So, why don't you believe in God?

[Shadow Wolf]

I was born into a Baptist family, home schooled through a Baptist church, and then when I learned what unbiased history is, what unbiased science is, I read the full and entire Bible through my own mind and eyes and not through those of the pastor, and through life experiences I opened my eyes and saw the world for the first time without KJV-tinted goggles. It actually wasn't nearly as scary, as threatening, or nearly as hostile as I had been lead to believe. I actually learned pretty quickly that those who are of the way I was are really actually quite good at playing the victim card, ignoring reality, and making things up where facts fail them.

 

[Wherenextcolumbus]

I was raised loosely with Jehovah witnesses beliefs about Christianity. My mum was never baptised into the sect, but I had bible studies as a child and I've attended the Kingdom Hall several times. As a child I disagreed with some of their theological views on animals and discouraging their children to learn about other religions. Some took their children out of religious studies in primary school.
As a teenager I went through periods of believing and being agnostic and questioning the authenticity of the bible and the Jewish God. Eventually I decided that I didn't agree with their views on body adornment, sex, sexual orientation, women, marriage, and general paranoia about being influenced by the devil and non believers, and I didn't want to get baptised and have to give most of my spare time to the church.
Because of systematic oppression I generally find the idea of joining a religious brotherhood (especially one run by men) to be disingenuous.

 

[FashionOfMyLove]

I just don't see why there would be one. I believe that you have to work to reach salvation yourself.

 

[jmn]

I was brought up in forward thinking family. Father has scientific background (biology) (chemistry). So he set the tone in our family. My brother and i were never indoctrinated into any kind of religious thinking. We were taught that there were thousands of religions in the world, and they can't all be right. That fact kept me well grounded in reality, and allowed me to understand characteristics of persuasion and mind abuse. I've simply relied on logic as one of my guides in life.

 

[Lady of Permutations]

Because I haven't any personal experiences of God, if one exists. If I could choose to believe I probably would. But I can't.

 

[GrecoSpartan]

It is hard to believe in a god when peoples' actions show they don't pay attention to their own. Between people not acting out on the parts of the religions that tell them not to hurt others, to love, etc... Or the sheer number of religions in the first place. There are even religions whose creators left the religion they were indoctrinated into as children, and in at least one case the creator of their new handmade religion went back to his previous one before dying.

All of that understandably fuels the drive to be agnostic or atheist. I'm agnostic and skeptical, given how many religions seem to be more about control than freedom. From money to even sexuality, a lot of them are bunkum created by antisocial psychopaths that prey on peoples' better natures.

Does all that mean I'm nonreligious? No. I know there are higher powers, but it would be audacious and arrogant of someone to make up something, or to define what those powers are. And most people who say "God came to me and told me to --" are usually the type that nobody is going to take seriously. All I know is, we are here together with each other. Maybe we should work with each other, since we know we are going to be here?