So I remember being a young man at church trying to deal with the death of my mother. My Pastor, bless his soul, was very comforting throughout the whole process. I can't say I had been devout before then (I was definitely a churchgoer), but had definitely been more interested in baseball in my youth than theology; but of course all that changed, and I became more interested in my religion when my mom died.

So I would talk with my Pastor on and on, felt angst, but was really honestly looking for answers in my religion, just really looking for why things are the way they are, and assumed (really had no doubts whatsoever) that I would find the answers in my church.

But the problem came when there was just a point where I would keep asking questions and my Pastor would say to me, "at some point you just have to take things on faith." And while it was a slow evolution from there, that was definitely a turning point for me.

I'm sure any atheist has had plenty of conversations with the religious, where it just seems like they have their fingers in their ears and are humming loudly -- and that's because they figuratively do.

The basis of the main religions is faith, and the adherents will preach on and on about how great faith is; but faith is not a good thing. Faith is believing something without knowing -- and often without anything that could be called evidence whatsoever.

Everything religious people will tell you is a lie because they have already lied to themselves. The core of the religious experience is believing something because it is comforting, not because it is real; and one cannot expect anything that brings itself out of this place of self deception to have any truth to it.

I don't really see faith that way. I see faith as more of a small, portable bridge that you need right at the precipice of where the evidence ends and a choice begins.

That there is no evidence is just wishful thinking on your part.

So much irony...

Rather than that you were lied to, it seems like you are simply disagreeing with the Christian ideal of faith. I guess maybe you just mean "Everything religious people say about religion is untrue", but it's not the same as lying imo.

I don't think there is any doubt that for some this is true. It's something of a cliche even. But I don't think this is religion at it's best, especially Christianity. At it's best, I think Christianity challenges us in our comforts, calls us out on our hypocrisies, and demands a standard of morality and single-mindedness towards God which is extremely difficult.

What choice, to believe without evidence or proof? It amazes me that religions have contrived to turn that into a virtue, and that to a large extent they have have succeeded. IMO faith is where religion and reason part company.

I think we can safely assume we know what evidence he's referring to, so if you have some, I'd love to see it. If you had evidence, you wouldn't really need faith would you? It seems that you contradict yourself there.

Athiest AIDS ITT

(Though, I too am more interested in baseball than Theology)

qft Religious Person: "Religion cannot answer every question."

"Islam is false" said William Lane Craig

Ur a religious person?

You're not a religious person, so that doesn't count.

Also, what is the meaning of AIDS in the context of this thread?

My religion is Richard Dawkins, ldo.

Jesus: "I am the way, the truth, and the life."

Silver lining for christians: Jesus may still be the way, or the truth or the life, or any combination of two of them.

so your pastor is hiding evidence?

I really don't think you carefully read what I wrote.

People believe tons of things without having proper evidence, use all manner of things without understanding how they work, and routinely form social and romantic relationships based on nowhere near enough evidence that it will be a good thing for their lives.

It's the nature of human beings, by and large, to take the information they have and fill in the gaps (no matter how large) and make the best decision they can come up with.

It really should be no surprise the same approach is taken to religion and the afterlife.

You must be one paranoid guy. I mean, I imagine that you have no proof that no one is out to get you. What evidence or proof do you have that everyone isnt trying lure you into a false sense of security so at the right moment they everyone can coordinate your utter and most certain doom? I mean, unless you want to take it on faith that no one out there wants to see you fail, but what rational person would do that?

so much non-irony

Hector, I hope at some point you make relative peace with the fact that there is no god. Think about the circumstances of your birth, involving your departed (and presumably dearly beloved) mother. As beautiful of a person as she may have been, to you or generally, what were the likely circumstances of your conception/fertilization? Probably roughly the same as for mine, or for most of the people commenting in this thread. She was not thinking of your future, or the relative worth of living in/for the future. She was consumed by the moment. This is how life has continued to proliferate even amongst out supposedly sapient species.

Had she put careful thought to the matter of life and the worthiness of reproducing it, you would've never been born. I wouldn't have; no one would have. Because life is obviously meaningless pain, a conclusion that is accessible to anyone who thinks. Of course, the circumstances must be right in order to allow a given person enough "freedom" (heh) to think.

You can at least attempt to empathize with anyone who's ever existed, including your mother at the time she was being impregnated. I've attempted this thought experiment. Allows me to understand why these people thought life was worth continuing...and of course, this is still the mindset of the majority of ATHEISTS alive today, let alone the religious. Morons. I still try to empathize, though; I try my best.

I don't feel religion challenges the humans hypocrisies I feel as if it breeds it.

I don't have any proof of that, in fact I have no reason to believe that at all. So believing that no one is out to get me is quite a reasonable position to take. On the other hand I could apply religious logic and confidently believe that someone is out to get me even though there's no evidence.

It's not the greatest analogy though is it. All the negatives are a little tricky of you too.

No rational person would take anything on faith IMO. Are you actually disagreeing with me? You seem to be arguing the same position that I am.

so basically your mum died and you expected your local church to have all the answers; it didn't and now every religious person is full of shlt?

sounds solid to me.

You can't expect anything serious coming from a thread title like this.

Religion wasn't able to answer your questions about your mother's death ... How was atheism able to comfort you?

horrible content

I was able to infer that much...