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and if you atheist/switched faiths, why did you do it and what faith did you choose?

im in a curious mood today :>

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[-] Marighost@lemm.ee 2 points 1 day ago

Raised non-denominational Christian to Agnostic to Gnostic-curious.

[-] disguy_ovahea@lemmy.world 6 points 2 days ago

Spinoza’s god fascinates me enough to be agnostic rather than an atheist with conviction.

[-] ocean@lemmy.selfhostcat.com 4 points 2 days ago
[-] disguy_ovahea@lemmy.world 5 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago)

It’s more of a philosophical god than a being with consciousness. He said that god is “the sum of the natural and physical laws of the universe and certainly not an individual entity or creator.” Simplified, everything in existence is god, but individual things are not god on their own. That point is an important distinction between Spinoza’s god and animism.

Perceiving god as more of the framework of existence itself is a very compelling way for me to appreciate the connection of all things, without accepting a bearded man in the sky or encroaching on my scientific understanding.

[-] Supervisor194@lemmy.world 3 points 2 days ago

I've not read Spinoza, but this idea has for most of my life seemed fairly self-evident. Something clearly seems to exist, I'm not the biggest most important thing in the something, though I am a part of it. Do I believe in God? Not per se - but I do believe there is something incomprehensibly larger than I am, and that in and of itself deserves a little respect and contemplation.

My religious parents didn't see it that way of course.

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[-] ocean@lemmy.selfhostcat.com 6 points 2 days ago

Buddhist, I was more Christian. Growing up in a fundamentalist church and becoming more intellectual drove me to ask big question that Christianity didn’t answer for me. Causes and conditions allowed me to encounter Buddhism when I was living in Japan and it’s grown in me ever since. I really liked how Zen meditation made me feel. Very different from being told to pray but there was nothing and also no unstructured. Buddhism has clear practices and results. I know it has “supernatural” elements but it’s all mostly logical to me and I like that

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[-] beerclue@lemmy.world 3 points 1 day ago

Grew up in a very religious home, in a very religious country (orthodox christian). I don't think I ever truly "believed", but I didn't want to upset my family, so I got married in church and baptized my kids. I am an atheist, and don't practice any religion now.

long inhale SATAN SATAN SATAN SATAN SATAN SATAN SATAN SATAN SATAN SATAN SATAN SATAN SATAN SATAN SATAN SATAN SATAN SATAN SATAN SATAN SATAN SATAN SATAN SATAN SATAN SATAN SATAN SATAN SATAN SATAN SATAN SATAN SATAN SATAN SATAN SATAN SATAN SATAN SATAN SATAN SATAN SATAN SATAN SATAN SATAN SATAN SATAN SATAN

endless defiance, i didn't know i could be free until i heard the archenemy singing to me

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[-] ultranaut@lemmy.world 5 points 2 days ago

Raised "Christian" in the evangelical/born again/southern baptist milieu. Strip mall churches and unaccredited schools with unqualified teachers and Bob Jones text books. Became atheist as soon as I was able to think rationally. The thing that did it for me was the hypocrisy, which became too obvious to ignore.

[-] lattrommi@lemmy.ml 1 points 1 day ago

I believe in myself. I believe in everyone else too, until they give me a reason not to.

I believe every particle/atom/point within my reality has a connection equivalent to what one might call a 'soul' and it exists outside of dimensional reality, the dimensions being represented by a line (1d), a plane (2d), a field (3d) and the function of time (4d). Currently for me this puts these connections in the 5th dimension. I use the term "philote" as a label for each connection. That term is borrowed from the Ender books.

Life as we know it is made up of many atoms, formed into molecules, cells, organs and so on. At the core, each atom having its own connected philote, an organism is a community of philotes working together to stay connected and keep the organism going. The organism they represent is in a way, their religion. I believe in the philotes representing my human body. They believe in me.

When I die, my atoms with scatter. Some philotes will be swept away in the atmosphere, some will become the rotting and disintegrating organs of my body. Unless I'm cremated or destroyed in some other way similar, some parts of my body will remain connected. The philotes that make up my bones will remain connected to each other, as the philotes of my skin and blood etc. spread and become new things.

If I meet someone and have an affinity to them, I believe that some of my philotes and some of their philotes were once part of the same organism. They belonged to the same philotic 'church' of that organism. They recognize each other. They like each other. Thus I like the other person and they like me, even if we can't explain why ourselves. It is like magnetism, our philotes know each other and know they have similar goals and will work together. Since philotes exist outside of time, this affinity may be caused by something which has not occurred yet. Perhaps the other person and I die and many of our philotes become a new entity sometime in the future. A new church or religion of philotes.

If I meet someone and do not like them and cannot explain why, I believe that my philotes and their philotes are of opposing goals. Their philotic church does not agree with my philotic church. The philotes are repelled from each other, like how a magnet will repel. We go our separate ways. Perhaps their philotes were once part of an organism and my philotes were once part of the blade which killed their organism. Perhaps one day some of my philotes are part of an organism that is consumed by their organism. Some philotic clusters do not like an event. They accept it but will repel future or past encounters with philotes of the opposing mass. They do not believe in them. Their church is not the same. They do not like the outcome. There could be many reasons. Your beliefs still exist within my beliefs, even if yours do not include mine.

The big bang. The heat death of the universe. The big suck. No, the big suck is not referring to an adult video or a powerful vacuum or my ex. It's the opposite of the expansion of the universe. The big bang exploded. It spreads all atoms out. An atom and its philote no longer want to spread out. They want to return. They flip. They become dark matter or dark energy. They change direction in the 4th dimension. They contract instead of expanding. Other philotes agree and flip. Eventually, the universe stops expanding and contracts. The philotes reunite. They become a singularity. All existance in one point. That is too much for one point. It explodes. The big bang happens again. This never ends. This is happening an infinite number of times right now. Dark matter and dark energy are not measurable because they do not exist anymore at that point in time. From the perspective of a flipped philote, our existance is the dark matter. The flipping happens in all directions in 4 dimensions. It can be backwards on a line, diagonally on a plane, it can loop in a field and go sideways in time.

The big bang, the heat death of the universe and the big suck I represent like this: ∞=|¿√∞²?|=∞ Reality is equal to the question of the absolute value of the square root of infinity squared. A pointless math formula. A story that unfolds and returns.

[-] davidgro@lemmy.world 5 points 2 days ago

Grew up in a Christian household, but grew out of that kind of superstition around high school or a bit younger. My parents never did, so that and politics caused a bit of tension, but never enough to keep us from talking to each other, visiting, etc.

[-] CozyLorraine@lemmy.world 4 points 2 days ago

Really happy for ya, parents usually don't take these things so well, mine would probably disown me if I ever came out about having different beliefs

[-] libra00@lemmy.world 3 points 2 days ago

I will never understand this. Every parent knows their children have their own minds; you don't expect your child to think the same thoughts as you, or to have the same experiences as you had, so why would you ever be surprised - much less dismayed - that they come to different conclusions about religion than you do? Did you do your homework and come to that conclusion yourself? Great, if that's what makes you happy then I'm happy.

[-] davidgro@lemmy.world 1 points 1 day ago

In their mind it's not a simple difference of opinion, it's the fate of your eternal soul forever. They can't understand how someone could reject infinite happiness in heaven for pure unending suffering in hell.

And even worse than that, you are (directly or not) saying they are wrong, that they are fools for believing in fairy tales, and not just about any old subject, but about the most important thing in the universe - it's whole purpose.

That's quite a hard thing for a lot of people to accept unfortunately, and some don't take it well at all. I do feel like I was lucky that my parents didn't take it as harshly as some do.
Probably helps that I'm still cis and straight, and grew up in a left-wing area, so it's not like I'm the only atheist they knew.

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[-] confuser@lemmy.zip 1 points 1 day ago

I guess at this point I should consider myself a buddhist.

I was raised in a Christian household in the us midwest but never felt drawn to it or any form of sprituality, over the years Buddhism in its many forms kept creeping up on me enough times and explaining things in such elegant ways that I eventually looked into Tibetan Buddhism more closely and realized that once you understand how the symbolism of it all works in terms of connecting the words of practices to actually useful life tips then it becomes a great benefit to yourself and others.

As simply as possible, I chose this route because it is like becoming a scientist of experiences and all the practices we do are things that prove what we experience just as a scientist forms a postulate, a Buddhist forms a practice that leads to some form of awareness.

[-] Wrongdoer1@lemm.ee 3 points 1 day ago

Atheist, I never was interested in spirituality as I believe religions are population control tools.

However, I recently got the chance to meet Sikh peoples, and I understand they define themselves more as warriors than group of religious people. I just fell in love with what they are, what they represent.

[-] Ilixtze@lemm.ee 4 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago)

From very young age i never felt i needed to believe in anything, spirituality felt like a part i was missing. my parents took me to church but i never liked the god depicted there and i found the crucified man figurine scary. When they told me that god loves me and that if i didn't love him back i would go to hell it all soured for me. That portrayal of love didn't make sense in my mind.

I don't feel atheist either, religion feels very political to me, and atheism seems more apolitical than an active oposition. Where i live catholicism has a lot of power and it's tentacles wrap around government agencies and institutions. There are weird cults close to where i live that are offshoots of catholicism ; These cults have international power and they have deep histories of corruption and abuse. I feel something has to be done about this but where i live there is very little oposition or regulation for religious institutions.

[-] Maiq@lemy.lol -1 points 1 day ago

This one thinks there were three cycles of moon giving from our mother Fadomai. Ahnurr gave Fadomai her cubs. First was Alkosh, followed by Khenarthi, Magrus, Mara lastly there was S'rendarr.

During the second moon gift there was now Merrunz, Mafala, followed by Sangiin.

Although Ahnurr's house was full, Alkosh and others wanted more cubs to bask in lights warmth.

So Fadomai gave her first cubs their wishes. Azurah, Nirni, Y'ffer, Masser, Secunda all joined with the light children.

Fadomai still had longing for small cubs so she fled to the void and one cub, Lorkhaj was given.

Exhausted, Fadomai knew her time of ending was near. So a gift was given to Nirni, for she desired to give cubs the light.

So it was that Nirni came to her brother Lorkhaj for she needed a new dwelling for her cubs. Lorkhaj did just so, forming the mortal realm. Some of Fadomai's first cubs were imprisoned in the new realm. The second set of Fadomai's cubs saw what had happened and did not follow.

Mayhaps was not just Nirni who was given the gift of cubs. So is said Azurah came down to one of Nirni's cubs and shape his form most desirably, so log as they would be given their mother Fadomai's Beauty, Ahnurr intelligence and Alkosh's streingth.

Azurah found some of Nirni's cubs in the forest and from them Khajiit were born under Masser and Secunda's light.

Angered by Azurah's decision to take so many cubs Nirni came to Y'ffer and ask for punishment. He did so turning the grasses to warm sands and forest to marsh.

Azurah loved her cubs and taught them the ways of the moons and the gift of shapes.

However not all her children were given the gifts of Azurah and favored Nirni. By her hand the fur was taken and the forest given. For Nirni also loved here cubs and their grandcubs.

Although maybe not M'aiq is very practical. He has no need for mysticism.

[-] iAmTheTot@sh.itjust.works 4 points 2 days ago

I was raised Christian, went to church every Sunday and believed as a kid. Then I stopped believing in all my imaginary friends. Being slightly cheeky, but also I genuinely just grew out of it as I learned more about... Everything, really.

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[-] BmeBenji@lemm.ee 3 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago)

I was raised protestant Christian.

I would say what I believe now is heavily influenced by that, but also heavily influenced by how clearly the focus that evangelical Christians put on the idea “God needs to be feared more than They need to be followed” has fucked up so much of the world. Fearing someone at the cost of spreading their message is nonsensical, idiotic, hypocritical, and toxic to human society.

According to the Bible, Jesus Christ rarely answered direct questions with direct answers; most of the time his answers came in the form of a story or a parable explaining one possible answer to the question given one possible context, implying that humans are encouraged to use their judgment to figure out how best to approach a situation. Imagine that. An all-powerful creator who granted intelligence like Their own to Their creation and actually wanting that intelligence to be exercised.

One of the most notable instances where Jesus answered a direct question with a direct answer is Mark 12:28-31:

“Of all the commandments, which is the most important?”

“The most important one,” answered Jesus, “is this: ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these.”

In no uncertain terms, love is the most important commandment. Furthermore, Jesus equates loving your neighbor to loving God in Matthew chapter 25. It’s not evangelism, it’s not religious authoritarianism. It’s not indoctrination. It’s love.

I believe this world was created by an omniscient Creator who wanted humanity to use the intelligence granted to us to freely develop a society centered around love.

[-] Fingolfinz@lemmy.world 3 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago)

Atheist. Raised atheist but it doesn’t effect my viewpoint, I’d be atheist either way at this point in life

[-] OmegaLemmy@discuss.online 2 points 1 day ago

born in islamic nation (turkey), family didn't really do anything to teach religion (except trying to teach Arabic), I got more and more estranged from islam as I did my own independent research using online sources of the Qur'an

I don't think I can be considered a Muslim anymore, I don't follow what is written down as a must, this actually makes me eligible to hell, and it is all so ridiculous for me now.

I've talked with a lot of people, self proclaimed Muslims but their beliefs are far more deist than anything else, but they still call themselves Muslims but with their own additional beliefs.

Another note, I haven't read hadiths, only the Qur'an. The Qur'an is very short and anyone here could read it, it's the absolute words of god so it is essential to follow if you're a Muslim.

[-] MasterFlamingo@lemm.ee 3 points 2 days ago* (last edited 1 day ago)

I was raised in an atheist/agnostic household. nobody ever came out and said we were atheist or agnostic, but no one went to religious services Weekly or on holidays. There was never talk of prayer or worship or god.

Both my parents came from different religious backgrounds. One parent is Jewish. The other is Christian, though I would argue that their parents were atheist/agnostic as well.

We celebrated the holidays that involved presents so Christmas, Hanukkah and Easter. I didn’t really learn any of their religious symbolism behind these holidays until I was much older and it wasn’t through my parents. Part of it was cultural, osmosis, and part of it was curiosity about these religions when I figured out what they were.

We lived in a pretty big Jewish community or so it wasn’t uncommon to get invited over for Passover dinner at someone’s house.

I went to Synagogue with Jewish friends and church with Christian friends. My friend’s mother holiday taught classes at their synagogue so I do remember going and learning about Judaism and the holidays there but I didn’t last very long. I didn’t really enjoy it, I remember not wanting to go back in after our little recess/break and watching fiddler on the roof.

When I was curious about Christianity and wanted to know why my friends went to Sunday school or church on the weekends, my mother took me to a Unitarian church. We didn’t attend for very long and I don’t remember being particularly interested or involved in any of the activities they were doing for the kids.

Now I would say, I am firmly an atheist.

[-] TabbsTheBat@pawb.social 3 points 2 days ago

Im a romuvis :3

Used to be an atheist before ig

[-] CozyLorraine@lemmy.world 3 points 2 days ago
[-] TabbsTheBat@pawb.social 5 points 2 days ago

Romuva is lithuanian paganism :3.. kind of obscure everywhere outside the country

[-] libra00@lemmy.world 2 points 2 days ago

Man it's been a while since I've come across a pagan reconstructionist in the wilds of social media. Cheers!

I hadn't heard of Romuva before, but I used to know a bunch back in the day; Celts, Hellenists, Kemetics, etc.

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[-] PixelPilgrim@lemmings.world 2 points 2 days ago

My mom let me figure it out for myself. I wanted to go to mass with grandma so she let me.

I quickly figured out the nonsensical nature of what I was seeing. When I found out I had to do a bunch of extra shit before I could get in line for Jeezits, I lost all remaining interest.

Been an atheist since. Probably was around age 12.

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this post was submitted on 05 Apr 2025
42 points (83.9% liked)

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