Discussion I need god(s)

[Haematemesis]

I've been an atheist for years, prior to that I was a muslim because of my upbringing.

Being an atheist felt so emancipating in the beginning. However after some time it left me in void by myself.

I know that if my life was better and I had people who could support me, I would be content with being an atheist.

But I don't have any of those so I seriously think about becoming a polytheist. It's not as strict as the Abrahamic religions and you have a feeling of not being alone. I can't become a muslim or a christian because I see them as highly problematic.

Is there any pagan here? Could you please talk about your experiences?

 

[Praestat_Mori]

Whatever you believe in is your own decision. I think what you describe - you seems to "search" for a god to "help you" going through your life - was the main reason why mankind invented religions.

Believe in whatever you want to believe and pray to a god that you create for yourself. All religions and gods are only a creation of human fantasy to cope with life.

This is my personal opinion. Everyone is free to believe in whatever they want.

 

[Haematemesis]

Whatever you believe in is your own decision. I think what you describe - you seems to "search" for a god to "help you" going through your life - was the main reason why mankind invented religions.

Believe in whatever you want to believe and pray to a god that you create for yourself. All religions and gods are only a creation of human fantasy to cope with life.

This is my personal opinion. Everyone is free to believe in whatever they want.

I think believing in a religion is irrational but... I'd rather be a happy fool than to be a sad philosopher.

 

[InTheStars]

I don't see any pagan god or religion has documented miracles. Christianity has so many, Mary apparitions, Eucharist miracles, Shroud of Turin...why don't you search those topics on YouTube.

 

[Mr. Snrub]

I think believing in a religion is irrational but... I'd rather be a happy fool than to be a sad philosopher.

Can you really make yourself believe in something like that though? There's lots of stuff I'd like to believe but I can't just decide to start believing.

 

[Haematemesis]

Can you really make yourself believe in something like that though? There's lots of stuff I'd like to believe but I can't just decide to start believing.

Honestly I'm not sure. I think I will just fake it til I make it!

It will be an experiment, if it works my mental health will get better. If it doesn't work I will go back to being an atheist.

 

[Mr. Snrub]

Honestly I'm not sure. I think I will just fake it til I make it!

It will be an experiment, if it works my mental health will get better. If it doesn't work I will go back to being an atheist.

Well good luck with the experiment then.

What about pantheism? It's got some philosophical grounding and I think it makes more intuitive sense than hard polytheism. It could also be thought of as the natural conclusion of polytheism.

Love the profile pic

 

[Hystearical]

I don't think that kind of faith will actually be comforting if there is no true conviction and that's something you can't really manufacture.

 

[Haematemesis]

Well good luck with the experiment then.

What about pantheism? It's got some philosophical grounding and I think it makes more intuitive sense than hard polytheism. It could also be thought of as the natural conclusion of polytheism.

Love the profile pic

I've never tried getting into pantheism but it feels too abstract for me. I need gods to pray and some cute rituals to comfort myself, that's it.

Thanks, I love Mgla

 

[Mr. Snrub]

I've never tried getting into pantheism but it feels too abstract for me. I need gods to pray and some cute rituals to comfort myself, that's it.

Thanks, I love Mgla

Understandable! I don't get anything out of it either tbh I just feel like it's one of the more palatable ideas about God. You don't even have to like the bastard.

Great taste

 

[MicahBell]

I've been an atheist for years, prior to that I was a muslim because of my upbringing.

Being an atheist felt so emancipating in the beginning. However after some time it left me in void by myself.

I know that if my life was better and I had people who could support me, I would be content with being an atheist.

But I don't have any of those so I seriously think about becoming a polytheist. It's not as strict as the Abrahamic religions and you have a feeling of not being alone. I can't become a muslim or a christian because I see them as highly problematic.

Is there any pagan here? Could you please talk about your experiences?

Not really a god, but a spirit. personally i make offerings to asgaya gigagei and its felt comforting. to me his presence feels kind of like an older brother

 

[telekon]

I don't know if I would call myself pagan, but I do believe in many gods. It started after a schizoaffective episode in 2016 when I started to believe the world was ending. Was a pretty devout Christian for many years.

I now see Jesus as a reincarnation of previous Gods, i.e., Amen Ra, and Mary and the other Bible characters as reincarnations of previous characters in Ancient stories that are written in the pyramids.

When I moved into the place I'm living now and became very focused on my job, I lost a lot of my spirituality. This place feels so spiritually dead and I am very alone, however I barely meditate anymore or try and connect with God either. Religion was never to feel less lonely — I genuinely felt powers working in my life when I was a more spiritual man and it made me feel amazing. I always say I'm going to go back to being how I was, but never do, and I know I should because it gave me a zeal for living.

 

[GhostgirlWannadie]

I've started feeling more spiritual lately but I'm not sure if I'd call it a religion. It's definitely helped me with a lot of ugly thoughts and generally made me feel a lot more positive but I guess not having the level of organization that religions have makes it harder for me to actually get into it since the spiritual connection I feel isn't consistent and just feels up and down more or less.

Like one day I feel good and literally an hour later i feel like garbage. Still an improvement from before when i felt like garbage every single day. Maybe if I had actual ritual and prayers it would last every day but It's hard to believe I can make myself have faith in something and most religions don't seem appealing to me anyway.

 

[avalon_]

Ovid - Metamorphoses is a good read if you're interested in Paganism.

 

[PI3.14]

I was brought up a Muslim too but I've been an atheist for about 5 years now.

It seems to me that you want a community more than you want a religion.

 

[moin]

I've been an atheist for years, prior to that I was a muslim because of my upbringing.

Being an atheist felt so emancipating in the beginning. However after some time it left me in void by myself.

I know that if my life was better and I had people who could support me, I would be content with being an atheist.

But I don't have any of those so I seriously think about becoming a polytheist. It's not as strict as the Abrahamic religions and you have a feeling of not being alone. I can't become a muslim or a christian because I see them as highly problematic.

Is there any pagan here? Could you please talk about your experiences?

can u say why u find these two religions problematic?

 

[Haematemesis]

I was brought up a Muslim too but I've been an atheist for about 5 years now.

It seems to me that you want a community more than you want a religion.

Honestly I've despaired of finding any sort of community outside of this site. Do I want it? Definitely! Will it happen? Nope...

 

[katara]

Can you really make yourself believe in something like that though? There's lots of stuff I'd like to believe but I can't just decide to start believing.

i think u can bc why else do ppl join cults?

 

[Mr. Snrub]

i think u can bc why else do ppl join cults?

I guess so yeah. No doubt some people are better at drumming up belief out of nowhere. I'd love to believe in aliens for example because the rare earth hypothesis gives me existential dread but I need evidence! Lots of people go ahead and believe in alien visitation and the whole shebang just because they want to. I envy them.

 

[WakingNightmare]

The best I can offer you is a demiurge slave world

 

[Pale_Rider]

The truth is believing in a power smarter then the smartest human to have ever lived , but exponentially so is emancipating imho.

 

[suicidesergal]

I worship 4 gods.
I honor multitude of others.

I was a Christian. Training to be a priest. Became gay. Became an atheist. Decided that the entire thing was silly and did what felt right for my mental health.

"Why must it be real to have an affect?"

Anubis, Sobek, Inari, Sehkmet

Bahamut, Pazuzu, Desna, Asmodeus, Santa.

Are they real? I don't know.

But they bring me a sense of order. So why not?

Justice doesn't exist, fairness doesn't exist. There is no such thing in the universe. But how much more awful the universe would be not to pretend they exist?

 

[SASU-KE]

Why not pray to the sun like George Carlin? I'm not religious myself, but I do believe in a higher power. Do I think that that higher power gives a damn about us? No, I don't. But I do believe a higher power is out there.