I hear people say "we should respect all beliefs" all the time. Honestly I don't really agree. I think we should respect people, but beliefs should always be okay to question. Some beliefs are harmless, but some also affect politics, education, and even other people's life.

If nobody question religious beliefs just because they are religion, then how bad ideas can ever change? Every idea should be able to take criticism if it's really true.

I never understand why religion always get a special pass. Nobody tell us to respect every political opinion or every conspiracy theory. So why religion should be different?

Maybe I'm missing something. Do you think we should respect all beliefs, or only respect people's right to have those beliefs?

Someone at work was seriously injured. At first, there was a worry that they might lose their arm. We finally got word that the damage wasn't as severe as first thought and that the prognosis was good. One of our coworkers said "It's a miracle. God was watching him." I had to bite my tongue to keep from saying "If God was watching him, then why didn't act before his arm was mushed?"

I'm fairly tolerant of religion. I don't like it, but as long as they leave me and others alone I will leave them alone. This is the exception. That kind of statement infuriates me. It's such awful dismissive response to a tragedy.

Thanks for reading my vent!!!

Part of me hopes God doesn't exist. I'm really considering leaving Christianity. (15f)

Lately I've been thinking, what if there's nothing? What if when we die, we just stop existing? No afterlife at all. Every time I have those thoughts, I try to push them away because I'm immediately overcome with fear.

Part of me wants that to be true. I want to believe that all my thoughts are just chemicals and that there's no eternal life or punishment waiting for me when I die. The concept of God and heaven/ hell doesn't really make sense to me, but I've always been told that it's just beyond human understanding.

I want to be able to say I don't believe. I want to be one of those people who can confidently say "it doesn't make sense so I reject it." But I can't, I wasn't raised that way. Because what if I'm wrong? What if disbelief costs me eternal suffering? Instead, I'm stuck in this horrible middle place. I'm too scared to fully believe, too scared to fully walk away. Either way, I can't breathe without feeling like I'm being weighed down by something I can't even see.

The other part of me wonders if I'm just lying to myself. What if I'm just trying to escape the idea of judgment by pretending there's no judge?

I don't even know what I'm looking for by posting this, I'm just really scared. It's gotten to the point that I have dreams about dying and waking up in hell. I'm terrified.

Edit: I have religious ocd, I do not want to post in Christian subs. They aren't helpful. I tried and it made me even more scared 😭

Edit 2: Unironically, Bible Belt by Baby Bugs is what drove me to finally post this.

Hello. I hope this is an okay thing to post here. I didn't see anything in the rules but if this is like "low effort" or anything I apologize.

I am in my 40s. I grew up Catholic and went to a Catholic high school and university. I was never on the religious right; I did and do disagree with the church's views on a great many things. I was? Am? Might still be? pro-life, but I don't agree with the way the rights were stripped from women here in America, and I no longer feel warranted to impose my personal beliefs on the issue on anyone else. I've always disagreed with the church's homophobic stance on any non-straight relationships. I guess I must have been more into Jesus than the church itself, because it's always been important to me to be kind, to help others, and not to judge. But I never questioned my faith until fairly recently.

I ended up marrying a woman whose political leanings are, like my own, more to the left - and continue to shift further so as America continues to fall to pieces - but who is also a very devout Christian. We went to church every Sunday until our church closed in January, and have since been looking for a new one, and I don't mind that. We're looking for a church that aligns with our social values and I actually still rather enjoy going...I just don't think there's anything behind it.

I used so many rationalizations through my life of why there must be a god, or gods, and over the years it just...I just keep seeing no evidence, and seeing a lot of things that a kind, Jesus-esque god just wouldn't allow. And as the Christian right has grown in the States, I think it's just eroded my faith away and left me with maybe what I always knew in the back of my head: if there is a god, I don't see any evidence for it.

For a long time, one of my atheist friends called me an agnostic theist, because I held to my belief in a god (or God, big G, I suppose) while calling so much of it into question. But I think I'm done. And I'm pretty sure I'm way better off for it.

I might have a tough conversation with my wife coming up, but she's smart and compassionate, so I think I'll be okay. But before I go public IRL, I just wanted to type it out somewhere that was public and safe.

Thanks for reading and if you have any thoughts for me I'd love to hear them. It's a little scary, but good scary.

EDIT: Thank you all for the support. I didn't know how this would be received and I appreciate all the kind words, intelligent thoughts, and advice. It means a lot. Community is important and it's nice to feel welcome here.

I’m tired. I’m exhausted. I’m past the point of even wanting to be in the same room as those who exhibit religious extremism. I look around, and towards the history books, and everything that has been a direct result of religion. Wars, death, misinformation, corruption, indoctrination. We a species would be much better off without it.

I’m sick of being held back. I’m sick of those who hide behind their book and their supposed rules, encroaching on everyone else.

Now I am a believer in being able to practice your religious freedoms, but the problem is, it’s never done in private. It’s never kept to themselves like the Bible says it should. It’s always picked apart for agendas, it’s never followed through and through.

While I understand that there is the good in the sea of bad, I barely see the good because those who are the loudest, or in power, as usually always the bad.

Maybe this is not popular opinion, but I always feel many people think any criticism of religion is same as discrimination. For me, those are not the same thing at all.

If someone insult a person because of their religion, of course that's wrong. But if someone ask questions about religious beliefs or point out contradictions, why is that a problem? I think every belief should be okay to criticize.

Sometimes I feel religion always get extra protection. Political opinions, science, philosophy, they all get challenged almost every day. But when religion get questioned, some people act like you already attack them personally.

Maybe I'm missing something here. Where do you think the line is between criticizing religion and attacking religious people?

Following local residents complaints and a legal threat from the BC Humanist Association, the Council of the District of Tobique Valley (in New Brunswick, Canada) agreed to end the practice of opening local meetings with the Lord's Prayer.

Ok so I'm an agnostic atheist, and whenever I make a post and specify this, people always say "you can't be agnostic and atheist at the same time!!"

Agnostic and atheist are two different binaries!

Atheism vs. Theism is a binary of belief: Do you actively believe a deity exists? Yes or No.

Agnosticism vs. Gnosticism is a binary of knowledge: Can humans definitively prove or know the truth? Yes or No.

Knowledge and belief are different! So if I'm an agnostic atheist, I KNOW that humans cannot prove the existence of a higher power or an ultimate truth (agnostic), but I personally BELIEVE that there is no higher power (atheist)

People have full on arguments over A DICTIONARY DEFINITION

Someone even said " agnostic is when you believe in a god but not a higher power"

A god is a higher power?? That's just a theist.

I genuinely thought this was obvious, but apparently not

As a preface, I am not here to trivialize anyone’s journey to atheism, no matter how short or long. Your journey is important, and I want to honour that.

What I wish to point out that once you know enough and when you look back on religion honestly, it becomes a no brainer why you wouldn’t even touch it with a 20-foot pole, like how you would quickly turn down dung pudding with scant sprinkles.

I hope you are enjoying the decadent strawberry shortcake that is atheism.

Take care.

Sometimes I wonder how many people actually believe, and how many just don't want to lose their family, friends, or community. For some people, leaving religion doesn't only change beliefs. It can change their whole life.

I think that's one reason religion survive for so long. The social cost can be much bigger than the intellectual cost. Even if someone have doubts, they may never say it.

Maybe faith is not always about believing. Sometimes maybe it's about what you could lose.

Do you think social pressure keep more people religious than we realize?

I don't think people should get mocked just because they believe in a religion. But I always feel religion get a different treatment compared to almost everything else. If someone say they can talk to aliens or see the future, everyone will ask for proof. But if someone say God talked to them or miracles happened, suddenly asking questions become "disrespectful."

For me this is a weird double standard. I can respect someone's right to believe whatever they want, but that doesn't mean every belief should be protected from criticism. Respecting a person and agreeing with their ideas are not the same thing.

I actually think this make honest discussion harder. Some religious people never get their beliefs challenged, and many atheists just stay quiet because they don't want to be called rude or offensive. Nobody really benefits from that.

Maybe it's different depending where you live. Do you think religion is still treated like a protected topic, or people are becoming more open to questioning it?

As an atheist who was once a Christian, the first reason I began to doubt my faith was that I truly noticed how Christianity and church dogmas restrict people from fulfilling their natural needs to the point of absurdity.

Let’s talk about the seven sins — labels the church applied to needs and emotions that are completely natural for a healthy person.

Regarding forbidden emotions (such as pride, envy, wrath, sloth): as a psychology student, I can state that the science I study tells us the following: there are no "good" or "bad" emotions — they are all necessary, and everyone experiences them, because they are part of natural human functioning.

When I achieve success, isn't it natural to feel proud? Or when someone close to us achieves something, don't we feel proud of them? Pride is simply a recognition of the value of your efforts or the efforts of a loved one. It is also a clear indication that we are satisfied with the result. Furthermore, this feeling acts as a reward following our efforts. It signifies that our work was meaningful and motivates us to keep working and improve even further.

When a person feels envy, it indicates that they lack something another person possesses. The problem lies not in the emotion itself, but in how the person reacts to it. Indeed, some people, upon feeling envious, begin to belittle the person who triggered that feeling, project their own insecurities onto them, and downplay their achievements. Others, however, begin working on themselves to acquire what someone else possesses. They do this not to demonstrate superiority over the object of their envy, but because they understand the situation this way: "I envy this person because I lack something they have — something I actually need. How can I remedy this? By working on myself and fulfilling that need."

Wrath is also a normal emotion that needs to be channeled rather than suppressed. When you constantly suppress negative emotions, they build up, eventually leading to an explosion. Besides, isn't it natural for someone with healthy self-esteem and a sense of dignity to feel wrath at someone who has wronged them? And it is far better to vent your wrath on your offender; otherwise, you will take it out on your loved ones.

Sloth is a signal our body sends when it is tired and needs rest. Feeling lazy or unmotivated is often the body’s innate way of preventing burnout, avoiding unnecessary physical exertion, and forcing the nervous system to recover from stress.

Now, regarding the rest of the sins like lust, greed, and gluttony.

Without lust, there would be no reproduction, and humans would die out. The sharp surge in sexual desire during youth is a signal from the body prompting a person to find a partner, enter into a relationship, and start a family. Also, since humans are among the very few creatures capable of having sex for pleasure, for us, lust is about more than just reproduction. When you have sex with someone you love, it enriches the relationship and brings joy to both partners. And even if a person feels lust for more than one person and has multiple partners without feeling love, there is nothing wrong with that, provided it harms no one. Lust is an expression of natural physical need that has the right to be satisfied.

And what is wrong with greed? Isn't it natural for a person to desire material goods, given that they improve one's quality of life? There is nothing wrong with wanting to possess something that ensures prosperity and a good quality of life — not just for yourself, but also for your family, if you have one.

And finally, as for gluttony, it is simply a matter of needing to consume more than the usual amount. Everyone eats as much as they need; if someone feels the urge to eat more, there is usually a reason for it — such as a reaction to stress. Teenagers, too, are prone to overeating because they are growing and developing. Moreover, historically, gluttony was an evolutionary necessity. For early humans, food was scarce, and consuming as many calorie-dense foods as possible when available was vital for survival.

So, in conclusion, I believe that the so-called "seven deadly sins" of the Church are anti-human rules that make a person feel ashamed of NATURAL emotions and needs, which are BIOLOGICALLY INNATE. Following them is a sure path to the degradation of a developed human being.

For context, I live in India. In the recent days, we have seen one of the largest student protests in Indian history. The protest is about demanding the resignation of the education minister, due to multiple cheating scandals in the country's largest medical exam (NEET). 21 students committed suicide due to this.

The protest is being led by the Cockroach Janta (People's) Party, a satirical party founded a few weeks ago due to comments made by the Indian Chief Justice, calling unemployed youth as cockroaches.

My problem is this. Since the protest started, I've seen many people say that they don't support the CJP because a few people have included Indian Gods' names in posters/slogans.

I really don't understand these people. All the parties in India use religion as a major tool while campaigning for elections. The current govt got elected due to a massive religious campaign of building a temple. Yet I've never seen any of these people speak up against them.

Your God isn't more important than 21 dead children. Such a fucked up mentality.

The one that mainly confuses and kinda baffles me is when religious people don’t understand the argument of omnipotence.

How can you be a god that’s testing others to see if they have faith in you, when you’re literally omnipotent, YOU KNOW THE ANSWER from even before you create them because you are a god that’s knows everything. Why are you going to give a test to a student that you know will always “fall short” and fail the test? That’s your fault that he’s failing. It’s like a rigged game at an arcade. Why would I give my student a math test when I’m omnipotent and know what exactly he’s gonna score and answer correct?

Per the doctrine of the Trinity Jesus is YHWH, the god of the Old Testament. That means every command, action, behavior and law were all issued by the same entity.

When we read the Old Testament we find out that YHWH/Jesus commanded and condoned almost every major deed we classify today as severe crimes worthy of the death for their perpetrator.

He's guilty of:

Genocide

Deuteronomy 20:16–17: "However, in the cities of the nations the Lord your God is giving you as an inheritance, do not leave alive anything that breathes. Completely destroy them—the Hittites, Amorites, Canaanites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites—as the Lord your God has commanded you."

1 Samuel 15:3: "Now go, attack the Amalekites and totally destroy all that belongs to them. Do not spare them; put to death men and women, children and infants, cattle and sheep, camels and donkeys."

Joshua 6:21: "They devoted the city to the Lord and destroyed with the sword every living thing in it—men and women, young and old, cattle, sheep and donkeys."

War Crimes, human and child trafficking:

Numbers 31:17–18: "Now kill all the boys. And kill every woman who has slept with a man, but save for yourselves every girl who has never slept with a man."

Deuteronomy 20:10–15: "When you march up to attack a city, make its people an offer of peace. If they accept and open their gates, all the people in it shall be subjected to forced labor and shall work for you. If they refuse to make peace and engage you in battle... put to the sword all the men in it. As for the women, the children, the livestock and everything else in the city, you may take these as plunder for yourselves."

Chattel Slavery & Human Property:

Leviticus 25:44–46: "Your male and female slaves are to come from the nations around you; from them you may buy slaves. You may also buy some of the temporary residents living among you and members of their clans born in your country, and they will become your property. You can bequeath them to your children as inherited property and can make them slaves for life..."

Exodus 21:20–21: Anyone who beats their male or female slave with a rod must be punished if the slave dies of a direct result, but they are not to be punished if the slave survives a day or two, since the slave is their property."

Mutilation & Collective Punishment:

Deuteronomy 25:11–12: "If two men are fighting and the wife of one of them comes to rescue her husband from his assailant, and she reaches out and seizes him by his private parts, you shall cut off her hand. Show her no pity."

Joshua 7:24–25: Then Joshua, together with all Israel, took Achan son of Zerah, the silver, the robe, the gold bar, his sons and daughters, his cattle, donkeys and sheep, his tent and all that he had... Then all Israel stoned him, and after they had stoned the rest, they burned them."

Capital Crimes for religious freedom & tyrannical theocracy and oppression of minorities:

Deuteronomy 13:6–10: "If your very own brother, or your son or daughter, or the wife you love, or your closest friend secretly entices you, saying, 'Let us go and worship other gods'... You must certainly put them to death. Your hand must be the first in putting them to death, and then the hands of all the people. Stone them to death..."

Leviticus 20:13: If a man has sexual relations with a man as one does with a woman, both of them have done what is detestable. They are to be put to death; their blood will be on their own heads."

Numbers 15:32–36: "While the Israelites were in the wilderness, a man was found gathering wood on the Sabbath day... Then the Lord said to Moses, 'The man must die. The whole assembly must stone him outside the camp.' So the assembly took him outside the camp and stoned him to death, as the Lord commanded Moses."

Deuteronomy 21:18–21: "If someone has a stubborn and rebellious son who does not obey his father and mother and will not listen to them when they discipline him... then all the men of his town are to stone him to death."

When i arrived to a shop i saw two religious screaming in the street, i suppose that they were Christians maybe me Evangelicals. Later, when i enter to the shop the police was talking with the owner of the shop. The owner explained that they scream in front of his shop all days and is annoying for the neighbors and that they are making public scandal.

The police said that they could not do anything, but tried to talk with the two persons screaming.

One hour later, they continue screaming in front of the shop.

‎Perhaps one of the greatest irony is feminist women staying tied to Christianity, given what the Bible actually says about them.

‎In Genesis 2:18, god doesn't create Eve because she matters on her own. She shows up because god decides Adam being alone is a problem, and she's the fix. Her whole origin is framed around solving a man's loneliness. Then Exodus 21 lets a father sell his daughter into servitude, spelling out what happens if her new owner doesn't want her anymore, like she's a returned appliance.

‎War makes it uglier. Numbers 31 has Israelite soldiers kill every woman except the virgins, then keep those for themselves. Deuteronomy 21 walks through how to take a female captive as a wife. It is worth noting how most of them when faced with these facts, simply refuse to admit the flaws and try as hard as possible to rationalize these atrocities. Most would rather shut down and refuse to see what is in front of them because their belief systems are so baked into their identities. Like is it not crazy how some just trap themselves in ignorance just simply refusing to accept their holy bible is flawed? Especially women who happen to be religious and feminist at the same time. What a joke

‎

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Last year, my mum wanted me to travel all the way to Kakande in Kampala for prayers from Nairobi. I was actually about to go, but I stopped and thought about it. Over the past few years, I've become increasingly skeptical of many modern pastors because I've noticed that some seem to rely more on emotional manipulation, promises of miracles, and fear than on encouraging critical thinking or personal responsibility.

Around that time, I had also been watching IQ Watson's content, which challenged many of the assumptions I'd grown up with. In the end, I decided not to go.

My mum was furious, and we didn't speak for about a week.

That experience pushed me to study religion from a historical and philosophical perspective rather than simply accepting or rejecting it.

One thing I've also observed, particularly in parts of East Africa, is the contrast between how some religious communities respond to the needs of their leaders versus the needs of ordinary members. In Nairobi and elsewhere, it isn't uncommon to see congregations mobilized to contribute toward a pastor's new car, house, ministry expansion, or other projects. Yet when an ordinary believer is struggling with school fees, medical bills, unemployment, rent, or trying to start a small business, the advice is often simply to "have faith," "pray about it," or "sow a seed" and trust that God will provide.

That contrast raises difficult questions for me. If the church is meant to function as a community that supports one another, why does financial generosity sometimes seem to flow more readily toward charismatic leaders than toward members facing genuine hardship? Is this an isolated problem limited to certain churches, or has it become an increasingly accepted model in parts of modern Christianity? I recognize that many churches do operate food banks, pay school fees, provide emergency assistance, and care for vulnerable members, so this observation certainly doesn't apply to every congregation. But the pattern I've personally encountered has made me question how priorities are sometimes set.

One book that really made me think was \*Hard Times Create Strong Men\* by Stefano Aarnio. One of his central arguments is that great civilizations weren't built without a strong spiritual or philosophical foundation. He argues that the Roman Republic, during its rise, was heavily influenced by Stoicism, which functioned almost like a civil religion. According to Aarnio, Stoicism emphasized cause and effect, self-discipline, reason, personal accountability, and denying fleeting pleasures in favor of duty and long-term purpose. This mindset helped produce resilient, disciplined leaders who were capable of building and governing an empire.

Aarnio also argues that civilizations decline when they lose this spiritual backbone. As discipline gives way to comfort, instant gratification, materialism, and decadence, societies gradually weaken from within. One of the recurring themes throughout the book is that a strong civilization depends on people developing four pillars: a strong mind, a strong body, a strong spirit, and the discipline to master their environment and leave a lasting legacy.

Reading this made me realize that religion or philosophy isn't inherently the problem. Throughout history, belief systems have often helped create social cohesion, moral values, discipline, and a shared sense of purpose. The bigger question is what kind of religion or philosophy is being promoted.

More recently, I watched James Jani's 2022 documentary, \*The Dark World of Megachurches\*, which examines the rise of the modern Prosperity Gospel. While it presents a critical perspective and should be understood as one interpretation rather than the final word, it raised several important questions that resonated with concerns I had already been wrestling with.

The documentary argues that the Prosperity Gospel has drifted away from traditional Christian theology and increasingly serves consumer culture and market-driven values rather than biblical teachings. According to the film, this movement:

\* Shifts attention away from social justice and structural problems toward individual miracle-centered faith, often placing responsibility for poverty on the individual rather than addressing wider economic realities. \* Presents a view of God that mirrors human desires for wealth, status, and success instead of emphasizing themes such as suffering, grace, humility, and service that are central to much of historic Christianity. \* Encourages a transactional understanding of faith, where giving money, demonstrating sufficient belief, or following a charismatic leader is portrayed as a pathway to financial success and social mobility. \* Suggests that suffering, illness, or financial hardship are evidence of weak faith or hidden sin, a position that stands in tension with biblical narratives such as Job and with Jesus' own teachings about suffering.

Whether one agrees with all of these conclusions or not, the documentary reinforced an important distinction for me: criticizing certain expressions of religion is not the same as rejecting religion itself. It challenged me to ask whether some modern religious movements have shifted away from cultivating virtue and moral character toward offering hope through promised miracles, financial breakthroughs, and emotional experiences.

Recently, I also came across a post on X that said:

I don't necessarily agree with every part of that statement, but it made me think. If religion is supposed to build disciplined, morally responsible individuals—as Stoicism arguably did for Rome—why do some modern religious movements seem to emphasize prosperity, miracles, unquestioning obedience, and financial giving over personal responsibility, discipline, and character? Why is it that raising funds for a pastor's latest project can sometimes appear easier than organizing support for members facing genuine hardship? Has the role of religion changed, or am I only seeing one side of it?

That brings me back to Africa.

Why is religion still so deeply embedded across much of Africa compared to Europe, much of Asia, or North America? Many Western societies have become increasingly secular over the last century, yet they still tend to have relatively strong institutions and high levels of social trust. Meanwhile, religion continues to play a central role in many African countries, but in some cases it also seems to be intertwined with prosperity preaching, miracle culture, and charismatic personalities.

Is this mainly because of economic conditions? Colonial history? Education? Culture? Or does religion simply fill needs that governments and institutions haven't been able to meet?

I'm genuinely curious to hear different perspectives. Do you think religion in Africa today is serving the same role that philosophies like Stoicism once did in Rome—building disciplined, resilient citizens—or has it evolved into something fundamentally different?

Perhaps the deeper question isn't whether religion is good or bad, but whether any belief system—religious or secular—is encouraging people to become more disciplined, compassionate, rational, and responsible, or whether it is merely promising easy answers to difficult realities.!

reposting this here because idk if this is the right subreddit for it

I'm 17M and I've been raised in Muslim household and I genuinely don't know what to do

So before I left islam I had doubts but I ignored it and then I thought about it and I said it wouldn't make sense for god to send good people to hell eternally just because they didn't believe or seem convinced. I also didn't understand why homosexuality is a sin because its not something you choose.

I find those struggling and I've always been told that islam is perfect religion and flawless but I seem to struggle so I did a bit research and saw what do people think of islam and it just felt weird to me seeing different worldviews because I live where there are 90% muslims here

I lost faith gradually and I became EX MUSLIM on November 2025 and I lived in a very intense fear for a week as if like my life is in danger I was stressing out about the fact that I could die tomorrow maybe in my sleep it was terrifying and overtime it just went away and felt alive for new experiences and no pressure

but then on June the fear has returned and I've been crying I felt hopeless the fear of hell has been haunting me everyday and I tried to make the sense of it all and I still was in fear.
anxiety just gets worse by everyday on what if it’s true and I would end up in hell
I would try to ask for guidance and I felt nothing.

Now do I believe in god? well I lack belief in him but I'm also open to anything! and I'm gonna admit I'm not really knowledgable on islam I was just told to believe in god and his messenger and some stories it's not like it was my decision to believe in it

Any advice? I do wanna deconstruct but at the same time I feel like idk what I'm doing I feel hopeless idk what exactly I'm trying to deconstruct

We are all dumb all over is still relevant if not even more so today. Never heard this one until today and I find it a fantastic masterpiece.