20 People Shared The Reason Religion Has Lost Meaning To Them
There are a few topics one should avoid when getting to know somebody. Never ask someone about their finances, political views, religion, visible disabilities, or past relationships, as you could easily offend them. These are very personal and controversial topics that aren’t comfortable to talk about.
Religion is a sensitive topic for many. In recent years, it has been noticed that the number of people who believe in God has significantly decreased. User u/ItchyPage turned to the Ask Reddit community to see what made people lose their faith in religion. The thread went viral, and thousands of people delivered honest answers to what shattered their religious beliefs. Take a look at the most upvoted responses down below.
More Info: Reddit
#1
Image source: Greenlawn11740
When I realized the Bible wasn’t written by God/Jesus and it was written by man and was written like 200 years after Jesus’s death. Like I can’t even 100% trust the word of a good friend who heard something from someone else in 2022, let alone some game telephone from 2000 years ago.
#2
Image source: Zayt08
Being told it was gods plan after my mother suffered through chemotherapy, and still passed away. I have no interest in a god who’s plan includes cancer
#3
Image source: jk10102
Having to confess my “sins” as a 10 year old.
#4
Image source: Svstem
I was 6 years old in a Saudi elementary school. There was this one Christian Bosnian kid whose dad was a butcher, he was incredibly kind and often gave me delicious smoked meat sandwiches.
The thought of him going to Hell as a non-Muslim was illogical, and made me question religion for the first time.
#5
Image source: dayna29
My mother. She instilled some serious shame into me under the guise of God. Some things she said:
-Not allowed to believe in Santa because that takes credit away from God. Santa was actually a hand of Satan trying to corrupt me
-Not allowed to believe in the Easter Bunny because it was also a hand of Satan trying to corrupt me away from Jesus.
-I wasn’t allowed to feel pride in my accomplishments because it’s a sin
-I was a d**khead because my dad got me fully vaccinated as a child and that is against God’s plan
-Hollywood is operated by Satan so I wasn’t allowed to watch movies or shows (especially Disney)
-Harry Potter was an absolute no because witchcraft is an affront to God
-Scientists should not be trusted under any circumstances
-My rare genetic condition was part of God’s plan and I’d understand some day
-Not allowed to say “damn” because it’s an affront to God
-etc
That combined with her regular, not religious abuse has left me struggling a lot with my religiosity.
#6
Image source: Goldy84
As a kid, it was boring. As a teen, it brought nothing into my life. As an adult, it’s hard to ignore all the corruption, greed, sexual improprieties and contradiction.
Ultimately, if there was a god, this is the best it can do? I’m not impressed.
#7
Image source: IngsocInnerParty
Sermons alternated between asking for money, telling us LGBT people were bad, or telling us we were all worthless sinners without God.
Left church every Sunday feeling like s**t. One week, I just decided I’m not going back.
I don’t miss it.
#8
Image source: Vintagepoolside
There was never an answer.
I wanted to believe desperately.
I wanted to and I begged God to allow me to be doubtless. I tried and tried and tried to make it work. To make it fit.
I asked questions. I wondered. I pondered. I just got to a point where there were no more answers. No one had an answer that made sense.
Nothing that the next person couldn’t alter or contradict. Nothing that was ‘set’ or ‘fixed.’ It was all up in the air and I just needed more faith.
I tried. I really did. But my mind just won’t allow it anymore.
#9
Image source: chaoz2030
So many things but the final straw for me was my church asking a homeless man to leave and not come back. He would sit and listen to the sermons never bothered anyone and always sat in the very back. I confronted my youth group leader and she defended the preacher.
#10
Image source: OkTurnover4202
People using it to justify their hate.
#11
Image source: my_d**hurts
The non-answers to all my questions as a kid. “You just have to have faith” is a dumb way to respond to an inquisitive mind.
#12
Image source: nicklee803
When I was 6 years old, the pastor gave a letter to my aunt to give to my mom saying that we were not donating enough money to the church. So we stopped going, and I have never been to church since.
#13
Image source: Jazzlike_Log_709
My dad had cancer for 10 years and then he passed away when I was 14 years old. I thought I was having a good heart to heart with my small group leader about it.
She asked if my dad was “a man of God” because she wanted to make sure he isn’t “burning in Hell”
Who the f**k says that to a grieving child? So completely insensitive. It took me several months to fully realize the weight of that conversation with her before I left religion altogether.
#14
Image source: Formal-Bat-6714
Religious leaders ruined religion for me
#15
Image source: BoredBSEE
As a kid, someone explaining to me that my dog that just passed away wouldn’t be in heaven. I’d never see him again. Because dogs can’t accept Jesus Christ as their personal savior. So he was going to hell.
Pretty much done with it after that.
#16
Image source: TheGoodJudgeHolden
Religious people.
#17
Image source: BigBadBootyDaddy10
There’s a short period of time where most of the religion started. Everything prior is mythology and everything after is a cult. Hmm, how convenient.
#18
Image source: Peetwilson
It quickly became evident that many people who call themselves religious, only do so to feel morally superior to others around them, and then use that superiority to try to control everything they can.
#19
Image source: LiterallyCasey
Going to a megachurch.
They received over 1 mil in donations every weekend and spent it on elaborate props and videos rather than helping the community in any meaningful way.
#20
Image source: Draginia
I worked at a restaurant near a church on Sundays. Rudest bunch of people ever.
Got wisdom to pour?
And when people close to you end up dying from cancer, EVERYTHING that happens everyday does not go untouched and unnoticed by God (talking about YahWeh). It can be a test, if everything went perfectly well in your life, you will almost certainly forget Gods work and what he has done for you, but when God let’s something bad happen to you, do not curse him praise him that he has given you life, If you have more questions, read the full story of Job in the bible.
One day you’ll see the real light. Religion is nothing more than weaponised superstition. You are either using it to bully, using it to divide, using it to con or you are the victim of those who do.
I understand everything, life brings us different trials, and sometimes it seems to us that no one hears us, but this is not so. I want to share short powerful sermons with you, it will help, but only if you sincerely believe in it.
#thompted
Religion is very broad, personally I wouldn’t say Christianity is a religion, because then it falls in the category of other beliefs, which we know isn’t right. Christianity is the true “religion”
Despite you not believing it Thompted, God loves you and he’s waiting for you to accept him, just take the time to read the bible; John 3:16, because most of the things you hear about it are from people who don’t know what their talking about. Christianity is the most attacked belief.
Compare bibles today to bibles from ages ago dug up on the other side of the world; exactly the same
When a pastor in the church asks you not to come back, usually they have a reason, it’s never because “they don’t like you” or anything, it could be because something clashes with their moral values. Also when people say “just have faith” they need to have a long chat with you to explain to you what that means, its not usually something you can just say to someone without them really knowing what that means, having faith usually means you must trust in God that whatever is happening to you right now, is for a reason, it does not have to be something for good, it can be a test also
That is a very interesting post. Religion has always been a very controversial topic, and I always avoid talking about it.
I think that now everyone is free to choose a religion or have a different attitude to this issue. Many people lose faith, others gain it. There are now great web resources like https://www.journalowl.com/journals/bible that can help you learn more about this.
#21 My dad was a pastor of a church, married with kids who had an affair with my mom, also married but separated. Dad never spent time with me growing up, like never even a full day.. very little child support to my knowledge but does hand me $10k at 40 when I was homeless. Fast forward 7 more years.. dad dies. Never accepted by his family/kids, not included in obituary or told of death, stood at back of a church for funeral as his daughter and intentionally left out of a $2+ million estate.
Not all pastors (although they may say so) are perfect, and some do it purely for the money, which is true, not all pastors are corrupt, but some just are not the right people for the job.