Atheist born Jewish (virtual, beliefs, followers, hell, heaven)

[Rrosen]

This is my first entry on the site. My name is Rachel and I am from Illinois. I was raised Jewish, yet never was fully convinced on religion/God. I am a very logical person and it never seemed to make scientific/logical sense in my mind. I am proud to say I am a non-believer for many reasons. I think religion is a form of brainwashing and so often is counter-intuitive (results in atrocities such as deaths) due to difference in belief. The astonishing thing about religion is that each religion (though so distinct in their views) are so convinced in their belief, with no scientific proof whatsoever. The fact that society puts so much emphasis on something that can virtually never be prooved is shocking to me, and it surprises me that there are not more atheists in the world. I think it would be for the good of the country if more people approached religion in a skeptical way and realized all its flaws. It attempts to explain the human race's existence in an overly simplistic/childlike manner, using no concrete evidence whatsoever. Ideas such as God, Heaven, and Hell are so abstract and illogical that I find it sad that so many must rely on such a "fairy tale" form of an existence. I am open to comments about this entry, and I realize it is very controversial, but I am very firm on my beliefs and hope others will hear what I am saying. Thanks for reading.

[dawny0826]

Welcome and hope you enjoy your time here!

This is a diverse group.

[Bishka]

Welcome, I don't think my views on life, religion, etc, are either fairytales nor brainwashing, but hey, that's just me.

[michel]

Hi Rachel,

Welcome to Religious Forums!

Obviously, I don't hold the same views as you; nevertheless, we all have a right to our own individual beliefs. As long as everyone is aware of that and respects others' beliefs/Non - beliefs, that's fine.

I hope you like it here, and I looke forward to reading your posts.

[Mike182]

you must surely realise that by the same hand, you cannot prove that such beliefs are wrong........ you commit the same fallacy you accuse us of.

but enough of that, this is not a debate thread. welcome to the forums.

i have looked at my religion in a very skeptical way, realised its flawws (or realised bits that i personally saw as flawwed) and changed them. remember, not all religious followers are lead blindly, some of us actually have the capacity to think....

[Jayhawker Soule]

Shalom, Rachel. I believe you are wrong about "brainwashing", but we can talk about that later. For now, welcome.

BTW, my daughter's name was 'Rachel'. It is a lovely, and for me special, name.

[Green Gaia]

Hello and welcome to RF!

[Atheist_Dave]

Hey, welcome to the forums.

[jewscout]

Shalom and welcome!!!