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My obsession with religion

Araceli Cianna

Active Member
I'm an atheist, a strong atheist and naturalist, yet I am just obsessed with religion, with needing some kind of personal religious framework and such, I don't know why? I was into the new age scene before I gathered my wits about me and realised it was all delusional, but is it just habit after years of spiritual belief that keeps me hanging onto the fantasy of religion, even if I know I don't actually believe it? I feel at odds with myself and not really sure where to go from here. Anyone else experienced this... how did you come to manage it?
 

WillEast

Member
Premium Member
Hi Sheon,

It would be good if you could elaborate more on your situation. I am not sure what you mean by needing a religious framework without believing in religion. I don't have certain beliefs in religion but I think that there is some form of reincarnation but I am not certain. For that reason, I have devoted part of my life to seeking out answers through different religions and maintaining a religious practice. With everything in life, I think it takes time, sometimes a lot of it, to figure which path to take. You may want to continue to seek to find a path that is close to your beliefs. I doubt any of these paths though will completely satisfy your belief system. It is still ok to belong to a group without believing all of the religious scriptures. Very few people I know believe all of the stuff in religion.
 

Aiviu

Active Member
Hi Sheon,

What do you mean by fantasy? Maybe you don't know what religion attempted to make others understood.
 

SabahTheLoner

Master of the Art of Couch Potato Cuddles
I'm an atheist, a strong atheist and naturalist, yet I am just obsessed with religion, with needing some kind of personal religious framework and such, I don't know why? I was into the new age scene before I gathered my wits about me and realised it was all delusional, but is it just habit after years of spiritual belief that keeps me hanging onto the fantasy of religion, even if I know I don't actually believe it? I feel at odds with myself and not really sure where to go from here. Anyone else experienced this... how did you come to manage it?

Have you considered what "religion" means? I'm an atheist with religion. To me a religion isn't a conjured amount of stories that I need to believe to label myself. Religion is what we use to explain why things are the way they are. Religion doesn't have to be a Bible or a story of a male god and female goddess changing the seasons. Religion can be a philosophy with ritual and symbolism. All religions have a central philosophy. Maybe that's the part you like?
 

CogentPhilosopher

Philosophy Student
I'm an atheist, a strong atheist and naturalist, yet I am just obsessed with religion, with needing some kind of personal religious framework and such, I don't know why? I was into the new age scene before I gathered my wits about me and realised it was all delusional, but is it just habit after years of spiritual belief that keeps me hanging onto the fantasy of religion, even if I know I don't actually believe it? I feel at odds with myself and not really sure where to go from here. Anyone else experienced this... how did you come to manage it?

I understand you pain, having come from Wicca myself.

But I find that when you think logically about the world then you do feel better, I usually use rpgs to escape to fantasy instead of false belief.
 

Araceli Cianna

Active Member
Hi Sheon,

What do you mean by fantasy? Maybe you don't know what religion attempted to make others understood.

I think religion with its creation stories and such was a way of understanding the forces of nature. Of course now we have science to explain everything... so to me at least religion seems very fantastical
 

Araceli Cianna

Active Member
Have you considered what "religion" means? I'm an atheist with religion. To me a religion isn't a conjured amount of stories that I need to believe to label myself. Religion is what we use to explain why things are the way they are. Religion doesn't have to be a Bible or a story of a male god and female goddess changing the seasons. Religion can be a philosophy with ritual and symbolism. All religions have a central philosophy. Maybe that's the part you like?

I don't really know... I've been exploring all religions and nothing really sits well with me. It's just maybe a longing to 'belong', to a community or group of people with similar values
 

Araceli Cianna

Active Member
I understand you pain, having come from Wicca myself.

But I find that when you think logically about the world then you do feel better, I usually use rpgs to escape to fantasy instead of false belief.

Yeah I definitely do feel better thinking logically! I have been reading fantasy books in place of religion, but still, it doesn't help fully
 

SabahTheLoner

Master of the Art of Couch Potato Cuddles
I don't really know... I've been exploring all religions and nothing really sits well with me. It's just maybe a longing to 'belong', to a community or group of people with similar values

Maybe sit down and write your core values as well as your perspective on the world, and then ask yourself "what can help me support these beliefs?" Do some research. Don't be afraid to look at "strange" religions. As an example, before I aligned myself with Satanism, I thought it was "strange" anyone would believe in Satan. After reading about it when I started doubting myself, I became happy that they share my core values. And then I decided I must have been born a Satanist, and I believe in Satan being not a god but a metaphor for the ideal human. Because you have tried other beliefs, prehaps consider what you like and what feels "wrong" to you. Religion is diverse and the only wrong is that which harms you against your will. It takes some time to settle into the path. I would recommend you research one or more of the following since you are atheist: general witchcraft (not Wicca, although you can pull from Wiccan sources), Hindu philosophy, LaVeyan or atheistic Satanism (which is mainly a philosophy), atheistic Paganism, and/or Luciferianism. These are not religions that intend to harm the curious, and you will find conflicting sources as well as mainly Christian propaganda telling you they are "evil", but the truth is that religion is indeed made to find who we are and share ourselves with like-minded individuals. Perhaps in the beginning you will feel unsure and may even need to hide your practice(s) from others until you can and do feel comfortable around them, but this is natural and when you can, practice the tenets and philosophy of a path you choose. And remember it's always okay to think outside the box.
 
I'm an atheist, a strong atheist and naturalist, yet I am just obsessed with religion, with needing some kind of personal religious framework and such, I don't know why? I was into the new age scene before I gathered my wits about me and realised it was all delusional, but is it just habit after years of spiritual belief that keeps me hanging onto the fantasy of religion, even if I know I don't actually believe it? I feel at odds with myself and not really sure where to go from here. Anyone else experienced this... how did you come to manage it?

It's not religion you crave, it's something specific that it gives you. Figure out what that is and cultivate it.

For me it's the reason I identify as a Satanist (which reflects things I believe) rather than an atheist(which reflects one specific thing, among a billion things, that I do not believe, which I don't find to be important at all)
 

Araceli Cianna

Active Member
Maybe sit down and write your core values as well as your perspective on the world, and then ask yourself "what can help me support these beliefs?" Do some research. Don't be afraid to look at "strange" religions. As an example, before I aligned myself with Satanism, I thought it was "strange" anyone would believe in Satan. After reading about it when I started doubting myself, I became happy that they share my core values. And then I decided I must have been born a Satanist, and I believe in Satan being not a god but a metaphor for the ideal human. Because you have tried other beliefs, prehaps consider what you like and what feels "wrong" to you. Religion is diverse and the only wrong is that which harms you against your will. It takes some time to settle into the path. I would recommend you research one or more of the following since you are atheist: general witchcraft (not Wicca, although you can pull from Wiccan sources), Hindu philosophy, LaVeyan or atheistic Satanism (which is mainly a philosophy), atheistic Paganism, and/or Luciferianism. These are not religions that intend to harm the curious, and you will find conflicting sources as well as mainly Christian propaganda telling you they are "evil", but the truth is that religion is indeed made to find who we are and share ourselves with like-minded individuals. Perhaps in the beginning you will feel unsure and may even need to hide your practice(s) from others until you can and do feel comfortable around them, but this is natural and when you can, practice the tenets and philosophy of a path you choose. And remember it's always okay to think outside the box.

That's a great idea, thank you. I have definitely been looking at all kinds of strange religions. Even tried to make my own lol but it's useless, I keep changing ideas all the time. I'm not really sure what it is I'm looking for. Well actually - about Luciferianism. I used to consider myself that for a while. But then my Christiam family background superstitions got in the way and I'm afraid to go there again (I have a history of hallucinations and I don't know if going back to Lucifer as an archetype would be more damaging considering that emotionally it is tied to 'evil', even though rationally I know Lucifer is a mistranslation of the bible and has nothing to do with Satan at all)...

What about Asetianism, is there anything you can tell me about that? Would it work as an atheist?
 

SabahTheLoner

Master of the Art of Couch Potato Cuddles
That's a great idea, thank you. I have definitely been looking at all kinds of strange religions. Even tried to make my own lol but it's useless, I keep changing ideas all the time. I'm not really sure what it is I'm looking for. Well actually - about Luciferianism. I used to consider myself that for a while. But then my Christiam family background superstitions got in the way and I'm afraid to go there again (I have a history of hallucinations and I don't know if going back to Lucifer as an archetype would be more damaging considering that emotionally it is tied to 'evil', even though rationally I know Lucifer is a mistranslation of the bible and has nothing to do with Satan at all)...

What about Asetianism, is there anything you can tell me about that? Would it work as an atheist?

Asetianism is not something I am familiar with, sorry. That is something that would be better to research on your own or with people more familiar with it than I.
 
Oh gosh, I wouldn't even know where to begin figuring that out. Though I think you are right. Can you give me some ideas?
I don't know if I can tell you what you need.

Some of the things religion offers are a sense of purpose and direction, a premade set of values and ethics,a sense of community and belonging, and ritual, ceremony and pagentry.

Any or all of these things can be gratified without adopting someone else's beliefs and opinions as your own(aside from maybe the second)
 

Sha'irullah

رسول الآلهة
Religion is something quaint yet at the same type horribly archaic. Its purpose now exceeds its limits vastly to the point that it is suffocating and deligitimizes itself to the secular minded.

Look at it this way, religion still uses archaic myth and fables that holds moral principles no longer valued even by the proponents of that religion. It teaches unscientific facts and promotes dogma founded in superstition. Nobody values these things so why continue with such religion?

If many religions took a deistic approach they would instantly become that much more viable and tolerable to the average man without loosing its essence. Religion is at its core, morals, rituals and cultural heritage all combined to continue through generations to maintain stability in a society. America was founded upon the threads of religion whether it be the Christian sects or the deist community.

If you took a rational look at religion you could see its purpose yet at the same time see its baggage. Just remove the baggage and be done with the conflict. Even as an atheist I still hold very strong Islamic values without the slightest belief in a god or the superstition of prophecy.
 
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