I'm still technically a recent deconvert, only becoming an atheist in mid january of this year, but I still have this persistent "feeling" that God exists even though I know it's a lie, but it's also followed by a fear that everything I do will lead to me burning in hell, even though I know it's all fake, and it's been 3 months. I have been around so many conservative religious people who kept telling me I'm going to burn in hell, over and over again, throughout my childhood, and add to that the whole concept of hell in Christianity, also all the bad stuff that's been done in the name of religion, basically, I cannot get over this "feeling" or fear and I don't know what else to do. I'm not going back to religion... well... not without evidence, and I don't want this fear or "feeling" to run my life.

Is it possible that the reason this is still happening is because my former religion has been traumatic for me? Or is this normal because it's only been 3 months? How do I get rid of this "feeling" and fear? Will it disappear with time? Thanks a bunch.

First....

Breathe.

It sounds like you're deconverting from a pretty serious religious background. That shit ain't gonna happen overnight. I've heard of people taking decades to get over some programming.

If you feel that it's detrimental to your day to day functioning, you might consider a therapist. Also, you can look up and see if there are any "recovering from religion" groups or call centers in your area (yes, this is a thing!). Sometimes it helps just to talk about it, which is probably partly why you're hear.

You're not alone in this experience, and like many serious things in people's lives it's going to take you time to stop feeling that way.

Every time I offer amputation up as a solution everyone looks at me like I have a third eye. They do the same thing when I ask them if they want to invest in stringless parachutes.

I had the same lingering feeling even years after I gave up on religion, but got fed up with silence when 9/11 happened. Sought my first online atheists shortly after 9/11 because of an atheist nurse AP opinion column out of Chicago that went national including my local paper. After reading her concern about all the God talk in the wake of the event, it motivated me to seek out other atheists. I remember searching the word "atheist" and wondering if I was going to be clicking on a hate group or cult site. It took me less than a week to realize how silly that fear was.

Now as far as thinking there is a God, do cockroaches and bacteria have gods? Do their gods threaten you with a cockroach or bacteria hell because you didn't pick their gods? Do you mourn when a tree dies? Think about what it felt like before you were born, it will feel exactly the same after you die.

The good news is that there is no cosmic dictator using bribes and threats to control you, anymore than Thor is the cause of lightening. Your feelings are natural, but an unfortunate result of your conditioning. You can get over it simply by thinking about all the gods you already reject rightfully, and simply add one more to that list.

Take two Quaaludes and call me in the morning ... if you can.

On a lighter note...

Try to drink and breathe at the same. After recovering from choking, ask yourself if this is the work of a supreme being.

(April 14, 2015 at 9:28 pm)Cato Wrote: On a lighter note...

Try to drink and breathe at the same. After recovering from choking, ask yourself if this is the work of a supreme being.

Funny how whales and dolphins don't have that problem.

Did you feel like everything you did would get you sent to hell when you were a believer?  How much different, really, are the things you do now from the things you did then?

-Also, you might want to consider the possibility...particularly if you're surrounded by conservative religious people...that you are -already- burning in hell.

I'm very sorry to hear that. Religion is very powerful, and I can fully understand it taking a while for the scars to heal. I think of it a bit like ripping off a massive leech, one that was pumping mind sedatives and poisoned thoughts into you, to blur your reality. Now it's off, reality is a stark shock, and you're suddenly without those familiar drugs in your system.

My advice is to think about how much time you've spent worrying about all the other types of hell. Muslim hell for example. There are an infinite number of "possible" religions, all with the possibiliy of their own "hell" based on arbitrary rules. The chances of the Christian religion and its hell being real is roughly 1 in infinity, or zero. Since none of the other infinity of yells have been bothering you, this is just the last drop in the ocean. I know that's easy for me to say, but I hope thinking of it that way will help.

Also, I recommend blasphemy. Go somewhere private, or with like minded friends, and just hurl abuse, threats and taunts at God. Dare him to strike you down where you stand. Call him a fuck-bunion. Ask him if he's going to do anything about you thinking he doesn't even exist. Tell him to stick his hell up his arse. Nothing will happen (that wasn't going to happen anyway) so hopefully you'll become more convinced no one is listening. This will probably be scary at first, but the more you do it, the easier it will get I think.

The reason "hell" works so well as a threat is it can't be proven wrong, and you don't see God do anything to you until you're dead. However, there is absolutely to reason to think it is true. No one knows what happens after you die, but all the evidence points to absolutely nothing happening. Hell, heaven and God exist entirely in the imagination of theists. The idea that camel molesters 2000 years ago know some amazing truth that all of science today doesn't know is fucking ridiculous on every level. Anyone can make shit up.

And think about it: the christian god is meant to be all loving. Only good. Yet he supposedly tortures people. It's a contradiction. The product they are selling isn't even internally consistent. Such a being cannot logically exist. So if christians are wrong about that, and this is the best they have got, its reasonable to assume the rest is garbage too.

I wish you well, and keep coming here for support my friend

(April 14, 2015 at 8:54 pm)IanHulett Wrote: I'm still technically a recent deconvert, only becoming an atheist in mid january of this year, but I still have this persistent "feeling" that God exists even though I know it's a lie, but it's also followed by a fear that everything I do will lead to me burning in hell, even though I know it's all fake, and it's been 3 months. I have been around so many conservative religious people who kept telling me I'm going to burn in hell, over and over again, throughout my childhood, and add to that the whole concept of hell in Christianity, also all the bad stuff that's been done in the name of religion, basically, I cannot get over this "feeling" or fear and I don't know what else to do. I'm not going back to religion... well... not without evidence, and I don't want this fear or "feeling" to run my life.

Is it possible that the reason this is still happening is because my former religion has been traumatic for me? Or is this normal because it's only been 3 months? How do I get rid of this "feeling" and fear? Will it disappear with time? Thanks a bunch.

It sounds like you're still feeling the after effects of brainwashing.
Personally I think the best way to stop the feeling would be to brainwash yourself again only this time with constant learning of historical facts of how the concept of heaven and hell has been used by many ridiculous cults, to extort money, land, power and to get people to do crazy stuff.

I don't personally think there's anything wrong with having a feeling that god exists anyway, it's fairly natural and I get that feeling.
But I don't let that feeling give credit to any religion or cult's beliefs.

(April 14, 2015 at 9:29 pm)Brian37 Wrote:

(April 14, 2015 at 9:28 pm)Cato Wrote: On a lighter note...

Try to drink and breathe at the same. After recovering from choking, ask yourself if this is the work of a supreme being.

Funny how whales and dolphins don't have that problem.

Really?   Diagram of cetacean respiratory system suggest their respiratory and digestive tracks also merge at larynx, suggesting they too would choke if they try to draw breath while eating or drinking.