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Did you change your view?

After being on this forum and debating/listening to others view did you change your view?

  • Yes

    Votes: 4 21.1%
  • No

    Votes: 15 78.9%
  • Got doubts about my current belief/view

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • Total voters
    19

Nimos

Well-Known Member
As everyone know there are a lot of different religious and none religious view here on the site. So was just wondering if anyone have ever changed their view. Meaning an atheist becoming a theist and vice versa. If a theists change their religious view, so like going from Christian to JW (Still Christian) or Muslim etc.?

Obviously it would be interested to hear what made you change you mind?

But also to hear what the topic was, like did you change your view on the age of the Earth? Evolution? Climate change and so on, so it doesn't necessarily have to be religious, but some major topic, so not all kinds of small details :)
 

Fool

ALL in all
Premium Member
As everyone know there are a lot of different religious and none religious view here on the site. So was just wondering if anyone have ever changed their view. Meaning an atheist becoming a theist and vice versa. If a theists change their religious view, so like going from Christian to JW (Still Christian) or Muslim etc.?

Obviously it would be interested to hear what made you change you mind?

But also to hear what the topic was, like did you change your view on the age of the Earth? Evolution? Climate change and so on, so it doesn't necessarily have to be religious, but some major topic, so not all kinds of small details :)
When i first came here i kinda had an idea. I had been raised christian but never bought totally into it. so i went fishing in other streams. fished here awhile, there awhile. and then i started fishing further up stream after fishing down stream. the farther i've traveled on this stream, the wider the banks and horizon eludes me. i've simply come to enjoy the fishing.

ca va, bon voyage




 

Fool

ALL in all
Premium Member
No...
I have never changed religion...

I have seen people change religion a little bit too frequently
..though:p
the question was a bit more broad. have you changed your view. you're not growing; if you're not expanding your horizons
 

exchemist

Veteran Member
As everyone know there are a lot of different religious and none religious view here on the site. So was just wondering if anyone have ever changed their view. Meaning an atheist becoming a theist and vice versa. If a theists change their religious view, so like going from Christian to JW (Still Christian) or Muslim etc.?

Obviously it would be interested to hear what made you change you mind?

But also to hear what the topic was, like did you change your view on the age of the Earth? Evolution? Climate change and so on, so it doesn't necessarily have to be religious, but some major topic, so not all kinds of small details :)
I changed my view of Jehovah's Witnesses (very much for the worse, I'm sorry to report) as a result of interactions here.
 

Mock Turtle

Oh my, did I say that!
Premium Member
Voted no of course. It would take more than a few conversations for such, and even the presentation of (supposed) evidence or the experiences of individuals to persuade me otherwise has to be taken for what they are - bits of evidence. One can usually find many bits to balance such, so why might I accept one 'bit' over another?

Anyway, being on this forum has nothing to do with being changed or changing others. I'm not bothered either way.
 

Revoltingest

Pragmatic Libertarian
Premium Member
No changes due to RF.
I moved from strong atheist to weak atheist when I was around 20
years old. As I recall, it was due to discussions with other atheists.
 

Ayjaydee

Active Member
No. But I was surprised to see how many religious folks here are genuinely hurting, both physically and mentally
 

Nimos

Well-Known Member
I changed my view of Jehovah's Witnesses (very much for the worse, I'm sorry to report) as a result of interactions here.
Just to understand you correctly.

You weren't a JWs before and then not, right. Its more that you heard or had some bad experience with them here on the forum?
 

Nimos

Well-Known Member
No changes due to RF.
I moved from strong atheist to weak atheist when I was around 20
years old. As I recall, it was due to discussions with other atheists.
Just wondering if you recall what the topic was about or was it just a lot of different ones, that eventually let you to change?

(Obviously if you don't want to answer, I understand :))
 

Revoltingest

Pragmatic Libertarian
Premium Member
Just wondering if you recall what the topic was about or was it just a lot of different ones, that eventually let you to change?

(Obviously if you don't want to answer, I understand :))
Gods cannot be proven to not exist.
So I'm compelled to allow for the possibility,
while still not believing in their existence.

I now recall the particular conversation with an
astrophysicist at the gym where we worked.
(It was an unusual gym...all but one of the workers
were engineering & physics students.)
 

exchemist

Veteran Member
Just to understand you correctly.

You weren't a JWs before and then not, right. Its more that you heard or had some bad experience with them here on the forum?
I'm afraid so. It changed my opinion of them, not my own beliefs. I've also learned a lot on the forum, about both religion and science, but nothing that radically alters my worldview. I did some years ago gain an insight that was important to me, on another forum, which did alter, or serve to tie down, my view of the mind. Apart from that it has mostly been just learning, here and there.
 

Nimos

Well-Known Member
Gods cannot be proven to not exist.
So I'm compelled to allow for the possibility,
while still not believing in their existence.

I now recall the particular conversation with an
astrophysicist at the gym where we worked.
(It was an unusual gym...all but one of the workers
were engineering & physics students.)
I think we might have some sort of same experience. Not the gym thing etc.

But I started referring to my self as agnostic due to that very reason. But later started to refer to my self as an atheist. Because I don't think it is required to call oneself atheist even if you can't prove something with certainty. If the lack of evidence for a given claim, in this case God, is so weak, close to none existing. Then I don't think that such claim ought to be considered possible.

So sort of like people claiming to have been abducted by aliens, obviously it is possible that they were. But the evidence for their claim are so weak that I think its fair for me to state directly that I do not believe in aliens having visited Earth, even though I can't proof it 100%. There are simply to much pointing towards it not being the case.

But thanks for sharing. :)
 

Altfish

Veteran Member
I joined as an atheist; I'm still an atheist; but I have learnt stuff on here and have better understanding of how the religious can think.
 

beenherebeforeagain

Rogue Animist
Premium Member
Have I learned things and changed by point of view by participating on the RF?

Yes.

Has that been a shift in my fundamental position?

No.

I've learned to be more nuanced in my listening to others, and to be more careful in my speaking...sometimes it's better just to let things go on without you...
 

Quintessence

Consults with Trees
Staff member
Premium Member
I've changed views, certainly, but not on the specific things you mention in the OP so I had to vote no. :shrug:

 

ADigitalArtist

Veteran Member
Staff member
Premium Member
I'm still an atheist since joining the forums but I've definitely leaned more towards "apatheist." I don't believe the question about the existence of god(s) matters since I don't believe in virtue ethics or morality by divine revelation. So if there are gods, it wouldn't change my behavior at all.

And I think I got there through years of discussion here and elsewhere.

I'm also of the opinion that the entire creationism vs evolution debate is incredibly boring and I have no desire to participate anymore. That's definitely from having to moderate it for years lol.
 

Unveiled Artist

Veteran Member
As everyone know there are a lot of different religious and none religious view here on the site. So was just wondering if anyone have ever changed their view. Meaning an atheist becoming a theist and vice versa. If a theists change their religious view, so like going from Christian to JW (Still Christian) or Muslim etc.?

Obviously it would be interested to hear what made you change you mind?

But also to hear what the topic was, like did you change your view on the age of the Earth? Evolution? Climate change and so on, so it doesn't necessarily have to be religious, but some major topic, so not all kinds of small details :)

I hesitantly say that if we can't learn anything from here and anyone because we have fixed views and beliefs, than I'm not sure how people learn in general by blocking out what they think is useless to take into consideration of those who nearly believe what their peer does.

I read from learning about my personal values that you can learn what you value from reflecting on what you don't:

I have learned that I am not a unity out of diversity person. I've always learned more crucially, I do not care for any religions (rather than religion) that promotes one god, one text, one group, one point of view, that mimics the history, slavery, and colonization of people in the past. If anything, when I came here before I started just ignoring people temporary because of it.

I gained more intense motivation to help other people who are disfranchised by these religions and their beliefs, indoctrination, and views etc. Testimonies help understand what people go through and how to help.

I've learned that there is only but so much you can ask about someone's religion(s) here. I'm not sure how we learn about other religions that we are not in part familiar with. Unless we are "willing to convert" or so have "more than" superficial interest, you basically get external answers. This makes people ask for things repeatedly because there is no indepth conversation with people who want to listen but you talk with other religions who don't mind throwing books at you even when you don't ask.

Is there a middle ground?

I don't think my views changed extremely. They crystallized my already set values. I usually read and watch ted talk videos. Online forums it's hard to learn when threads are hijacked.

That's my piece.
 

Twilight Hue

Twilight, not bright nor dark, good nor bad.
As everyone know there are a lot of different religious and none religious view here on the site. So was just wondering if anyone have ever changed their view. Meaning an atheist becoming a theist and vice versa. If a theists change their religious view, so like going from Christian to JW (Still Christian) or Muslim etc.?

Obviously it would be interested to hear what made you change you mind?

But also to hear what the topic was, like did you change your view on the age of the Earth? Evolution? Climate change and so on, so it doesn't necessarily have to be religious, but some major topic, so not all kinds of small details :)
My religious changes all started around 2006.

If RF did anything, it would be in reinforcing that I had made the right choices. ;0)
 

It Aint Necessarily So

Veteran Member
Premium Member
So was just wondering if anyone have ever changed their view. Meaning an atheist becoming a theist and vice versa.

Yes. I was an atheist until about age 18, then a Christian for most of a decade, then an atheist again and since

ON the minus side, I agree with @exchemist about the Jehovah's Witnesses, whose reputation has suffered with my discovery of how anti-intellectual they are, how pessimistic their vision of life on earth, and how they shun their own to the point of causing people great psychological harm.

Also, the creationists have been amazing, and not in a good way. I hadn't realized how much harm that orientation does to intellectual integrity and competence.

On the plus side, I've learned that Catholics are generally more liberal and better educated than Protestants.

Also, I've learned that the Baha'i are probably the friendliest of the denominations I've encountered, and also typically quite well educated.

And I like the Satanists more than I thought I would.

you're not growing; if you're not expanding your horizons

Actually, I have actively contracted my horizons. My world is much smaller than it used to be, and I like it like that. Simpler as well. No watch, no credit cards (I haven't spent anything but cash in over a decade), no cell phone, no pad, and I avoid the news as much as I can. We put less than 1000 miles a year on the car living this village life, where most things are within walking distance. We're almost never in the city, which is an hour away, and we're done traveling, which sounds like a nightmare every time somebody we know relates their experiences with cancelled or missed flights, spending hours on the tarmac, lost luggage, lost passports, etc.. This is enough for me.
 
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