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RE: Christians, Atheists, Muslims and everyone else (except agnostics): Are you being intellectually honest?
I was raised in a christian community by christian parents. Rejecting their religion was probably the most uncomfortable thing I ever did because it made me an outcast. I had to leave home at age 14 and go out into the world alone without any money or friends to help me because of it.
Aetheism can't be "abandoned." It's the rejection of a claim and isn't a claim/belief itself. The burden of proof is on the person making the claim ("Deity X exists"), not on the person being asked to accept it.
The outcome of harm or pain is not a good reason to accept or reject anything. Facts don't change just because they're painful.
Because you were so young, it sounds like you left mainly because of some negative experiences. Am I right? Most people don't leave their family and friends at that age without some very bad experiences. It must have been a painful episode! Because of that you also might have quite a negative picture of christianity.
I appreciate your point on abandoning atheism. I checked it out on Wikipedia, and true enough, atheism refers to the whole range of people without a positive belief in a deity. I used the term "agnostism" with regard to people who just don't believe. I think it's common practise. With atheism I am referring to a negative belief: "I believe there is no God", which is obviously often a presupposition and lens through which such believers view the world. I am sure such a strong position can be abandoned if the person in question wants to and finds convincing arguments against his position. (Yes, I think wanting is the most important factor in the decision)
I think agnostism, not believing in something, is a comfortable position, especially because it doesn't impose beliefs on other people. I think that should be the case with theism too, at least if one believes in free will. In case of positive atheism, I don't know, because it contains no ultimate source of moral, so practisers "can do as they like".
Everything would have been fine if I had not rejected the religion. That is what turned everyone against me and is why I had to detach and go my own way. I was incompatible and my very existence had become offensive.
Agnostisim is where you find yourself when you've heard the claim but haven't made up your mind about it yet for lack of information. You haven't confirmed the claim to be true but you haven't decided to reject it yet because you aren't sure about it yet. Many people linger in this position because, as you say, it's comfortable. It affords you the luxury of not declaring acceptance or rejection so you can remain socially compatible with more people. Having principled convictions cuts you off from people and most aren't willing to pay that price. Acceptance of peers is usually of the utmost importance. I'm just one of those strange outliers that chose to be uncompromisingly principled and committed to objective reality at any cost.
I'm surprised that you made up your mind at that young age! I think they will find out, if they haven't already, that your are of the kind one should hang around.
But can you tell what the benefits were of your commitment to objective reality? There must be some, because the cost is so high!
As a child, I looked around and saw where the grown-ups all around me ended up. None of them traveled, explored, innovated, or evolved in any noticeable way. They were born, grew larger, procreated with others that happened to be born nearby, grew old, and died. Nobody explored or invented. They all just perpetuated the same lowly existence from one generation to the next. I could see through books, television, movies, and later through the internet, that there was a great big world out there where people were actually evolving and making things better and better for themselves. I didn't want to just accept my fate. The pre-packaged life that my parents and local community offered was grossly insufficient. For some reason, I loved myself enough to demand more - a lot more.
So to answer your question, I guess I saw the pain I went through as an investment. I wasn't being cut down, I was paying the price for my freedom - the freedom to grow, expand, innovate, and evolve... and while it bewildered most everyone in my midst at the time, I paid it gladly and regret nothing (except I wish I'd had the courage to leave even sooner).
@piedpiper, thanks for editing your reply. I appreciate it.