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I don't know if i want to be a christian anymore?

G

glenn1998

New Member
So i have grown up in a strict christian home and i go to a private christian school. I recently started watching porn on my laptop but i only watch lesbian porn. Anyway i have always believed that homosexuality is wrong and i disagree with gay marriage. This made me feel hypocritical, that i oppose the right for 2 women to get married but then i go home and get off to 2 women having sex.

After thinking about it for a while i came to realization that i have no right to oppose gay marriage because just because i believe something doesn't mean i should push my beliefs on other people. My support of gay marriage led me to question my faith and i have realized that my trust and belief has been in the church because that is how i have grown up and all i have ever known and i never really believed. It has been more of a lifestyle for me than an actual faith.

Anyway i'm not sure if not believing in god makes me an atheist? But i don't know if i should 'come out' as an atheist because all my friends and family are christian. I told my best friend that i don't believe in god anymore and he told me that i should still be a christian because if i'm wrong then i will go to hell. I am not sure if i should 'become' an atheist or just continue on with my christian lifestyle. I would appreciate any knowledge or advice, thanks.
 
Monotheist 101

Monotheist 101

Well-Known Member
Anyhow good luck with what ever you decide, you should explore all the possibilities, there are plenty of other religions/ belief systems and this forum is a good place to learn and explore them.

Peace
 
lewisnotmiller

lewisnotmiller

Grand Hat
Staff member
Premium Member
glenn1998 said:
So i have grown up in a strict christian home and i go to a private christian school. I recently started watching porn on my laptop but i only watch lesbian porn. Anyway i have always believed that homosexuality is wrong and i disagree with gay marriage. This made me feel hypocritical, that i oppose the right for 2 women to get married but then i go home and get off to 2 women having sex.

After thinking about it for a while i came to realization that i have no right to oppose gay marriage because just because i believe something doesn't mean i should push my beliefs on other people. My support of gay marriage led me to question my faith and i have realized that my trust and belief has been in the church because that is how i have grown up and all i have ever known and i never really believed. It has been more of a lifestyle for me than an actual faith.

Anyway i'm not sure if not believing in god makes me an atheist? But i don't know if i should 'come out' as an atheist because all my friends and family are christian. I told my best friend that i don't believe in god anymore and he told me that i should still be a christian because if i'm wrong then i will go to hell. I am not sure if i should 'become' an atheist or just continue on with my christian lifestyle. I would appreciate any knowledge or advice, thanks.
Click to expand...

I'm assuming this is all new to you, so my advice is to take your time. There are options apart from what sounds like a fairly rigid form of Christianity without becoming an atheist. Or at least, there is no rush to self-'identify as atheist.

Your friends comment about avoiding Hell by faking belief in God is either self delusion due to his own doubts, or simple ***-clownery, so I wouldn't sweat that too much.
 
illykitty

illykitty

RF's pet cat
There's more than just a Christian god or atheism... Ever heard of Hinduism, Panentheism, Deism, Neopaganism (which is very LGBT friendly btw), ect?

Can you safely say that you reject all of those thoughts of what god(s) is/are and know for a fact that you are an atheist? If so then go for it... If you still are dependant on family, you might want to keep it to yourself until you can move out (if you know that they are intolerant).
 
I

InformedIgnorance

Do you 'know' or believe?
I agree with illykitty, though I would take a very different slant on it.

That said, simply not believing in god does indeed make you an atheist according to some definitions of the term but not others - for example many buddhists and mystics are atheists and so forth.

That you do not believe in god does not necessarily require that you not believe in an afterlife or some supernatural aspect to existence; I do not know what your beliefs are with relation to related theological concepts other than god - for example angels or demons, magic or transcendance such as to suggest a path that might fit your description of your situation; for example I do not know if you simply do not believe in god or if you disbelieve in god or whether that it is with regards to a specific god (christian trinity or abrhamic god etc) one could be atheistic towards some gods and not others just as there are different types of atheist there are different types of gods that the atheism might be in regards to including anthropomorphic god(s), intervening god(s), the god(s) of a specific religion and more.

The spectrum of theological positions are not limited to black and white, it is a very wide world.
 
Reverend Rick

Reverend Rick

Frubal Whore
Premium Member
I support gay marriage and I am a Christian. I keep my politics and religion seperate.

The Bible says not to judge others and to love your neighbor.

If my post offends anyone, I will delete it.
 
LuisDantas

LuisDantas

Aura of atheification
Premium Member
glenn1998 said:
But if i don't believe in god doesn't that mean i'm an atheist?
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That is a popular understanding for sure. ;)

Look, while I certainly think that by definition lack of belief in god automatically makes one an Atheist, it is simply not a big deal either way. Not worth having any angst over, whether you are a theist, an atheist, something else or simply not quite decided.

It is a minor detail, despite what are to some intuitive notions that it should be a Very Important Thing. Ultimately your values and goals will only have a connection to your specific perception of what a "god" is... if even that. And that is unavoidable, and it is ok, and it is not at all a problem.
 
I

InformedIgnorance

Do you 'know' or believe?
Reverend Rick said:
If my post offends anyone, I will delete it.
Click to expand...
I doubt it possible to make a post that wouldn't offend someone somewhere.



Rev, your reference to differences between christians in terms of positions on various issues is very apt; but from how I understood the OP (please correct me if I am wrong Glenn) it was an indication that reflection on his beliefs led him to recognize that he did not believe as he had convinced himself he did - not that he felt it impossible to be a christian and also support gay marriage (a commendable position), but rather that he realized he did not believe.
 
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LuisDantas

LuisDantas

Aura of atheification
Premium Member
Monotheist 101 said:
Lol, Human beings are evolving into a nation of Gay Atheists. :D
Click to expand...

This is interesting because in a sense it is true, and in another sense it could never be true because it has always been so.

It is too bad that a DIR is not a good place to discuss this matter. I assume that from a Muslim perspective Atheism and Homosexuality are both undesirable, perhaps mainly because Muslim doctrine places a lot of emphasis on the importance of raising traditional, god-believing families.

The fact of the matter however is that while that such a model for happiness is fine and good for many people, it is also simply unworkable for many others, and it is everyone's duty - everyone's religious duty even, despite Islam and other faiths falling short of acknowledging it - to accept that and refuse to cause trouble for people who are simply not believers or heterosexual or even traditional.

Life is much too short and too lonely for people to afford to create conflict, rejection and other problems out of fear and unfamiliarity where there is no need for any.
 
Revoltingest

Revoltingest

Pragmatic Libertarian
Premium Member
glenn1998 said:
So i have grown up in a strict christian home and i go to a private christian school. I recently started watching porn on my laptop but i only watch lesbian porn. Anyway i have always believed that homosexuality is wrong and i disagree with gay marriage. This made me feel hypocritical, that i oppose the right for 2 women to get married but then i go home and get off to 2 women having sex.

After thinking about it for a while i came to realization that i have no right to oppose gay marriage because just because i believe something doesn't mean i should push my beliefs on other people. My support of gay marriage led me to question my faith and i have realized that my trust and belief has been in the church because that is how i have grown up and all i have ever known and i never really believed. It has been more of a lifestyle for me than an actual faith.

Anyway i'm not sure if not believing in god makes me an atheist? But i don't know if i should 'come out' as an atheist because all my friends and family are christian. I told my best friend that i don't believe in god anymore and he told me that i should still be a christian because if i'm wrong then i will go to hell. I am not sure if i should 'become' an atheist or just continue on with my christian lifestyle. I would appreciate any knowledge or advice, thanks.
Click to expand...
Greetings!
There are several kinds of atheists, from the strong type all the way to agnostics. If you decide to become one of us, & even come out to friends & family, "agnostic" might be the most diplomatic label (while being honest) if you want to adopt one. Keep in mind that your change is likely to be more traumatic for them than for you, so be charitable & calm in facing the possible storm. Btw, I'm of the weak atheist / agnostic variety. And if you do join us, I'll teach you the secret handshake & give you some puppy recipes.
 
LuisDantas

LuisDantas

Aura of atheification
Premium Member
Monotheist 101 said:
Same here.

I dont support Gay marriage, but I'm not against it either. The way I see it, its none of my business and doesnt concern me. Others have a right to do whatever pleases them.
Click to expand...

Not complaining, mind you, but I honestly don't understand. How does it work, neither supporting nor opposing gay marriage?
 
LuisDantas

LuisDantas

Aura of atheification
Premium Member
Reverend Rick said:
I support gay marriage and I am a Christian. I keep my politics and religion seperate.

The Bible says not to judge others and to love your neighbor.

If my post offends anyone, I will delete it.
Click to expand...

You know, I am extremely offended by pictures of boats. And dogs. And posts that head second pages.

Ah, never mind. Better not to grasp at straws to find something to object for.

Your post is fine, Rev. :)
 
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