Are you prepared to question your beliefs?

Why question something I know to be true already?

I've already had my doubts, I've done my share of study, honest and sincere prayer, and pondering and so I've received my strong testimony of the truthfulness of my church and Christ's restored gospel on Earth. So why should i "prepare" to question it?

Bring on the TDs haters

I questioned them quite some time ago. This is what happened:

I was religious from childhood, and have always been interested in religions, mythology and science; I was a devout, practising Catholic; I read the Bible, both Old and New Testaments and the Apocrypha, several times; and was taught about it in school.

After studying and thinking deeply about faith, I realised in mid-teenage that faith was based upon nothing but itself, that science explained nature satisfactorily without needing supernatural beings, and that religious beliefs were no different to those of ancient beliefs in gods and goddesses.

When I first had doubts about my faith I thought that maybe this was a test of it, which was an idea planted in my mind by those teaching us about our faith. So I made the effort to accept it even more so. But the doubts came again, and I wondered what would happen if we took faith out of the equation; the world and nature still made sense, so I saw no reason to get back into it. And my understanding is that there's no theoretical or mathematical need for a god or gods, and there's no valid evidence of it or them; so there's no reason to believe. At the time this was difficult intellectually and emotionally (I was a teenager, after all).

That was over 45 years ago, and my escape from faith has freed me to embrace what science has to offer, which I consider far more plausible than belief in the supernatural, and is the nearest we can get to the truth about how nature and the universe work. I've felt a sense of freedom ever since, and am happy and at peace with this. And I've found the humility to admit that I don't know everything, rather than masking this by invoking a deity.

I still have an interest in religions, mythology, folklore and related matters, and am fascinated that people still believe in things that to me are clearly just not true.

If evidence for God was shown to me that overpowered the mass of evidence against God, then yes, of course I would change my mind. It makes no sense to go against the evidence. However, you must remember that if the evidence just pointed to the existence of some supernatural being, then that is all I would believe. I would only believe in the existence of some form of supernatural being, and would not believe in any specific deity until the evidence suggested that said deity was more likely real than any of the other Gods of our religions, or one we had never come across.

Questioning means you are still thinking. Of course I question things, particularly my beliefs and ideas. That doesn't mean I reject them when I get bored with them, or when things don't go the way I'd like them to go. It means I continue to examine and learn all I can.

I can't speak for anyone but myself. I can't tell you what "an atheist" or "a religious person" would do without knowing that specific person's ideas, background and circumstances.

What is the alternative to finding our Creator? We can continue to seek even in the face of strong evidence against our goal. We humans do that all the time in other areas of our lives. Don't ignore the evidence, but set it aside with the idea of revisiting it.

Absolutely. I call myself a non-theist rather than atheist to allow that distinction. My position is that, to date, the case has not been made for any supernatural event or being. I don't expect any evidence to arise, but would be fascinated to follow any credible investigation.

For me it would depend upon what the strong evidence was because unless it lined up with God's Word and Will, it wouldn't be a positive confirmation for me.

I already KNOW God is real. He speaks to me and helps me and I wouldn't being an atheist if I were to be paid a million dollars to do so. Life without God for me would be pointless, miserable and frightening.

"Why question something I know to be true already?"

Being intelligent is not because you think you know everything without questioning, but rather because you question everything you think you know.

"Question with boldness even the existence of a God: because, there be one, he must approve of the homage of reason, than that of blindfolded fear." - Thomas Jefferson

I am an atheist for many reasons among which is that I have no need to abdicate responsibility for my life and wish there was someone magically looking after me.

That is not open to questioning.

The advanced stage of Intuition is the best asset we have for it is infallible. Amen.