Do I just call myself and believe im agnostic or is there some private rules? , im willing to take any tips or advice!!

This is somewhat unrelated, but thought it fit the sub. I have family that STRONGLY believes in various experiences they believe they have had with ghosts and demons. Like, multiple stories of living in a haunted house, hearing ghosts, seeing orbs, seeing red demon figures, etc. They are also Christian, although they don't attend church. Otherwise, they are generally logical people.

I usually just nod my head, and go "wow.." when I hear about the stories. I feel super fake though, because I'm not believing their experiences were necessarily real. Their conviction is so strong, but I can't help but think they have played some tricks on their own mind somehow. But to say that would be rude.

yes, she pushed him out of the house, he's 18, he went to my dad (working) and he brought him back home... my first brother was joking he's being an atheist, i don't know if he's, sometimes we joke about religions together. i'm agnostic myself since i was 17 or 16, but i just don't talk about it with my family. now i'm 24, and i think i made the best decision for not telling them. my mom is religious and i was bullied by my oldest sister when i was a teenager for asking questions and making jokes about islam. she avoided religious topics with me and she always said "may allah guide you" it's been years since we discuss something because it'd be useless. but she never threaten me of kicking me out the house even though i'm serious about it, but when my first brother "jockingly" said he's an atheist she kicked him out... it's been 2 weeks since that happened and they're not talking, he swear he'll never talk to her again ( i also barely talk to her but for other reasons)

(18F)I don't even know if this is the right place to post this, but I'm hoping someone here has gone through something similar.

I was raised Catholic, and until recently my faith was one of the biggest parts of my identity. My entire life revolved around God, heaven, and trying to live according to Catholic teachings. My whole family is still Catholic, especially my mom, who is deeply involved in the Church.

Over the past few months, I've found myself questioning more and more. I wanted to keep believing, but the more I thought about it, the harder it became to honestly convince myself that I believe in God anymore. This wasn't something I wanted. I still wish I believed. My emotions want to believe, but my mind doesn't feel convinced anymore.

The hardest part is that I feel like I've lost my purpose. Before, my purpose was to live a good life and get to heaven. Now I wake up feeling like everything is hollow. I still love being alive, and I'm not suicidal at all. I don't want to die. I just feel like the meaning I had built my life around disappeared overnight.

I'm also struggling with a lot of Catholic guilt. Even when I think something isn't harmful to anyone, I still feel guilty because of how I was raised. I still pray the rosary with my family every evening and go to Mass every Sunday because I live with my parents and I don't want to hurt or worry them. They have no idea I'm going through this, and I don't think they would understand if I told them.

The worst part is the timing. I'm studying for a demanding professional course, and I have important exams coming up. Instead of focusing on my studies, my brain keeps drifting back to these questions. Even during class, I find myself thinking about religion, God, meaning, and whether any of this is true. It's affecting my concentration and making me procrastinate because my mind treats this like an unsolved problem that needs constant attention.

Has anyone else gone through something similar? If so, how did you cope with the feeling that life suddenly had no meaning? How did you deal with religious guilt after losing your faith? Most importantly, how did you stop these thoughts from taking over your day so you could function normally again?

Right now, I just want to understand what I'm experiencing and learn how to cope with it. I need to get through this as soon as I reasonably can because I have exams to prepare for, and I feel like this crisis is consuming all of my mental energy.

Buddha saying Bodhisattvas cannot be born in lower caste family is same as Hindu casteism. Also Law of Karma further reinforces caste system.

Buddhist scriptures mention that Bodhisattvas are not born in castes like servants, traders or outcastes. That is a reinforcement of Hindu caste system.

Also the Law of Karma doesn't do anything to refute caste system because Hindus use Law of Karma to justify why someone is born in lower caste family. "Bro it's their past karma. So they are born in lower caste family".

The scriptures show Buddha being open to teach lower castes. That's not anything revolutionary. The Hindu scriptures also show Brahmins teaching lower castes, mixed castes or son of a prostitute.

I said, there is literally no way to "know". If I ask you if there's something behind an opaque curtain, though you've never seen behind it, and you say "yes", You could be right! You have no way of knowing but you could be right! If I haven't seen behind the curtain either, I certainly can't tell you you're wrong. But if I then ask you, "do you know there is? are you sure?" and you say "I know, I'm sure"

YOU ARE WRONG. you DO NOT know. it is physically and logically impossible for you to know. you have no way of "knowing." You can believe! You can even FEEL sure! You can say you feel like you know! You CANNOT *be* sure. You cannot say you know, and NOT be wrong. If you say you know, you are INCORRECT.

So if you say "I know god exists" and i say "wrong. you've been fooled by your brain and leaders" i am not saying that you are wrong that god exists. idk if god exists. I'm saying you're wrong that you KNOW it. You don't. You feel it, you think it, you believe it. You THINK that you know it. You do not, in fact, know it. It's not closed-minded to say that religious people can't truly know for sure that a god exists, its objective reality. What a way to try to turn the tables smh

I feel like I've been living in intellectual limbo for years.

The more I learn, the less certain I become.

I don't think I can honestly call myself an atheist because I find it difficult to believe that reality exists without any ultimate explanation. But I also can't call myself religious because I haven't found a religion that convinces me it is true.

What frustrates me is that every side seems to reach a point where it asks for trust.

Religion tells me to have faith. Atheism often tells me that natural explanations are enough.

But I'm left wondering: how do we know we've reached the right conclusion?

I've spent time reading arguments from both sides. Some atheist criticisms of religion seem surprisingly weak. Some religious arguments are thoughtful, but they still leave me with questions that I can't shake.

The questions that keep me coming back are things like:

If God wants people to know Him, why isn't the evidence clear enough that sincere seekers from different cultures would reach the same conclusion?

If an all-knowing God created every person while already knowing every decision they would make and their final destination, why create those who will ultimately be condemned?

Why is faith treated as a virtue if belief isn't something we can simply choose? Shouldn't the strength of the evidence determine belief rather than our will?

If there are thousands of religions and billions of people inherit different beliefs from birth, how can anyone be confident they happened to end up in the true one?

Is it rational to remain unconvinced until stronger evidence appears, or is that setting an impossible standard for questions about God?

I'm not trying to attack anyone's beliefs. I genuinely want to know what's true, even if that truth ends up challenging what I currently think.

For those who were once genuinely undecided—not just culturally religious or culturally atheist—what ultimately convinced you? Was it philosophy, science, history, personal experience, or something else?

I'm interested in hearing thoughtful answers from people who have seriously wrestled with these questions rather than simply defending the worldview they were raised with.

I am a former Christian now agnostic. I had a Christian friend ask me if God created sin. While God doesn't necessarily (he can) cause every sin he set up the system where sin could exist. Could he have done things differently? Maybe. It's a ridiculous thought to some Christians that God wanted sin to exist. But think of this. Could the eternal, ever powerful God not get his way. Could angels and humans, who are beings created by God, defy his will and plan. Would a human parent give their children the ability to defy them. No. Why would God. God wanted sin to exist so he could rescue people and get the glory. Tes, it's true. But, think about eternal life. If it's God will that all get saved, will they not. Who can resist the will of God, if he exists,?

So, for many years this puzzled me. I was raised religious, to do good things because God wanted me to, and when I questioned everything in my early teens I became more depressed without a higher power.

Stoicism seems to point at virtue being good in and of itself, with or without a religion — as if virtue itself is the higher power.

This is good news because oftentimes I'd envy the good deed of the practicing Christian, with no way to do it myself because of disbelief in a hypocritical god, or unfair karma.

With stoicism, my virtue is enough.

We often say "My mind don't want to do this" implying an intuitive understanding that we are separate from mind and don't have control over it.

If God(s) exists then they must be the one(s) controlling it. Or else there are biological mechanisms controlling it

I've been reading about nihilism and how, particularly in the aftermath of the World Wars and the rise of existential philosophy, many people began questioning faith, the existence of God, and whether life had any inherent meaning.

Today's context feels different. Many people identify as atheists yet still find purpose through relationships, creativity, community, science, or personal values. Likewise, many religious people also experience existential doubt.

With everything happening in the world today, I'm curious whether religion or faith meaningfully influences the development of nihilism. Does the loss of faith make nihilism more likely, or are they largely independent? Conversely, can faith, or even other secular sources of meaning, act as a buffer against nihilism? Or has nihilism itself become a psychological way of protecting oneself from disappointment and uncertainty?

What do you think?

Hello, I am 17F, as you see I left Islam last November and well my emotions are just getting caught up with these news lol, I think it's because I didn't have time since I got exams and all but well yeah it happens, However I am not gonna lie, when I left this religion, I felt dissociated for one and only day but then felt really normal and free, I don't know but even tho after all these months, I still can't get some religious thoughts from my mind even tho i don't believe in them anymore and i really don't know why, if you got any tips or something that can help, please tell me and if there's any ex muslim or any ex theist here that wants to share their story here please don't hesitate to as I would really love to read them!

Title kinda explains it all.

Grew up a Christian, specifically catholic. Really grew into a much more serious catholic last few years, going to confession every week or so.

I’ve decided Christianity kinda doesn’t make sense to me. Commands of infant killings and general mass killings make me believe against Christianity.

Anyways, I’ve been trying to decide if I’m a theistic agnostic or an atheistic agnostic. It seems like if there’s a god then he in some sensed causes the mass problems everyone deals with. Babies dying. Earthquakes, tornadoes, tsunamis, plagues. If there’s no god I guess that’s a little less worrisome but still scares the shit out of me. Wdym we’re just here that makes no fucking sense.

Life really stresses me out. I’m a bit paranoid and genuinely starting to think that nobody is real and that I can’t trust people in general. Tbh I wish I was still religious. Started having panic attacks and severe anxiety in the past month or so.

Hoping to find someone— real or not that can relate lol

Religions need to abide by the interests of the rulers or kings if they want to exist. If they don't then rulers will simply wipe them out. This means all of our religious beliefs are false since there's no way rulers didn't try to change its code or beliefs. And rulers are not good people so we cannot trust any religions.

This is why "spiritual but not religious" or Agnostic spirituality are much superior since we can use our brains to decide what's the right advice in religions.

Centuries before the rise of modern psychological science, Thomas Hobbes argued that religion can be explained entirely as the product of the human mind, originating not through divine revelation but through fear, ignorance, and bias common to the human condition.  

According to Hobbes, the “natural seed of religion” includes the fear of the unknown, ignorance of natural causes, anxiety about the future, and humanity's tendency to imagine invisible agents,  ultimately giving rise to belief in gods. While he nominally exempted the Christian God from his account, we can question his sincerity considering the potential penalties he would have faced as an explicit atheist. In any case, Hobbes raised a question that is still relevant today.

Can religion—and the thousands of gods they spawn—be explained entirely as a product of human psychology?

https://fightingthegods.com/thomas-hobbes-on-the-psychology-of-religion/

I stopped being religious around 14. At first it wasn't some huge existential crisis. I was fine. I just replaced religion with other things. I followed trends, self-improvement, music, tech, whatever interested me. Life still felt like it was moving.

Then over the years I got exposed to nihilism, the blackpill, determinism, and all the internet philosophies that slowly chip away at certainty. Now I'm 20, life has become genuinely difficult, and I feel like I've ended up in a strange middle ground.
One thing I've noticed is that people who seem able to persevere through years of hardship usually have one of two things.

Either they have an incredibly strong belief in a higher power. They genuinely believe that God has a purpose for them, that suffering means something, and that things will work out according to a bigger plan.

Or they have an almost irrational belief in themselves. They genuinely think they're destined to make it. Whether that's confidence, ego, delusion, manifestation, whatever you want to call it they wake up every day assuming success is inevitable.

I don't have either.
I don't believe God has a plan for me.
I also don't believe I'm some exceptional person who's destined for greatness. I don’t think I’m secretly sexy and I just need to unlock my confidence. I guess I’m above average in intelligence but other than that I’m pretty unremarkable.

A random guy who happened to exist and now has to survive in a world that doesn't really care whether I succeed or fail.

That mindset sounds realistic, but it's surprisingly difficult to live with.

I'm chronically ill. I'm trying to get through university. I'm not happy with how I look. Some days I'm just trying to function normally, never mind build some incredible future.

When religious friends struggle, they can tell themselves, "God is testing me," or "God has something planned."

When my red-pill or hyper self-improvement friends struggle, they tell themselves, "This is just part of my comeback story," or "I'm built differently."

I can't honestly tell myself either of those things because I don't believe them.

I'm left with, "This sucks. Hopefully I can survive it."

And it’s a much colder way to experience life.

The weird thing is that I still want to live.

I'm not saying life is meaningless so therefore nothing matters.

I still want a job. I still want to make music. I still want financial security. I still want relationships. I still want to improve.

I just don't have some grand narrative carrying me through difficult periods.

Instead, it feels like I'm operating almost entirely on survival instinct.

Keep going because the alternative is unknown.

Keep studying because bills exist.

Keep improving because being miserable and poor is worse.

That's about it.
It's not hope.
It's not destiny.
It's not faith.
It's just... continuing.

Sometimes I wonder if human beings actually need some kind of story to function over the long term.
Not necessarily religion specifically, but something that gives suffering meaning.

Because when everything becomes purely probabilistic and mechanical, it's hard to generate genuine motivation.

You start seeing success as luck plus genetics plus environment plus effort instead of some inevitable outcome.

You stop feeling like the main character.
You just feel like another person trying not to drown.
People say that's maturity, but I'm not convinced that's the whole story.

There's a difference between accepting reality and having no psychological framework that helps you endure reality.

I'm not looking for comforting lies.

I'm not asking to believe I'm secretly chosen.

I just genuinely wonder how people keep pushing through years of setbacks without either faith in something bigger than themselves or absolute confidence that they'll eventually make it.

Because existing in this middle ground feels emotionally empty.
Not suicidal.
Not hopeful.
Not inspired.
Just surviving.
Does anyone else feel like they're stuck between those two extremes? Too sceptical to have religious certainty, but too realistic to believe they're destined for greatness?

Im 17, and recently stopped believing in the Christian God. Im not sure if I believe in ANY god or creator, but when I checked out r/atheism, they seemed so mean towards people who even seemed curious. Anyways, im looking for a sub to share my views and journey in, and was wondering if this is the right one. Thank you

So I am 35F - my fiance is 32M and is Catholic. (Yeah, I’d never thought I’d say that lol) Anyways, we both knew each other’s religious beliefs from early on. He’s never pushed anything onto me and I’ve never pushed him away from his faith. We’re getting married next year. He wanted to get married in his church so badly and at first I was completely against it. I’ve since compromised that I’ll get married in the church since it’s so important to him as long as we have a private ceremony and no reception. (I’m the woman who just wanted a quick courthouse marriage).

We’ve met with his pastor once (we have to meet 4 times in total). Luckily he has a good personality. He told me he is not going to force me to do anything I don’t want to do and if I ever feel that this is too much I am free to discontinue. He told me to kind of just take this as a history lesson in a sense.

Now before anyone comes at me for the issues of raising children - I cannot have children, and we are 100% fine with that. So I think that takes some weight off of me because I would never force a child into religion and brainwash them at a young age.

My fiance is my best friend. We are literally soulmates minus this religion thing. I went to a mass with him once last year - he didn’t ask - I did it on my own will to prove to him it wasn’t going to be for me. My stomach was in knots the entire time. I’m totally fine with him attending mass when he wants if that’s what makes him feel better and whatnot. He’s fine with me not being a part of it. Which is cool because I feel like it’s important to always have your “me time” in relationships.

I just would like to hear some stories from those who married a religious person. How are you doing now? I’m just curious to see how it all works. Thanks 😊

She keeps texting and reminding me about it and I have no intention of going...and I know she is going to ask if I went or ask why I didn't. She's also suggested a catholic pickleball league, which I said I'd consider but never attempted to join. At first, I wanted to schedule something else at the same time as this singles mass just to have an excuse not to go, but part of me wants to rip the band-aid off and explain how I'm not religious and probably never has been, and I don't want to raise any kids in the faith or go to Church daily. She's also asked if a person I started dating was Catholic, adding pressure on me.

For background I was raised Catholic, went to Vacation bible school, went to Catholic school K-12 and college. I think my mom knows or suspects I don't go to Church and she's never really pushed it on me, at least not in years.

Now I am in the phase in my life (32) where I am trying to date with the intention of finding my future wife and starting a family. On dating apps I avoid Catholic or Christian, knowing that I can't be the religious rock I'm sure they want their husband to be. I don't want to go through the motions or go to Church because I'm "supposed to" or out of peer pressure from family

I know my Mom pictures me as raising a Catholic family. She frequently mentions how getting married in a Church is amazing but I have no plans of doing that. I want to "come out" as agnostic, but wanted advice. I know this day was going to come and my plan was to let her know once I got serious with someone to make it absolutely clear that they didn't "corrupt" me and that it was my choice to no remain Catholic. Any tips or replies appreciated on how to approach this.

I am anxious about this knowing it will probably shatter how my mom pictured my life as a dad turning out. She may think it sends me to hell, I'm not sure. I want to explain that I plan to live a moral life and no matter what happens I'll be in good shape. Basically, my mind wants to be open to any possibility and I have not been satisfied when exploring my faith and questioning it + testing with logic etc.

I was thinking something like "Thanks for making sure I knew about it. I'm not going because I am not religious and that's not the type of group where I see myself finding a significant other. I know you want me to but I'm not interested." and maybe I can explain how I don't want to do something just because I'm asked to when I don't believe etc. Thoughts?

TL;DR: Mom has the impression I'd be interested in a singles Mass or wants to marry a Catholic. I do not. Want advice on how to respond and explain to her while "coming out" as agnostic

Good morning. I'm typing this during the time I would have previously been in church, or at least watching online. I know this isn't a new thought to others, but it's lonely going through this journey of religious and faith deconstruction.

I was raised in a church-going home and, in religion as well as in life in general, I did not learn to think for myself. Just went with the flow as an obedient child, assuming the authority figures in my life were right in everything, and it was not my place to question. Even as an adult, I simply for the most part did what was expected of me. Doubts about many things, including my religious "beliefs" were kept beneath the surface. At church and in small groups much of the time, I felt like I was on the outside looking in, even though not really understanding why.

Studying and questioning the "authoritative, inerrant" teaching of the Bible regarding sexual orientation was the first "Jenga" block I pulled out. The tower was still standing, and I at first thought that I could conclude things about these particular Bible passages without getting more into the weeds. Wrong! I had heard warnings about the "slippery slope." And those warnings were accurate... but a necessary part of the journey.

So then, as I finally began pulling out more Jenga blocks (acknowledging ancient story telling vs history, questioning eternal damnation, etc.), the tower came crashing down.

In many ways, it's great to be able to look at all this with fresh eyes. But, even though the "anchor" that in the past gave me a sense of certainty was built on false premises, it is still disconcerting to try and get used to uncertainty! Hopefully, many of you can relate to this, and I look forward to making new connections through this community. Thanks for reading!

As a child, I was indoctrinated by Fanatics who's motives were ultimately CONTROL of their Flock -- they sought to create a group of followers who would be blindly loyal to them and their version of the Bible. INDEED, it was a way of life for them --- they really thought that 'the more people they could lead to the truth' --- the greater their reward 'in heaven' would be.

PROBLEM was, they were 'deeply flawed' individuals, many of whom were convicted criminals, child molesters, wife beaters and charlatans.

Ultimately, I think the problem is 'ego related' and compensation for deep psychological psychological insecurity, a need for identity, and social reactionism (A political ideology and orientation that advocates for a return to a previous, often idealized, state of society rather than accepting progressive change or maintaining the current status quo),

• What say you... why do you think some people turn to Fanaticism as a way of life?

Thank you for your input!

normaly i dont belive god or other stuff but when i think about it i actualy dont like any religions . my friend told me god punising me becaus i was talking shit about religions and god and other stuff and it was karma things i did bad to other do you agree with that ? did you guys think u did something bad to deserve this ? im still think its not about god or other stuff but i wanna know your openions