How to be an Atheist?

[Red_Wind]

You need to able to make decisions without involving emotions, this means being able to take criticism on beliefs without feeling insulted.

[TrueChristian]

These are good points all of them. Thanks so much.

Just to clarify, while I am "Catholic" I am not a "good Catholic" or even close to that. I am just fine with Gay marriage, and also just fine with fun,consensual, non-exploitive contraceptive sex between two consenting adults, no matter their gender. This is enough for a first-class ticket to Hell in Catholic teaching, though no family member and few priests would say that to my face.

One of my biggest problems with the Church is how it claims it never has been wrong or "changed" on teachings of faith and morals. I would argue that it has, and more than once. Catholic_Lady I need your thoughts!

1. Suicide:The Church used to teach that those who killed themselves went straight to Hell, and the vicitims of suicide were refused a Catholic burial. This practice and teaching was changed in the 1970s, when the science began to prove that such people had serious mental health problems.

2. Anti-Semitism: Anti-semitism used to be part and parcel of Catholic teaching and perspective. Not in the sense that they advocated the death ( or even phyiscal mistreatment) of Jewish people, yet they were regarded (as a people) with great contempt by the Church. Not exactly because of the whole "killing Jesus" thing, it was a bit more complicated than that. From what I read, the Church, pre WWII held that the Jews were a bit worse than the average heathen, because they refused to recognize God's love and generosity toward them by appearing as Jesus, and thus remain in a "dead covenent" with God, not accepting Jesus out of "blindness of heart." Before Vatican II, you'd rarely hear a priest or bishop talk about Jews in a positive way, but I suppose WWII shamed even the Vatican to change this teaching.

3. Divorce. The Church used to teach that someone who divorced their spouse was a sinner and it should never happen, even if there were cases of domestic and child abuse (it is a modern, secular concept in it's self to consider either a crime btw.) Now they teach it is fine to seek a civil divorce if there's a legitimate fear for yourself or another family member. The Church never would have taught this as being ok in the 40s or 50s. Further, I find it a bit hypocritical how easy it is for someone to get an annulment stating "the marriage never happened" all so someone can have the joy and bliss of yet another Catholic wedding. It seems like kind of a cop-out to just help divorced people back into the Church?

Idk, it just seems the Catholic Church is far less coherent or sensible than it's defenders make it out to be.

[robvalue]

To me, it's pretty simple.

The "better" Christian/Muslim you are, the worse person you are. And vice versa.

So I'm really glad to hear you are not a "good catholic".

[Fidel_Castronaut]

POE.

Srsly guys, why are you being suckered into responding to this guy?

[Sal]

Hello all,

This is a true and honest serious thread (for once!) .

How does one remain an atheist? I only ask because I have "tried" atheism a few times, but always have found myself drawn back to my Catholic faith.

I realize the great limitations of the Catholic Church as a structure, and even readily admit that some of the theology teachings don't make a whole ton of sense. I also appreciate that when one asks someone believe everything the Church teaches, one is asking a lot.  

I suppose I find myself still "practicing" the Faith because life just gets hard at times  . It seems people and life are so flawed, imperfect, and downright bad. The Church is the same way in a lot of ways, but I suppose it's just the faith, it's stories and teachings I find attractive and hard to dump. Religion may be the "opium of the people" yet it is a strong and satisfying opium all the same   !!!!

I remain Catholic largely because I like Jesus    ! He seems so decent and kind, as far as Gods and myths go. Unlike other Gods (like Anubis,Thor,Poseiden,Zeus, Odin, etc.) Jesus was (and still is) decent and kind to people, especially the poor and vulnerable. While Jesus might not have made sense all the time, he seems like a far more generous and kindly soul than the other Gods I mentioned. How many lepers,blind men and cripples did Poseiden help again ?

I get atheism. I get that the bible is contradictiory, flies in the face of science at times, and has been used to justify some pretty sketchy things .

I suppose it is the message and the "mythos" of Christianity and it's many saints that I find so compelling/endearing.

I just wonder if any of you have felt that way about the religion you were raised in (if there was any) and how you cope with the loss a lack of faith brings? What do you fill the empty space with?

Can anyone identify with my feelings and how they helped overcome them?  On the one hand I do like "faith in God." But on the other, I don't want to believe in something untrue

There is no "practicing" atheist. It is merely the acceptance of the inevitable; there's no evidence for the supernatural. Whatever you feel about that is irrelevant, because feelings don't prove squat either way.

"Tried" atheism? What an absurd thing to say. Either you accept the lack of evidence -or- you use the broken concept of 'faith': Believing something is there when all evidence is lacking.

You seem to like the character Jesus, and merely this is sufficient, if I'm reading you correctly, for maintaining a belief. Hell, I like the character Batman, but doesn't make him more or less real.

I'm an apostate of the Christian charismatic variety. I became atheist simply because I couldn't square the circle of the Bible and the whole concept of faith.

[Brian37]

Hello all,

This is a true and honest serious thread (for once!) .

How does one remain an atheist? I only ask because I have "tried" atheism a few times, but always have found myself drawn back to my Catholic faith.

I realize the great limitations of the Catholic Church as a structure, and even readily admit that some of the theology teachings don't make a whole ton of sense. I also appreciate that when one asks someone believe everything the Church teaches, one is asking a lot.  

I suppose I find myself still "practicing" the Faith because life just gets hard at times  . It seems people and life are so flawed, imperfect, and downright bad. The Church is the same way in a lot of ways, but I suppose it's just the faith, it's stories and teachings I find attractive and hard to dump. Religion may be the "opium of the people" yet it is a strong and satisfying opium all the same   !!!!

I remain Catholic largely because I like Jesus    ! He seems so decent and kind, as far as Gods and myths go. Unlike other Gods (like Anubis,Thor,Poseiden,Zeus, Odin, etc.) Jesus was (and still is) decent and kind to people, especially the poor and vulnerable. While Jesus might not have made sense all the time, he seems like a far more generous and kindly soul than the other Gods I mentioned. How many lepers,blind men and cripples did Poseiden help again ?

I get atheism. I get that the bible is contradictiory, flies in the face of science at times, and has been used to justify some pretty sketchy things .

I suppose it is the message and the "mythos" of Christianity and it's many saints that I find so compelling/endearing.

I just wonder if any of you have felt that way about the religion you were raised in (if there was any) and how you cope with the loss a lack of faith brings? What do you fill the empty space with?

Can anyone identify with my feelings and how they helped overcome them?  On the one hand I do like "faith in God." But on the other, I don't want to believe in something untrue

Nope sorry, I cannot take a thread seriously with such an absurd title "How to be an atheist".

I don't even like it when atheists try to create a moral code out of it as if it were a patent to be held by any label.

This the same stupid assumption even atheist fall for that life is a script. Our species behavior is not in a label. Our species behavior is in our evolution. "Atheist" merely means "off". It is not something you "try" like a buffet. It is simply a position on one claim that you hold.

Atheists are just as diverse on issues of politics and economics and how to handle debates with theists as any other label. We are not a political party, we are not an economic view and we most certainly are not a religion. "atheist" does not even denote the level of education of the individual.

The only thing that matters to me as a "how to" is "how to be a non violent human even in the face of blasphemy". 7 billion humans and we will not always agree or even only say nice things about each other. But all 7 billion of us do deserve to avoid violence as much as possible, some individuals  more than others.

[drfuzzy]

I was raised holy roller Protestant.  I had to memorize a Bible passage every day and recite it before dinner.  
Then I went to college and met all sorts of people.  I started loving science.
I played for churches for decades, and started really listening to what all those Bible verses was saying.
And one Easter, right in the middle of a service, I realized that I just didn't buy it.  I didn't believe anything of what I was hearing.
I looked into other belief systems and new-agey stuff and I realized that I just didn't believe that either.
I wanted to say that I was a Deist, for a while, and I love Buddhism and the book of the Tao - 
But I really just cannot make myself believe that a deity exists.  Therefore, I am an atheist.

[TrueChristian]

I was raised holy roller Protestant.  I had to memorize a Bible passage every day and recite it before dinner.  
Then I went to college and met all sorts of people.  I started loving science.
I played for churches for decades, and started really listening to what all those Bible verses was saying.
And one Easter, right in the middle of a service, I realized that I just didn't buy it.  I didn't believe anything of what I was hearing.
I looked into other belief systems and new-agey stuff and I realized that I just didn't believe that either.
I wanted to say that I was a Deist, for a while, and I love Buddhism and the book of the Tao - 
But I really just cannot make myself believe that a deity exists.  Therefore, I am an atheist.

Thank you for your candor!

I recall you mentioned you work at a Catholic Church in some capacity? What is your opinion of the people who are there ( the pastor, the church employees, parishoners etc.) Is it toxic/repressive, or are the people at all likeable?

[Heat]

You don't have to "be an atheist" to lack faith in god.

Seriously, don't think you have to assign yourself a label.

If you think the claim is untrue, then realize this, that doesn't mean you have to now go around saying "Here thee, here thee, I present myself widely proclaimed atheist before thee".

[drfuzzy]

I was raised holy roller Protestant.  I had to memorize a Bible passage every day and recite it before dinner.  
Then I went to college and met all sorts of people.  I started loving science.
I played for churches for decades, and started really listening to what all those Bible verses was saying.
And one Easter, right in the middle of a service, I realized that I just didn't buy it.  I didn't believe anything of what I was hearing.
I looked into other belief systems and new-agey stuff and I realized that I just didn't believe that either.
I wanted to say that I was a Deist, for a while, and I love Buddhism and the book of the Tao - 
But I really just cannot make myself believe that a deity exists.  Therefore, I am an atheist.

Thank you for your candor!

I recall you mentioned you work at a Catholic Church in some capacity? What is your opinion of the people who are there ( the pastor, the church employees, parishoners etc.) Is it toxic/repressive, or are the people at all likeable?

I love the people there, for the most part.  That's why I still play, once a week.  These are good people.  It's a mostly open-minded, progressive group.
When Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans (wow, that was over ten years ago!) the very next day there were TWO 18-wheelers in the parking lot, with big signs everywhere (heading south as soon as these are full - donations welcome) people came from EVERYWHERE.  I was helping load when a young goth couple arrived, and asked Fr. Baumann if they could donate.  He said "everyone is welcome" and for a little while he had an atheist, two satanists, and a bunch o' catholics loading his truck together.  They filled both 18-wheelers in 2 days and sent another a few days later.  Yes, I like these people.  But I don't discuss my lack of belief with them.