fcuk

Not many Christians actively seek out God as you did, southernhybrid. The majority of Christians I know either grew up believing and continue to believe, or "came to Christ" as a result of major trauma or a turning point in life. I know very few Christians who would have the courage to investigate other world religions with an open mind.

[ November 06, 2002: Message edited by: pomegranate ]</p>

Xixax

I think the reason many go straight to Atheism from Christianity is because the strength of their belief based on experiential evidence being suddenly overturned by reason and empirical evidence leaves them unable to believe any of the testimony of people practicing other religions. Their own self delusion was so strong and convincing to some of them at the time, that they realize how easily others professing some religion can be in error.

I personally am struggling at the moment between pure agnostic atheism, and an impersonal deism. I find value in teachings of some religions ( Christianity being the one I am most familiar with ), but in no way see them as complete truth or exclusively true.

For me, it seems my deism stems from a simple question as to why physical laws are as they are. The idea of a personal interventionist God doesn't sit well with me at the moment ( although a recent spiritual experience of mine has left me more open ), but the idea of a God concept responsible for natural laws being as they are does not seem entirely unreasonable. Superfluous perhaps, but not unreasonable on it's own. So although I am extremely skeptical by nature, I'm also unwilling to deny certain things outright without sufficient cause. Right now I see no sufficient cause to outright dismiss there being a deity tied to existence, but I also see little cause to believe in one either outside of personal experiences.

If those experiences turn out to be physically based, I won't be crushed at all.

galiel

Your whole premise confuses me. Once one moves from belief in purposeful control of the universe by a supernatural entity to disbelief in such, one is, by definition, an atheist.

If you were to ask why people who become disenchanted in Christianity become atheists, I would question the whole premise of your question. Many people who believe in god or gods but not in Christian theology do, in fact, migrate to other superstitious beliefs.

Atheists are people who have dismissed the notion of a supernatural force purposefully controlling the universe, and the concurrent conclusion that one must act in certain prescribed ways in order to worship or "harmonize" with such a force.

Thus, you are examining formerly-Christian atheists (a minority of atheists, by the way), and asking why former Christians become atheists. Some do, many do not, and many atheists are not former Christians.

Fiach

I know that many Atheists in Scotland had Atheistic or Agnostic parents, including me. While my mother was a nominal/social christian, in close examination she considered most of it metaphor. My father was an Atheist. I am a fourth generation atheist, while my son is fifth generation.

I lived a few years in America in the 90s. I attended the Freedom From Religion Foundation meeting in Madison one year. Everyone that I met was an Atheist had his story of his Christian childhood and his epiphany of liberation from it. I don't remember finding a single second generation atheist in Madison, except for Anne Lauri Gaylor whose mother founded the FFRF. Her husband, Dan Barker, was an ex-minister in a christian fundamentalist cult.

I can't remember if I ever seriously considered belief in a god. I did later become interested in the ancient Celtic Religion of my ancestors. I don't believe the mythology to be real but quite poetic with much wisdom. I find Eriu, the Earth Mother a great symbol for our planet, the "creator" of all of us in the biological sense. I find Dagda interesting as a courageous warrior against evil. Lugh the Sun God is a great symbol of the light of knowledge. Danu the Moon Goddess is a great symbol of love and feminity that appeals to Celtic chaps like me. The triple goddess of war the Raven/Babd/crone is a good metaphor for the dangerous impulses that we must control.

Yet I am an Atheist. I don't believe any gods are real beings. But religion as part of culture has some positives, great art and music, if one can separate the evil parts of religion (intolerance, hate, killing, and wars.)

Fiach, Chief Druid of the Atheistic Church of Eriu for Inverness and North Scotland.

MadMordigan

You wouldn't expect someone who just got scammed on buying the Brooklyn Bridge to go out and try to recover her money by investing in Florida swampland. Fool me once, shame on me, fool me twice, shame on you.

galiel

Fool me thrice, get elected.

Jamie_L

I think when most people begin to lose faith in their religion, it starts with questioning that specific religion. However, I think it's a short trip from there to questioning fundamental principles that are at the heart of nearly all religions.

For instance, my particular journey to atheism was less a journey away from Christianity, but more a journey to naturalism. Once I was far enough down that road to abandon Christianity, I was far enough down that road that a deep investigation into other religions would have been redundant.

Jamie

southernhybrid

Well, perhaps that is true these days. When I was younger there were many other former Xians seeking for a more tolerant, less dogmatic religion than Xianity. Eastern religions were popular at the time. That may have just been a 60s/70s thing.

Since Corgan is not living in the US, perhaps his experience is different from ours. I was just pointing out that some of us former Xians have looked into other religions before becoming atheists.

Hubble head

I went back and forth with the whole xian/nontheist thing quite a few times in my life. As early as 5 I wondered about 'water to wine' and other Paul Bunyon like stuff. My desire to be considered one of the group led me to lean towards calling myself a xian but I really couldn't get that conviction "or high" out of such a phony tale like so many others around me. Eventually I dismissed them as ranging from foolish to deranged but still didn't know what I really believed.

Then one day I was reading about objectivism, which lead to realism, which lead to humanism. After a healthy dose of those I never looked back and stood two inches taller. Epistemology is next.

But in a flash I saw the religions for what I thought they were or could be and what they really were in all of about 5 seconds. Just like that the pope was a joke.

I've been using religious books as kindling and staring down at most all religionists ever since. Yes, even those nice little men in Tibet.

[ November 07, 2002: Message edited by: science ]</p>

Arvel Joffi

Speaking as someone who's never been a Christian (grew up in an agnostic, vaguely new age household) I will tell you that the problem I have with Christians and, therefore, Christianity is this: they are smug. Other religious folk I have met might be self-righteous, angry, violent, stoned, whatever, but the "I get to go to Heaven because I figured out the secrets, nyah, nyah, nyah" aspect of American Christianity is insufferable. Therefore, I, and many other agnostics, atheists, and ex-Christians, pick on Christianity.

If you just believe that Jesus loves you and wants you stay with him in Paradise forever, that's fine. More power to you (literally, if you're right). But if one more born-again tells that he is "speaking truth," while I am "just spouting philosophy," I will lose my mind.

[ November 09, 2002: Message edited by: ArvelJoffi ]</p>