Are you an atheist by choice?

1. 86

   M. T. Dremerposted 13 years ago

   Are you an atheist by choice?
   
   When I was a teenager I chose to be an atheist because 1) I saw no evidence of god and 2) I wanted to rebel against the heavily christian community I lived in. Now, however, my atheism comes from the understanding that all religious texts are written by man with a specific purpose in mind (policing the masses for example). I fear death because infinite nothingness sounds horrible, but despite the desire for a heaven/afterlife of some sort, I physically cannot believe in any deity based religion. So I feel like I'm not choosing to be an atheist, but rather, I just am one by nature.

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2. 0

   gobanglaposted 13 years ago

   I actively fought against my atheism for years. I really wanted to be a believer but I just could not believe no matter how I tried. I would sit in church and think this is completely absurd. How could any intelligent adult actually believe all this stuff? Yet, I really wanted to be a believer. Acceptance of my atheism took a really long time. So, my choice at that time would have been to be a theist. But now, I'm so glad that I don't believe. No matter how scary death may seem, living a life built on delusions simply isn't worth it.

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3. 60

   spookyfoxposted 13 years ago

   People tend to fool themselves regarding what things really are their conscious desicion, and what is determined by our surroundings and experiences, working behind the curtains of our ego.
   
   In other words, no.

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4. 61

   nightwork4posted 13 years ago

   i'm just an athiest, whether by choice or by occurence i'm not really sure. even as a kid i thought the concept of god was silly and now it's the same.it's not really how people say they believe in god that i find silly but religion is the thing that baffles me.

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5. 57

   CrowGalposted 13 years ago

   No! I am a Christian and I believe in God. I don't agree with atheism.

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6. 60

   Santi Lioposted 13 years ago

   Atheism is what happened to me when I took an interest in science and astronomy.. I was indoctrinated as a christian at an early age, but religion just never made any sense for me. Religion and Science simply cannot coexist, no matter how much religion aligns itself with new scientific evidence.
   
   I've come to the conclusion that people are too scared to openly acknowledge the implication of the inconsistencies between religion and fact. The fear of hell is so strong. Pascal's wager seems to be the safest bet for borderline believers.
   
   For some people, the concession of a lifelong belief is also too much to bear. Their only response is "You must have blind faith".. How sad..
   
   Santi Lio,

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7. 60

   jeshonposted 12 years ago

   Don't try so hard to make yourself fit into one of the world religion. Is it really that important to be a part of everyone elses belief or can't you just choose to believe in parts of it?
   
   If you seek too believe in something, ask yourself what you truly believe, without influence. What makes sense to you is also right for you.

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