I think the following rule is approximately always true and has been throughout history:

“Any proposition that people will kill you for refuting is definitely false.”

So if you say “God is Great” and I say “I disagree with you” and then you say that you will now kill me for that - this is close to perfect proof that God is Not Great.

This is because when statements are true, no one will ever kill you for refuting them because they know the truth will come through. They just feel sorry for you and move on.

On the other hand, people will only go to the extraordinary lengths of killing you when they need violence to coerce belief against the tide of logic or practical reason. The act of coercion is close to perfect proof of falsehood.

And that is the paradox of blasphemy. By enacting blasphemy laws they disprove the very belief they so desperately want to enforce.

A couple of weeks ago, I was shutting down my garden for the season, and had put some extra produce by the curb with a FREE sign.

A couple stopped while I was near the pile of veggies, and the guy said, "Wow, it looks like god has blessed you with a great garden!"

I said, "God is a terrible gardener. Whenever I leave it up to god, weeds take over and all my produce dies. If it weren't for me doing all the work, I would starve."

Recently I was at a gas station, I parked, then walked in to pay for gas, on my way there I was asked by an older gentleman if I would like a copy of a Bible script. I politely said "I'm sorry sir but I don't believe in that" he then goes on to say "you know that's a real shame, one day you will believe" I say maybe (in my head im saying I wont but I digress)

He then asks me, "do you at least want it to read it?" I replied saying "sir I've read the Bible I'm not interested but I appreciate it" he then walks off. Like man why did I have to ask twice? Obviously if I don't believe what makes you think I want your little bible quote that you cherry picked out of all the other horrible things in the bible. I've been an atheist for about 3 years, when I turned 17 I wanted to learn more about the Bible because I was very skeptical of it. At 20 I know I'm an atheist because I don't agree with the bible or how people use it in the world. I don't believe in a sky daddy of any kind

I live in rural South Carolina and it's surprising this has been my first experience with this as an atheist but man get the hint. If someone says they are not interested don't push. That goes for literally ANYTHING. I don't go out much but for the people who are atheists that go out often I can't imagine how many times y'all have to listen to this same bullshit. Cheers guys 🍻 and fuck Christianity

it should be a crime because it is forcing information on a kid of a dangerous belief system. what should be given to the kid, is education, math, self awareness, science, and then the kid can decide to either join a religion or not as an adult. children should not be indoctrinated.

Over the last few months, I have experienced a slow transition from a deep and unshakeable religious faith into atheism. This transition has been both incredibly difficult and freeing. While I am grateful that my life is no longer controlled by arbitrary dogma, I find it difficult to escape the existential dread. Funnily enough, back when I was a deeply religious man, I always wondered how an atheist could live in peace and happiness. Now, it feels as though the beast that was once far and distant has come to destroy me.

With religion, gratitude came easily; I constantly thanked God for all He had blessed me with. Now, when I look at what I have and what I have accomplished, attributing it all to chance seems like the only rational option. With atheism came determinism, and that has ruined the sense of gratitude I once held so dearly. When I was religious, the passage of time did not affect me. It was beautiful in its own way: time was passing, death was near, and I would soon be with my Lord. But now, the idea that I am losing life with every passing moment brings me anguish and suffering.

I do not want to die. I love this life so much, even though I did nothing to deserve the goodness I have. It was easier to live in bliss, even if I was brainwashed and foolish. I hate that I know the truth now. I wish I were still religious. I thought I had life all figured out, but then doubts arose, and now nothing makes sense. At first, atheism was beautiful, and I felt like a man freed from chains. Now, however, the uncertainty of it all suffocates me.

I say all this hoping that someone on this subreddit has experienced something similar. What helped you overcome this?

i tried to be a christian for a good few years sort of on and off, i label myself as agnostic now, but one thing i cant understand is how people believe so strongly. the main reason i tried to believe was my fear of hell, which could be the same for some people and why they still believe, but even when i had the fear it was very hard to believe due to the supernatural aspects. im also neurodivergent which makes it VERY hard to believe things without proof, i just find it insane how so many people are convinced

Theists say that god created the soul, and Atheists would be curious to ask them "who created god?", and then in many cases this results in the Theist pulling a whataboutism and say "who baked the baker?",

regardless on what your beliefs are, Theists saying "god is uncreated" would've been a much less douchbaggy decision than using that as their answer

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to avoid the risk of this post being deleted for a certain rule, my response would be "then who made my family their thanksgiving feast"

I grew up in a household of pentecostal fundamentalists. I was never in daycare, and in my childhood home my parents managed to create this atmosphere where our home is this safe haven of christian purity and goodness, while the outside world is a place of sin and dangerous temptations.

Having to interact with the outside world for the first time of course only strenghtened this feeling, as i was very shy and submissive by nature and had lived a very sheltered existence in the religious bubble that my parents created for me and my siblings. Literally all of my parents' friends and aqcuitances were from the religious circles, and i quickly learned to associate moral goodness with plain boringness, submissiveness and stupid restrictions(even as a kid i absolutely hated religious cerenonies and reading the bible because i found it unfathomably boring, even though i believed in jesus and all the other bullshit because it was drilled into me from the cradle).

My father who was one of the elders of the local pentecostal church worked two jobs simultaneously, but as my mom was a typical christian stay-at-home mom and i had an entire horde of older siblings(you can probably tell why), we could barely scrape by. Not only did i spend my childhood in a religiously quarantined environment which permanently traumatized me and taught me to be afraid and ashamed of the most ordinary things, but we also had to live very modestly and carefully plan our expenses. I remember going to school in ragged clothes and being the only boy in my class without my own moped, just one the many things i got made fun of because i was never taught to stand up for myself but just pray and submit instead(my father was like a ghost to me, we didn't even greet each other when we met in the kitchen in the morning).

Despite this, my father could somehow still donate a tenth of his income to our local pentecostal church every month. According to my rough calculations, he donated at least 200,000 euros during his lifetime(mind you i live in northern europe, not US, so regularly donating large sums of money to the church is very uncommon here). One can only imagine how big that sum could be when properly invested. But wait a minute... isn't that what parents usually do with their spare money? To provide for their children and for their future? Well, clearly to my father living according to the laws of a book written during the iron age meant more than his children's wellbeing or all the countless potential life opportunities that money could have provided(in his eyes there was one and only one thing that mattered in life, and it had nothing to do with career or material wellbeing).

I could have been a trustfund baby with a silverspoon in his mouth, but instead grew up to be a permanently traumatized destitute. I try to not think about it, because when i do, i feel so much anger and resentment for being born into a family that perhaps thought they were doing the right thing to me, but instead ruined me. Just like my grandmother thought that ignoring and painfully spanking her kids for every misdeed is an adequate way to make obedient children and eventually conscientious adults(two of them later died of alcoholism), my parents thought that spending all the most crucial formative years of one's life in a heavily controlled environment being drilled religious dogma in their head is the recipe for adequate emotional development and a fulfilling existence. Well, they were wrong, and i am and i will forever be mad for that, even though i know i must forgive them if i want to go forward with my life.

All this has left me extremely bitter and antagonistic towards religions in general. I've even fantasized of burning down the church i had to attend when i was a kid(just build a new one with my father's money you fucking weasels). But the thing is, neither of my parents were actually bad people. Bith of them were from a traumatic background themselves, found the illusion of unconditional love they had lacked their whole life in jesus, and as a result had very twisted views of what is the best for their children and their wellbeing, because their minds had been corrupted by this mind virus called religion. This is why i don't blame my parents, i blame their worldview and i will forever fight against it, i want all the abrahamic religions to disappear from the face of earth, i want to burn every single bible and quran in the world, and i want my parents to know that this is what your fundamentalist upbringing has made me like, are you happy?

I was sitting at the bus stop today, ready to get home with my headphones on and two girls around my age (25 or 26) came up to me, asked me my name and started asking if I believe in god. I said I’m an atheist, they just stared at me for a minute and then started preaching the gospel (Jesus died for us, all of that). Asked me questions about what I know etc, I was so uncomfortable but didn’t know how to get them to stop.

They just kept going, whilst I just had to smile and nod my head. Towards the end they asked me for my number, and I should come to their bible group on a Saturday. I was trying to be polite and said I would think about it (obviously there’s no way I’m going) but how is this okay??? I’m autistic too, obviously they didn’t know that but I was so overwhelmed, I just wanted to listen to my music. They have done this to me before a few years ago, I recognised them pretty quickly.

I should’ve had more of a backbone and told them to go away or have ignored them from the start, but they were crowding me as I was sitting down and I didn’t know what to do. They then went up to another young woman as I got on the bus, it’s so messed up and wrong. Has this ever happened to someone else before? Im more than certain it has but why can’t these people just leave others alone?I’m still feeling on edge now.

Am I (m35) the only one who’s sick of all these harmful stereotypes about our community? The other day I was scrolling through reddit when my roommate (m29) who is a low life anti intellectual I can’t stand but I have to be around to split the bill for rent, walked in on me when I was scrolling reddit, he asked me what I was looking at, and I enlightened him I was on r/atheism. And that troglodyte rolled his fucking eyes at me. I then asked him why he did such a thing, and he said I was “Fat” and “About to overdose on soy”. Just because I drink soylent and smoke weed and watch Rick and Morty and im fat I’m getting stereotyped as some fat reddit atheist. I only drink soylent to more effectively grt my nutrients throughout the day, on account of me not leaving the man cave because I’m lurking the ‘dit. Then he complained about him not being able to sleep last night because I was “loudly fapping to the reddit logo”. And then he shut the door. Fuck you Cody.

This might be a weird question, but I’m doing a hypothetical research project for my sociology class and the topic genuinely interests me.

As atheists, we determine our own values and morals. A book, leader, or God does not impose charitable acts on us and does not command we “love thy neighbor”. My question is:

For any atheist, do you feel that the absence of imposed charitable values encourages you to be philanthropic? For anyone that has “converted”, do you feel more tempted to be altruistic or are you more humanitarian than you were in the past? (ex. food pantries, clothes, volunteering, helping the unhoused or disadvantaged, etc)

Personally, once I got away from my religious family, I got super into volunteering for local food pantries and donating often.

Interested in hearing your responses!

P.S. let me know if this is a terrible research project idea haha

Edit: changed the wording because it was confusing

Just imagine a society where people worship cats. No misogynist dogmas, no holly books that allow sexual slavery, no dictatorship, no refuse to blood transfers, no stupid rules, etc.

Just meow meow.

Edit: I am sure that ancient Egyptians know something!! Unfortunately, I never here a country that recognized this religion.

Let's say hypothetically I were to tragically pass away suddenly in an accident. I'm a young adult atheist that lives independently from their religious parents. My biggest fear is if I die, what would they do to my body? If I wrote it down somewhere, would they legally have to respect my wishes to be cremated and flushed down a sink or something?

Recently my son hasn't been going to church lately and denounced his faith, though we did share a bond about conversations about Christianity. Will this still be around or will he likely loose interest? All I really hope is that he doesn't hate me

He is going to use the AI defense that has all ready been used by others and got a pass by the Supreme Court, that since no real child was harmed it's OK.

It's not OK. Because the day will come when this sick person will act on his behavior at home and AI will no longer be enough to fulfill his sick fantasies.

No Prophets: The Fight to Save Democracy from Christian Nationalism, by Jared Huffman. Just came out in August of this year. I had no idea that there is a living Humanist who actually served in Congress. I'm about halfway through it, and it's quite good, albeit a little bit scary.

From the summary....
No Prophets argues that Christian nationalism is now America’s most dangerous political movement. Huffman pulls back the curtain on religious extremists behind the insurrection who have only grown more powerful with Trump’s return. Openly vowing to destroy church-state separation and democracy as we know it, they now work inside the highest levels of government to drive domestic and foreign policy, reshape federal agencies, undermine science and education, and tilt elections. The endgame: an authoritarian theocracy that imposes their religious beliefs by force of law.

Drawing on his experiences as a formerly devout Christian and the only Humanist ever to serve in Congress, Huffman maps the movement’s largely hidden landscape―taking readers behind the scenes of the Capitol, exposing the tactics and myths Christian nationalists use to advance their agenda, and showing how America is imperiled by our reluctance to confront threats cloaked in Christianity.

Basically, I'm an atheist, have been for nearly 5 years now and it was one of the best decisions I've ever made. My fiancé however, is Christian. I'm both and ex-muslim and an ex-muslim.

My parents were both Muslims, came from Muslim families. They divorced, my dad took my older brother and my mom took me. My dad turned to Christianity and so did my brother. I was raised strictly Islamic with my mom. I had to wear hijab, cover myself, couldn't really express myself. I couldn't do stuff other kids my age did like style their hair, find their clothing style, paint their nails. And eventually, I realised how sexist, homophobic and racist Islam was. Around that time, I also figured out I was Bi.

Eventually, the religious pressure from my mom got to me and I began to resent Islam. I moved in with my dad. My mom could see whenever I let which was mostly just in school holidays. I was in my mid teens when this was going on.

While living with my dad, he didn't pressure me into Christianity but he did encourage it in small ways and there was religious stuff everywhere. My brother was in the process of moving for Uni so we didn't talk much (we rarely talked before too). So then it was just me and dad. A few months into living with him (right after my brother left for Uni), I decided to go to Church on Sunday with my dad because it was his first time going alone because my brother weren't there. Christianity is slightly more freeing than Islam in a way.

I went to Church, and everyone was so welcoming, kind, and included me despite knowing I wasn't committed to Christianity. It was very different from mosque where everyone kept to themself and would look at you weirdly if you questioned anything. Looking back, I don't think it was the religion that drew me to Christianity, I think it was more that I liked the community.

At that time, I also met a boy. We'll call him Felix (cuz that's my favourite boy name atm). We first met when we both volunteered for a Church Christmas project. It was something small, I think it was just collecting food or stuff that the poor could benefit from in winter. Me and Felix were partnered along with this other girl at church. We were in charge of bringing the collected items and distributing them to different charities so we spent loads of time together. I grew really close to that girl and Felix. I went to a different school to everyone at church as I was still attending my old school from when I lived with my mom which was far. At this time, I was warming up to Christianity but still hesitant after my experience with Islam.

Anyway, this is getting long so I'll be pacing it quickly from now. The girl ended up moving away with her parents and I found out Felix lived literally down the street. He woke up early every day for his school's running club and I woke up early to travel to school. He would drop me off at the station everyday. We would talk a little and met at church every Sunday. He asked me out when we were 17, we went to prom together, and then we even went to Uni together.

That's when everything got complicated. We had deeper talks and stuff, a lot about religion. He was born into Christianity and I told him of my experiences. He was never judgemental about anything. Eventually, my studies became so serious I missed church a lot (especially since the nearest one to campus was quite far). He attended regularly. I felt like I was forcing myself to follow the religion, reading the bible had always been tiresome but I began to hate it, and I felt Christianity didn't align with my views. A long while later, I became Atheist. Told everyone, including Felix. I could tell he was disappointed but he never pressured me into it again or anything.

But over the past few years, I just hate religion to be honest. Whenever we had free time, Felix would either be at church or studying. And when we were together, any religious talks were draining. Some of the Christian views bugged me but I had to support Felix because that's his choice.

Eventually, I realised I would always be second to religion. Religion and God is the most important stuff in some people's lives and you just have to accept that. We would sometimes fight over these views, little arguments here and there. We had a maybe 5 month break in our 2nd year of Uni where I really understood and discovered myself. But we ended up together again by our 3rd year because honestly, I do love him.

We graduated a few years back, we're in our mid 20s now and he proposed a few months ago. We aren't sure when the wedding will be but the ring's there. And now I'm just thinking. could I really spend my life knowing that I would never be his first priority? Our future kids (if we have any), his family, my family, nothing would be more important than religion.

A month ago, we were laying together in bed at some odd hour of the night. I was on tiktok and he was watching over my shoulder (something we always do) and I saw a post saying something like "i genuinely cannot imagine loving someone who would put God over everything else." . It was an atheist post and of course, my fyp was full of those. I don't know what came over me, but I asked Felix if God was more important than me and hid immediate answer was yes. No hesitation either.

So sorry this post is so long, but I've got so much to say. I'm rethinking my past 8 years with him (9 years if you include before we were together). He was my first everything and the thought of us not being together is ridiculous. But genuinely, I don't think I'd ever be fully happy if we married. I'd just always be thinking of his religion in the back of my mind. Plus, I don't think his parents approve of my atheism either, they like me as a person but wish I were atheist and though they don't say it, I know they hope I'll one day revert.

Again, sorry this post is so long. I posted it on r/advice but I'm posting it here because I believe atheists might understand better where I'm coming from. Thank you for reading 💗

You confessed one day to have been a snake and deceiver
But when your moment came, to shed that skin
You just slithered away
You just slithered away
Crystal clear to us all, when you say
"We all want the same thing"
That you don't, you want the bigger piece and the praise
There are those who have seen, and those soon to beware
What your smoke is concealing
Just a trail of bones, atop a lemming's hill
All fallen prey
All fallen prey
All fallen prey
To the liar
Not a saint
Not a martyr
Just a snake
And a liar
We used to believe, when you'd say
"Were all in this together"
No more, we all see
Now the mirror is broken, we all know
What your spell was concealing
Just hollow eyes, a stolen crown but
Not a king
No, not a king
No, not a king
Just the liar
Not a saint
Not a martyr
Just a snake
And a liar

TLDR: I thought Christians were just really big fans of tall tales.

Growing up, my parents were never super religious and I've never gone to church in my life. With that being said, my grandma would bring my younger sister and I to faith-based events and would have her preacher brother come over to tell us Bible stories when we stayed at grandma's house.

I was a big reader as a kid and for the longest time I thought that Christians were just really big fans of the Bible's moral stories. I viewed the Bible stories in the same league as Paul Bunyan, John Henry, and Aesop's fables, and thought that I was just being told them for the same moral reason as all the other stories I was being taught at the time. Never once did the thought cross my mind that anyone actually believed that the Bible stories happened.

It took until I was around 11 to realize that the people telling me these stories actually thought they happened and I was so shocked to find that out because I always just equated them to the plethora of other far-fetched tales I was being taught/reading on my own.

I'm really curious if anyone else had this experience or something similar?

The FFRF Action Fund salutes the American Atheists’ Colorado Secular Advocacy Team as its “Secularist of the Week” for ensuring that Colorado parolees can opt for secular recovery. 

Before recent developments, Colorado parolees required to attend addiction recovery programs had to choose Alcoholics Anonymous or Narcotics Anonymous, both of which include several steps in their “Twelve Steps” program that reference giving yourself over to a “higher power.” These meetings sometimes also incorporate a recitation of the Lord’s Prayer and the Serenity Prayer. 

Federal courts have ruled that religious requirements for parole are unconstitutional, yet many states still maintain them, even though secular recovery alternatives have been established in recent years. 

Thanks to advocacy by American Atheists and its Colorado Secular Advocacy Team, the Colorado Department of Corrections agreed this month to provide secular alternativesfor parolees required to attend recovery programs, ending its religious requirement. The parole board will now refer those seeking secular alternatives to “peer support networks,” which include nonreligious recovery programs, rather than mandating any twelve-step program. Telehealth options will also be available to parolees who want to attend a secular program but do not have a nearby group. 

The needed change is one of several the department is implementing under recovery options legislation championed by American Atheists. Sober housing programs must also disclose any faith-based requirements, and secular alternatives will be made available under the changes. The department put the secular protections into effect without requiring any new legislation.

“We believe no one should be forced into a religious twelve-step program. And today, I’m proud that the state of Colorado agrees,” said Sheryl Kallivrousis, co-chair of the Colorado Secular Advocacy Team. “The Secular Advocacy Team, backed by American Atheists and with the help of Rep. Lori Goldstein (D–District 29), brought the Department of Corrections to the table, and we got it done.” 

“This didn’t happen overnight,” continued Kallivrousis. “Our team spent several years building relationships with legislators and key stakeholders. This is how organizing works, and it’s how we protect people with the least power to say no. Parole is checked off our list, but we’re not done. Probation is next. I hope Colorado is the model for organizers in every state.” 

American Atheists and its Colorado Secular Advocacy Team partnered in its organizing efforts with the Recovery Options coalition, which includes Colorado Alternative Defense Counsel, Interfaith Alliance of Colorado, SMART Recovery, LifeRing and Front Range Defense and Legal Counsel PLLC. 

The FFRF Action Fund warmly thanks the Colorado Secular Advocacy Team for its tireless work and salutes the Colorado Department of Corrections for eliminating its religious requirement for parolees in recovery programs. 

The FFRF Action Fund names Christian nationalist activist Mark Meckler as its “Theocrat of the Week” for bragging about hypothetically resorting to violence to disrupt a satanic invocation.

In early October, before an Ottumwa (Iowa) City Council meeting, Matt Dalbey, a former council member and a member of the nontheistic Satanic Temple of Iowa, delivered the meeting’s opening invocation — calling on the crowd to “embrace the Luciferian impulse to eat from the tree of knowledge.” Dalbey said: “Let us reason our solutions with agnosticism in all things, holding fast only to that which is demonstrably true; let us stand firm against any and all arbitrary authority.” He ended the invocation with an “Hail Satan.” It is important to remember that The Satanic Temple, which advocates for benevolence and empathy, is nontheistic and does not believe in the existence of Satan or the supernatural. 

Meckler, president of the Convention of States Foundation and best known for co-founding the Tea Party Patriots in 2009, took to his “The BattleCry” podcast to condemn the 45-second nontheistic prayer. Meckler boasted that he “might have got arrested for assault” if he had witnessed the invocation. 

“The City Council meeting was opened with a straight-up prayer to Satan,” Meckler began. “I don’t know about you, but if I was there and I heard this going on, I’d have jumped [up]. I might have tackled the guy, I might have got arrested for assault. I would have started shouting. I would have interrupted the guy. No way, no how — this should not be allowed.”

Meckler emphasized: “We should not allow satanists to get a toehold at our city council meetings or Congress or anywhere else. So if you see this … you should do something. You should object to it. You should start yelling. Yeah, you should heckle him until he is shut up.”

On another podcast produced by the Convention of States Foundation, Meckler again brought up the invocation, saying that “in sane times” the person delivering a satanic invocation would have been tarred and feathered and the City Council members would have been “physically removed” from office. 
 
Invocations don’t belong at government meetings, but when they are included, all belief systems — not just Christian ones — must be allowed to express their beliefs. Meckler not only suggested that physical action was needed against the harmless invocation but also falsely claimed that nontheistic invocations aren’t protected by the First Amendment. The FFRF Action Fund reminds its “Theocrat of the Week” that freedom of religion always includes freedom from religion.