Disbelieving Doubts

[ChristianGuy1000]

Hi folks you probably remember me from the heaven hell wtf page.

 

I've been having a problem for the last 2 weeks I was happy to believe that there is no God however the last 2 or 3 days I've been doubting everyother minute my mind is filled with what if's.

 

I'm worried that over half of the worlds population believe in Christianity and that by me disbelieving that I am trying to disbelieve in something that according to most is true?

 

If God did not exist why are so many people still going to church.

 

I know deconversion takes time but are these doubts nornmal to worry about? How did u folks deal with them?

[Ralet]

If God did not exist why are so many people still going to church.

You could use that argument on every other religions in the world, too. And they can't be all right, because they mostly contradict each other...

[Margee]

CG1000, Just because the whole world believes in something, doesn't make it the truth. Just because the bible made it down through all the years, doesn't make it the truth. Some would say that it must be true to have made it down through the ages, but the truth is, it made it down through the ages because they thought the people in the ancient days knew the truth about 'god'. And of course, many other reasons that others will bring forth.

 

If you had been born in another country and brought up and 'programmed' as a  Hindu, you would not even believe in Christianity. You would have been brainwashed into Hinduism. You would think Christians were 'wrong'.

 

A lot of people in the world believe in jesus so they can 'feel' protected.... and a whole lot of people are terrified to not believe because of the horrible story of the hell doctrine. They 'follow' out of fear.

 

Beliefs are just that...beliefs. It doesn't make them true. 

 

I'm sure you will get many good responses to this question and I sincerely hope everyone of them brings you comfort today my friend. This 'de-programming' yourself can be very hard.  Ex-c is what helped to heal me in these areas of doubting myself. I'm able to answer this question a little today because of EX-c. This is some of the stuff they taught me!! Stay with us!!

 

Best wishes.

[chrisstavrous]

Christian guy I got a joke for you.

 

Q. How many christians does it take to screw in a light bulb?

 

A. Three, one to pray about it, one to try to find something in the bible about it and one to condemn it if it ever goes out again.

 

I hope you get a laugh out of that.

[ExCBooster]

I'm worried that over half of the worlds population believe in Christianity and that by me disbelieving that I am trying to disbelieve in something that according to most is true?

 

If God did not exist why are so many people still going to church.

 

I know deconversion takes time but are these doubts nornmal to worry about? How did u folks deal with them?

Hi, there! Let's get this particular worry out of the way. Half the world population Christian? No, they're not. Not even close. It's almost dead-on a third. And you'll notice that all those factions disagree, and assume each other's going to Hell. There's no ONE "Christianity." The source here is reputable, being the very nice CIA World Factbook. (Under "people and society" tab.) It's kinda their job. So, assuming that the number of people believing something matters, 2/3 of the world doesn't agree with Christianity. Statistics and citations FTW!

 

Your answer is this:

1. There's just not that many Christians.

2. So many people in your culture go to Church.

3. If you were born somewhere else, like, say, Japan, you wouldn't be likely to be Christian at all. (Less than 1%, there. And holding for over four Centuries.)

4. Religion's a cultural thing. I wouldn't worry at all about it. You're fine!

 

Edit: as an accessory point, the number of people believing something doesn't matter so much to how true it is, after all. Most of the world used to think the Earth was flat. It's just not true.

[mymistake]

Hi folks you probably remember me from the heaven hell wtf page.

 

I've been having a problem for the last 2 weeks I was happy to believe that there is no God however the last 2 or 3 days I've been doubting everyother minute my mind is filled with what if's.

 

I'm worried that over half of the worlds population believe in Christianity and that by me disbelieving that I am trying to disbelieve in something that according to most is true?

 

If God did not exist why are so many people still going to church.

 

I know deconversion takes time but are these doubts nornmal to worry about? How did u folks deal with them?

 

 

A few hundred years ago everybody believed that when you had a fever then you need to have leaches drink your blood.  Just because a lot of people believe something doesn't make the idea good.

 

 

This pain you are going through is what Christianity does to people.

[Geezer]

You might find this book helpful.

 

 

The God Virus: How religion infects our lives and culture by Dr. Darrel W Ray

 

What makes religion so powerful? How does it weave its way into our political system? Why do people believe and follow obvious religious charlatans? What makes people profess deep faith even as they act in ways that betray that faith? What makes people blind to the irrationalities of their religion yet clearly see those of others? If these questions interest you, this book will give you the tools to understand religion and its power in you, your family and your culture

 

 

 

http://www.amazon.com/The-God-Virus-religion-infects/dp/0970950519

[Sybaris]

 

Hi folks you probably remember me from the heaven hell wtf page.

 

I've been having a problem for the last 2 weeks I was happy to believe that there is no God however the last 2 or 3 days I've been doubting everyother minute my mind is filled with what if's.

 

I'm worried that over half of the worlds population believe in Christianity and that by me disbelieving that I am trying to disbelieve in something that according to most is true?

 

If God did not exist why are so many people still going to church.

 

 

This pain you are going through is what Christianity does to people.

 

 

You are on the precipice of deconversion. It's akin to betraying your allegiance to a country or family or something else that has been engrained since birth. Tough stuff and the root of why you believe what you believe.

 

So as far as the truthfulness of yours or others religious beliefs you could look at it this way. If you wiped the slate and started from scratch again with science and religion another WalMart of religious beliefs would spring up but scientific principles and empirical instances would be the same. So it comes down to a personal choice, do you want to ground your life based on evidence or, one of thousands of "answers" to the same question that has no evidence for truth than any of the other thousands of "answers"?

[Lerk]

Did you ever believe in Santa Claus? I never did because my parents refused to lie to us, but if you did, do you remember when you realized ith wasn't real? You probably weren't sure at first. But when you looked around, you could see that it was mostly kids your age and younger who believed, and you didn't have to look too hard to find people who knew it wasn't real.

 

But suppose everyone refused to admit it? Suppose adults wouldn't tell a kid the truth when they asked, because they were afraid that kid would "spoil it" for younger kids. After a couple of generations, you might have a lot of teenagers who still believed in Santa!

 

But as adults, the evidence is obvious, because you have to buy the presents for the kids.

 

It works the same way with a god, except because the whole culture has, for generations, believed it to be true, the point where people go "wait a minute!" doesn't come in everyone's life, or even in most people's lives.

 

It is starting to now. Christians are really finding themselves having to be defensive about their religion. It's one reason they're so political... They're hanging on for dear life. Maybe in a couple of generations, there won't be many left who believe.

 

The claims about what the Christian god does aren't as easy to check up on as the claims about what Santa Claus does, so it's harder to let go of. The Christian god supposedly gives us food, shelter, and clothing, so as long as people have that, they still have this nagging feeling that he is real. But the Bible creation story clearly is not real. The Old Testament and New Testament show a completely different god. Eternal reward and punishment don't show up until the New Testament, so it should be easy to see, since the god is supposedly the same one, that religion is nothing more than speculation and vivid imagination. It's a scary fairy tale, and you can safely let go of it.

[midniterider]

If God did not exist why are so many people still going to church.

 

 

 

If people continually lose money in casinos why do people still visit them?

 

If heroin, cigarettes and alcohol are unhealthy why do people still use them?

 

If texting and driving kills people why do they still do it?

 

If fast food is bad for us why do we still eat it?

 

Behavior of people is not directly related to logic or common sense.

[midniterider]

 

Hi folks you probably remember me from the heaven hell wtf page.

 

I've been having a problem for the last 2 weeks I was happy to believe that there is no God however the last 2 or 3 days I've been doubting everyother minute my mind is filled with what if's.

 

I'm worried that over half of the worlds population believe in Christianity and that by me disbelieving that I am trying to disbelieve in something that according to most is true?

 

If God did not exist why are so many people still going to church.

 

I know deconversion takes time but are these doubts nornmal to worry about? How did u folks deal with them?

 

 

A few hundred years ago everybody believed that when you had a fever then you need to have leaches drink your blood.  Just because a lot of people believe something doesn't make the idea good.

 

 

This pain you are going through is what Christianity does to people.

 

 

Midniterider looks around and quietly removes the leaches from his body....

[florduh]

If God did not exist why are so many people still going to church.

 

They have bingo and tuna casseroles.

[RipVanWinkle]

ChristianGuy: The the records that indicate about 2 billion people are Xtians do not report those who are on the attendance rolls at church, but don't literally believe in the resurrection of Jesus or the other "miracles" of the bible. No one knows how many people are like that.

 

Can you call Catholics  Xtians if they don't believe Jesus can save a person without the Church's approval? They constitute 1 billion souls, or about one half of the recorded christians in the world. Or if the Catholics are right, then the other half of the world's Xtians (protestants) are not Xtians.

 

Other than the evidence and "reason" both being against Xtianity, if you really want to reassure yourself that it is myth, go to a church and talk to a few people about why they believe. That will convince you if all else were to fail.   bill

[centauri]

Hi folks you probably remember me from the heaven hell wtf page.

 

I've been having a problem for the last 2 weeks I was happy to believe that there is no God however the last 2 or 3 days I've been doubting everyother minute my mind is filled with what if's.

 

I'm worried that over half of the worlds population believe in Christianity and that by me disbelieving that I am trying to disbelieve in something that according to most is true?

 

If God did not exist why are so many people still going to church.

 

I know deconversion takes time but are these doubts nornmal to worry about? How did u folks deal with them?

I dealt with it by examining my acquired beliefs.

In the area of religion, my past beliefs were given to me by others, they weren't my own.

That starts at a young age for many ex-Christians.

If you examine them one by one, they tend to dissolve over time.

One comes to realize that our thoughts and beliefs are robotic and programmed, especially in the area of religion.

Once that realization sets in, it's hard to go back to being a sheep.

Of course, many people prefer to exist as sheep for the feeling of security and bliss such a state provides.

For many, they just want to have a handy way to rationalize life.

Christianity specializes in providing feelings of security, belonging, and answers to questions that involve the hereafter.

 

But I wouldn't be too impressed by the sheer numbers of people that believe or find Christianity attractive.

Using popularity of belief to validate belief is like saying:

 

One should eat dung, for billions of flies can't be wrong.

[Kyle2Step]

The truth is the truth if no one believes it, and a lie is a lie even if everyone believes it.

[RenaissanceWoman]

Christian guy I got a joke for you.

 

Q. How many christians does it take to screw in a light bulb?

 

A. Three, one to pray about it, one to try to find something in the bible about it and one to condemn it if it ever goes out again.

 

I hope you get a laugh out of that.

 

Just an example of why we missed you while you were gone. 

[sdelsolray]

Hi folks you probably remember me from the heaven hell wtf page.

 

I've been having a problem for the last 2 weeks I was happy to believe that there is no God however the last 2 or 3 days I've been doubting everyother minute my mind is filled with what if's.

 

I'm worried that over half of the worlds population believe in Christianity and that by me disbelieving that I am trying to disbelieve in something that according to most is true?

 

If God did not exist why are so many people still going to church.

 

I know deconversion takes time but are these doubts nornmal to worry about? How did u folks deal with them?

First, study the logical fallacy called "argument from popularity".

 

Next, study the reasons people believe in the first place, such as:

 

1)  Childhood indoctrination;

2)  Peer pressure;

3)  Fear of death, among other things;

4)  Need for feeling important or special;

5)  Intellectual dishonesty and laziness;

5)  Etc.

 

Finally, use your own rational and critical thinking and apply it to the new information.

[chrisstavrous]

 

 

Christian guy I got a joke for you.

 

Q. How many christians does it take to screw in a light bulb?

 

A. Three, one to pray about it, one to try to find something in the bible about it and one to condemn it if it ever goes out again.

 

I hope you get a laugh out of that.

Just an example of why we missed you while you were gone.

[◊ crazyguy123 ◊]

The truth is the truth if no one believes it, and a lie is a lie even if everyone believes it.

 

Is it alright if I use this quote in my signature? I like it.

[RipVanWinkle]

It's true.

[RipVanWinkle]

Christianity has the most elaborate and extensive ad campaign in the world.  Astronomical amounts of money have been and are

being spent to bring people into the fold and to keep them there. Christianity became enormously wealthy early as a result of the gift of pagan temples and property by the Roman Empire to the Church. Once they got the wealth and the power, it was easy to extort property and money from the masses. That is still going on, but with different tactics. The ostentatious display of wealth throughout the West causes many people to  think that god is behind it all. In fact, it shows just the opposite.   bill

[Kyle2Step]

 

The truth is the truth if no one believes it, and a lie is a lie even if everyone believes it.

 

 

Is it alright if I use this quote in my signature? I like it.

Sure, but i think Ghandi was the originator of that quote. Not me. He may have worded it differently too, I don't know.

[creative]

Hi folks you probably remember me from the heaven hell wtf page.

 

I've been having a problem for the last 2 weeks I was happy to believe that there is no God however the last 2 or 3 days I've been doubting everyother minute my mind is filled with what if's.

 

I'm worried that over half of the worlds population believe in Christianity and that by me disbelieving that I am trying to disbelieve in something that according to most is true?

 

If God did not exist why are so many people still going to church.

 

I know deconversion takes time but are these doubts nornmal to worry about? How did u folks deal with them?

Lots of people smoke and drink, does that mean its healthy and you should do it as well?

 

Most people are (as the bible likes to call them) sheep.

Its easier to follow other sheep, then OMG having to think for yourself.

And people like to be part of a group.

Have you ever done something stupid because you where or wanted to be part of a group (ex in high school)?

[Guest Pixie]

ChristianGuy1000, I also still struggle with this. This illustration, using Santa is good one for me.

 

I have read on the board and this thread that a good example would be Santa Claus. Most of the children on this earth believe completely in Santa Claus right now.100% without any doubts whatsoever. With all their hearts and mind they believe. They have been told since they could  think that Santa exists. But does this ''fact'' make it true? It's very interesting to watch their dear little naïve faces at this time of the year.

 

A lot of children are devastated when they learn that Santa isn't true. This is how I think we feel, when we find out as adults that there is no God. He was a fairy-tale and it is difficult to accept the truth. We just weren't told the truth by 10 years old as children are about Santa. It can be very difficult to let go.

[RenaissanceWoman]

 

Christian guy I got a joke for you.

 

Q. How many christians does it take to screw in a light bulb?

 

A. Three, one to pray about it, one to try to find something in the bible about it and one to condemn it if it ever goes out again.

 

I hope you get a laugh out of that.

 

Just an example of why we missed you while you were gone. 

 

 

Hey Chris... I just noticed that in your example of the three Christians above, the light bulb never actually gets screwed in. It's three people praying, searching the bible, and condemning. Isn't that the way it goes in real Christian circles -- no one does a damn thing but talk, wish, and hope.

 

In your above example, I would be the 4th person, to come along and screw in the damn bulb.

 

And then I'm sure maybe two of the three christians would praise god for sending me as the answer to their prayers. Praise be! But I also bet at least one would condemn me for stepping in and not allowing god to work a miracle -- where is my faith for a miracle, for god to show his work in our lives?

 

Gaaaahhhh!