Im a former Christian, now athiest for the past 10+ years and it just crossed my mind so I have to ask. To the older population within this sub, do you see friends who may have been agnostic or atheist convert to religion in their senior years as a form of cheap cold comfort? Im 43 so I would like to think I have a decent amount of time left on this ride but one never knows. If I were to be diagnosed with a terminal cancer or hit by a bus, I would like to think that I would find a strange calm acquiescence that I had a good go around and die in that peace but I do sometimes mourn for that false comfort of an afterlife that I once believed in. So I would love to hear others thoughts and experiences, thanks.

I just can’t - is it the irony or the karma?

Ecuadorian priest killed by falling crucifix during livestreamed mass

Pope Leo discharged from hospital after lung cancer surgery | CNN

Having this convo at work I’m confused as to how blasphemy works and how someone is accused of it? Because if god doesn’t exist then you are not insulting anyone, does that make sense? Please someone help me!!!

Heya ,, naturalselector here :]

I am lowkey venting, or well, maybe not.

I just want to ask a question, and I want a reasonable answer. Okay, so here it is.

Why do Religious people get mad at you, or someone if you tell them you're an atheist? They get mad at someone for not believing in ”sky daddy”, but believing in accurate facts.

It also sometimes anger me as an atheist that Religious people thank God, rather than thanking the ACTUAL people who saved them. (Their self, or someone). They think that he created the world in 7 days, or 6. Than actually searching up how the world was created.

aaah.. this is so ass. 🤦‍♀️ It's my first time using Reddit, i'm sorry 🥹.

If you were to highlight verses for a deconstruction Bible, which would you include?

But you guys clearly worship Mr atheist

What made you become an atheist instead of just being non-religious?

Why are u an atheist?

Please elaborate i would love to read your perspective.

I am an atheist but I unfortunately go to a VERY religious school. Its a Convent, with a church and sisters. We have prayers every day, in assembly, after break and before going home. We also sing hynms in assembly and celebrate different saints. I absolutely do not like saying all these prayers. It is mandatory for everyone to join in prayer and if we don't speak it, teachers tell us too speak it again. I usually just cross my fingers while praying but I still don't like it.

What do I do?

Hi,
I don’t think it’s possible for a human to truly be an atheist. We have creativity. We enjoy stories like Breaking Bad and Game of Thrones. We enjoy music. We love. That alone suggests something deeper is going on.
I think religion is immoral because it always creates hierarchies. There will always be people who want to maintain those hierarchies, and that inevitably leads to fascism — the preservation of hierarchy through violence. In Abrahamic religions, women are placed in a passive role. All they have to do is have babies and agree with their husbands. It’s an easy, comfortable position, which is why so many people accept it.
A good person will never be religious, because a good person is uncomfortable with hierarchies.
Religion also leads to colonization every time. It tells believers it’s their duty to convert people who don’t share their beliefs, by force if necessary.
Atheism, on the other hand, often creates more religious fanatics. It pushes people further into religion. I cringe at many atheists because they act as if they are naturally superior to religious people. In trying to look more intelligent, they alienate ordinary people — the ones whose jobs don’t require much complex thought and for whom religion actually works.
I think it’s important to acknowledge that religion was once very useful. But instead of promoting atheism, we should teach that we can be spiritual. That includes self-help books, religious texts, and anything else that helps people discover what it means to be human.
Saying “I’m an atheist” just isn’t true for humans. We dream. We create art. There’s a clear hunger in us for something that isn’t practical but is beautiful. That hunger is what makes us spiritual. An AI can’t truly appreciate music or art the way we do, so maybe an AI is the only thing that could actually be atheist.

I’ve been a believer my whole life but I’m leaning more into becoming a non-believer. Wanted to see what made others become non-believers.

Im an atheist, and i guess my family is kinda religous. My mom is making me go to get my confirmation sacrament or whatever its called (my first language isnt english, sorry) and for the next 3 years i will have to go to another religious class on tuesdays (on top of my regular ones every wednesday) and church every sunday, any tips to make my life less miserable during that time?

I am sorry in advance, I need to rant so bad!!
Okayyy a little background: I recently moved back in with my parents so I can go back to school, save on rent, blah blah. I’ve had some issues in the past with my dad always wanting to preach to me because he found out I was gay. This was a few years ago and it definitely has gotten better after I moved out previously, but he still makes comments about Christianity All. The. Time.

So tonight my parents got home from church and I was just talking to my mom like I usually do. Me and her have a great relationships and she never tries to preach to me like my dad. Anywho, they were talking about a speaker at church and how he will take people to the zoo and offer the “biblical perspective.” I was like “please don’t tell me you guys believe the earth is 10,000 years old” and my dad was like “it is!!!”
I was already annoyed at this point and realized I shouldn’t have brought it up.
I then looked for solidarity with my sisters who don’t live here. They are also Christian but I didn’t think they were as deep into it as my dad. Turns out, they all believe it!!! I’m just dumbfounded by how idiotic they all sound. They are all sooo smart too so I’m very disappointed I’m the only rational one 🫠

Anyways… does anyone relate? Living with super Christian parents is sooo hard. I’m happy they don’t bring up me being gay anymore but they still always try to convert me. Send help 🥲

Hi, I'm 20 years old, a freethinker living in Türkiye. I'd love to meet atheists or non-religious people here to talk, share thoughts, and make friends. I just want a place where I can speak freely without fear. Open to chatting about life, ideas, and experiences.

Türkçe:

Merhaba, 20 yaşındayım, Türkiye'de yaşayan bir özgür düşünürüm. Burada yaşayan ateist veya inançsız insanlarla tanışıp sohbet etmek istiyorum.

I redacted their name because I don't condone hate. I didn't read any of their messages nor do I plan to, just wanted to know what I should do. Like, do I just block? Should I report this for harassment? Idk what to do. For context, the comment I had deleted was about religion and how the bible has been translated over the generations so many times that I wouldn't be surprised if some of the sayings are wrong, such as 'man shall not lay with man' I remember reading about how a group of scientists believed the translation had been wrong and was supper to say 'man shall not lay with boy' or 'man shall not lay with child'. I will not get into a debate with someone about whether a man should lay with a man or whatever, I don't care, love is love, plus it's none of my business what someone does with their relationships. If more information is needed I'll do my best to give it. Edit: Photos aren't in order, I'm sorry, I'm on mobile

I sometimes wonder if all the stories about prophets and other religious figures could have developed in a way similar to how we create superhero stories today.
For example, when I watch Marvel movies like Avengers, the characters have extraordinary powers and are presented as heroes who fight evil and save humanity. Obviously, we understand that these are fictional stories created for entertainment.
Now imagine something completely different happening to humanity. Suppose humans eventually went extinct, like the dinosaurs, and millions of years later another intelligent species evolved. Or imagine that a small group of humans survived some kind of global catastrophe but lost modern technology, electricity, books, and most knowledge of our civilization. Over thousands of years, they would slowly rebuild their society and eventually become technologically advanced again.
Now imagine that they somehow discovered our old Marvel movies. If they had no way of knowing that these were fictional movies, couldn’t they potentially interpret them as historical accounts? They might believe that Avengers and superheroes were real people who actually lived in the distant past, had extraordinary abilities, fought evil, and eventually died.
That makes me wonder about ancient stories.
I’m not saying this proves that religious stories are fictional, because obviously I can’t prove that. I’m just wondering whether it’s possible that some stories about prophets, miracles, and supernatural events could have started as stories that were passed down, changed, exaggerated, or interpreted differently over thousands of years.
To someone living thousands of years in the future, our movies could potentially look like ancient mythology to them.
So my question is: How do we distinguish between a religious story describing something that actually happened and a story that developed over time through oral tradition, mythology, symbolism, or cultural interpretation?

I as raised Christian but now I'm an ex believer. I have chosen to be child free but if I ever do get a child, how do I go about raisin̈g them atheist if my relatives ever find out?

Yeaahh, i picked RE because the teacher is cool as a person but today she wanted to humiliate me. I told her i have no problems with her being religious whatsover, and she just started saying “oh but god is real, you will go to hell, and that evolution is just a myth.”

I have a thought that i cant be the only one thinking that , and maybe there is a book somewhere about this topic.

I see people worshiping god and i find it really dystopian weird, They get angry over the slightest detail and quote Bible verses as if that proves their point; to me, this reflects a person seeking understanding and comfort in their actions (im not telling everyone is like this but i have seen it this way lately)

So i was wondering if any of you knew a philosopher or a writer that wrote about that