Why did you stop believing in God? (page 4)

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I havn't given up on the possiblity of an impersonal, intelligent designer of some sort (whether aliens or a 'God', who knows) that is presently beyond our comprehension or ability to discover. So I've moved from being a confident believer to a much less confident one....now more of a Deist/agnostic I guess.

I gave up on the concept of a traditional, personal, prayer-answering God as revealed in ancient scripture because there are no theodicies (defences/excuses for why God permits evil and suffering) that stand up to rational scrutiny and no satisfying reasons for why a God with anything resembling our own standards of morality and conscience would remain so utterly aloof and hidden.

It seems that religious faith is more incredulity than anything else.

still thinking

Atheists in my opinion secretly believe - villagegirl

Just goes to show how wrong our opinions can be when they are not based on the facts, but on what we want to believe.

Giordano

Here's athought: Mankind invents a god or gods that always seems to fit into their own culture. When that culture changes or dies off their gods disappear. There are thousands of gods that no one worships or even remembers apart from history books

Jehovah is mostly made up by the WT which accounts for the many things they believe that Jesus never mentioned of course J.C. has been diminished a great deal especially in the JW world.

When the JW's fail............ Jehovah will die. Gods do exist in our minds if we wish them to but no proof they can survive on their own.

Very happy you got better.

diana netherton

Never did......

return of parakeet

It was a cascade effect, as I began to realize the WTS was a bag of crappy lies (not even good lies; just crap):

1. Blood doctrine was crap (1976).

2. WTS and dubs were crap (1976).

3. Bible and concept of a personal god were crap (1977).

4. Developed an exit strategy (1977-1979).

5. Left the dubs (1979).

6. Examined other faiths to see if they were crap (1979 - 1999). They were.

7. Atheist (1977 to present).

LisaRose

I don't believe in the God of the bible. One reason is that I cannot reconcile the thought of a loving, involved God with things like the Holocost, or Cambodia. It just doesn't make sense. The dubs think the new system will make it all better, but those people still suffered horribly, what is the point of that? So God said "you go on killing people Satan, I'll straighten you out later". I wouldn't allow my children to suffer if I could prevent it, so why would God? Then, science and current advances in DNA research that confirm even more that evolution is real. Those who insist on believing that "creation proves a creator" are living in denial IMHO. they start with the belief that God exists and created the earth, then work backward, trying to force science to fit this notion, rejecting anything that doesn't fit. I do believe in a higher power of some sort. It's not something I could or would try to explain, just a feeling I have that there is something out there.

Deputy Dog

cofty

What you mean is that you can't comprehend a world without god. You find it impossible to understand others who have no need for this delusion so you take comfort in the canard that atheists are just dishonest.

Is that what you did while you called yourself a believer? As a believer, I find no "comfort" in any such thing, in fact, to be honest, it's just the opposite.

If you really want to learn you need to listen. Have authentic conversations with people who do not share your worldview and try to understand them.

Aren't you being a little unfair? You seem to think every believer is suffering from a "delusion". Is it really that hard for you to understand that some believers could find genuine peace, even joy, in a God who gives purpose to suffering?

I'd like to understand how YOU cope with suffering, like the suffering in the Tsunami for example, what purpose does it serve?

Witness My Fury

brainmelt

I stopped believing in God when I realised at almost the age of 30 that nothing is happening. I realised that god does nothing. He lets people suffer, he doesn't care. He let my mother in law die of cancer, he lets my mum suffer with cancer, they were/are two of the sweetest, good people who gave their all to him. He lets children die, he lets people starve and suffer through horrendous attrocities.

I am a parent and no matter how much someone had pissed me off, there's no way I'd just sit back and let my children suffer. How can you just sit up there and do nothing? Universal sovereignty makes no sense. If you've got all the power in the universe, you use it, you kill the enemy, you don't punish the children.

I realised that there is absolutely no evidence for a god, there is no need for a god, the only 'evidence' is because the Bible says so. Why the 2000 year silence? God is nothing more than a warm fuzzy feeling. If prayers are answered its just coincidence, wishful thinking or the power of suggestion.

I read up on evolution and discovered that it made perfect sense, I had been mislead my whole life on how it all actually works.

I find the whole process of evolution awe inspiring, it is truely amazing. If anything is worthy of my worship, its nature itself.

pubtruth

It happened my high school years. (which wasn't that long ago) Things eventually weren't sitting right with me and the Watchtower, add to that figuring out who I was. I started researching the organization, came to the conclusion that more than half of my family was right in leaving or not joining the cult. Later on I researched the bible and figured out it's all man made. I've always been very scientifically inclined so I didn't feel shocked much at all! I kept my beliefs to myself until I was ready to take the "heat" from the family who's in. Which wasn't much luckily. It's a very liberating feeling!

Why did you stop believing in God?

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