(October 9, 2015 at 1:09 am)connietheTgirl Wrote: Thanks for the responses everyone, I'm sure there will be many more to come. I'll try to respond to as many as I can! I don't know how to put in quotes, so sorry if the format looks weird.
2.) I want to become an atheist. But I'm afraid to. There many reasons for this. Social stigma, lack of support, having to abandoned a way of life a grew up with, and change. I lack social skills, and am not good at making friends, so if I enter the Atheist community I feel making new friends will be a long way off, and there's already a social stigma attached to me being transgender, add atheist to the equation, well that only makes it worse. So, it's fear that holds me back. And the fact I'm unwilling to give up God totally.
There is no 'want to become an atheist'.
Either you are convinced that a god exists, or you are not.
If you are convinced that a god exists, you are a theist. If you are not, you are an atheist.
For the vast majority of atheists, our atheism is a byproduct of critical thinking and skepticism. It's not because we set out to be an atheist.
Quote:3.) I have no evidence. I believe, but I don't believe. I struggle back and forth with this question all the time. Does God exist? I guess I will never truly know, since philosophy and science can never disprove or prove there is a God. It all comes down to faith, and I absolutely zero faith. I could become agnostic, but I feel like that is just sitting on the fence.
Sort of sounds to me that you are already a nonbeliever.
As far as faith goes, don't feel bad about not having any. Faith is not a virtue. Nor is it a reliable path to truth.
Quote:4.) I am fearful of death. Because I know if God really does exist, I will go to hell. Not only because I cross-dress, but because I have no faith in him. The fear of hell scares me the most.
Aaannndd... this is why I believe Christianity is an immoral religion. Just look at what your indoctrination has done to you. You are afraid of something that is almost assuredly nonexistent.
By the way. How much time do you spend worrying about the hells and punishments of all the other gods you don't believe exist?
You'd believe if you just opened your heart" is a terrible argument for religion. It's basically saying, "If you bias yourself enough, you can convince yourself that this is true." If religion were true, people wouldn't need faith to believe it -- it would be supported by good evidence.
