man upon the crucifix
Beware the cult of purity
Infectious imbecility
I've made my choice. Six six six

Corruption breeds the pedohile
Don't pray for the priest
Confession finds the lonely child
God preys on the weak
You think your soul can still be saved
I think you're fucking miles away
Scream out loud here's where you begin
Forgive me father for I have sinned

Jesus is pain
Jesus is gore
Jesus is the blood
That's spilled in war
He's everything
He's all things dead
He's pulling on the trigger
Pointed at your head

Through fear you're sold into the fraud
Revelation revolution
I see through your Christ Illusion

The war on terror just drags along
My war with God is growing strong
His propaganda sells despair
And spreads the violence everywhere

There is no fuckin' Jesus Christ
There never was a sacrifice
No man upon the crucifix
Beware the cult of purity
Infectious inbecility
I've made my choice. Six six six

I can do that too.

"Jesus Saves"

You go to the church, You kiss the cross
You will be saved at any cost
You have your own reality
Christianity
You spend your life just kissing ass
A trait that's grown as time has passed
You think the world will end today
You praise the Lord, It's all you say

Jesus saves, Listen to you pray
You think you'll see the pearly gates
When death takes you away

For all respect you cannot lust
In an invisible man you place your trust
Indirect dependency
Eternal attempt at amnesty
He will decide who lives and dies
Depopulate Satanas rise
You will be an accessory
Irreverence and blasphemy

Jesus saves, No need to pray
The gates of pearl have turned to gold
It seems you've lost your way

Jesus saves, No words of praise
No promised land to take you to
There is no other way


The ironic thing is that the singer is a Christian.