We're a couple with pretty different beliefs, but we live in harmony. My fiancé(40m) is a Mormon and I'm(25f) an atheist. (Large age gaps are common with couples on the autism spectrum, which we are.) We love discussing religion, philosophy, and ethics together, and we haven't had any conflicts about it. We support each other's beliefs fully. We're here to share our perspectives and promote understanding and tolerance. Ask us anything!

It's main purpose is to con people into believing there's a supreme being that rules over your eternity and decides whether you burn forever or not, and you should live out your life striving not to while offering 0 proof for anything at all in the book - making it indistinguishable from a mythology trying to start a cult (because thats what it is!) so by its intents and the fact billions have fallen for this book, it has to be more evil than a book detailing how to cut someone up and hide their body without being caught. If any book could be deemed 'evil' it has to be religious books for the damage done to the minds of those who fall for them, even if they weren't necessarily written to con people and moreso by people high on the mythological beliefs floating around at their time.

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If anyone wants to reject that it is evil they must prove theres a bit of truth to its claims, otherwise its a cult book through and through meant to fuck up people's mindset, and if you claim the only proof you need is faith then I'm afraid you've already fallen for it.

Guys, I don't know how many of you have read Nietzsche, but if any of you have read it I'd like to ask, was he an atheist or theist according to you? I haven't read him enough but willing to start and I was a little curious, so I searched about this query and got a quora post that suggests he was against of both believing and not believing in God. So IMO he was an agnostic atheist. But that's very clouded decision. Please describe me...

I believe that all the other major religions of the world get plenty of necessary flack from the general public, especially Abrahamic ones. One religion that I hardly ever hear criticism for is Buddhism. Now, fundamentally, I think it's one of the more harmless systems of belief, but it surprises me that people hardly ever question its teachings. The Buddha was born into filthy rich royalty. He witnessed the suffering of his people one single time as an adult and decided to take on mass amounts of suffering to try and "understand" what people go through.

All I'm saying is that if a filthy rich and powerful guy were to do something like that today, people would not be celebrating it. A large consensus of people would think that he's a poser that mocks the life styles of the lower class in the name of his own self-fulfilling prophecy.

I don't know. Maybe actions like the ones taken by the Buddha back then had a different sociopolitical connotation to it. Maybe someone with that much power showing that kind of compassion to their people was a rare occurrence at that point in time.

Does it say anywhere that he is all loving? If not, why would anyone believe that when it literally says otherwise(aside from numerous other reasons to believe he's not).

it's terrifying to see it all crumble in front of your eyes. and so incredibly isolating.

it all started when my friend shared a google document one of her atheist friends had sent to her, which included, with detailed references, criticisms of our religion. my friend was disturbed, and so was i- because the document was incredibly hateful. but i was surprised more than anything. i had seen many criticisms of my religion before, and i had always enjoyed delving into research, returning once i had found satisfactory counter-arguments to them. i grew up with a firm belief that my religion actually promoted questioning and critical thinking, so i never had trouble researching criticisms and mostly returned with confident answers and a firmer faith. these ones were different, however, because they mentioned something i hadn't looked into or heard of before.

it was so morally revolting that i couldn't believe it to be true. one thing led to another, and i ended up going down rabbit holes which opened my eyes to a lot that i had previously been ignorant of. it also put an irreversible dent in my faith, and i don't see myself returning now.

what's funny is the fact that this religion was my refuge. i grew up in immense financial instability and i found comfort in god. eventually this led to intense religious ocd, which i struggled with for years before being able to live normally again. i was a devout member. and it all crumbled within a span of two weeks.

i feel mostly ashamed and embarrassed. i can't believe i never knew this- it's never been talked about in religious gatherings or debates before, and i now understand why scholars push this topic under the rug- they haven't got any fucking answers. I'm embarrassed i claimed to follow a religion i hadn't thoroughly researched. in my defense though, once again, this is actively something scholars discourage discussing. they haven't got the answers and they know it's something they can't refute.

i don't feel comfortable discussing what exactly led me to leave or what my religious beliefs were- but i do need help on understanding what to do now. i felt so lost for the first few days, and was terrified because i felt like god had 'dispelled me'. the disconnect is real- faith is an incredibly strange phenomenon. i feel better now, but there's this deep sense of loss. it feels like a betrayal from a loved one.

what's even more concerning is that i am surrounded by other devout members who willingly ignore this. i tried bringing this specific matter up to another friend, and we had a lengthy discussion. she was understanding, heard me out and we delved deeper into research, eventually finding an 'explanation' which was more an apologist justification than anything. surprisingly, my friend stated that it had satisfied her. she even tried convincing me, but i didn't agree. i couldn't- i could not because it required a lot of mental gymnastics and borderline immoral justifications on my end. so i just left the conversation.

i always had a firm belief in the significance of questioning your faith and its foundations. i would always tell people that if you have doubts, you should research because there's only two possible results- you either come out the other end with a stronger faith or a clearer narrative. it's a win-win situation. well, i guess the latter is what i got.

I'm trying to be optimistic. but it's scary trying to navigate the world without god. i always thought he'd fix things for me. i've been wondering whether I'm better off being agnostic, but i know that's just because its a comforting lie. no offense to any agnostics.

one funny thing is that i always end up finding and liking songs that are anti-religion but realize it way later- english isn't my first language. one of my favorite songs is called notion, by the rare occasions. the lyrics go, 'sure it's a calming notion, perpetual in motion; but i don't need the comfort of any lies.' i remember the first time i realized this was about religion. in a panic, i removed the song from my playlist.

i just added it back yesterday.

anyways, i'd love if anyone else shared their experience with dealing with the loss of faith. i think it would make me feel less isolated. i know i will have to go through the stages of loss on my own, processing and healing slowly, but i find comfort in the fact that none of my experiences are unique or new. so i guess I'll be fine.

Edit: title should’ve said religious people not just Christians

I really don’t know how to phrase the title but I’m wondering what the consensus is on this if you can get any solace from the hate. I was talking with a christian on instagram and I asked why christians can hate someone for how they’re born, which his rebuttal was that people aren’t born gay and it is actually devilish temptation. How are gay people supposed to coexist with christians?? Like my best idea is we have a gay country and a christian country but then we’d just have trade embargoes and shit. I’m not gay myself but love my gay friends and anyone else and just wonder how they’re meant to be safe and happy

“And what I say to you I say to all: Keep awake.” (Mark 13:37)

https://christiancitizen.us/did-jesus-preach-about-being-woke/

...the case is sufficiently made that Jesus did preach about being woke.

-Rev. John Zehring

What books do you recommend on atheism, criticism of religion, and free thought?

I have recently purchased 1 book from each of the following: Dawkins (God Delusion), Sam Harris (Moral Landscape), Hitchens (God is not Great).

Any other author recommendations (particularly the late Daniel Dennett)?

Thank you, in advance!

New momma here. Have an 8 month old lil bub who brings me so much joy. As somebody who was raised Christian, and who has a history of anxiety and depression, I still sometimes struggle with a sense of existential doom and the idea that I ultimately have very little control in this life. This has creeped in more often now that I have a baby that I love more than anything 😅 I will say I’m doing well, and that depression/anxiety/fear are not ruling my life. But that sometimes when the ideas of choking/SIDS/illness/just the general randomness of life pop up I have a hard time not ruminating. I don’t feel I can just trust that everything will be alright, and of course will not fall into the trap of religion for the sake of distracting/convincing myself that there’s a higher power keeping us safe/enacting some sort of cosmic plan. Mostly I just remind myself to control what I can while I can, relish in the joyful moments, and keep in mind how resilient life really is. Anyone feel similarly/have any tips to help get through the hard/scary stuff?

**Edit just to add that something else that genuinely helps me is just thinking about the movie EVERYTHING EVERYWHERE ALL AT ONCE

Theist: Atheists are fools. You believe in nothing. Fools. So fucking stupid.

Me: Incorrect. We merely don't believe in gods.

Theist: What do atheists believe then?

Me: It depends on the person. The only unifying stance of atheism is that we don't believe in gods. We don't have a text to tell us what to believe.

Theist: OK then smart-ass bitch, what do you believe?

Me: Ross and Rachel were absolutely on a break.

EDIT:

His reponse: Your incorrect on that as well God wants us to believe in him we choose to believe in him we are not told by him Meg learn what religion is

For me the stories seemed like just fiction and the exploitation was apparent. How did you dodge the bullet?

I do not by any means know atheism as a result; even less as an event: it is a matter of course with me, from instinct. I am too inquisitive, too questionable, too exuberant to stand for any gross answer. God is a gross answer, an indelicacy against us thinkers - at bottom, merely a gross prohibition for us: you shall not think! (cce Homo 'Why I Am So Clever')

What’s your favourite atheism quote?

All the church groups and bible belts in Kerala( India) are sharing his posts left and right. I was wondering who this is and why his conversation is celebrated.

I'm impressed with what came out. It actually sounds like a Christian song with the twist I put in where Jesus announces he's not real.

Here's the link: https://suno.com/song/7c38fe44-bcd6-45c8-8ec2-6a1c1182ed4a

Let me know what you think!

eta: the family member who needs treatment is my dad and he's the only one who DOESN'T go to church or do anything other than back me up in the choices i make

i lost a job i really needed doing sound work at my parents church service because i'm not straight, and it cost my family member the ability to have cancer surgery this week because they were depending on me covering the last bit they needed to pay for his medical transport. my entire family is blaming me for letting my 'unacceptable' lifestyle risk his life, and it feels like they're right. i know who i am and i know they'll never accept it but i don't want to lose my entire family.

please send advice if you can and memes if you can't, they're worth more than thoughts and prayers

oh and if anyone needs someone whose only skills are writing, research, and editing in the next like... day... DM me.

It seems that natural disasters disproportionately impact the lives of poor people all over the world. Most of these people are the most devout believers and he still kills them mercilessly with earthquakes and droughts.

https://dailynous.com/2024/04/19/daniel-dennett-death-1942-2024/

Dennett was an incredibly powerful and original thinker and contributed a lot, not just to the discussion of atheism, but to thinking about philosophy of mind, cognitive science, philosophy of biology, theories of teleology, philosophy of language… He was genuinely an intellectual giant, and we’ll all be worse off without him.

I left my religion when I was in my teens. I studied other religions and spiritualities and none of them made sense.

Atheism for me is an absence of faith and the embrace of logic and reason.

I wholeheartedly believe that you should be ashamed and feel guilty about the bad things that your community has done. Whether that be atrocities that have happened in war or other similar aspects. Because if you don’t, if you are unaware or simply don’t care or even worse are even proud of it, you will not make an effort to be the best person you can be. You need to carry the weight of your community’s past and use it as a drive to improve your view on race, nationality, ethnicity and human diversity in general. Germany is a good example of this, people are aware of the holocaust and regret it, are ashamed of it. Some white people are ashamed of slavery and racism and thus are very vocal when it comes to equal rights and racial discrimination. Your ancestors’ mistakes can be your greatest motivator.

However, religious people do the opposite of this everyday and very shamelessly so.

Fundamentalists are not real believers. Extremists are not real believers. Child abusers are not real believers. Rapists are not real believers. If you make the community look bad, you are not a true member of the faith.

They thus disgustingly detach themselves from the faults of their faiths. The Bible says to stone your wife if she’s not a virgin but if somebody were to do that of course they would say “but they’re not a real Christian, that’s not what we stand for!” They’re following Christian teachings to the T, what makes them not Christian? The fact that you don’t want to think critically about it and come to the realization that your faith IS flawed? That’s what Christianity stands for, and they do so too.

You cannot detach yourself from your religion’s flaws, just the same way you cannot detach yourself from your country’s flaws.

Just the same way I felt guilty about the racism and other atrocities my country committed during World War 2, I also felt guilty about the pain that Christianity cause and didn’t detach myself from it. And guess what? I ended up leaving the religion.

I only ever hear Christian (occasionally Muslim) apologists debating atheists in my algorithm’d echo chamber. Considering different Christian denominations believe different pathways to heaven, and knowing it’s a direct order to save lost people, this leads me to believe there should be a whole genre of denominational apologist vs denominational apologist. Do they exist or does confident blind faith vs confident blind faith just deconvert both sides?

I am thinking of attending my first free thinker conference and was wondering what to expect and if it was worth the money. Thanks for sharing!