At any point did you ever stop and consider the ideas of all these gods are not based in reality? You obviously were exposed to ideas of gods, as we all were. But for me I questioned what I heard, and I subjected the claims and the claimant's actions to scrutiny. None of it added up to any sort of actual truth. These people were absirbed in many different types of belief-centered tradition and did not show signs of thinking about what they were believing. It is like they are robots who don't understand they are robots.
Well, at one time, my thought was, that they were very contradictory, like if one religion was right, then all the others had to be wrong, which didn't make any sense to me because to me, they are talking about
the future and the future hasn't even happened yet. When I realized this I veered over to agnosticism, but I was always a syntheist at heart, I just didn't know any religions that practiced or believed it until I discovered Terasem and then eventually Earthseed. I am now RF's leading advocate for the religion of Earthseed. And yes, I view all other religions as wrong at the same time, and I'm fine with that. If you take a step back and understand religion for what it is, it is clear to me that living things have the capacity to grow their divinity as they understand the world around them, that is what it means to be human and learn about science and technology. But I try not to overtly criticize other people's belief because they came to a different conclusion than me --- that's on them, not me. Some people believe what they hear easier than others, others are more skeptical, but what's great is that we can all unify as one human species that tries to understand all of it, even if no one person is correct about all the questions of life.
I actually asked questions. When i was a kid I asked why we are in church, and i was told "for our salvation". That was followed by more questions, and the answers were always superficial, and in a circular reasoning type of thinking. the adults did not have answers. they never questioned any of it as I was as a child. Even as a kid i was fascinated why all these humans believed in ideas that are not founded on any fact. I was suspicious that many didn't realy believe. i was shocked that as I learned about what Jesus taught many Christians around me did not follow the teachings. Surely they should fear judgment and hell right? No. They acted like they had a ticket to heaven and could not be cancelled. No humility. So naturally I was just not impressed by believers and their beliefs. They were my reasons for doubt.
Dude, the first time I went to a church that wasn't for a funeral or a wedding my mom and I visited a Unitarian church several miles south and I experienced church life for the first time. I do not have the same experiences as you regarding religion, you should take note of that. Yes, I've had my share of Christian friends who tried to preach the gospel to me -- and I would always say that you cannot be rewarded for having a belief, beliefs are something that shape a person and not their destination. You obviously have had negative experiences in church and for that I am sorry for but I cannot make it up to you because I am not you, nor do I wish to be you. I'm not the kind of person who would attend a church filled with fundamentalists anyways. I've been interested in religion for a long time, studying it, but I do it in the comfort of my own home, grasping and trying to understand different parts of it from different people, then coming to my own conclusions in due time afterwards. Do NOT project your fears of religion on me. It doesn't amuse me.
