I... I think I'm becoming atheist... I'm not sure... I'm just so confused...
I used to be so sure of myself... that the bible was the explanation to everything and our existence but, I don't know...
I've been reading a few atheist debates on this site and their arguments seem... logical.
I just... I dunno. I'm just kind of scared- I mean, what would God think? Is he even doing anything to stop me from questioning? Does he even care that I might have doubts and that I might go to hell?
I've been praying, but there is no answer. There is no sign what so ever.
I used to dislike Atheists and their stupid arguments, but now there isn't much hate anymore.
If Atheists don't believe in God, why is God not doing anything to show them? Why is he abandoning and forsakening their souls to hell? Why would they deserve to go to hell anyway? Why is an all loving God doing this any way?
These are just doubts, but I'm still not sure yet.
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I used to be like you. I just couldn't understand why people didn't believe in God. To me, it just seemed so obvious that God exists. Of course, that is true until someone peels back the facade and asks you, "Why do you think God exists?" At that point, you might have realised that things aren't that obvious afterall. In all honestly, I do not see any reason to fear what God might think if you can safely say that God probably doesn't exist. Coming out as an atheist isn't an easy thing. First, you have to answer all the questions that you have about God's existence, or lack of. Then you might have to face social stigma. However, let me try and (over) simplify why, in essence, I am an atheist: 1. If there is a God, there won't be any gratuitous evil and suffering in the world. 2. If there is a God, there won't be any atheists in the world. This is exactly what I've been feeling! For some reason, I feel "enlightened"- in an "epiphany of new found logic" kind of way. And Haha, I like how you used my username, I never thought my name would ever be used for that, lol. I just feel like I belong with this new "logical thinking" perspective with the world and it's made me see the light. I think you are a fantastic debater, and reading some of your arguments was part of what planted a kind of seed of doubt. Oh, I feel so stupid, denying what was in front of me the whole time. My brain just hurts with all of this thinking going on and all of this change. 2
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Of course you would feel overwhelmed with a sudden surge of information. While you (and some others) might think that I am a good debater, I make mistakes like any one else. I think that the attitude we have when considering the possibility that we have actually made a genuine mistake is important. Ask yourself this, "Am I going to be in denial? Justify my viewpoint better? Or if I did make a mistake, should I look at why others say that I did make a mistake?" Being sceptical is a good thing. If we are just going to stick to our traditional ways of doing things and not embrace change, then we are no different from robots. For now, I get the feeling that you might not be too willing to declare yourself an atheist yet. This might be due to the internal conflict that you are experiencing. However, when I was faced with this situation, I began to read a lot. I was literally frantically reading any material written by atheists or works on atheism. I'll share this one with you (see link below). It's a paper written by a legendary atheist philosopher Prof. J.L. Mackie (whom I think nearly every atheist here would have heard of) entitled "Evil and Omnipotence". It looks at the logical Problem of Evil (the really old version) and Prof. Mackie then goes on to refute possible criticisms of the Problem of Evil. Have fun reading! 2
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It certainly is a paradigm shift, but you'll be alright. Many, if not all, of Jesus' lessons and examples on how we should behave still constitutes good advice, whether or not he was divine or if any supernatural things exist; so your not completely out of the water fishy. :) 1
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It's good to ask questions, to be curious, to be seek answers, to be skeptical. Anybody that tells you different is probably trying to hide something from you. The Invisible Gardener: "Two people return to their long neglected garden and find, among the weeds, that a few of the old plants are surprisingly vigorous. One says to the other, 'It must be that a gardener has been coming and doing something about these weeds.' The other disagrees and an argument ensues. They pitch their tents and set a watch. No gardener is ever seen. The believer wonders if there is an invisible gardener, so they patrol with bloodhounds but the bloodhounds never give a cry. Yet the believer remains unconvinced, and insists that the gardener is invisible, has no scent and gives no sound. The skeptic doesn't agree, and asks how a so-called invisible, intangible, elusive gardener differs from an imaginary gardener, or even no gardener at all." http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ 1
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there is a website about people who are atheists or turned to atheism - weareatheist.com - is what it is called i believe. I posted on there, because i have always been an atheist, but there are many posts about people who turned to atheism. There are both videos and written essays - you should check it out. it is all about how they think and came to atheism from their previous conceptions. I support atheism not just because i am atheist, but because i think it is the more rational, emperically justified, and objective perspective. It is really cool that you are genuine in your questioning :) 1
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A lot of people have a shift in views multiple times throughout their life; in a couple years you might proclaim yourself to be a Christian again. Or you might just be your odd mix of beliefs, like I believe in God but I don't agree with all the principles of my religion. Maybe you don't believe in God at all, or maybe or you want to try some facets that all religions support without actually believing in their God, or maybe you believe in a spirit out there but don't refer to it as God. It's really weird to have all your views shift but it'll probably become clearer as you go on. 0
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