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Started by Marc, January 07, 2017, 06:47:55 PM

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Marc

My name is Marc, and I'm Christian thinking to convert to atheist. I need help honestly and I've thought a lot about what I should do. I'm new here and I just want the atheists or christians to talk to me and help me. Thanks so much.

Hydra009

Hi.

The whole process doesn't work that way, at least in my experience.  You don't intentionally become an atheist - there's no atheist conversion ceremony or anything.  You just become aware of the fact that you're no longer a theist.

You're asking for help, so what exactly do you want help with?  What goal are you trying to accomplish?

Marc

Quote from: Hydra009 on January 07, 2017, 07:13:00 PM
Hi.

The whole process doesn't work that way, at least in my experience.  You don't intentionally become an atheist - there's no atheist conversion ceremony or anything.  You just become aware of the fact that you're no longer a theist.

You're asking for help, so what exactly do you want help with?  What goal are you trying to accomplish?
I know, lol. I need help deciding what's the right way to go. I'm just lost and you know I've thought what if this is BS. I just need to be convinced more. You know?

sasuke

Hello Marc,
As Hydra said, deconversion is a process where you realize (at your own pace) that there are no god or gods.  There are many reasons why someone believes in the supernatural without any evidence.  It could be witnessing "miracles", hearing about miracles, good feelings and wishful thinking, some variant of Kalam's cosmological argument, an argument from morality, etc.  All of these are reasons contain a logical fallacy. I think you should examine claims about the existence of an Abrahamic God in the same way that you examine the claim that someone just saw (the original) Elvis alive.
You've only thought "what if this is BS".  If someone told you that they believe that anfadlkfnsdlkfandf is real and that if you want to live forever and have good luck, then you must sacrifice a healthy cat every few years. Otherwise you will burn in hell forever.  Your first reaction shouldn't be "what if this is BS".  Your first reaction is that this is BS until evidence supporting these seemingly ludicrous claims is put forward.
So to summarize, there are reasons right now that are preventing you from thinking clearly about your current faith.  Once you understand why these reasons are not good enough to accept the extraordinary claims of that faith, then you should be able to reject those claims just like you reject that Mohammed is a prophet, a belief shared by over a billion Muslims around the world.

Hakurei Reimu

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(rifles around for a bit)

As soon as I find them...

Warning: Don't Tease The Miko!
(she bites!)
Spinny Miko Avatar shamelessly ripped off from Iosys' Neko Miko Reimu

Marc

Quote from: sasuke on January 07, 2017, 08:05:38 PM
Hello Marc,
As Hydra said, deconversion is a process where you realize (at your own pace) that there are no god or gods.  There are many reasons why someone believes in the supernatural without any evidence.  It could be witnessing "miracles", hearing about miracles, good feelings and wishful thinking, some variant of Kalam's cosmological argument, an argument from morality, etc.  All of these are reasons contain a logical fallacy. I think you should examine claims about the existence of an Abrahamic God in the same way that you examine the claim that someone just saw (the original) Elvis alive.
You've only thought "what if this is BS".  If someone told you that they believe that anfadlkfnsdlkfandf is real and that if you want to live forever and have good luck, then you must sacrifice a healthy cat every few years. Otherwise you will burn in hell forever.  Your first reaction shouldn't be "what if this is BS".  Your first reaction is that this is BS until evidence supporting these seemingly ludicrous claims is put forward.
So to summarize, there are reasons right now that are preventing you from thinking clearly about your current faith.  Once you understand why these reasons are not good enough to accept the extraordinary claims of that faith, then you should be able to reject those claims just like you reject that Mohammed is a prophet, a belief shared by over a billion Muslims around the world.

Thanks I have decided to become agnostic and yeah. Your right .

Munch

#6
Hey Marc.
We've got a lot of folks here who themselves were once part of a faith group of one kind or another, so we could probably have them give their stories on how they let go of it.

Myself, it really was just a gradual thing, I was never really a Christian and neither were my family, but it was just the done thing back in the 1980s to declare yourself religious, and schools taught religious class and made you sing hymns despite said schools not being marked as religious.
I just figured out over the years about all religions, and stopped believing in things because there was no proof for the existence of said stories, just like how as a kid learning there is no father christmas, or the money under my pillow from the tooth fairy was really mum writing tiny notes.

I'd always say just look to learning about all this stuff, look and question, and seek out answers right for you.
'Political correctness is fascism pretending to be manners' - George Carlin

Marc

Quote from: Munch on January 07, 2017, 08:49:22 PM
Hey Marc.
We've got a lot of folks here who themselves were once part of a faith group of one kind or another, so we could probably have them give their stories on how they let go of it.

Myself, it really was just a gradual thing, I was never really a Christian and neither were my family, but it was just the done thing back in the 1980s to declare yourself religious, and schools taught religious class and made you sing hymns despite said schools not being marked as religious.
I just figured out over the years about all religions, and stopped believing in things because there was no proof for the existence of said stories, just like how as a kid learning there is no father christmas, or the money under my pillow from the tooth fairy was really mum writing tiny notes.

I'd always say just look to learning about all this stuff, look and question, and seek out answers right for you.
Yeah I know. I want evidence.

Mike Cl

Quote from: Marc on January 07, 2017, 08:57:21 PM
Yeah I know. I want evidence.
That's a good start.  One good thing to do is to read the entire bible, and this time try to rationally understand it.  I found that when I use this attitude, it makes little sense.  Read the history of the bible; interesting and sooner or later you will learn some of what was left out and why.  Read one good atheist book.  The read a McDowell book (very pro christian) and see if you can make sense of it.  It is ultimately about you and your needs.  Do you want control over your life or do you want others telling you how to act, think and feel?  Thinking is hard, laborious, and lengthy.  Believing is super easy.  Does not that alone tell you something?

Oh--welcome--hope you stick around for awhile.
Is God willing to prevent evil, but not able?<br />Then he is not omnipotent,<br />Is he able but not willing?<br />Then whence cometh evil?<br />Is he neither able or willing?<br />Then why call him god?

Marc

Quote from: Mike Cl on January 07, 2017, 09:31:43 PM
That's a good start.  One good thing to do is to read the entire bible, and this time try to rationally understand it.  I found that when I use this attitude, it makes little sense.  Read the history of the bible; interesting and sooner or later you will learn some of what was left out and why.  Read one good atheist book.  The read a McDowell book (very pro christian) and see if you can make sense of it.  It is ultimately about you and your needs.  Do you want control over your life or do you want others telling you how to act, think and feel?  Thinking is hard, laborious, and lengthy.  Believing is super easy.  Does not that alone tell you something?

Oh--welcome--hope you stick around for awhile.
Thanks will do!

Baruch

Quote from: Marc on January 07, 2017, 07:14:51 PM
I know, lol. I need help deciding what's the right way to go. I'm just lost and you know I've thought what if this is BS. I just need to be convinced more. You know?

Know yourself ... Delphic Oracle
Ha’át’íísh baa naniná?
Azee’ Å,a’ish nanídį́į́h?
Táadoo ánít’iní.
What are you doing?
Are you taking any medications?
Don't do that.

Mr.Obvious

Welcome to our little band of heathens.

So you say you became agnostic? Mind if I ask if you are an agnostic theist, or an agnostic atheist?
"Gnostic and agnostic" and "atheist or theist" are different answers to two different questions.
Though if you want to use the lable 'agnostic' as a placeholder for something, go ahead I guess. Pick your own lable.

Sorry for being pedantic about this. Its just that I called myself an agnostic for a few years, before finally realizing I'd been an atheist all that time, but I just thought agnostic was more "sound". It wasn't until I learned that atheist 'lack a belief' in God, that I realized I was one.
"If we have to go down, we go down together!"
- Your mum, last night, requesting 69.

Atheist Mantis does not pray.

PickelledEggs

Quote from: Mr.Obvious on January 08, 2017, 04:48:43 AM
Welcome to our little band of heathens.

So you say you became agnostic? Mind if I ask if you are an agnostic theist, or an agnostic atheist?
"Gnostic and agnostic" and "atheist or theist" are different answers to two different questions.
Though if you want to use the lable 'agnostic' as a placeholder for something, go ahead I guess. Pick your own lable.

Sorry for being pedantic about this. Its just that I called myself an agnostic for a few years, before finally realizing I'd been an atheist all that time, but I just thought agnostic was more "sound". It wasn't until I learned that atheist 'lack a belief' in God, that I realized I was one.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yetwdpsiM8Q

lol Welcome, marc

Mr.Obvious

"If we have to go down, we go down together!"
- Your mum, last night, requesting 69.

Atheist Mantis does not pray.

Blackleaf

I was officially done with Christianity just last year, shortly before I joined this site. Once you've cast aside your faith goggles, you'll find it very easy to see the BS that is the Bible, and the extra-Biblical beliefs of your particular (former) denomination. Now that you've passed the threshold of doubt, I suspect you do not really need us except for assurance that there are other people out there capable of thinking for themselves.
"Oh, wearisome condition of humanity,
Born under one law, to another bound;
Vainly begot, and yet forbidden vanity,
Created sick, commanded to be sound."
--Fulke Greville--