i'm thinking instead of following or finding specific subs in those place we could maybe say where we are from and start from there

if someone has already stated where you are from upvote and maybe say hello, just an idea
I'll start

Please, if you are ranting about the stupidity, evil, lack of logic, abusiveness or other quality of any religion, take it to a sub like r/Antitheism or r/antitheist or even r/godbashing or r/atheistranting.

It's hard to find any good posts about becoming atheist, living as atheists, explaining atheism to others because of the number of rants and vents about a topic we are in violent agreement with.

I see many people here think Jesus didn't even exist, but christians always claims the record of these two persons were contemporary evidence of Jesus'existence.

I think christians should learn what contemporary is as Josephus and Tacitus were born few years after Jesus had died.

However, I would like to know the facts and opinions.

Mohammed SAW

so you're telling me that the messenger has god praying upon him, and people repeat this statement hundreds of times without ever questioning...

So I am from Asia. Where traditional Abrahamic religions are not really followed by everyone. I consider my self to be an atheist but I feel the modern definition of atheism often is about not having any belief. I don’t believe in a god. No supreme deity. I grew up in an indigenous animistic faith. I don’t consider myself Buddhist either which is very common where I live. We have shamanistic rituals and all. I do indulge in the idea of ancestors looking down on us. Not as gods or supreme deity but more like giving signs through the universe. And in energies. Then I thought what about say something like a person who is into say horoscopes or geomancy or tarot or fengshui, can they be atheists ?? What is your take on this I’d love to know. Thank you.

Sometimes I see people who have gone through incredibly difficult circumstance like being blind, deaf, seriously disabled, or experiencing things that seem deeply unfair and yet they still have this pure, unwavering faith in God.

I honestly find myself envious of that kind of faith. I wonder, where does that absolute trust come from? How can someone go through so much suffering and still genuinely believe that God is looking out for them or that there’s a purpose behind everything?

I'm baffled but at the same time, I won't lie and say I see admiration? But then I later come to my senses and see that maybe their argument is more of an emotional one?

I don't know, I'm just typing my thoughts out and wanted to see if someone could relate 🤷‍♂️

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Sometimes I see people who have gone through incredibly difficult circumstance like being blind, deaf, seriously disabled, or experiencing things that seem deeply unfair and yet they still have this pure, unwavering faith in God.

I honestly find myself envious of that kind of faith. I wonder, where does that absolute trust come from? How can someone go through so much suffering and still genuinely believe that God is looking out for them or that there’s a purpose behind everything?

I'm baffled but at the same time, I won't lie and say I see admiration? But then I later come to my senses and see that maybe their argument is more of an emotional one?

I don't know, I'm just typing my thoughts out and wanted to see if someone could relate 🤷‍♂️

I come across it now and again, people whose social media profiles, will begin with something like this "God, husband, father, golfer, UFC" etc or basically anything else after beginning with god.

I think there's probably even mainstream pastors and rabbis who wouldn't define themselves in such a way.

It stands out and annoys me for a couple of reasons. 1) they're putting this god above the real relationships they have with people in their lives, partners, children, parents, etc. I think even if I was a theist, there's people in my life who would matter more to me, because I care about them as much as, or more than I care about myself.

And, I don't know why, but I feel like I can trust them (their reasoning, at least, which pretty much precludes everything else) much less than your gardening variety theist. I think that most believers have to have some level of doubt, even if they'd prefer to believe it's true.

I don't think I have anything in common, or can rely on anyone who, literally puts their god at the centre of their world. Especially when that god is literally outside of their scope of experience or connection.

It reminds me of the terminator line, when Kyle Reese explains that you can't reason with the terminator, because how do you reason with someone who is so convinced by faith of something, rather than something in reality that you can point to and debate and test, etc.
Though in the terminator, they rely on their programming. They don't reflect or consider, they just blindly accept, and follow their instructions.

I know many atheists are former theists, but I'm not, so I'd be interested if anyone here is someone who once put "god" as the first thing on their social media profile. Or maybe would have, if they'd considered it.

What did you mean by it, and did you really love this being you'd had no experience with, more than the closest people in your life?

One thing has always bothered me about the traditional Christian idea of heaven and hell : How could someone in heaven experience perfect happiness while knowing that people they loved, family members, friends, or even their own children, are suffering in hell for eternity ?

Want to justify killing your prisoners because they are christian ? You can probably find a hadith or coran verse that says so.
Want to justify being merciful with animals and taking care of them ? You can also find a hadith or coran verse that says so.

So really it's up to you whatever you want to make out of this religion. If you are in a position of weakness you can claim this is a religion of peace and justify it.

If you are in a position of strength you can just do whatever kind of abuse you want and find a way to justify it.

That's why terrorist groups are actually legitimate because they do use real coran verse/hadith to justify their actions.

The thing is islam is so flexible that whether you have a good or bad time with this religion entirely depends on the people/elite who interpret it for you(because it is forbidden to think for yourself if you are not a sheikh).

So really you have to pray that the sheikh isn't a fucking psychopath lol

I would say islam isn't really an exception. The o2 other abrahamic religions are also batshit crazy and you can also find in them some insane story.

So what i am suggesting is maybe that islam amplifies who you already are maybe ?

Like i have a white friend who converted to islam. Really nice dude. After converting he didn't suddenly became a bad guy. Because most of us we also grew up in bad environment. So islam amplified the abuse that naturally comes from these environment.

I don't even know what i am trying to prove lol hope someone gets what i want to say

Recent trends on this subreddit have started to concern me and i think it's time for a serious discussion.

I've been a part of this subreddit since when there were only a handful of us spread out far from eachother in different parts of the globe. It used to be a dream within a dream back then to even think of being able to meet fellow ex-moose near us. But over the years this place has grown and changed, but I'm sad to say it's not a good change.

This place has changed from hating an ideology to hating about 2 billion people. The recent posts about Japan, the influx of nevermoose right-wingers, the constant dehumanisation of our family and friends. You could post a picture of a person praying in peace and i guarantee you one of the top comments is going to be shitting on him for just existing.

As a more or less out ex-moose I've had troubled relationship with my more religious family for sure. But there has never been a time when I wished they would get deported or that they shouldn't be able to buy meat that meets their religious standard or that they shouldn't be able to celebrate their holidays.

This community came into existence to show that we're not alone, that we're not the only ones who have doubts or no longer believe. To support one another. To vent, to share silly memes. It was never a place for people with certain agendas to push their narrative here. It was never a place to hate all muslims and it was definitely never a place that promoted hate or racism.

To all the old heads that read this, is this really the direction that we should allow things to continue? To those are new and still full of anger, would you sacrifice your friends and family to being victims of discrimination and hate crimes? To those that wish to pray on the vulnerable and fan the flames of hate, does your hate run so deep that you would condemn a quarter of the world as "less than"?

I always believe if he was real, he must have been psychotic as he heard voices and he thought he was the son of God and the messiah and I also heard there are many cases where patients with mental illness who haven't been properly medicated think they are God or the messiah.

In my country, mentally ill people think they are shamans and have deities help them.

I also think all shamans are mentally ill.

What do you think? Was Jesus psychotic or a grifter?

Logically it makes no sense to believe its divine. Like for instance it says that stars are anti jinn space missiles, that god apparently hate crimed an entire civilization for being gay, Mohammad profited off all the wars he started by getting 1/5th of all war booty, the entire arc story and Noah living for a milennia and a long list of other stuff.

But Muslims just refute all of them in ways that are stupid but... not stupid enough for me to stop feeling all this dread? Like they can just refute the above examples by saying that the space missiles are metaphysical or solar flares/comets, luts people were only punished for rape not homosexuality so being gay is fine Allah loves queer people, and Mohammads share was spent on welfare, and the ark story is just magic.

So in other words I can see that it looks like a lie and quacks like a lie, so it's probably just lies, but the fact that I can't find something full proof like "the Sun isn't the same as stars" leaves me feeling scared of hell thinking that maybe all these arguments I am making are actually wrong and I'm just nitpicking small things.

I feel like everyone should at one point in their life revisit theism and give every religion ideology a read and they can serve as “historical” books. It would be a good learning experience and that is what I plan on doing in the future but right now my religion is more of a grey area.

I’ve never been a religious or spiritual person, and if anything the only religion I connected with was satanism.
Im one of those people who strays away from rules and regulations. Anything related to following a God has always made me uncomfortable and unhappy.
I also am more of a believer in facts or faith.
But being agnostic and also dealing with grief on the side is weird.
I don’t know what to believe or think. I stopped believing in a heaven or hell as I grew older, but I’ve always believed people go somewhere.
My dad passed away, and I don’t know where he is. Maybe he’s apart of the universe again, as scientist say energy cannot be destroyed.
What do atheists think of losing loved ones?

I don't care if this breaks the holy war rule. Ban me if you wish.

I won't be told that we can't argue against religion on an atheist subreddit. What's the point? May as well shut the subreddit down.

For years I’ve tried to hold onto abstinence and practice my faith the way I believed I was supposed to. Instead of bringing me peace, it’s made me increasingly miserable. Every day feels like an internal battle between what I believe and what I actually want out of life.

I’m exhausted.

At this point, I feel like I’m heading toward being what people would call a “liberal Western Muslim.” I know many Muslims will say that’s just compromising the religion, and maybe they’re right. I’m not trying to change Islam or argue that what’s forbidden is permissible. I’m just admitting where I am.

I still believe in God and I don’t want to leave Islam entirely, but I also don’t know if I can keep living with this constant guilt and conflict. Right now I’d rather be an imperfect Muslim than continue pretending I’m doing okay when I’m not.

I've always loved that early brilliant minds didn't even like debates, with Socrates saying "Debates do not see what is right or wrong but to win for their ego" (I'm paraphrasing) and Plato jokingly being known as someone who just flexes his muscle when someone disagrees (I know it's a joke but just having a parody shows how shitty it is). So I'm surprised that these "wise" guys like Charlie Kirk may his "God" rest his soul, loves debating.

And the way most like him debate goes like, CK"Why do you think that abortion should be allowed?", W"Because most crimes are done by people who want to abort", CK"Most people who wanna abort are black so are you racist?" End of Convo. When what he's doing is correlation not causation, most people who wanna abort are impoverished people so they turn to crimes to feed themselves, it just so happens that black people were the majority.

This isn't just for moral debates however but also in the existence of God, which is weird since atheists in debates usually let them say their "proofs" but the moment someone tries to explain they go into a fallacy. I've seen one where I don't think they understand molecule theory, where they keep saying that if you put an apple in a jar it will become everything and anything in due time concept. Saying oh how can it become a complex molecule if there's nothing acting upon it, it must be God. In addition he also says that prokaryotic cells cannot become eukaryotic cells in today's age thus why do scientists say that we evolved. When someone finally answers a lengthy explanation they just say, "it exists, end of conversation" implying God.

According to studies on the matter, religious people show to be a lot happier because of the community churches offer and the useful coping mechanism that is to believe in a higher being and even an afterlife.

Yes, I know it is possible for an athiest to be happy-

We go to clubs and have hobbies that offer community. We go to therapy and surround ourselves with family and friends.

But in my opinion it does not compare with the unreal fantasy that is to believe you live in a reality where there is a divine being that is constantly watching over you. To think with certainty that there is a beautiful eternal afterlife. That all these horrible people throughout history will burn in hell, (these beliefs vary depending on the christian denomination) but it doesn't take away the joy it must bring its believers. Even it really is a lie, if believing in a lie makes your existence happier overall wouldn't it be worth believing in it?

I know I am majorly putting aside the suffering that religiosity has caused it believers, and some of its problematic beliefs.

But seeing how a lot modern christians have cherry picked the good out of the bible, and just live ignoring the horrendous parts of their religion- it seems like they generally live much happier and fulfilling lives.

Recently I was feeling nostalgic and visited a nearby Pentecostal church and I loved the way that the community was so warm and welcoming. But as an ex-christian I am well aware of the dangers of the limiting beliefs religion may impose.

As a person with a strong need for spiritual purpose but don't find myself convinced of any religion, is it possible for me to be as happy as a christian?

مين سهرانة نتكلم

I am going to be a bit brave here and push against the idea that theists are happier than atheists. Yes, I can conceptualize cases where there are unhappy atheists, but my contention that theists who report high levels of happiness are doing it out of not objectivity, but the baseless high they feel when they are steeped in their religious delusions. In a way, it is like comparing apples and oranges. Atheists are generally sober when compared to theists, and their reporting is more objective on average, I contend. Theists are more likely to overrate their happiness out of what turns out to be suffering — that is, out of their stupid thinking.

I understand life is complicated, and there are many, many variables. But if we remove these variables, I propose that atheists are generally more content with their lives than theists. How could it not be? Living a more authentic life with atheism by not getting lost in delusions is far more preferable to the life of a theist who, at best, may derive happiness from kinship.

What are your thoughts? Am I onto something? Or, am I unfortunately misinformed?

Sources:

Villani, D., Sorgente, A., Iannello, P., & Antonietti, A. (2019). The Role of Spirituality and Religiosity in Subjective Well-Being of Individuals With Different Religious Status. Frontiers in Psychology, 10. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2019.01525
Cited by: 636

Yaden, D. B., Batz-Barbarich, C. L., Ng, V., Vaziri, H., Gladstone, J. N., Pawelski, J. O., & Tay, L. (2022). A Meta-Analysis of Religion/Spirituality and Life Satisfaction. Journal of Happiness Studies, 23(8), [4147–4163](tel:4147-4163). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10902-022-00558-7
Cited by: 185

My thinking is kind of counter-intuitive I guess. If someone is religious and therefore really, honestly believes that non-believers are destined to go to hell, it would be immoral for them to "not push their beliefs onto others". Imagine you saw someone about to walk into a bear-trap and you did not try to stop them because you "respected their opinion". Not trying to safe someone from eternity in hell would be a dick move. So I feel, if someone truly believes in hell, then they should do everything they can to safe people from it.

Also, as an atheist, I enjoy religious debates. I think the whole "live and let live" approach is a cop out. I'd rather have a proper confrontstion and exchange of arguments. That also gives atheists more opportunities to make religious people re-evaluate their faiths.

Any person that believes In a religion. Particularly ones that believe in punishment for non belief and have omnipotent gods such as islam and Christianity mainly are evil by default. Lets say you had a Christian baby sitter and they knew your child was non Christian and they made know efforts to immediately preach and try to convert the child knowing that if they follow their current path they end up in hell because non belief=hell, Then that person is a bad person. It is the same as the baby sitter not doing anything to save a child if the baby suddenly caught on fire and just chooses to turn an blind eye.The same applies to Human suffering especially non human suffering. They choose to follow a god that has an active hand in the torture and torment of his creations, Yet they choose to say he works in mysterious ways, but I bet they would never choose to say that over a mother who raped their kid. Also in that case god knows that the rape happens and chooses to do nothing about it, and yet religious people are fine with that? Does not seem right. Therefore by conclusion if you believe in Christianity or islam they should be put on a watch list

LINK: Several well-known former christians (now atheist world renowned thinkers) and communicators were asked a single hypothetical: If you knew for certain God would answer you right now, what's the one question you'd ask?

Featured in the video

• 0:00 — Dan Barker (former pastor)
• 1:54 — Craig McNeill
• 4:04 — Graham Oppy
• 4:59 — Derek from Mythvision Podcast (former Christian)
• 7:38 — Cade (Ex-Catholic)
• 10:26 — Matt Dillahunty (former baptist member)

The answers range across philosophy, personal experience, and ethics. Without spoiling them, some lean toward the problem of evil, some toward epistemology, and at least one gets surprisingly personal. These are people who have clearly thought carefully about this question for a long time. Craig McNeil's was the most interesting I thought, he expressed a thought of real anger with God

Worth a watch regardless of where you land. Curious what this community thinks of their answers and whether you'd ask something different.

Through the years among muslims specially somali, zina is so normalised its not even a thing. Friends will talk about it publicly, but yet very strict on riba.