Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Chrys Stevenson on September 21, 2009 at 2:19am

Hi 'Asking Advice'. First, can I suggest you join the Philippine Atheists group here on Atheist Nexus. People from your own country are more likely to be able to give you good advice.

Please remember that there is no pressure on you to be an atheist. It's not like Christianity where someone is pushing you to 'convert' immediately. You need to decide on your own and you don't have to make a final decision until you're really comfortable with it.

Read and learn as much as you can. Talk to people here and ask questions.

Your therapist should not be bringing God into your sessions - especially if it makes you uncomfortable. Tell him you are exploring your beliefs and you would feel more comfortable if he would leave religion out of your discussions. Be polite, but firm.

I will send you a friend request and if I can help in any way, please contact me. I will not push any beliefs on to you, but will answer your questions as best I can.

You're right that 20 is very young to know everything. Many of us did not decide that we were atheists until much later. The thing to remember is you don't have to 'decide'. Just keep an open mind and educate yourself and enjoy the journey. There will come a time when the answers become clear to you - but that might not be for some time. That's not a problem. That means you are making a decision based on evidence and knowledge, not on emotions.

Best of luck.

Kris

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Permalink Reply by violet cleonstar on September 21, 2009 at 2:38am

tnx kris..

before i really believe in god because my parents are religious. i had doubts but never tried to read or research. im afraid that god will punish me. there was a time that im depress so i read self-help book by albert ellis. i have this attitude that im interested in one certain thing. i need to research. when i discovered that albert ellis is atheist. that was the time when i started to read about god, science, history, and religion because i realized being atheist is not bad. i read debate between theist and atheist. i cant find any evidence in theist. pure faith and trying to prove their god.

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Permalink Reply by Chrys Stevenson on September 21, 2009 at 2:59am

Of course, as an atheist, I do not believe that God exists. But if God does exist and is the loving father he is said to be, how could he be mad at you for questioning his existence. He has provided so little evidence, and, if he exists, he has made you with an intelligent, rational, questioning mind. Surely any reasonable being would be happy to have his followers choose to worship him after a great deal of considered thought, rather than just by blind faith?

If you had a son, would you expect him to believe everything you said without questioning you? Or would you see it as evidence of his growing intelligence and independence when he said, "I'm not saying you're wrong, Dad, but I think I need to find this out for myself." Would you punish him for that?

If God punishes people for questioning his existence, for which he will provide no evidence, then he may not be the kind of entity you wish to worship.

What kind of father punishes his children for using their own intelligence?

Have you read the Old Testament? Even if he does exist, is that cruel, jealous, murderous entity really something you would wish to worship or follow?

Just some things to think about.

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Permalink Reply by violet cleonstar on September 21, 2009 at 3:28am

personally, god make me weak. i have depression so before. i prayed but no answers. that was the time again that make me think if there is a god but i dont entertain those thoughts before so now i research about the prayer. i found out. the healing of a person is not a result of a prayer. it just coincidence.

actually, when i started not to believe in god. make me more responsible, confident, and understanding. im still depress sometimes, like now but seldom.

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Permalink Reply by Secular Forces 2013 on September 22, 2009 at 6:56am

don't depress too hard
there's atheist nexus and surely a group half-way close to where you are
go to one
try meet-up.com

may the road rise to meet you

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Permalink Reply by Secular Forces 2013 on September 22, 2009 at 6:54am

'bad and judge-mental' and my fave those sheep deny so much, racist (maladjusted to modern society is a god name-calling too)

People like you and I need afreethought farm commune; organic maybe.
Call it the wireless (through satlite) solar powered, wind powered, art/music, half-pipe (little vert) and atheist friendly utopia...
b u t
in this immediate reality of lost minds though-
it's the money (those that have dementia have a problem with making it and or organizing it; dementia types then turn to some leader/pastor or the TV that has all the things they wanna here; supposed placebo more like to many steps backwards)

learn languages like PHP/JAVA/UNIX/FLASH/Dreamweaver etc.. they pay well and will get you where you want to be

jesus or gods don't win battles, in life or on the field of blood
the cunning and tech do the job(s)
besides prayers/sermons in the dust hold up the military in battles from what I've gathered
if you add up all the prayer time it's probably a percentage of wasted tax-payer time

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Permalink Reply by nigel on September 22, 2009 at 8:20am

^^ have no fear, I would suggest checking out punk/hardcore music , as for me this is the best source for both confidence and personal freedom. I don't know if you know spanish but @patia no from argentina is one of my fav punk bands , english speaking bands i like a lot are the dead kennedy's , crass, citizen fish. Also really helpful to me has been the philosiphy of communism(not the bullshit imperialist one ) the philosiphy of lenin, marx , engels, george dimitrov seems right on to me. We are all humans so of course we want to be nice to eachother and feel for another so obviously make an understanding of reality which makes it easier for you to see how to be yourself. My boyfriend is Catholic and Mexican so lol, we've had a lot of conflicts over religion but now he is truly starting to respect me more and he is starting to think all gods are the same god^^ a little bit better right? lol

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Permalink Reply by Alex dePalm on September 22, 2009 at 10:01am

Hello.
I'm not a therapist, but I've played one on TV, so here's my advice:
Inquisitive people can get depressed and confused when others present myths as facts.
Most religious ideas are NOT logical and are incompatible with FACTS. You are not alone, so reach out to others in your community and always question what people tell you!

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Permalink Reply by Josiah Allen on September 24, 2009 at 12:33pm

Sometimes old people, even though they have seen many years, are still misguided about many things...many people decide they are right and everyone else is wrong and never question that their entire lives. An skeptic will always question his views because he demands logic and reason. While you should work on understanding your reasons for atheism so you can grow and feel more comfortable, don't let older theists intimidate you. After all, they have invested much more time into the 'lie' and it would be hard for them to admit they were wrong. You are smart and have solved one of life's tougher mystery's early on, but there is still much more to learn so don't feel bad if you feel confused. Just concentrate on education and you will understand reality better.

If your counselor brings up God a lot you might want to find a new one.

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