Questioning my religion

Religion has always been a great comfort to me, however recently, I’ve been having doubts about whether it’s the truth or I’m choosing to live in ignorance. Due to this, I’ve had an onset of depression. I know the answer is to research as much as possible to form my own view which I’ve started to do but I’m scared my belief will change and that comfort blanket will be ripped away.

(edited 2 years ago)

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Reply 1

rosy_posy

Which religion is this about?

Reply 2

AlooCurry

Original post by rosy_posy

Which religion is this about?

Islam mainly

Reply 3

justlearning1469

Original post by AlooCurry

Islam mainly

Occam's razor: The simplest explanation is most often the true one.

If everything in the universe can be explained by nature then there's no need for a God/deity.

I suggest you ask yourself, "If there really is God, why do we have so many sufferings and imperfections?"
And remember that the less unknowns you have the stronger the explanation.

The truth is more comfortable than white lies.

Reply 4

rosy_posy

Original post by AlooCurry

Islam mainly

No religion can be proven to be true, as noone really knows what happens after we die or where the universe came from. Religion provides theoretical answers that many people believe in, but it doesn't mean that it's true.

Reply 5

londonmyst

Don't be scared. :smile:

Be excited that you have chosen to explore a variety of religious belief systems and are on the way to acquiring a lot of knowledge of many different perspectives & religious traditions.

You have the right to choose your own future and its direction.
Including: lifestyle ambitions, religious beliefs, personal opinions and how you want to practice them.
Good luck!

Reply 6

justlearning1469

Original post by londonmyst

Don't be scared. :smile:

Occam's razor, simplest explanation is most often the true one.
If everything in nature can be explained using only nature then we don't need a God.
That's why it's most likely there is no God.

But we can't 100% say there is no God, so the most reasonable religious belief is agnostic atheist.

Reply 7

justlearning1469

Original post by rosy_posy

Based, that's why it's better to be atheist, at least we can prove using the scientific method.

Better believe in something which can be proved than something which can't.

Reply 8

Joleee

this is normal and healthy, OP. you should(!) be free to question your religion otherwise it's opressive, and you should be checking into what you believe sometimes. i imagine (or at least hope) most believers have questioned God at least once in their lifetime, so you're not alone. i know it can be quite depressing tho (speaking from experience) to suddenly be in doubt of something you hold deeply that can bring great comfort if done right. who can you speak to openly about this irl who won't judge you or try to sway you one way or another? do you have someone like that? tbh i doubt that it's wise to speak to someone who wants you to stay in the religion or someone who would suggest to get out because you'll get biased opinions (of course) when you should be free to make that decision for yourself. can i ask tho what has ultimately brought this on?

Reply 9

AlooCurry

Original post by Joleee

Thanks, well it’s from watching some ex Muslim stories and a bunch of controversy eg violence in the Quran that I’m having trouble justifying.

Reply 10

anosmianAcrimony

Original post by AlooCurry

Thanks, well it’s from watching some ex Muslim stories and a bunch of controversy eg violence in the Quran that I’m having trouble justifying.

That sounds very understandable. For reference I'm an atypical Christian who has basically discarded the Old Testament because of all the problematically violent and vindictive divine behaviour in it. Given the Old Testament and the Quran are from the same general era of history, I feel like I can understand where you're coming from to some extent.

I think the place you're in right now is very productive, and nothing to be afraid of. I would encourage you to think critically about the teachings of your religion. IMO, it's for us as people to figure out moral codes for ourselves, and while holy books can be a great help in that, they shouldn't just dictate morality to us - we have to use our minds too. Fundamentalists would call this cherry-picking, but as it seems you are beginning to agree, there are some parts of the Abrahamic creed that are just not morally acceptable.

I expect whatever belief you end up with will be better than what you had before. A faith that's personally developed and deliberately chosen is much stronger than one that's blindly accepted. Wishing you all the best :smile:

(edited 2 years ago)

Reply 11

username4899406

Original post by AlooCurry

Islam mainly

Obviously I don't know your full situation, but as a fellow Muslim experience with friends who have previously been skeptical about their faith, I would say the key driver for such doubts is parents with too little knowledge or who impose a very harsh upbringing [which , for those who study Islam properly, would know is completely contrary to the Prophet Muhammad's teachings]

The Quran states clearly that there is no compulsion in religion and that Allah does not place upon a soul more than it can bear.
Happy to try and answer any questions or queries you may have, feel free to dm or reply anytime

Reply 12

username4899406

Original post by AlooCurry

Thanks, well it’s from watching some ex Muslim stories and a bunch of controversy eg violence in the Quran that I’m having trouble justifying.

in order to understand such verses you must read tafsir [context, commentary]
Islam only advocates violence if there is genuinely no other way out
is there a particular verse / teaching in particular?

Reply 13

AnnaIce

Hey,
Having doubts, especially when it comes to faith, is normal and I think its great that you’re doing research as this is the most important decision you have to make in your life (Whether God exists or not, what religion is true)

I think you should continue to do so, despite how uncomfortable it feels. I suggest you watch some debates between atheists and theists (if your contemplating whether a God exists or not) and also about Islam and Christianity.

Here are some great debaters I suggest:

Christian Apologists
-Nabeel Qureshi
-William Lane Craig
-Frank Turek
-Lee Strobel
-Al Fadi

Atheists:
Christopher Hitchens
Apostate Prophet

Islam:
Muhammed Hijab

These are just some apologists I have seen and heard of. Good luck and I pray that your search will be eye opening and life changing!

Original post by AlooCurry

(edited 2 years ago)

Reply 14

tptp123

anyone who watches those kinds of stories will inevitably have doubts. you have to understand that these people take things in Islam out of context and make it what it's not. we were even warned about this in the Quran. if you hear something from these people that are making Islam sound bad, go and research it and I promise u there will be an explanation for why its there and context :smile:

(edited 2 years ago)

Reply 15

Maths_Guy

Original post by AlooCurry

Thanks, well it’s from watching some ex Muslim stories and a bunch of controversy eg violence in the Quran that I’m having trouble justifying.

Violence verses in the Quran only address warfares and self-defence cases.
Let's agree to the fact that wars will NEVER stop whether we like or not.
One of the famous verses which right wing and ex Muslims always quote is "And slay them wherever ye catch them, and turn them out from where they have Turned you out" it means literally if you were in a battlefield you must kill your enemies ! I don't see anything wrong in that I am not gonna dine and wine my enemies whilst they are trying to kill me !! It is common sense !
In fact ex Muslims hold massive grudge and hate toward Islam , do you know why? Because they lie and say Islam caused all the chaos in the Middle East, but they are arrogants to admit most Islamic countries controlled by secularist leaders , them ex Muslims have NEVER blame the dictators in the Middle East they NEVER blame the west for supporting suppression in the Islamic countries . If anything to blame in Middle East is Secularism!!

I want you to ask them ex Muslims or any Islam's hater if they believe Muslims have the right like any other human beings to defend themselves , you will be shocked to know they believe everyone have the right but NOT Muslims. I have been asking this question plenty of times but I have not received an answer. Basically they believe if someone invaded your land and raped and murdered your family in front of your eyes you have NO right to kill the ones who are trying to kill you or your family.

I want to point out that you should not believe everything you hear from ex Muslims , I am talking about their personal stories and alleged struggle a lot of them made up stories in order to be accepted as refugees in the western countries.

Quran asks us to question Islam nothing wrong in that, but before that you need to be realistic and fair- minded... I did question Islam years ago but I found out people who criticise Islam they believe in what could be worst than Islam.
For example , some Christians/Jews who are disgusted by the violence in the Quran don't find it disgusting to justify ALL the violence in the Bible in which God ordered to murder everyone belonged to The Amalek even their infants and their animals!
Same goes for the atheists, they are always brag about how science saving the humanity, but is it true? Well scientists invented medicines and in addition they developed weapons why people always forget this fact ? , matter of fact scientists have killed more than what they have saved.
Atheists cannot even answer why a wrong is wrong objectively ! I have asked many atheists why a son having sex with his biological mom is wrong , provided they are taking suffcient and effective contraceptive to prevent the mother from getting pregnant, guess what ? There is no reason ! they cannot see why we should stop two consenting adults from having sex !
All the bad stuff are being told about Islam had been debunked more than 1000 years ago, so yes they keep repeating same stuff over and over.
No matter how hard they try Islam will always win because it is the most realistic religion and ideology.
My last advice there are plenty of intellectual debates at Speakers Corner in the Hyde Park every Sunday, you could watch them on YouTube search for Mohammed Hijab , Shamsi , brother Mansur ,Adnan Rashid etc

(edited 2 years ago)

Reply 16

Joleee

Original post by AlooCurry

Thanks, well it’s from watching some ex Muslim stories and a bunch of controversy eg violence in the Quran that I’m having trouble justifying.

i don't know much about the Quran tbh or why you feel the need to justify it :colondollar:

if you want to discuss/question violence in the Bible - yes or course, gosh the Old Testament is a ****ing nightmare :facepalm:

the Bible is just a story tho of the disasters of the human experience from imperfect people trying to explain their understanding of God at a specific time and place. it isn't literally 'God's word' or instructions on how to do things (realistically, who thinks like the one who created the universe. me, you? maybe just some old dudes who lived a few thousand years ago and then it just stopped happening :cookie:

).

*if* you still believe somewhat in Christianity i would say maybe try to research other denominations but, at the same time, talk to someone who is not fussed either way to avoid biased opinions. faith and spiritually is a personal journey/walk with God you need to seek for yourself and someone else's opinion on your personal faith (whether a person of faith or an unbeliever) is usually unhelpful in my experience. dad used to love debating me into heaven as if faith works like that :lol:

Reply 17

Lucifer323

Original post by AlooCurry

There is nothing more healthy than having doubts and questioning matters. This will lead you to make your own research on the subject and eventually decide for yourself by making your own conclusions.

In relation to the comment you made about depression I think it's best if you see a specialist soon, as they can help you significantly and have helped a lot of people with similar issues. Deal with the problem at an early stage. It will benefit you massively.

(edited 2 years ago)

Reply 18

da_nolo

Original post by AlooCurry

1. Why do a lot of research?

2. What are you tesearching?

3. What seems to be the trick areas causing doubt?

Good to know that asking questions and even doubt is not always same as what " questioning faith" refers to

(edited 2 years ago)

Reply 19

PilgrimOfTruth

Original post by AlooCurry

You are going through a perfectly natural process imo just as poster Jolee highlighted.

We all have an innate level of intelligence, rationality and inbuilt skepticism to things imo.

Many people brought up in the Western world were effectively brainwashed and conditioned to believe in the existence of Santa Claus when they were kids. It's generally seen as a harmless bit of brainwashing that gives kids a lot of fun whilst they are growing up and looking forward to the Christmas period. Kids are very easily duped into believing anything because at that stage in life they have not developed the mental faculties for reasoning, objective analysis and they don't yet have the courage and resolve to challenge their peers.

Eventually of course kids come to realise that they have been duped and that Santa Claus is not a real person and doesn't ride around the sky in a sleigh pulled by reindeer. Many of us however can't quite remember how and when we broke that "spell" and snapped out of the delusion. It just seemed to happen at a certain age.

Religion is a similar situation imho. You will have been conditioned from an early age to believe in one or more deities depending on where you live in the world and how your parents are. Just as with Santa Claus, there comes a point in life where you develop the mental faculties to both begin to weigh up the facts relating to a religion or your beliefs and you develop the courage to start questioning things and will entertain the possibility that perhaps what you were conditioned with, may or may not be the truth or the whole truth.

I believe this process is absolutely paramount for life and survival. If we do not develop the mental faculty to question, to challenge, to reason, to rationally assess things, then we place ourselves in an incredibly vulnerable position which will inevitably be exploited by other people who may use you, abuse you and or swindle you.

Santa Claus was a comfort blanket for many young children. But we could never go on living in the delusion that he existed. We eventually have to face up to the real world, a world in which you no longer just routinely receive lots of Christmas presents for free each year but one in which you begin to realise the importance, value and satisfaction of buying and giving presents to others. So we step out of the former comfort zone and expose ourselves to the bigger, real world around us and learn to live in that world and learn to cope with that world and adapt and prosper.

So too it is with religion imo. Once you are brave enough to seriously question the creeds, doctrines, narratives and tenets then you will begin to see a totally different picture, a more "real" world, one without that comfort blanket, and you then start to adapt and learn to live in it.

I'm afraid the world is a harsh and unfair, unjust place. It's up to US as people in a collective society to make that word a good and better place.
The sooner we all deal with the past conditioning we've received as kids, the sooner we will build a better society imo.

Either way. Embrace your ability to challenge, to question, to reason and objectively assess things. These are vital life skills that will protect you.