Religion
In reply to the discussion: Question for atheists. [View all]LiberalAndProud
(12,799 posts)Somewhere north of 50 years of age. The process was long and not without resistance. There came a day when I contemplated a godless universe and consciously stepped away from the idea. The thought was frightening because I needed to believe in a benevolent guiding hand.
I came to realize that I had no scriptural basis to argue with the likes of Sarah Palin and Pat Robertson, but that my disagreement with their theologies rested on my idea of god, which led to an examination of where did I get my idea of god, and is it possible to prove that my idea of god was the more correct. As it turns out, the answer to that was "no."
The problem of evil has always been a question mark for me. For decades I engaged in the mental gymnastics required to attempt to make sense of it.
Finally, the last straw was Pope Benedict XVI's announcement that he would protect his pedophile priests from civil courts. For me, that either put the lie to Romans 13:1 or proved a malevolent god. Belief finally had to give way to unbelief. And I know I am the better for it.