Are Suicide Bombings Fueling Atheism

And jubal, I think that you definetly have the best perspective on your spirituality, If someone believes in god or their higher power, they don't need to have a book, written by humans, to tell them how to live. Don't you think that more people would be more open to god and spirituality if there was soooo many people who want you to be this type of christian, or that type of catholic. If there is a god, don't you think he would be happy just knowing of your love, I defintely find that is an easier approach to believe.

As an atheist myself what drives me away from religion and god or gods or allah, IS RELIGION! Organized religion has caused so many problems of this world. Not just today, but pretty much since organized religion has come about. Does anyone remember the 100 Year War, (aka: The Crusades) or people like King Henry the eighth killing his own people due to religion, or the Spanish conquests of South America. Religion itself has caused some of the world biggest issues and wars, ask Bosnia, as the Jews of World War II, so much blood is constantly shed in the name of this god or that god. If you don't even want to look back in history, ask people of Israel and Palastine. I myself just can't understand anymore why anyone would want to commit so fully to a set of "beliefs" that it causes wars and killings. And if there is a god, do you think he would really want to be worshipped in this way? I choose to be an atheist and I am proud of the fact! And it was never suicide bombings or some dark past, I grew up in a Catholic/Jewish household, it is that fact that when people have beliefs that are strong enough to kill and die for, they usually do!

Marilynn, thank you so much. It really has been a journey but I am so glad to be where I am today. It really feels good to live a life with no shame.

Fearless by choice

Fearless can't be controlled or manipulated

Fear is the mind killer

so many tangents, so little time.. the main point that is worth making is that these are completely different issues..

from what i have understood, the word "religion" comes from greek origin.. broken down as something like "re" = to have + "legion" = something connected to..

as human beings, we are all connected to something.. its the definitions and interpretations that tend to goof things up..

according to the greek definition, we all have a religion.. whether we admit it or not.. if one calls himself an atheist because he does not believe in "god" and bases his attitude and way of life on such notions, then that paradigm in and of itself would qualify as his religion..

these days, there are people who seem to think that fear and brute force are sufficient to achieve a proper order.. religious interpretations are twisted to justify such actions.. unfortunately, a lot of people are incapable of looking beyond the labels.. they make a huge mistake in defining a religion by its followers.. they witness wicked or unjust actions that are often based upon misguided interpretations or outright manipulation.. tack on the fact that you have such people who miss the point on more than one side of multiple issues and you have yourself a lot of ugly behavior.. for some of us, the innate aversion to such behavior is tagged to the religion as a whole and before long.. many people find themselves functioning more comfortably and with a clearer conscious by no longer claiming such associations..

i thought your question a little strange as to whether there are more nonbelievers verse believers.. true belief is based on something higher than the actions of others.. faith that is lost as a result of other people missing the point.. appears to have been faith that was misplaced to begin with..

let the beauty we love be what we do.. there are hundreds of ways to kneel and kiss the ground.. - rumi

jubal, You have been the full route of freaky religions and in your search finally found the one that counts. That that is inside you. Congratulations.

I was raised Catholic and I even served as an alter boy and a lectur.

I have always been what people have called a "very spriitual person" but from my perspective, I remember just loving everybody and showing them how much I loved them by listening to them and loving them; showering them with affection and warmth. Catholicism confused me by teaching me conflicting ideas. One one hand we were told to love, forgive (70x7 times) show mercy, kindness, long suffering, etc. On the other hand I was being told about all the bad people who will burn in hell for masturbating, for having pre-marital sex, for having same-sex sexual unions, etc.

I saw many hypocrisies in the Church, and when I went to High School I was taught by the Jesuits. They opened my eys to the hypocrisies of the Church and they were responsible for me falling away from Catholicism. I was also heavily influenced in my teens by my mother who was a practicing Protestant (Baptist). I have been beaten over the head with the Bible, over and over again until I finally could not take it any more and I became a Jehovah's Witness. This was the straw that broke this camel's back.

Once I was disfellowshipped by the JW's I fell into a terrible depression and I became an athiest for a period of time. Then I was diagnosed with HIV/AIDS and this completely turned my reality on it's head. I started to get involved with 12 step programs and I eventually found that I still believed in God or Higher Power but I could no longer support organized religions.

In my opinion, questioning and being a critical thinker; if there is a God, this is what he wants for all of us. He/she/it does not want automatons, if this were true, the planet would only be populated by animals and robots. There would be no art, there would be no literature, there would be science. We are not just created in God's image, we are Gods with free will to do as we please. We are only subject to natural laws.

Fear is what motivates us to have laws to keep other free will agents from treading on our free will. We create laws to punish those who do not conform to what the group in control has agreed to all accept.

Honestly, what has caused me to become an "un-believer" frankly is the senseless violence in the name of God that is continuously being perpetrated against humanity.

RELIGION = SLAVERY PERIOD!!!!

SPIRITUALITY = FREEDOM

Spirituality equal freedom because spirituality is internally defined and is illuminated by the God within the person, not from some book created by humans.

We Catholics might go away from church but we keep a God. I wonder if it's fear? ........%D

as for myself, I began stepping away from my Catholic upbringing at a very young age. So much of what I was hearing on Sunday mornings made me very angry. I have never stopped believing in some "god" energy or however one wants to call it. But Relegion is not for me. I have faith and spirituality. No Religion for me. What I see going on around the world in the name of Religion has only served to back up my reasons for my own spirituality.

I do not necessarily believe that religion itself is the reason that some people are becoming atheists. I think that the problem lies within how some religious people try to push their religion and religious beliefs upon others. With some religious folks, the concept has even reached the extreme of "you're either with me or against me". This concept has been showing up and disappearing within religions for centuries, but being a reoccurring event does not mean it is a good thing.

I think religion it's self is the reason people become atheists.