Whenever i walk past this church and cemetery near my house when

>>16892415

yes actually. and now i kind of run a spiritual cult type thing. life is strange.

I guess you haven't read any philosophy, and you just started out being inquisitive about life in general? You should check out this article if you're just starting out:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metaphysics

>>16892429
>I guess you haven't read any philosophy

It's like it's impossible to be an atheist without being a condescending know-it-all.

>inb4 you explain why you are justified in being a condescending know-it-all

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>>16892429
No i havmt read any philosophy. Im 22 and just had a cerebral avm fully treated. That shouldve got me thinking about this stuff but when it was diagnosed i was still and edgelord teenager. Im also finally getting round to having some stuff checked out at the doctors that have been going on for years which shouldve been checked years ago as they couldve been signs of serious stuff. I guess im just trying to find my place in the world now and things i was ignorrantly certain of before such as the lack of existance of a higher power im starting to question. I guess most people go through this but im just finding it abit difficult. Will check out the link though

You can never be sure. You can never know the answer until you die. I personally think that if there is a creator, he probably isn't the way we imagined him to be.

Just start exploring a bit more in that direction. Read philosophy and religous texts and make up your mind. When I questioned my beliefs, I read the bible and wasn't that convinced by it. Faith in a god might help you or it might not. It's all based on personal experience.

I still think the concept of hell is fucking scary though.

>>16892415
>Has anyone else who thinks themself an anthiest recently started questioning their way of thinking and/or have any advice


Why are you asking for your fellow atheists to support your prior beliefs? If you really want to develop your knowledge and convictions, you should ask a religious person to challenge your beliefs.

>>16892439
I'm really sorry if i sounded condescending, that was not my intention, seriously. I'm just trying to dish out some advice.

>>16892454
Yeah, do check it out. If you wanna read more i suggest you head over to /lit/ and check out the excellent sticky they have over there. They have a lot of reading recommendations if you wanna learn more about philsophy. It's really a goldmine.

>>16892473
Will do m8. Thanks for the advice.
If anyone else has some input too id really appreciate it

>>16892491

dont worry too much about a creator. its like they say if there is a creator who judges you and assigns punishment, then hes a dick if he does so on the foundation that you didnt randomly choose the right religion. live a good life and do your best not to harm others, and there is no reason a higher power should find you at fault. any who does is mistreating you and not worth worshipping.

i recommend looking a bit into existentialism. its got a variety of core concepts so its a broad label, but the one i go with is simply that the universe is indifferent to us, and all we really have in life is our choices (Even if bad ones). its our choices that give our lives meaning, as if we pretend we have no choice then we choose tbe tools that the universe uses to carry out its will.

>>16892415
i was a complete atheist until about 17 because i had an out of body experience. I'm not making it up.

My depression and anxiety have gotten to the the point where I'm thinking of turning to religion just because It provides a support area and interaction with people my age. I don't think i'll ever believe so I'd be living a lie, though.

>>16892548
should just get into philosophy.

>>16892504
What happened?

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>>16892415
It's possible to be spiritual without following an organised religion/necessarily believing in a god or deity

>>16892415
I fluctuate between being an athiest to being a deist a lot.

Something about the way physics and mathematics work lend me to believe in some kind of architect but I feel like the answer to it is probably more wild than the placeholder of 'god'. Sometimes I think of the rules that govern reality and the fact that we can virtually replicate many of them it makes me believe in deism. Other times I think about the antiverse theory and that maybe reality is just chance and perhaps there are infinite realities playing out those chances. Maybe it's a combination.

That said I don't believe in spirits and if you're a male aged 18-27 you might be schizophrenic and just starting to get signs of it. Sounds loony to me.

>>16892504
Yeah, I've taken drugs too.

>>16892415
yes, people can and do change their beliefs as they go through life. it's perfectly normal. personally I would just start reading about different philosophical and religious beliefs and seeing if any of them resonate with you.

>>16892548
find an interfaith center or a unitarian universalist church/fellowship. something that provides a sense of community and belonging, but that isn't dogmatic like most sects of major religions. unitarian universalism grew out of the unitarian sect of christianity but later became its own thing and is not strictly christian, as it teaches that all spiritual paths are valid. most of them still use a christian model for their worship services, and some are more christian-focused in their sermons whereas others are more pluralistic or outright secular. I used to be part of a UU church and probably would rejoin if I ever became interested in group worship again. good starting point for ex-christians who miss church and think jesus is cool but don't feel the need to be "saved."

interfaith centers are kinda similar but they are not a denomination or a religion in themselves. it's just a loose term for organisations that support cooperation between faiths or are spiritual but nonspecific. there is one near where I live and they have services but they're very laid back and not at all christian. they also do stuff in the community like a church or temple would.

honestly some of the best friends I have made were through UU and interfaith centers.

>>16892663
this is why i dont really talk about it at all. Im aware of how foolish it appears to other people. if i heard someone talking about it, i would assume they are making it up for attention.

>>16892685
What happened and what stuff did you see?

>>16892663
>>16892685
I have a brother who is ex-army, doesn't do drugs except alcohol, and hasn't really believed in anything spiritual or supernatural since he was a kid. one day he was talking to me about stressful shit in his life. I know his usual coping mechanisms aren't the best, so I suggested meditation. he got really weirded out and said he tried it but wouldn't do it again. when I asked him to elaborate, he said every time he tries to meditate, he feels weird and then suddenly he can look down and see himself sitting/lying there. I forget the rest of the details, but it was a classic OBE description.

TLDR OBEs aren't always from drugs. some people just have them.

>>16892702
Its hard to express. i had about 5 of them when i was 16. they occurred during the night when i lied down. I thought i was dead, well it isn't even like you think, its weird. everything felt predetermined. I didnt really do much but look at my body for what felt like a few minutes and then my consciousness was dragged back to my body. i know it sounds like BS and i dont expect anyone to believe me. Have no idea how it happens or the science behind it. have tried looking it up before but only found new age nonsense.

>>16892718
thank you. i was 16 when i experienced it. i had never touched a drug or alcohol at all during that time of my life. i got into alcohol at 18. its nice to hear that other people have experienced it. i have heard other people on the web talk about it but i am always weary.

long story short when i was in highschool i felt the same way not knowing in whether to believe that there was existence of a godly being. i just thought everything was ruled by everything itself ( ocean water vaporized, goes to clouds, rains, water goes to the oceans, etc.) but something happened like it happened to you my mind changed from one morning to night, i started to believing that there was a high-all powerful being ruling above everything and everyone. i straight up started reading the satanic bible the next day, fucking big mistake ever, all it gave me was bad fortune in everything i was doing, gory persistent nightmares to the point where i developed insomnia. Yeah it may be a joke but then i started to talk to god, jesus, yaweh however you called him. it just clean everyway, i started feeling lighter, thinking faster, having a feeling a unreasonable joy at odd times during my day. having a feeling a hope that ive never experienced. well i am not advicing you to do as i did. my fucking advice is to stay away from any religion but look for god man, well aleast it worked for man. Good luck man PEACE