Atheists, do you ever feel guilty?

Well, while I see your point, it is highly unlikely that someone like you mention would be easily swayed by logic.

My mother is a perfect example of this and while I feel that religion destroys more than it is helpful, for someone like her, it is more than comforting. She is easily depressed, very needy and feels lonely most of the time -- even with people in her life. If she was to be able to be convinced that Jesus and God aren't real, she would fall apart (very literally) in a very short amount of time. It just wouldn't be worth it to try to "open her eyes".

BUT even if you tried to, she would refuse to stop believing. Logic doesn't equate with those who rationalize with minds based on faith alone.

Do some religious people feel bad when they take little children to Sunday school and pound into their minds that the Bible is literally true and if they don't believe that they will burn in hell and be rejected by society? Some fortunately but many don't. At any rate I think no one converts anyone else away from a religion. It is a matter of providing information. The person is an autonomous individual who is free to use their mind to consider all the facts and make a choice based on evidence or not. I think the people who should feel guilty are her family. I would if she is a friend offer her support and advice about not making things harder than she has to and share with her how you cope with choices and life's difficulties outside a supernatural belief system. That was the void I found when I left religion initially aside from loss of community. You have this built in system for dealing with many aspects of life and when you lose it until you understand its up to you to build a new foundation it can be difficult and people can get into trouble that may actually reinforce that they needed religion after all.

I never feel guilty because:

1.) Existence is not frightening if we open ourselves to it.

2.) I have not seen a person who was brought to religion, or taken from it, through one persons actions. What I have seen is that the arguements for both sides are always present, and it takes something happening in the persons mind before they decide to explore either route. This could be as simple as one saying 'you know, I never really looked into the reason why I believe/ do not believe'.

3.) I never impose my views on the gullible. I do not try to explain to a child why I am an atheist. I do not try to convince my younger siblings of such either; it is their decision to make in their life. I am just there in case they ever do want some one to talk to.

4.) I never bring the topic up first. I have often been with relatives, specifically the elderly, who tell me about what they feel god has done for them, or what he can do for me. I accept this with a smile, and do not bring up anything unless they are specifically are looking to debate (which is never).

If I did open the eyes of a theist, I would be satisified in that I showed them the mind is our most valuable tool, and that their previous tool was little more than a crutch.

I am a religious skeptic; however, I have never opened the eyes of a theist to the truth. It's really the other way around. Various different atheists (at school and online) opened my eyes to the truth so I am no longer a Catholic (although my parents force me to go to church and recieve Holy Communion).

Nevertheless, I would feel guilty if I opened a theist's eyes to the truth. Because religion gives people comfort and purpose, and I wouldn't feel right if I took that away. Also, it keeps there from being total chias in today's world of violence, immaturity, rape, rap music, wild teen sex, etc. It teaches kids to stay away from that stuff, and I wouldn't want to take that away.

I was raised in the church and was actively religious for most of my life. It gave me a lot of comfort and hope. Praying was something that I could do. It didn't help my health, but I felt like I was doing something.

Things had to get really bad before I took the financial risk (I had ~$80/month after my rent for *everything*) of alternative health care. I got lucky, it helped.

Unfortunately, degenerative illnesses do a lot of damage and it's usually not reversible. Religion made it bearable for too long.

And I have to cope with the consequences of that every day of my life.

I assume by your story that you were never a theist?

Do you remember the first time you woke up alone?

That is what it is like.

Coming from an orthodox and fundamentalist catholic family and slowly eroding that and gravitating towards atheism was a really hard task for me, I assume it is for everyone.

My words to my children are this; accept nothing as truth until you have confirmed it with your own research and contemplation.

As a person of faith I would rather live life as if their is a God and then died and find out later that their wasn't.

For if their is a God and I truely feel in my heart their is, I know and feel that he will huge me and tell me "Well done my good and faithful servant"

You see a lot of people are to strong head and because of a small bump in the road they gave up. Just to let you know that that all the Christian faiths in the world haven't gave up on ya'll, we will pray for you til we died. And when we pray we pray for a medinoya (convertion of heart and mind.)

It's never to late to accpet Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior. When you say Jesus. It is a prayer in itself. Try it, You will be amazed on the end results.

God Bless All!

P.S. I heard an Athist the other say God Bless you after a friend sneezed. WOW the irony...lol

No seriously come home. The doors are always open.

I've never attempted to convince a christian that they shouldn't be a christian. Within the context of a conversation about religion I may voice my attitude about religion, but not in a way that is attempting to change their minds about their choices.

If someone needs to believe in Jesus to get them through day by day, fine. It doesn't change anything in the long run, when they die they will be dead. Simple.

First I want to tell you that Jesus is not a fictional Character.....Historical evidence exists of him. If it was God then it is a different matter. I'm an Atheist just to tell you. I don't feel guilty, I just leave them on their own to believe what they like to believe in if it gives them comfort, that takes my guilt away. I offer my support and encouraging words that can help without mentioning God.

I dunno, man... I kinda feel like truth is more important than "comfort." I think in long run people will get more benefit from relying on themselves and others rather than something that will never actually help them. But some people have different priorities and prefer to live deluded--who am I to say they can't? But when they engage me in conversation or try to tell me I have to be deluded too, then you better believe I'm going to try and open their eyes--and how can I feel guilty about that?