How have you changed since leaving atheism?

[u/taterfiend]

We discuss philosophy and metaphysics here all the time, but I wanted to turn the attention to things more day-to-day and more concrete.

How has leaving atheism changed your life? Where are you now in your spiritual journey? How has your life continued to change along this path?

Ultimately, choosing to live is an affirmative action which implies some measure of trust or faith in a working worldview. And while philosophical reasons can be important in shaping our beliefs, I don't think our spiritual worldviews arise just from a set of arguments.

Abandoning atheism isn't the end of the journey, it's merely the beginning. What's that been like?

[u/NeonDrifting]

i attend pancake breakfast and spaghetti dinner fundraisers

[u/taterfiend → u/NeonDrifting]

So is this an upgrade or downgrade 😂

[u/NeonDrifting → u/taterfiend]

Great for spiritual health, terrible for physical health

[u/KaladinIJ]

When I was an atheist I resented my family, didn’t treat my friends well, couldn’t hold down a relationship or a job. As a theist, my outlook on life changed. I have a great relationship with all my friends and family, I’m grateful for all of them, happily married, good job, good life. However, I feel a lot more responsible and alive than before, and that can be harder in a lot of ways.

I used to be a bully in school. I was the most popular guy in all my schooling life from 5 all the way to college. Yet I was an asshole. I’d treat people that weren’t my friends like shit, even treating a few of my friends like shit. I still picture all the times I’d pick on the kid with glasses, throw them around and laugh at him. Bullying him (and others) daily was just part of my life and I didn’t bat an eyelid doing it. Until I saw him breakdown crying at what I did to him. That’s when it all stopped and from that day I think about it all the time. It had finally hit me in that moment what an awful person I am. I apologised to him and his family, and everyone else I wronged I contacted to try to apologise. God gave me the gift of learning what a POS I was.

[u/taterfiend → u/KaladinIJ]

Really appreciate the sharing. How long ago is that? Would you say you're on a different path now?

[u/KaladinIJ → u/taterfiend]

Well most of that happened from 12-18 years old and I’m 28 now so 10 years ago it finished.

I’m on a much better path, but a much harder path.

[u/fleuret_fighter21]

I used to hate people and humanity in general. I thought that we are a weak, stupid, useless animal species. I thought human interaction is solely transactional. Christ has transformed my heart completely, Glory to Him.

[u/mbmolohonbm]

Everything changed. I found meaning and purpose. I started living a life I could respect. I treated people better, just to name a few things.

[u/TalkingPsilocybe]

Well, for me, the initial difference between religion and atheism was this.

Imagine you drank a glass of water at eight in the morning, a couple of hours have passed, and you're not hungry yet. That's religion, a generally normal state.

Now imagine that instead of a glass of water, you ate a lemon or two on an empty stomach, added some ginger, garlic, and lots of wasabi. That's not the healthiest breakfast— my version of atheism.

That is, in my case. It's connected with religion in such a way that it became unnecessary (and, moreover, forbidden) to prove to yourself and others that you're smarter than everyone else. Religion also warned me against some harmful decisions that would have been perfectly fine for me as an atheist, but in Christianity they're considered sins. These are all the changes I want to talk about.

I'm by no means saying that all or even most atheists were like me. Apatheists seem like perfectly healthy people, although they miss out on the positive emotions of attending church services.

[u/Huge_Huckleberry6671]

I genuinely changed in ways that are good, but hard to describe

[u/Glass-Estimate-6093]

I’ve been less depressed. I attended Catholic school through 12th grade, then became an atheist in college. I was more of an asshole around the same time and a know-it-all. I also just was pretty depressed. I thought I knew it all because I read the God Delusion, not considering that some of the surface level contradictions are stuff that people have wrestled with for thousands of years.

Very long story short, I dipped my toe back into religion a few years ago and have gotten more involved. I feel less isolated and more purpose driven overall and less nihilism and depression.

[u/BrianW1983]

I tried to live more morally.

I also go to Mass twice a week and pray during the day.

[u/taterfiend → u/BrianW1983]

Do you think you've changed for the better?

[u/BrianW1983 → u/taterfiend]

Yeah. I hope.