AIBU to not believe in God/Religion

My husband was diagnosed with a malignant brain tumour when he was in his early 20s and our DD suffered a perinatal stroke. I think when these things happen to you it is very, very difficult to imagine there is a higher power. I was christened as a child but have never followed a religion.

Life can just be shit. But we get up, dust ourselves off and carry on. I do realise this may not be the healthiest way to deal with things but it's what works for us! X

@Lollylucyclark101

She got really upset and the interaction ended quite badly.... with her insinuating that I was calling her faith lies (I didn't!) and me furious for being called a bad person because I didn't have a faith.
Well she is right about one thing, her faith is lies😁. Mormonism is nonsense on stilts founded by a conman, with a so called 'scripture' plagiarized from other writings and the king James bible.

There is absolutely no reason why you should believe in any god or goddess.

My life as a complete non-believer ticks along very nicely. Sometimes in the interests of tolerance I smile and nod, but inside I'm thinking - are you really that brainwashed?

There are countless gods and goddesses, I have no idea how people get fixated on any particular one.

I tend to view it all as dodgy businesses. Big God, or something like that.

I dont believe in a god either. Its a ridiculous notion logically. I don't feel the slightest guilt (i was brought up in a religious family)

I have never had any meaningful exposure to religion. My parents weren’t religious, I wasn’t christened. None of my extended family were either.

My DH also has no interest in religion and our DS isn’t christened.

I’ve never attended a church service.

I tend to have a very factual almost scientific based view of life so religion is of no interest to me.

If others get some comfort from it then good luck to them however I really don’t see the point of it all. As an outsider it’s also quite hard not to see far more negatives than positives about religion. I guess that is mainly because good stuff about religion isn’t really newsworthy whereas religious based wars tend to be.

I wouldn’t notice if all religion disappeared overnight.

That was a pretty silly thing for her to do if she wasn't going to accept your answer and it's probably a subject best avoided in future

I've every respect for individual beliefs but not for those who try to force them upon others, and unfortunately some can get a bit like this - especially if they've spent a lifetime being indoctrinated and even more so if the religion's one of the more dogmatic variety

She really doesn't get to tell you you're a "bad person" for going another way though, and I'd be telling her that straight

It’s all made up to make people feel better about their lives and to try and explain the unknown. I was raised a Christian and after everything that’s happened to me and my family we turned our backs. It’s all made up. If there was a genuine god then the world wouldn’t be the way it is now.

It means that if someone wants to start an argument with you ie about religion, you end the discussion and walk away. You don't have to argue with someone.

Op I was raised Catholic and whilst I like the stories and morals I am not a believer at all.

However I think your thought process is narrow. I don't not believe in god because someone said something silly/down right atrocious re your sister.
I don't believe because it's not real like father Christmas. Everything else like all these comments is just the crap that comes with it.

I too was raised a Catholic, went through the who indoctrination, but quickly realised that the religion wasn’t very good for women, and that believing the literal word of the bible is the definition of anti science!

on Saturday a ‘Christian’ in my local town was preaching alongside a banner that was offensively homophobic! I shouted that what he was doing was disgusting!

I long ago realised that religion wasn’t for me, I consider myself a Humanist, and believe in equality and respect, most religions are misogynistic and homophobic, and in my option are not relevant in today’s society!

I therefore have never baptised my own children, even though there would have been an advantage for local schools, and have raised them away from religion and alls its dogma!

YANBU

I don't think anyone truly secure in their 'faith' would have reacted as she did. You hit a nerve.

YANBU, she brought religion into the conversation and then kicked off when she didn't like what you were saying.

IMO, freedom of religion should include freedom from religion.

It's hardly an unusual or controversial opinion

It drives me up the fucking wall how we're all supposed to tolerate it in the name of religious freedom. Fuck that.

It's poison.

Ohhhh but some of the nicest people I know are (insert religious nonsense here)...

And? You don't need religion to be a nice person.

I long for a secular world with no male bullshit.

Of course it’s made up. There are so many gods and religions. You don’t believe in her Mormon god but she on the other hand doesn’t believe in the hundreds of other gods people pray to around the world. So you just believe in one less god than her.

@offyoujollywelltrot pretty much exactly how I feel about it. Starts wars, burns women at the stake and keeps the poor down.

Yeah, in that case I think she was being really unreasonable to ask such a personal question of someone she hadn't seen for so long, and you weren't being unreasonable at all to tell the truth about your faith or lack thereof. She sounds really rude.

If it matters, I say this as a practising Catholic with kids at a Catholic school (though not all the children at the school are baptised). I don't even know which of the kids my son is friends with come from religious families, apart from the ones I see at church sometimes. I wouldn't ever ask like that.

You don't have to turn up to every argument you're invited to.

Religion is nothing but patriarchal bullshit designed to control. I want nothing to do with it, and wish we didn't have to pander to any of it. It's grooming.

i had a simple Sunday School type faith, Christened and married in church. Religion has inspired great art, given opportunity for charity purpose and, community to people but is ultimately about control. We have science now and free thought. Look at all the ridiculous wars caused by different interpretations of religious positions. Check out Stephen Fry’s opinion of God. Having seen strokes rob the sight from a surgeon and a fine teacher, and my own family member suffering from lack of mobility I agree with him.

Believe what you like. Accord other people the same courtesy.

She got really upset and the interaction ended quite badly.... with her insinuating that I was calling her faith lies (I didn't!) and me furious for being called a bad person because I didn't have a faith.

SheIBU, YANBU.

I believe, you don't. That's fine. I have no more right to call you a bad person for not believing, then you have to call my faith lies. (Which I wouldn't, and you didn't.)

Some people, having had your tough experiences, might find faith helps them cope. Others, like you, might find these experiences destroy their faith. Neither is right and neither is wrong.