Why do you think, upon figuring out their religion isn't literally true, or doesn't work for them, so many people default to atheism?

Question

I did it too, way back when... But I was 16. And I didn't fully realize there were other options. Other religions and philosophies, other ways of perceiving and connecting with the divine, etc... I mean, of course I had heard of other religions! But somehow I didn't completely take it to heart that: "you could still keep searching!" / "there might still be something!" So... I ditched Christianity, and my search ended there! That spiritual part of me died, and was utterly dead for more than six years! (Not saying ALL atheists are completely unspiritual, though, obviously. I'm just saying, I was.) I threw out the baby with the bathwater, almost automatically, without even realizing that there was a baby!!

..And the funny thing is, I see SO many people fall into exactly the same trap! For whom the situation seems like a simple, black-and-white dichotomy... Like: "Oh, my religion wasn't what I thought it was? Atheism it is, then!" And there's even this saying, that a lot of atheists keep repeating.. "'Properly read, the Bible is the most potent force for atheism ever conceived!" When actually, shouldn't it just be the most potent force for deconversion from Christianity, in specific? (*IF* you even agree with it, that is..)

The whole thing just sort of boggles my mind.. What do you people think? What's the reason for it? Anyone is welcome to answer, whether they've got personal experience with this kind of thing or not.

Answer 1

Personally I don't need a diety to help me get through my day. The way I see it nature is far more beautiful and wonderus than anything we can think off. I like to read about astronomy and learn how everything is connected. You should watch "Cosmos: A space Odyssey" with Neil Degrasse Tyson. They explain very well how everything is and why. It's quite amazing to see how everything is connected. From the tiny universes inside of us to the big galaxy we live in and all the way to the universe we all occupate. And then to find out that we might just be a tindy dot in an ocean of universes. For me it's enough. But for others it's not. And that's ok.

We all have our own journey.



But you don't sound like an atheist. You sound like a deist. A deist is someone who believes that there is a God out there, a creator of the universe. But that he is not associated with any religions that we have. A theist believes in a personal God while the deist just believes in a God.

There are hundreds of religions out there. There are many Asian religion that are more leaned towards spirituality and philosophy. You can look into that.

Answer 2

I don't know any atheists that had that experience.



I was raised Catholic, but it wasn't Catholicism I had a problem with back then, it was the whole existence of a creator god thingy that troubled me at first.... any god or gods.



After much thought, I came to the conclusion (due to lack of evidence) that there most likely were no god/s. It was only later that I looked into, and learned more, about the faith I had been raised in and was able to see it for what it was.

Answer 3

My dear, the truth is out there for sure but yeah maybe it is hard to find but still if we keep searching for the truth, in the end you will find the truth is. If we study and learn deeply, there is why human choose to choose atheist from other religion. It is like a best escape ever and run from the truth. How long we can live like that my dear and in the end we will find the truth even we don't want it and reject it. But at that time, nothing we can do about it and even we cry with a blood tears, no one can escape from being punish. My dear i'm not try to scare you but this is what i can do to try to safe you from being lost. Always remember God punishment is not like human punishment, God punishment is far more worst from human punishment. Yeah in the end it is up to you and nothing we can do about it. Sorry to make your day worst my dear. It is for your own good. :)

Answer 4

How can you know the right way to worship Jehovah? You do not have to study and compare the teachings of all the many religions. You need only learn what the Bible really teaches about true worship. To illustrate: In many lands, there is a problem with counterfeit money. If you were given the job of picking out such false money, how would you go about it? By memorizing every kind of counterfeit? No. Your time would be better spent if you studied real money. After you knew what real money looked like, you could recognize a counterfeit. Similarly, when we learn how to identify the true religion, we can recognize those religions that are false.

It is important that we worship Jehovah in the way that he approves. Many people believe that all religions are pleasing to God, but the Bible does not teach that. It is not even enough just to claim to be a Christian. Jesus said: “Not everyone saying to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter into the kingdom of the heavens, but the one doing the will of my Father who is in the heavens will.” To have God’s approval, therefore, we must learn what God requires of us and do it. Jesus called those who do not do God’s will “workers of lawlessness.” (Matthew 7:21-23) Like counterfeit money, false religion has no real value. Even worse, such religion is actually harmful.

Jehovah gives everyone on earth the opportunity to gain everlasting life. To have eternal life in Paradise, however, we must worship God properly and live now in a way that is acceptable to him. Sadly, many refuse to do so. That is why Jesus said: “Go in through the narrow gate; because broad and spacious is the road leading off into destruction, and many are the ones going in through it; whereas narrow is the gate and cramped the road leading off into life, and few are the ones finding it.” (Matthew 7:13, 14) True religion leads to everlasting life. False religion leads to destruction. Jehovah does not want any human to be destroyed, and that is why he is giving people everywhere an opportunity to learn about him. (2 Peter 3:9) Really, then, the way we worship God means either life or death for us.

Answer 5

Think about your specially chosen word "default" (as in "default to atheism"). If I don't want to take drugs, does that mean I "default" to not taking drugs? If I don't like smoking, would you say I "default" to non-smoking? I don't default. I consider both sides. When I form an opinion, I weigh the benefits and disadvantages, or in the case of belief in god, I weigh the evidence. There is no defaulting involved. I see no evidence of any god --just the opposite, I see people IMAGINING different gods and fighting over whose imaginary friend is the best. It makes no sense to me to imagine things that have no substantial basis (that's why they call it "belief" and not "fact"). I'm perfectly happy without imagining a god... or leprechauns, or a devil, or monsters under my bed.

Answer 6

The only way primitive religion exists today is through the child abuse of forcing it into very, very young children but thanks to better education and growing intellects so many teens are able to discover the truth, throw off the indoctrination and step into the real world!



So atheism is not a conscious decision or a belief but a realisation!



The first person to produce a single tiny little piece of verifiable evidence for any god will become world famous and mega rich!



Academia states that in the absence of any sort of evidence of the existence of something it must be deemed not to exist until verifiable evidence is found - thus god is held not to exist pending some sort of verifiable evidence.



The bible is what is called "Faction” A fictional story set in a factual time and place. Thus the time, place and real historical characters are all correct but the fictional characters and stories are not!



There is not one single mention of Jesus in the entire Roman record - that is right - not one! At the same time as he was supposed to have been around there were a number of Jews claiming to be the messiah - all of whom are well recorded!



There is not a single contemporary record from any source and even the bible mentions of him like all other references were not written until many years after his supposed death!



He was supposed to have been a huge problem to the Romans and produced wonderful miracles but still not one contemporary record?



Even the bible mentions of him like all other references were not written until many years after his supposed death!



Pilate is recorded in the Roman record as a somewhat lack luster man but no mention of a Jesus, a trial or crucifixion that would surely have been used to make him look brighter!



At best he was an amalgam of those others but almost certainly never existed!



Not one word of it is contemporary with the period and was not written until several hundred years after the period the story is set in!! How did the apostles write their books more than a hundred years after they would have been dead?



Christianity is an invention of the Italians and that is why it came from the Holy ROMAN Catholic church!



Please realize that those claims for the Old historians are worthless since they were not even born until long after everyone in the stories would have been so long dead!



Josephus AD 37 – AD 100

Tacitus AD 56 – AD 120

Suetonius - 69 – 130 AD

Pliny the Younger, 61 AD – 112 AD

Justin Martyr (Saint Justin) AD103–165 AD

Lucian - AD 120 -180 AD but he was hostile to Christianity and openly mocked it.

Pamphilius AD 240-309 AD

Eusebius AD 263 – 339 AD

Photius AD 877 – 886 AD



Thallus - But there are no actual record of him except a fragment of writing which mentions the sack of Troy [109 BC] Showing that he was clearly not alive in biblical times.



Some even try to use Seneca. 4 BCE – 65 CE but as a Stoic Philosopher he opposed religion yet made not a single mention of a Jesus or Christianity!



Even funnier is trying to claim Celsus AD ? – 177 AD Who said that Jesus was a Jew who’se mother was a poor Jewish girl whose husband, who was a carpenter, drove her away because of her adultery with a Roman soldier named Panthera. She gave birth to an illegitimate child named Jesus. In Egypt, Jesus became learned in sorcery and upon his return presented himself as a god.

Answer 7

I left Christianity at the age of 17, looked at a whole host of alternatives, travelled through agnosticism for the best part of 6-8 months, at which point I decided that no god could be scientifically proved to exist.



And I am still waiting after 50 years for anyone to provide any irrefutable evidence for any god, anti-god, spirit, soul, you name it. that can be proved scientifically.



My view is pragmatic.



I have always been open-minded, I read widely, but the older I get, the more scientific knowledge we have available, and the less and less likely it appears that any of these religious concepts (whichever religion - bear in mind I am married to a devout Buddhist and I enjoy reading the strongly humanitarian philosophical teachings of the Buddha) will be proved to exist.

Answer 8

As a general rule, they do not truly learn but use their feelings in following God. Feelings are fickle and move with whim. Truth requires study and once one fully understands it, they don't sell it for a batch of lies.

Answer 9

All I need is for someone to present a religion that does not involve anything supernatural. Wait, that would just be a philosophy, and I already have one of those.

Answer 10

Simple. Faith vs Proof.