Coming out of the closest as an atheist
January 1, 2012 at 10:48 pm
(This post was last modified: January 1, 2012 at 11:05 pm by passionatefool.)
Lets talk about our experience and how we become an atheist, and how people react to it.
For me, most of the reaction was disappointment. I was extremely religious but I was a Buddhist. But I was a Pure Land buddhist which is very similar to Christianity, you recite and have faith in this one specific buddha and after you die, he will come and take you to a Pure Land/Buddha Land where there is no suffering, only bliss. One difference is that you are not suppose to remain in this Buddha Land, you are suppose to become a Buddha and have your own Buddha land.....Anyway I was a youth group leader and even teach Buddhism to younger kids. I was very active and do alot for the monastery I attended.
Initially I wanted to ordain and enter the monastic life. So when I left Buddhism, most of the elders and the Bhiksus were really disappointed and "surprised", but their general attitude toward it was "Well, the Buddha's words are true but you go search for what works for you". The reaction from my Dharma brothers are something of a mix between sadness, disappointment, and anger.
I actually explored different traditions of Buddhism and religions for a while after that, I remained a Chan/Zen buddhist for a while, then I became "spiritual" but then I ultimately abandon buddhism and religion completely in general.
What's funny is that the reaction I got from my friends (all Christians) when I tell them I'm an atheist is more hostile and aggressive. Though not happy, they prefer that I'm a Buddhist, but when I'm an atheist, it is the end of the world. Most of them are very eager to debate me and somewhat find me offensive, atleast to them.
Sometimes it is harder to come out of the closest as an atheist than a gay lol.
For me, most of the reaction was disappointment. I was extremely religious but I was a Buddhist. But I was a Pure Land buddhist which is very similar to Christianity, you recite and have faith in this one specific buddha and after you die, he will come and take you to a Pure Land/Buddha Land where there is no suffering, only bliss. One difference is that you are not suppose to remain in this Buddha Land, you are suppose to become a Buddha and have your own Buddha land.....Anyway I was a youth group leader and even teach Buddhism to younger kids. I was very active and do alot for the monastery I attended.
Initially I wanted to ordain and enter the monastic life. So when I left Buddhism, most of the elders and the Bhiksus were really disappointed and "surprised", but their general attitude toward it was "Well, the Buddha's words are true but you go search for what works for you". The reaction from my Dharma brothers are something of a mix between sadness, disappointment, and anger.
I actually explored different traditions of Buddhism and religions for a while after that, I remained a Chan/Zen buddhist for a while, then I became "spiritual" but then I ultimately abandon buddhism and religion completely in general.
What's funny is that the reaction I got from my friends (all Christians) when I tell them I'm an atheist is more hostile and aggressive. Though not happy, they prefer that I'm a Buddhist, but when I'm an atheist, it is the end of the world. Most of them are very eager to debate me and somewhat find me offensive, atleast to them.
Sometimes it is harder to come out of the closest as an atheist than a gay lol.
