Becoming an atheist

[glo]

I was having this discussion with my husband:

Sometimes you hear of people who leave their faith (be it Christianity, Islam or anything else), come to the conclusion that God is not real and become atheists.


I cannot imagne that anybody, having once believed in God, can suddenly not believe in him any more!
I can imagine that people may get angry with God, or disillusioned with other believers - but not that they can genuinely not believe in his existence any more.

My husband disagrees, and says he has read many testamonies of people who did just that - stopped believing that God was real!

What do you think?
Is it possible?
Do you know people who have done this?

Peace.

[snakelegs]

I was having this discussion with my husband:

Sometimes you hear of people who leave their faith (be it Christianity, Islam or anything else), come to the conclusion that God is not real and become atheists.


I cannot imagne that anybody, having once believed in God, can suddenly not believe in him any more!
I can imagine that people may get angry with God, or disillusioned with other believers - but not that they can genuinely not believe in his existence any more.

My husband disagrees, and says he has read many testamonies of people who did just that - stopped believing that God was real!

What do you think?
Is it possible?
Do you know people who have done this?

Peace.

i have known jews who became atheists as a result of the holocaust.

[IbnAbdulHakim]

its very real, i actually had many discussions with lots of non-muslims who called themselves christians etc, and after my mass questioning they anounced that they just dont believe in God... sis its shoking but obviously they never to begin wiv truelly believd in God. It was all just a "label"

sry if thats too brief, but i hope u understnd wat im syin, Allah guides whom he wills..

[Hijrah]

I can relate to what Mazed said, I know a lot of people like that.

As far as Islam goes, just look at Ali Sina, he is an atheist who left Islam and now all he does is make retarded attempts of slandering Islam on where? THE INTERNET!

[Abdul Fattah]

Well I don't think a person who truly believes can loose it's faith. Perhaps some people thought that they believed while they didn't really believe, and then finally gave up on fooling themselves and became atheistic.

[glo]

i have known jews who became atheists as a result of the holocaust.

I can understand that.

But the question remains, were they angry with God for having allowed it to take place; or did they come to believe that God couldn't possible exist ... because if he did, he would have prevented it?

[glo]

its very real, i actually had many discussions with lots of non-muslims who called themselves christians etc, and after my mass questioning they anounced that they just dont believe in God... sis its shoking but obviously they never to begin wiv truelly believd in God. It was all just a "label"

sry if thats too brief, but i hope u understnd wat im syin, Allah guides whom he wills..

I understand that, too.
I think it can happen when you grow up in a 'religious environment' - like, you do and say all the 'right' stuff, but you don't really believe it.

I grew up in a Christian home, and I was like that for a long time. It wasn't really until I was an adult that I 'found' God and learned to love and serve him.

So are you saying, people who turn away from their faith and become atheists cannot have been 'true' believers in the first place?

peace.

[IbnAbdulHakim]

So are you saying, people who turn away from their faith and become atheists cannot have been 'true' believers in the first place?

peace.

yes sis, duz that sound unfair at all? hmm... i gess.. i dunno, but in all honesty once u've accepted that God is there wateva he decree's u wud jus accept so i dont undastand what it could be which takes people away from God... reverting i understand, converting i understand but to completely deny.. that i dont get !

[glo]

I can relate to what Mazed said, I know a lot of people like that.

As far as Islam goes, just look at Ali Sina, he is an atheist who left Islam and now all he does is make retarded attempts of slandering Islam on where? THE INTERNET!

I don't know this guy, but I often feel that when people leave their faith, they do so for a reason. Often they have been hurt or feel betrayed, either by God or by fellow believers, or perhaps by the authorities of their religion.
That hurt and anger is then released - usually by slandering the religion in question!
Not a nice thing to do, but a human reaction to hurt and pain - so perhaps it's understandable ...

Peace

[glo]

yes sis, duz that sound unfair at all? hmm... i gess.. i dunno, but in all honesty once u've accepted that God is there wateva he decree's u wud jus accept so i dont undastand what it could be which takes people away from God... reverting i understand, converting i understand but to completely deny.. that i dont get !

Yes, that's how I feel.
(Although I am sorely tempted to translate your post into 'proper' English! ... off topic)

[IbnAbdulHakim]

Yes, that's how I feel.
(Although I am sorely tempted to translate your post into 'proper' English! ... off topic)

lol sorry, i'll try to type in proper english inshaAllah.

[- Qatada -]

On my opinion, i think it's the fact that when a person starts to indulge in sin - then he/she keeps turning away from Allaah, and the deeper the person falls, the harder it is to escape.

This is why when a person has deeply fallen into the hole - they feel that they need to get out somehow, which means that they turn to Allaah.

Allah is the Protector of those who have faith: from the depths of darkness He will lead them forth into light... (Qur'an 2:257)

However, when the person totally rejects Allaah and enjoy the sins that he/she may indulge in - they keep straying in that darkness.. they don't know where they are, but they feel that they are superior to others, they feel that they don't need to submit to anyone, and their pride take's over them. A really good example of this is satan.

...Of those who reject faith the patrons are the evil ones: from light they will lead them forth into the depths of darkness. They will be companions of the fire, to dwell therein (For ever). (Qur'an 2:257)

Allaah Almighty knows best.



PS: Good thread.


Peace.

[Abdul Fattah]

I don't know this guy, but I often feel that when people leave their faith, they do so for a reason. Often they have been hurt or feel betrayed, either by God or by fellow believers, or perhaps by the authorities of their religion.
That hurt and anger is then released - usually by slandering the religion in question!
Not a nice thing to do, but a human reaction to hurt and pain - so perhaps it's understandable ...

Peace

well, it's not that black or white.
In the end every single action a person does is for a reason. If you break open psychology books, and make a profound study, eventually you can seemingly explain the worst act of dictators and psychopaths, afterall they are just following the path that ies in front of them, well not quite.
Just because someone finds a motive for soem course of action, doesn't make it justified! It might explain us why this person does this and make it understandable, but it doesn't make a wrongfull act less wrong. Well I know all you only "understandable" and not "justified", but I thought it might be interesting to add this

[IbnAbdulHakim]

i dunno but i think feeling betrayed by God is actually you betraying God after all his favours on you... its like sayin "the decree of God on me isnt good enuff even tho i accepted before that God is all just"

so my point is that kinda scenario just aint happening. But wat fi-sab said was on the spot... sinning makes a person dulge to deep into darkness that they can actually forget God :eek:

[snakelegs]

I can understand that.

But the question remains, were they angry with God for having allowed it to take place; or did they come to believe that God couldn't possible exist ... because if he did, he would have prevented it?

they had gone beyond being angry with god and came to believe that god couldn't possibly exist, if he allowed such things to happen. before the holocaust they had been orthodox jews.

[IbnAbdulHakim]

they had gone beyond being angry with god and came to believe that god couldn't possibly exist, if he allowed such things to happen. before the holocaust they had been orthodox jews.

how can u be angry wiv God once you've firmly believed and understood him?

[Trumble]

i have known jews who became atheists as a result of the holocaust.

Quite understandable, I think. For those who lived through that it must have been very hard to retain the idea of a benevolent, omniscient, omnipotent God. At the risk of waking Ansar up, that's the sort of event that just about clinches the "problem of evil" debate for me. No amount of philosophical argument or theological explanation can provide a convincing explanation of why such a God would let such a thing happen.

As to the first post, people stop believing in God because they no longer need the idea of a God to provide an explanation of why things happen in their lives.

[- Qatada -]

It's natural, because we've been created in a natural state where we know that Allaah is watching over us. But when a person break's that barrier, and take's that lightly - they keep forcing themselves to turn away from Allaah so they can commit that sin.

Gradually, due to them turning away from Allaah and because of their sins, they actually forget that Allaah is watching over him/her, which leads to them forgetting Allaah Almighty totally, so Allaah makes them forget themselves.

The Evil One has got the better of them: so he has made them lose the remembrance of Allah. They are the Party of the Evil One. Truly, it is the Party of the Evil One that will perish! (Qur'an 58:19)


And be ye not like those who forgot Allah; and He made them forget their own souls! Such are the rebellious transgressors! (Qur'an 59:19)

..and Allaah Almighty knows best.

[IbnAbdulHakim]

they keep forcing themselves to turn away from Allaah so they can commit that sin.

that was brilliant, i hope people take heed inshaAllah, if i could i wud giv u 10 reps for that !!

[Zone Maker]

I can relate to what Mazed said, I know a lot of people like that.

As far as Islam goes, just look at Ali Sina, he is an atheist who left Islam and now all he does is make retarded attempts of slandering Islam on where? THE INTERNET!

Well in the end hell does need kafirs as its fuel .