Please discribe the moment or general time when you stopped believing in God.
By NefariousFox
@NefariousFox (161)
United States
July 24, 2009 12:23am CST
I suppose I will reciprocate.
First, I decided that I didn't want to believe in Hell. I just couldn't reconcile the thought that good people would have to go there just because they didn't worship God. Then I began to disagree with some things I was hearing in Sunday school and church. Of course, I was born in Munich, and I lived overseas for the first seven years of my live, so I the clergy never had the opportunity to indoctrinate me. Thankfully, as a result of this, I had no problem disagreeing with what I was learning about the religion I was supposed to be following. Because I had already stopped believing in hell, I had no longer any reason to fear mental freedom, and at age 12 I underwent a period of consecutive epiphanies as I was suddenly aware of new freedoms within my own mind.
I was a pure atheist for the next year or so before learning about the Buddhist philosophy, and I have been a Buddhist for quite some time now.
How about you?
2 responses
@cannibal (650)
• India
24 Jul 09
That quite depends on your definition of God. If it's the anthropomorphic silly scripture based God (actually a monster) then I'd given up on it in my childhood itself. I have seen many idol-worshipers in my vicinity and although I do appreciate many (not all) of their so-called rituals (actually they are scientifically beneficial acts in disguise) I never follow them as others do, i.e. in the name of God. I'm extremely happy that my family members support my view and actually also follow the same way, although I do it more overtly and they simply have no issues whatsoever. Heck, even the idol worshipers never have any qualms with my atheism, they say that all paths, including atheism are correct and lead to the same truth. I really appreciate that!
I'm an agnostic now and I've now started exploring the eastern philosophies, including Buddhism. The best part I like of all of those is that there is no compulsion of any sort to 'believe' in or 'submit' to any sort of God. All of these philosophies ask you to scrutinize every statement made by the respective philosophies.
I was once a pure atheist too, but it is easy to guess that atheism, although pretty honest and rational can never be a complete solution to the mysteries of life.
@NefariousFox (161)
• United States
24 Jul 09
Based on what you've said, I do think that Buddhism would be good for you, especially because it would to require you to resolve your agnosticism into anything more rigid than it already is. My personal favorite aspect to Buddhism is that it seems to be the only religion that doesn't tell you that you're wrong right away. Christianity is especially bad in this respect, asserting that all humans are born with the burden of original sin, and in the debt of Jesus.
Buddhism however tells us (I think more accurately) that we are all born with the Buddha mind, and that society is what takes us away from it by imposing preferences on us, teaching us to believe that we are not whole, that we need certain things that we don't, and so on. I was attracted to Buddhism for the compatibility with strict atheism, but I stay for the mental techniques, and for the understanding that at the core of my being, there is not something waiting to be fixed, or forgiven. At the core of my being, and everyone else's, there is the Buddha.
@machizmo (279)
• United States
24 Jul 09
I do not think I ever quit believing in a higher power but I did grow bitter and angry at a higher being for my life and the circumstances of my life. I never have really minded people having beliefs but I realize some try to force beliefs on others. I ignore when they do that and do not really listen to them.
