Age of Deconversion

[Mister Agenda]

Reading the Bible didn't stop me from believing in God, I had a very high opinion of God, and I had to jettison the Bible depiction of God to keep believing in a God that was good. Not necessarily all-powerful, but at least started the universe and doing the best it could after that. I suppose I stopped believing in a tri-Omni God to keep believing in a benevolent one.

[The Grand Nudger]

Here's a q for folks like yourself, or anyone else who ever believed. Why is the idea of a benevolent god, or a god doing it's best, so important that a person will reject their traditional faith or the description of a god with which they are familiar in order to maintain it, and why does it seem that the inability to believe in that sort of god so often yields an outcome of atheism?

Couldn't a god be malevolent or incompetent, as so many gods in so many cultures have been envisioned to be? If not, or if that doesn't square, why, and if this was given any thought in the deconversion process, what was your conclusion in the event of that possibility?

[John 6IX Breezy]

Do you think that atheists which never went through deconversion are less likely to disagree with the Christian interpretation of God as good but just?

It does seem rare for someone to view God as loving and forgiving, but fictional nonetheless. It seems to come with the territory that once you think God doesn't exist you have to view him as evil.

[The Grand Nudger]

Um...no? People are very much capable of understanding that a god is characterized as a nice guy and not believing in that god... the same way that they don't believe in fairy god-mothers. I assume you don't believe in those either, no matter how nice they may be.

That q i asked our deconverts is just as good for you. Do you have to believe that god is good and competent to believe in a god? If so, why? If you ceased to believe that, would you cease to believe in gods, and also..if so, why?

It's something I've always wondered. Why do people (often) have such a narrow view of gods, and why..outside of that narrow view, do they default to nonexistence?

[John 6IX Breezy]

Um...no?

That q i asked our deconverts is just as good for you. Do you have to believe that god is good and competent to believe in a god? If so, why?

No, I don't think the two should go hand in hand, but I do think that for many people they do correlate. In Scripture we see many examples of people disagreeing with God's decisions, or wishing they were different, but submitting to his will nevertheless. For example, Job and Jonah; even Jesus when he felt God had abandoned him. So it is part of the faith to view God as independent of your own wishes and desires; if he is evil than he is evil, but real.

[The Grand Nudger]

Sure, yeah, they correlate, people expect or want a good god, and if they don't believe in that they stop believing in gods...but why?

There's no necessary connection. One doesn't follow from the other.

Can you shed any light on that? Would you be capable of believing in an evil or incompetent god? Why or why not?

[GrandizerII]

Sure, yeah, they correlate, people expect or want a good god, and if they don't believe in that they stop believing in gods...but why?

There's no necessary connection. One doesn't follow from the other.

Can you shed any light on that? Would you be capable of believing in an evil or incompetent god? Why or why not?

A deist god is neither good or bad. I still believed in a god even after I stopped believing in a good god.

John, I'm not sure where you getting the idea that deconverts end up associating the idea of god with evil?

[The Grand Nudger]

"Mad at god" for 500, alex.

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Anyway, for a less nutbar convo. Is it really true that a deist god is neither bad nor good? What do you mean by that..from your recollection of being a deist.

If a deist god creates a universe that puts botflies in kids eyeballs...it's not good or bad..because....? Fill in the blank for me.

[John 6IX Breezy]

Can you shed any light on that? Would you be capable of believing in an evil or incompetent god? Why or why not?

If God exists, then I would be capable of believing in such a God, but perhaps just not worshipping it, or caring to be part of any religion. But again, I do think active christians tend to be more comfortable with God not fitting into such a box; that's why you hear phrases such as "God works in mysterious ways" or "submit to God's will" when something goes wrong. It is an attitude that is more tolerant of what we perceive as imperfections or the wrong outcome.

[The Grand Nudger]

Not being willing to worship a god, because it's an asshole, and not believing in gods aren't even in the same wheelhouse, though, are they? A theist and a maltheist both believe in gods, do they not?

As to your other contention..it's difficult to square that away with pretty much the entirety of christendom. It doesn't seem like christians...a very...very specific claim, are comfortable with not putting god into a box. Christianity is a box, an immensely small box.

If the christian gold told you to skullfuck your neighbor and sell his daughters into slavery, you'd shrug and say "mysterious ways"..then do that, or? What? Say "fuck, that guy is an asshole, he exists, but I'm sure as shit not going to do that!"