Woodsy Posted March 23, 2014 Share Posted March 23, 2014 Was wondering why others may have chosen atheism after their deconversion. Not looking for "my label." Just curious. Thanks a bunch!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Super Moderator florduh Posted March 23, 2014 Super Moderator Share Posted March 23, 2014 Atheism is not a choice, it's a conclusion one must come to after searching and finding no evidence for the gods people have claimed to exist. Atheism is not a belief, it is simply a word to indicate one is not theistic. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Super Moderator TheRedneckProfessor Posted March 23, 2014 Super Moderator Share Posted March 23, 2014 I'm with Florduh. I didn't choose to be an atheist. I simply accepted that I was one after a long and brutal deconversion. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MerryG Posted March 23, 2014 Share Posted March 23, 2014 Ditto to what Florduh said. Atheism was simply the conclusion I came to, and for me it was an inevitable one. OTOH, I resisted the label "atheist" for decades -- until I'd been on this site for a while, actually. I always called myself an agnostic, or for a while an agnosto-pagan (whatever that might be). I just didn't want to use the word "atheist" because to me it implied something nobody could ever truly know -- that there is NO god, period, end of discussion. I also knew people in the real world would mostly judge me badly if I used that term. So I always said "agnostic," even though in my heart of hearts and brain of brains I saw no evidence of a god. Even now, out there in real life, I'm much more likely to say "unbeliever" than "atheist." But if an atheist is a person who has studied the evidence and found nothing indicating a god, count me in. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mymistake Posted March 23, 2014 Share Posted March 23, 2014 I never wanted to be an atheist. It is something that happened to me. Could you go back to believing in the Easter Bunny? Did you choose to stop believing in the Easter Bunny? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
par4dcourse Posted March 23, 2014 Share Posted March 23, 2014 I agree. Not a choice but a logical conclusion. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
♦ ficino ♦ Posted March 23, 2014 Share Posted March 23, 2014 Can't but be a copycat; I didn't choose atheism either. I'll add that claiming to be an agnostic never grabbed me, seemed sort of a cop-out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LukeExChristian Posted March 23, 2014 Share Posted March 23, 2014 im with florduh... but think this may beg another question, what would be a more 'proper' way to ask this. "when/how you chose atheism" is bit misleading, whether intentionally or not. would "why do you consider yourself atheistic?" be more sensical? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geezer Posted March 23, 2014 Share Posted March 23, 2014 After exhaustive study & research my conclusion was that all religions and their sacred text are man made. Their is no evidence that anything like the gods of ancient times exists, BUT with all of our discoveries we are still a long way from uncovering all the mysteries of the universe. Therefore, at least for now, I prefer the label agnostic. And there is also a negative perception of atheists that has been created by militants. And because of that atheists & religious fundamentalists are often seen as having been cut from the same cloth. Both groups tend to go overboard & have a tendency to become obnoxious when it comes to defending their territories. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kris Posted March 23, 2014 Share Posted March 23, 2014 I am the same as most everyone else. Took me a long time to even consider being an atheist. But being agnostic just didn't really seem like an option because I just couldn't believe there was ANY god. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ralet Posted March 23, 2014 Share Posted March 23, 2014 i I just didn't want to use the word "atheist" because to me it implied something nobody could ever truly know -- that there is NO god, period, end of discussion. This is exactly why I wouldn't call myself atheist. Unbeliever sounds more natural for me, because I don't believe but I would't claim that my point of view is the universal truth. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SilentLoner Posted March 23, 2014 Share Posted March 23, 2014 I didn't choose it. It was an unwilling conclusion I reached. I do embrace the term "atheist." Don't get why so many people are chicken about it. As for the 'agnostic' label, to me it just seems a nice term for "fence-sitter." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mymistake Posted March 23, 2014 Share Posted March 23, 2014 i I just didn't want to use the word "atheist" because to me it implied something nobody could ever truly know -- that there is NO god, period, end of discussion. This is exactly why I wouldn't call myself atheist. Unbeliever sounds more natural for me, because I don't believe but I would't claim that my point of view is the universal truth. And yet "atheist" literally means "unbeliever". They mean the exact same thing. Would you say "six" or would you rather say "half a dozen"? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
midniterider Posted March 23, 2014 Share Posted March 23, 2014 Isnt a conclusion a decision you make about something? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roz Posted March 23, 2014 Share Posted March 23, 2014 Why is atheism a choice really? Isn't it the default -I don't accept all the theistic ideas offered up- position? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mymistake Posted March 23, 2014 Share Posted March 23, 2014 Isnt a conclusion a decision you make about something? I don't think it works that way. What would it take for you to believe that you enjoy the smell of teargas? Well, you could try to delude yourself. If so, the most important thing for you to do is avoid smelling teargas. But if you did get a face full of teargas there would be no deciding that you like it. The facts would compel you to reach a different conclusion. In the same way Christians make efforts to protect their religion from reality. (Hey we all did it back when we were Christian.) If you think too much about the wrong things the house of cards comes tumbling down and you are an atheist whether you want it or not. I will never forget the moment I became an atheist. My whole life flashed before my eyes and I saw every decision I had ever trusted to gawd as the pure negligence that it was. For the first time in my life the random results made perfect sense. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Super Moderator TheRedneckProfessor Posted March 23, 2014 Super Moderator Share Posted March 23, 2014 Ditto to what Florduh said. Atheism was simply the conclusion I came to, and for me it was an inevitable one. OTOH, I resisted the label "atheist" for decades -- until I'd been on this site for a while, actually. I always called myself an agnostic, or for a while an agnosto-pagan (whatever that might be). I just didn't want to use the word "atheist" because to me it implied something nobody could ever truly know -- that there is NO god, period, end of discussion. I also knew people in the real world would mostly judge me badly if I used that term. So I always said "agnostic," even though in my heart of hearts and brain of brains I saw no evidence of a god. Even now, out there in real life, I'm much more likely to say "unbeliever" than "atheist." But if an atheist is a person who has studied the evidence and found nothing indicating a god, count me in. I call myself "atheist" because I reject the idea that the "theistic" god exists (the god of islam, judaism, and christianity). As to the existence of other gods I call myself "agnostic" because even if I understood .01% of all there is in the universe, that would still leave 99.99% of the universe in which a god or evidence of a god could exist without me knowing. But, as I have said before, the label I choose to wear is that of "apatheist". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
midniterider Posted March 23, 2014 Share Posted March 23, 2014 Isnt a conclusion a decision you make about something? I don't think it works that way. What would it take for you to believe that you enjoy the smell of teargas? Well, you could try to delude yourself. If so, the most important thing for you to do is avoid smelling teargas. But if you did get a face full of teargas there would be no deciding that you like it. The facts would compel you to reach a different conclusion. In the same way Christians make efforts to protect their religion from reality. (Hey we all did it back when we were Christian.) If you think too much about the wrong things the house of cards comes tumbling down and you are an atheist whether you want it or not. I will never forget the moment I became an atheist. My whole life flashed before my eyes and I saw every decision I had ever trusted to gawd as the pure negligence that it was. For the first time in my life the random results made perfect sense. I get what you're saying. I would instantly decide (or my eyes, nose, throat would decide for me) that teargas was unpleasant. No doubt about it. Christianity wasn't quite as unpleasant as teargas. Not at first, anyway. Now are all 'Christian' bible scholars secretly atheists? I'm sure some probably are. But does everyone who studies the bible come to that conclusion? Or do some make the choice to continue their belief while others choose not to? My main point in the previous post was that 'conclusion' implies a decision which implies 'choice.' 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mymistake Posted March 23, 2014 Share Posted March 23, 2014 People can use emotions to override and reject facts. Go through the catalog of fallacies. They are the various ways humans fool each other and themselves. Any one of us can latch onto one of those methods for defending our own delusions from reality. And I did it too. But the trick doesn't work if you have too much information. Once you see the man behind the curtain the Wizard of Oz isn't scary. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
milesaway Posted March 24, 2014 Share Posted March 24, 2014 Atheism wasn't something I chose either. It chose me. It's the conclusion I came to after finding nothing but heartache, cruelty and torment from churchies, refusal to answer my questions outright or getting canned non-responses to them, and feeling like I was a piece of garbage for them to throw away the whole time. I started to think about all the other gods I never gave credence to, and that was it. I gave religion my best shot, and when I realized they were trying to sell me a false bill of goods, I was done with them. They basically confirmed the suspicions I had when I was in 4th grade, when I was going through some things at the time that I wouldn't wish on anyone, and this was long before I even considered playing church. Irreligious is the label I've decided to wear for the time being. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
midniterider Posted March 24, 2014 Share Posted March 24, 2014 Atheist is a good term to use for anyone who rarely ever thinks of God. This can apply to those who don't believe in a god, those claiming to be Christians, or anyone, really. I could be a certified Fundy on the church rolls, but if I never think of God , I'm an atheist. This is the 'functional atheist" approach. I may 'say' I'm this or that, but from a functional everyday look, I'm an atheist. And that's without doing any research. I just haven't really come to any conclusion because it's not important for me to do so. But even though, functionally I'm an atheist, I like calling myself an agnostic because I don't like to put myself in a particular box nor feel that I have to always limit my thinking to non-theistic ideas. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Super Moderator florduh Posted March 24, 2014 Super Moderator Share Posted March 24, 2014 I know people who choose to believe despite knowing there's really no reason other than everybody else is doing it and sometimes it gives (false) hope. I don't know anyone who chose to disbelieve despite any contrary evidence; they just didn't find any reason to believe. Not believing in gods is how we come into this world. Theism has to be taught. How it is taught depends on when and where you're born. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Woodsy Posted March 24, 2014 Author Share Posted March 24, 2014 I understand what you are all saying that atheism is not a belief or a choice, but a conclusion arrived at. My deconversion is something I never would have chosen. But, because of it, I have arrived at the conclusion that my christian faith is no longer true. Never in my wildest dreams would I have chosen where I am today. But I know I am on the right path. Thanks, everyone, for sharing. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roz Posted March 24, 2014 Share Posted March 24, 2014 Cheers Woodsy, I'm on the same boat. I'll admit I've still not completely deprogrammed, I don't think I can ever be. Choosing to stay around family that keep trying to reconvert me is probably not helping, but hey, my choice eh. Anyways, I still get those "turn back, submit yourself to jesus" messages in my head, especially when I meet up with christian friends and family after church service for potluck. The thing is, I can't unlearn what I've learned, same as you. Knowing what I know now about how the religion was formed, knowing about those OT and NT scriptures that no pastor dares preach about (not without heavy editing at least), I can't go back to actively promoting and teaching it. I'll give god something, threatening to burn with hellfire for eating/wanting the tree of knowledge was something I would've done if I were him. Knowledge is the kryptonite of faith. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ninj Posted March 24, 2014 Share Posted March 24, 2014 While growing up, I've never had much interest in science while attending school, and even to this day I'm still not terribly interested in it. Despite this, I still ended up with a very analytical mind that demanded evidence to support a thesis or conclusion and would not let go until said evidence presented itself. When I was deconverting, I explored other religions during the process but failed to find any decisive evidence that favored anything beyond atheism. Since atheism is accepting a lack of belief in a god, personal or otherwise, and was the one thing that made sense to me from a religious standpoint, it ended up being the one thing I could call myself that fit my view of myself and was true to me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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