The whole concept of god just seems silly
Sent in by Wayne
I can remember being sent to church as a kid. Not any specific denomination, mind you. I think it was just convenient for my folks to cart me off for a few hours every Sunday. I'd been to Protestant, Baptist, Evangelical, Lutheran and even to a few Catholic services (too much of a workout for me, however).
I didn't really start seeing the cracks in the wall until one Sunday at a Baptist church just south of Seattle. I had been shipped off to this church for almost a year at this point, so I knew the routines pretty well - an hour of Sunday School and an hour of the "full service". At the regular services, there were always new families coming and going. It wasn't odd to see new faces in the pews every week... and then it happened.
A black family came to church one Sunday (I'm saying BLACK because I don't know if they were "African-American, Haitian, or something else, so please try not to let a word get anybody in a tizzy). They came in and sat in the row in front of me. When the service started, and our VERY Southern Bbaptist minister reached the pulpit - he almost immediately pointed them out and "welcomed" this family to the church. I know it doesn't seem to sound strange, but get this - he had NEVER done that with any of the myriad WHITE families that came to church. At the tender age of 10 - I began to question why.
Needless to say, they didn't show the following weekend.
I stopped going shortly thereafter. I basically begged to stay home, and my folks finally caved.
Now, during my years of "churching", I made friends, had some really great meals, and had some real fun - but I never really felt a connection to what was being said for the most part. Most of the "love thy neighbor" stuff seemed to me as just common decency, and I had serious internal conflicts with the concept of a "loving God" who allows suffering on this planet. the stock answer was always the "god's will" or "it's all part of his plan" kind of thing.
I'm really glad that I finally let go of all of that stuff. I've never felt more hope for the future than I have now. The whole concept of god just seems silly now. I guess I'm happiest about that now I don't need to question horrible or wonderful events with the "god frame" around. They just happen, and we live our too short but wonderful lives.
Freedom from religion dropped so much stress from my mind. I really feel truly free now!
I can remember being sent to church as a kid. Not any specific denomination, mind you. I think it was just convenient for my folks to cart me off for a few hours every Sunday. I'd been to Protestant, Baptist, Evangelical, Lutheran and even to a few Catholic services (too much of a workout for me, however).
I didn't really start seeing the cracks in the wall until one Sunday at a Baptist church just south of Seattle. I had been shipped off to this church for almost a year at this point, so I knew the routines pretty well - an hour of Sunday School and an hour of the "full service". At the regular services, there were always new families coming and going. It wasn't odd to see new faces in the pews every week... and then it happened.
A black family came to church one Sunday (I'm saying BLACK because I don't know if they were "African-American, Haitian, or something else, so please try not to let a word get anybody in a tizzy). They came in and sat in the row in front of me. When the service started, and our VERY Southern Bbaptist minister reached the pulpit - he almost immediately pointed them out and "welcomed" this family to the church. I know it doesn't seem to sound strange, but get this - he had NEVER done that with any of the myriad WHITE families that came to church. At the tender age of 10 - I began to question why.
Needless to say, they didn't show the following weekend.
I stopped going shortly thereafter. I basically begged to stay home, and my folks finally caved.
Now, during my years of "churching", I made friends, had some really great meals, and had some real fun - but I never really felt a connection to what was being said for the most part. Most of the "love thy neighbor" stuff seemed to me as just common decency, and I had serious internal conflicts with the concept of a "loving God" who allows suffering on this planet. the stock answer was always the "god's will" or "it's all part of his plan" kind of thing.
I'm really glad that I finally let go of all of that stuff. I've never felt more hope for the future than I have now. The whole concept of god just seems silly now. I guess I'm happiest about that now I don't need to question horrible or wonderful events with the "god frame" around. They just happen, and we live our too short but wonderful lives.
Freedom from religion dropped so much stress from my mind. I really feel truly free now!
Comments
Like you I was questioning christianity at about the age of ten. My reasons were because when I asked a question of the adults, I was never given the same answer twice! Even by the same person. I began to realize that nobody knew what was the “truth” beyond the common sense variety. At that young age, I could see that people had an arrogance about them because they “knew” they were right and everybody else was wrong and I began to see religion as a method whereby people used it to gain an emotional superiority over others. “I know the truth, you don’t and you’re going to burn in hell for it!” Like a kid saying “neener, neener, neener!” I always wondered why they needed god to tell them to be honest, not steal, not commit murder, etc.
As I have lived my life (I’m 47 now) that has never changed. Nobody can give the same answer twice and nobody knows the “truth”. People still need religion to make themselves feel better and feel superior to others. Theirs is the right way, everybody else’s is wrong, etc. They still think that honesty and integrity can only be sourced through their god. My reasons for disbelief then are, after over 30 years, still valid now.
Freedom of thought is the ultimate liberty and it is the one that religion seeks to control above all others. Welcome to freedom Wayne!
You can call me BLACK all you want. (You can also say “niggardly” in my presence, and I won’t get you fired.) I don’t let the PC establishment dictate to me what i find insulting.
Wayne wrote: “Now, during my years of 'churching', I made friends, had some really great meals, and had some real fun - but I never really felt a connection to what was being said for the most part. Most of the 'love thy neighbor' stuff seemed to me as just common decency,...”
St. Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 15, “If for this life only we have hoped in Christ, we are the most pitiable people of all.”) One day it suddenly occurred to me that Paul, by this very admission, was a pitiable person. I wasn’t questioning my faith at that time, but i did realize that one shouldn’t have to be bribed with heaven to do the right thing. Being a nice guy is, well, nice. I wouldn’t lose anything even if there isn’t a heaven.
Wayne wrote: “...and I had serious internal conflicts with the concept of a 'loving God' who allows suffering on this planet. the stock answer was always the 'god's will' or 'it's all part of his plan' kind of thing.
“... I guess I'm happiest about that now I don't need to question horrible or wonderful events with the 'god frame' around. They just happen, and we live our too short but wonderful lives.”
“Shit happens” is one of the most liberating aphorisms that i know. It was in accepting this hard fact of life that i truly accepted atheism.
It used to make me mad, as a child, that god would send me to hell for doing something so small as lying. Or that god would allow people to die horribly when they were GOOD people.
Now that I've totally gone rational (at 44), I have never been happier in my whole life since I gave up my "spiritual quest". Now I think religion is totally silly and I can't conceive of why people still cling to it.
Take Care!
Tracy