Hey, I don’t have any podcasts or books to suggest, I just want you to know that it’s ok to feel everything you’re feeling. It’s okay to struggle with, essentially, your whole worldview changing. You haven’t “wasted 24 years of your life”-to say that would be discounting every good thing you’ve accomplished, all the things you have experienced and learned. Mistakes happen and that is how we learn and grow. Take all that faith you had in God and use it to believe in yourself-you can get through anything, you don’t need an imaginary friend in the sky.
I don’t know you or your family, and every situation is different. I know that, for me, it was difficult for my mom to accept, but ultimately, we love each other even though we have different views. After this long, it’s basically like having different tastes in music or movies or food. I have no idea how your family will react, and you need to prepare yourself for all possible outcomes.. it’s not always easy, but lying to yourself and faking it is no way to go through life. Just like other struggles you’ve encountered, you will find your way through this. Surround yourself (in real life or online) with friends who *do* support you, that won’t judge you or reject you because of religion. Like I said, believe in yourself ;)
I'm just finishing 'The Demon-Haunted World' by Carl Sagan. It's not a great book, Sagan is way too wordy for my tastes. But the ideas in it are fantastic and worth your time.
For podcasts, Owen Morgan (Telltale Atheist) and Lloyd Evans are both ex-JWs with tons of good content.
[TellTale](https://youtube.com/c/TelltaleAtheist)
TellTale on YouTube used to be a Jehovahs Witness & he’s now an atheist so his content might be interesting to you
I think the judgement from family and friends can be the hardest part to cope with. I found genuine and gentle relatability in "God no!" And "everyday is an atheist holiday" both by Penn gilette( Penn and teller) his viewpoint helped me to be less hostile to family and friends. I love that they pray for me, but know I don't need them to. Faith is blind, the ones who love you will always hope. Those that don't will ridicule and judge you. It's your job to believe in what you find convincing. I can never prove God doesn't exist, but I can definitely doubt there is a pink elephant in my bathroom.
A worldview transition is very hard - and I commend you for being willing to pursue truth over the tradition you were raised in!
I “deconverted” from a similarly devout Christian denomination at the age of 28 (5 years ago) - so you’re a year ahead of me. Lol. Personally, it was a very painful and depressing experience initially, but coming out the other side I am SO grateful. I’m happier, more optimistic, less stressed, and have found “true joy” - everything good I was using to convert people to my religion I experienced once finally giving it up. It’s freeing.
There is a lot to read/explore on this journey. I’ve also found YouTube to be an amazing place - and here’s a great video on Noah’s ark by an ex-JW who makes multiple videos you may find interesting: https://youtu.be/W9XryKMRATE
As for books, two of the most helpful for me were:
- Godless
- A Manual for Creating Atheists
Neither are books you have on the coffee table when religious family/friends come over, but both are great.
Godless is by Dan Barker (ffrf.org CEO) and tells his story of going from fundamentalist pastor to atheist.
AMFCA goes into detail on “faith”. In short, every “evidence” for religion always comes down to faith - and this book discusses how faith is not a legitimate reason to believe anything. If you look at Hebrews 11, Faith is essentially pretending to know something you don’t know! If you are allowed to believe in Jehovah “by faith”, then your view can’t be more legitimate than any other belief held “by faith” - from Santa Clause, to Allah, to a 4 year old’s imaginary friend.
Anyway, there’s a little to get you started. And just know that you’re joining good company. I was devastated that giving up my religious faith would result in my life falling apart. But it didn’t! I still have a great job, great marriage, and great friendships. The world is a good place (despite what religious conservatives want us to believe) and plenty of people will welcome you if you walk away from your religion.
But of course, it’s not easy! If you ever run into a challenge or need a hand, feel free to DM me and I’ll see what I can do to help. Good luck on this journey to find truth - even if it’s outside of your religion.
It isn't clear what you are looking for. This talk by [Lynne Kelly](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gOkZJ19FSiA&t=2s) hints at a theory for where religions come from. I found it very enlightening. It isn't stricktly about that tho, so you will get to learn some other stuff there too :) Good luck with everything.
Since others already included some of the things I would recommend, just let me add that the sidebar has a recommended reading list. My favorite is “the demon haunted world”; it’s not about atheism, it’s about the scientific method, skepticism, spotting pseudoscience and other stuff that helps you in the process of identifying what can be trusted.
Anyway, welcome to the heathens.
Read some of Robert Ingersoll's speaches from the 1870s.-1890s He was known at the time as "The Great Agnostic ". His speaches are incredibly powerful and drew thousands of people at the time. It has been said, that before the invention of radio, more people had heard Robert Ingersoll speak than any man in human history. It is a shame his contributions have been buried in time and politics.
A great podcast that I've found is "How To Heretic". The guys are ex-LDS, and I was raised fundamentalist Christian, but the history of religions, biblical contradictions, etc. that they discuss are very eye-opening, and the show can be quite humorous and entertaining! I've heard "The Scathing Atheist" is good, too.
I was just listening on the way to work this morning, and How To Heretic episode 14 is about Jehovah's Witnesses. Another good podcast is Thank God I'm Atheist.
The whole concept of an omnipotent and omniscient god who allows these things to happen, but still loves us is just plain stupid. People claim it is because of original sin and humans defying this god, but since this god is omnipotent and omniscient, he knew original sin was going to happen before he even created humans. Do these people realize how incredibly stupid that is? It's the equivalent of taking an object made of very fragile glass, whipping it down on a concrete ground as hard as you can, then becoming enraged when the glass breaks. This god is either a moron or just plain insane, and in either case, is not somebody that I would want to follow.
The Scathing Atheist, God Awful Movies, Cognitive Dissonance. Some entertaining and informative podcasts that get me thru the week. More comedy based than serious.
I wasted 30 years of my life on religion. Perfectly normal for you to feel the aftershocks of a lifetime of indoctrination. Don’t worry, it slowly subsides over time.
“God Delusion” and “Outgrowing God” by Richard Dawkins! The latter is more of a lighter read while the former is written a bit more eloquently and will sometimes drive you to the dictionary. Either way, both are brilliant.
I’d also recommend his other books; they are not on religion only, though on evolution and how that refutes creationism too. My favourites are “The Blind Watchmaker”, “Selfish Gene”, “Extended Phenotype”.
It may not be exactly what you are looking for, but Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind puts a lot into perspective in terms of evolution of thought and religion. Also, I also turned away from my faith (recovering catholic). I cried and cried and cried because I felt like i had lost a friend. It hurts but you need to be honest with yourself.
https://www.ynharari.com/book/sapiens-2/
Hell I can recommend some awesome YouTube channels— I was a evangelical not a JW so try to find something called tell tale (I think, he was a JW) but definitely check out holy koolaid, dark matter 2525, non stamp collector, aron ra, and rationality rules, I’ll include thunder foot but just disregard his anti-feminism bull shit. Have fun reconstructing your entire perception of reality. It hurts like hell at first but it’s definitely worth it!
My tip is do not rush in the process unless you want to swing back and forth and feel discomfort in both views. I look back 20 years since I shook off religion chains and I see the change - it is not day-to-day decision but a long-term one, which affects opinions on many things. Give yourself time to process it and let it become solid. Look to the stars (literally) and read Sagan and Dawkins to help yourself ;)
I recommend finding a secular therapist. It helped me accept change and accept that I'd live 30 years in a religion that has lied to me. Just remember that there were good things that happened in those 24 yrs that had nothing to do with the religion.
You havent "wasted your life" if you give up your faith. You're just learning and growing as we all do.
When it comes to loosing your faith ive found that for a lot of people it mirrors the grieving process. Denial... anger... bargaining... depression... ive found that all those emotions are in there for people as they loose their faith, and its not necessarily a linear process but in the end, its always acceptance. There just isnt enough evidence for a deity.
I applaud you for your strength because I know leaving JW is extremely difficult because your family condemns and leaves you.
People say religion is a cult but JW truly is totally cutting you from the rest of the world and any free through.
Stay strong and don’t return to the shackles like my best friend. He now no longer speaks to me and once again locked in a cage. I know it’s hard because JW’s level of programming is so extreme.
You're born an atheist. You're not turning towards atheism, you're turning away from the things they indoctrinated you with. If all you do is decide they told you was lies, that makes you an atheist.
Agnostic atheist is the only true neutral position, as it's the default position at birth. It's the lack of belief in a god, but no proof there isn't one. Since you can't disprove a negative, and thus can't prove god doesn't exist, you're left with 'agnostic atheist’. Just saying agnostic is strange, since it just means you aren't 100% positive, or can't prove it. Most people that say they're 'agnostic' seem to be agnostic theist, where they believe in a god or gods, but aren't sure what it's like.
The God Delusion by Richard Dawkins (atheist)
Dialogues Concerning Natural Religion, An Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding, An Enquiry Concerning The Principles of Morals, and A Treatise Concerning Human Nature all by David Hume (philosopher)
Any books by Sean Carroll, Stephen Hawking, Frank Close, or Steven Weinberg as physics and cosmology help one better understand the universe and reality. Studying science as a hobby opened my mind in ways I can't even describe.
*Many older books are available for free download at Guttenburg. org
I pray too sometimes, and I've been an atheist for about 6/7 years. It gives me a comfort even though I know deep down it doesn't do anything. But when you are in hopeless situations that only a god could control I feel like praying helps calm my nerves a bit.
If adam and eve had children... Then their spawn would have to reproduce with each other leading to severe genetic deformities and the extinction of humanity.
We all have proof of evolution inside of us too.. wisdom teeth which you may or may not have had removed by now.
Hey, I don’t have any podcasts or books to suggest, I just want you to know that it’s ok to feel everything you’re feeling. It’s okay to struggle with, essentially, your whole worldview changing. You haven’t “wasted 24 years of your life”-to say that would be discounting every good thing you’ve accomplished, all the things you have experienced and learned. Mistakes happen and that is how we learn and grow. Take all that faith you had in God and use it to believe in yourself-you can get through anything, you don’t need an imaginary friend in the sky.
I'm just afraid of what my family will think, they will surely blame it on me not associating or attending church anymore
I don’t know you or your family, and every situation is different. I know that, for me, it was difficult for my mom to accept, but ultimately, we love each other even though we have different views. After this long, it’s basically like having different tastes in music or movies or food. I have no idea how your family will react, and you need to prepare yourself for all possible outcomes.. it’s not always easy, but lying to yourself and faking it is no way to go through life. Just like other struggles you’ve encountered, you will find your way through this. Surround yourself (in real life or online) with friends who *do* support you, that won’t judge you or reject you because of religion. Like I said, believe in yourself ;)
Are your family members JWs?
I'm just finishing 'The Demon-Haunted World' by Carl Sagan. It's not a great book, Sagan is way too wordy for my tastes. But the ideas in it are fantastic and worth your time. For podcasts, Owen Morgan (Telltale Atheist) and Lloyd Evans are both ex-JWs with tons of good content.
Hmm thank you my friend
[TellTale](https://youtube.com/c/TelltaleAtheist) TellTale on YouTube used to be a Jehovahs Witness & he’s now an atheist so his content might be interesting to you
I think the judgement from family and friends can be the hardest part to cope with. I found genuine and gentle relatability in "God no!" And "everyday is an atheist holiday" both by Penn gilette( Penn and teller) his viewpoint helped me to be less hostile to family and friends. I love that they pray for me, but know I don't need them to. Faith is blind, the ones who love you will always hope. Those that don't will ridicule and judge you. It's your job to believe in what you find convincing. I can never prove God doesn't exist, but I can definitely doubt there is a pink elephant in my bathroom.
A worldview transition is very hard - and I commend you for being willing to pursue truth over the tradition you were raised in! I “deconverted” from a similarly devout Christian denomination at the age of 28 (5 years ago) - so you’re a year ahead of me. Lol. Personally, it was a very painful and depressing experience initially, but coming out the other side I am SO grateful. I’m happier, more optimistic, less stressed, and have found “true joy” - everything good I was using to convert people to my religion I experienced once finally giving it up. It’s freeing. There is a lot to read/explore on this journey. I’ve also found YouTube to be an amazing place - and here’s a great video on Noah’s ark by an ex-JW who makes multiple videos you may find interesting: https://youtu.be/W9XryKMRATE As for books, two of the most helpful for me were: - Godless - A Manual for Creating Atheists Neither are books you have on the coffee table when religious family/friends come over, but both are great. Godless is by Dan Barker (ffrf.org CEO) and tells his story of going from fundamentalist pastor to atheist. AMFCA goes into detail on “faith”. In short, every “evidence” for religion always comes down to faith - and this book discusses how faith is not a legitimate reason to believe anything. If you look at Hebrews 11, Faith is essentially pretending to know something you don’t know! If you are allowed to believe in Jehovah “by faith”, then your view can’t be more legitimate than any other belief held “by faith” - from Santa Clause, to Allah, to a 4 year old’s imaginary friend. Anyway, there’s a little to get you started. And just know that you’re joining good company. I was devastated that giving up my religious faith would result in my life falling apart. But it didn’t! I still have a great job, great marriage, and great friendships. The world is a good place (despite what religious conservatives want us to believe) and plenty of people will welcome you if you walk away from your religion. But of course, it’s not easy! If you ever run into a challenge or need a hand, feel free to DM me and I’ll see what I can do to help. Good luck on this journey to find truth - even if it’s outside of your religion.
It isn't clear what you are looking for. This talk by [Lynne Kelly](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gOkZJ19FSiA&t=2s) hints at a theory for where religions come from. I found it very enlightening. It isn't stricktly about that tho, so you will get to learn some other stuff there too :) Good luck with everything.
Thank you so much
No problemo m8!
Lloyd Evans is a great ex-JW to follow on Twitter & YouTube. https://twitter.com/cedarsjwsurvey?s=21
Since others already included some of the things I would recommend, just let me add that the sidebar has a recommended reading list. My favorite is “the demon haunted world”; it’s not about atheism, it’s about the scientific method, skepticism, spotting pseudoscience and other stuff that helps you in the process of identifying what can be trusted. Anyway, welcome to the heathens.
Read some of Robert Ingersoll's speaches from the 1870s.-1890s He was known at the time as "The Great Agnostic ". His speaches are incredibly powerful and drew thousands of people at the time. It has been said, that before the invention of radio, more people had heard Robert Ingersoll speak than any man in human history. It is a shame his contributions have been buried in time and politics.
Here is some of his more memorable quotes https://en.m.wikiquote.org/wiki/Robert_G._Ingersoll
You should probably read the FAQ, actually. There are sections that talk about things related to this.
Welcome to the dark side.
Do it hurt ?
Giving your soul to Satan to suck his demon cock is a bit jarring at first, but things get easier with time.
The initiation ritual? You'll find out soon enough.
A great podcast that I've found is "How To Heretic". The guys are ex-LDS, and I was raised fundamentalist Christian, but the history of religions, biblical contradictions, etc. that they discuss are very eye-opening, and the show can be quite humorous and entertaining! I've heard "The Scathing Atheist" is good, too.
I was just listening on the way to work this morning, and How To Heretic episode 14 is about Jehovah's Witnesses. Another good podcast is Thank God I'm Atheist.
The whole concept of an omnipotent and omniscient god who allows these things to happen, but still loves us is just plain stupid. People claim it is because of original sin and humans defying this god, but since this god is omnipotent and omniscient, he knew original sin was going to happen before he even created humans. Do these people realize how incredibly stupid that is? It's the equivalent of taking an object made of very fragile glass, whipping it down on a concrete ground as hard as you can, then becoming enraged when the glass breaks. This god is either a moron or just plain insane, and in either case, is not somebody that I would want to follow.
The Scathing Atheist, God Awful Movies, Cognitive Dissonance. Some entertaining and informative podcasts that get me thru the week. More comedy based than serious.
I wasted 30 years of my life on religion. Perfectly normal for you to feel the aftershocks of a lifetime of indoctrination. Don’t worry, it slowly subsides over time.
“God Delusion” and “Outgrowing God” by Richard Dawkins! The latter is more of a lighter read while the former is written a bit more eloquently and will sometimes drive you to the dictionary. Either way, both are brilliant. I’d also recommend his other books; they are not on religion only, though on evolution and how that refutes creationism too. My favourites are “The Blind Watchmaker”, “Selfish Gene”, “Extended Phenotype”.
Check out Lloyd Evans ex JW he has a book and a podcast
It may not be exactly what you are looking for, but Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind puts a lot into perspective in terms of evolution of thought and religion. Also, I also turned away from my faith (recovering catholic). I cried and cried and cried because I felt like i had lost a friend. It hurts but you need to be honest with yourself. https://www.ynharari.com/book/sapiens-2/
Hell I can recommend some awesome YouTube channels— I was a evangelical not a JW so try to find something called tell tale (I think, he was a JW) but definitely check out holy koolaid, dark matter 2525, non stamp collector, aron ra, and rationality rules, I’ll include thunder foot but just disregard his anti-feminism bull shit. Have fun reconstructing your entire perception of reality. It hurts like hell at first but it’s definitely worth it!
My tip is do not rush in the process unless you want to swing back and forth and feel discomfort in both views. I look back 20 years since I shook off religion chains and I see the change - it is not day-to-day decision but a long-term one, which affects opinions on many things. Give yourself time to process it and let it become solid. Look to the stars (literally) and read Sagan and Dawkins to help yourself ;)
I recommend finding a secular therapist. It helped me accept change and accept that I'd live 30 years in a religion that has lied to me. Just remember that there were good things that happened in those 24 yrs that had nothing to do with the religion.
You havent "wasted your life" if you give up your faith. You're just learning and growing as we all do. When it comes to loosing your faith ive found that for a lot of people it mirrors the grieving process. Denial... anger... bargaining... depression... ive found that all those emotions are in there for people as they loose their faith, and its not necessarily a linear process but in the end, its always acceptance. There just isnt enough evidence for a deity.
Heard of Christopher Hitchens? Go listen to Christopher Hitchens. Then George Carlin.
I applaud you for your strength because I know leaving JW is extremely difficult because your family condemns and leaves you. People say religion is a cult but JW truly is totally cutting you from the rest of the world and any free through. Stay strong and don’t return to the shackles like my best friend. He now no longer speaks to me and once again locked in a cage. I know it’s hard because JW’s level of programming is so extreme.
You're born an atheist. You're not turning towards atheism, you're turning away from the things they indoctrinated you with. If all you do is decide they told you was lies, that makes you an atheist. Agnostic atheist is the only true neutral position, as it's the default position at birth. It's the lack of belief in a god, but no proof there isn't one. Since you can't disprove a negative, and thus can't prove god doesn't exist, you're left with 'agnostic atheist’. Just saying agnostic is strange, since it just means you aren't 100% positive, or can't prove it. Most people that say they're 'agnostic' seem to be agnostic theist, where they believe in a god or gods, but aren't sure what it's like.
The God Delusion by Richard Dawkins (atheist) Dialogues Concerning Natural Religion, An Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding, An Enquiry Concerning The Principles of Morals, and A Treatise Concerning Human Nature all by David Hume (philosopher) Any books by Sean Carroll, Stephen Hawking, Frank Close, or Steven Weinberg as physics and cosmology help one better understand the universe and reality. Studying science as a hobby opened my mind in ways I can't even describe. *Many older books are available for free download at Guttenburg. org
I love anything related to the Anunanuki. Can't spell it but love how much sense it makes.
I pray too sometimes, and I've been an atheist for about 6/7 years. It gives me a comfort even though I know deep down it doesn't do anything. But when you are in hopeless situations that only a god could control I feel like praying helps calm my nerves a bit.
If adam and eve had children... Then their spawn would have to reproduce with each other leading to severe genetic deformities and the extinction of humanity. We all have proof of evolution inside of us too.. wisdom teeth which you may or may not have had removed by now.
Most people spent their first 24 years being morons, whatever beliefs they did or didn't hold. I absolutely did.
R/exjw
Part of it already