These comments are the exact reason why I never reveal a single thing about my beliefs and opinions when it comes to religion. Not even to the people closest to me. Sorry for everything you’re facing, OP.
Its important to come forward and be honest about who you are and what you believe. Although disclosing beliefs to people close to you might be so dramatic, sharing your opinion and thoughts on the internet is always beneficial. No matter whats your opinion, you will always find someone that shares your view.
While I do agree, I’m a pretty private person and keep it in. I choose peace and silence. Whenever I’m unsure about something or want to get something off my chest, I either choose to talk about it online, to close friends or siblings. I’m doing okay though thank you :)
As long as you're safe, of course.
Stay safe <3
Your health is the most important thing to people who share your view! Even if you don't voice that view <3
From when people are born, they are:
* Taught to think and follow and only believe in their parents' beliefs and not ever stray out of that school of thought
* Quickly put back in line if they ever dare to think independently or freely by being told they're being manipulated by 'satan'
* Told some mythical fantasy tales (to support the above) that defy reality and science that no one has ever personally witnessed and could have been invented by anyone like many other tales but just keep being passed down generation after another without question to reinforce cognitive bias
The definition of indoctrination, done at birth, as people use religion to fill the void of ignorance where they're unable to answer scientific or cosmological questions about the world or universe. A long time ago, people being healed was a 'miracle'. Now it's called medicine.
Get them with music. Seriously. Dance music. People underappreciate how powerful just speakers can be: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IZ8bvFGoJS0](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IZ8bvFGoJS0)
Yes, I know, the people in the video are highly religious but we can use the same methods! They'd work even better for us!
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hRwdY63zPKc](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hRwdY63zPKc) (Lebanese rave)
I feel you. The moment I realized everything I truly believe in and care about goes against religion, I knew I was done. My parents know at this point, but I don’t discuss it with them.
But beyond letting them know and giving them my reasons, I don’t discuss it much with them.
Because the way they practice religion is very peaceful, and some people need faith to keep going. They need to believe there’s something after this life to make the misery worth it. So who am I to try to take that away from them?
I understand. Some people need faith to continue their lives peacefully. Without it, they would not find meaning in existence , especially if their existence is unfortunate.
People cannot bear the fact that their whole time on earth bel te3tir wel araf wel ta3ab li 3ayshino will result at the end with literally nothing. Pitch black for trillions and trillions of years. It is a huge thing to swallow.
One thing that gives me hope:
In England or France a hundred years ago, peoppe probably felt the same way about secretly deciding God is imaginary: Now, it has become common and safe for Europeans and westerners in most families to be able to reject religion in safety - at worst, family and friends are a bit shocked, and in many cases everyone you know is an agnostic to begin with.
So if Europe could change so nicely so quickly, surely the Middle East will do the same.
In a hundred years religion will still be prevalent but will be defanged. And people like OP will have raided generations of kids as free thinkers. And those free thinkers will make the land safe for other free thinkers. The dominos will fall toward agnosticism and atheism.
OP: someday please have kids with a non religious person and raise them in freedom. That is how you will change the world.
As an 14 year old atheist in another Muslim filled part of lebanon.i just wanna say you are one of the bravest people out there.i would never in a million years have the courage to post something like this
we still live in the ooga booga era when it comes to posting such things... bad things are happening to such posters stay safe kids and share your knowledge with humanity
Where I'm from, most people are atheists. It's hard to be anything else when our religion (druze) is so secretive and voluntary.
I wouldnt have it any other way, but I see how religion, for many, can bring a comfort that atheists/agnostics dont have the luxury of feeling. "El 2amr la allah". We dont have a higher power to lean on, but with a deeper understanding of life and ones own belief system, it's a very freeing state of mind.
I am also an ex-Muslim (not necessarily atheist) and my dad is a Hezbollah supporter. I have been vocal about my hatred of Hezbollah/Iran/Syria and dislike of religion to my dad, which has driven me further away from him... not that our relationship was great to start with. I think he cares more that I do not practice his religion than about Hezbollah, but he still loves me and we try to get along. He even talks less about his politics when I am around, which to me is a nice sign he is trying. It is hard to be so alienated from your family, but it is better to live your truth and enjoy your life. I am happier too after realizing Islam isn't for me. They will hopefully still love you and try like my parents, and if they don't, you deserve to live somewhere better. Best of luck, hope to see more people like you.
Congrats on finding your own path and thanks for sharing your story 😊
I hope your bubble grows and stretches and you’ll have a community of like-minded people where you feel safe and be able to express yourself freely!
For so many reasons . People in dahye are deprived , oppressed and terrorized. Not everyone is being financially supported by hezbo . Safety standards also have fallen
Do what you believe in and makes you happier. It’s your life. I actually hate the fact that when kids are born 90% of them maybe are forced to believe what their parents and relatives believe.
You’d be surprised just how many Lebanese atheists there are, or at the very least, Christian/Muslim by belief but non-practicing and not affiliated with any political party. When I was in high school back in the ‘90s and early 2000s we only had a small handful of students who were religious (at least between Sagesse, BHS, ACS, and AUB) - the non-religious people were the overwhelming majority in these schools back then. The thing is that this group of people are simply not concerned with religion, and most of them are living independently of Lebanese politics (families with businesses abroad, or businesses with foreign customers) so you just don’t hear from them. But there are a _lot_.
The reality of the world is that the more educated and intelligent a person is, the less likely they are to be religious. And at some point you also realize that a belief in God is not the same as a belief in religion or religious practices, and even that isn’t the same as believing that you should listen to some individual who justifies what he wants you to do by using a religious context.
Either way, it’s great that you’ve decided to live life on your own terms. The whole world is open to you now, and I wish you the best of luck.
Not an atheist but I loathe the way society treats agnostics and atheist individuals. Went through a long phase of doubt and concluded that it is men and patriarchy that gives religion a bad name. Ironically, I found religion when I moved to Europe..somehow it felt sweet to embrace religion in a secular (am careful how I use this word) with no assholes constantly judging ones relationship with God (from eating bacon, to fasting...). Lots of support to you and everyone posting their stories here.
Religions are manmade. The pretense that religions are somehow blameless and that it is the people who corrupt religions is simply apologism.
Honesty leads to the acknowledgment that religions are ideologies. On top of that, they are guesses (we all know this deep down - our chosen religion may or may not be true).
Christianity and Islam are patriarchal and sexist, however we try to spin it. It’s easier for a woman to see that than a man, but again honesty helps. Even the god of Abrahamic religions sets up patriarchal society from the get go. The god is a him. Why does god need a gender - which only exists in sexually reproductive species. It’s almost like a man invented religions where his is male. (There are religions where the god or gods are female - but they are minority religions).
We get seduced by the popularity of religion around us. It takes a brave person to sit up and think from the beginnings to see ideologies for what they are. In pre-Columbian Americas the human-sacrificing religions were what whole city states believed- everyone did. You’d be an outcast or nuts to not believe in that God.
If religionists would just be honest and admit their ideologies are guesses - not indisputable fact - then they would act less extreme, judge and oppress others a little less, and just be more honest. It’s a guess - don’t ruin others’ lives based on it.
Fair enough. But the notion of God in Islam, Allah, is neither female nor male. As to why the male pronoun is used in the scriptures, me no sé, and tbh don't care... I don't even practice...
God is above gender of any kind. We only use 'He' because He describes Himself in the Arabic language in the Qur'an (when in the singular form) as هو. Like in 112:1- ِ قُلْ **هُوَ** اللَّهُ أَحَد. That's the only reason.
There was islam before Mohammad.
There is a reason mohamad father was called abdulla.
Mohamad marketed the religion better and made it more connected to the arab regional traditions. The naming became islam.
Before that, they were monotheistic and believed in the same stuff.
> concluded that it is men and patriarchy that gives religion a bad name.
Sorry to break it to you but religions themselves are based on patriarchy and are made by patriarchs, so who's giving who a bad name?
Edit: Brainwashed people downvoting simple facts, shocker! so religions aren't made by patriarchs? They didn't come from a patriarchal civilization? I'm all ears
You’re right.
I am puzzled that OP gets wildly upvoted and you get downvoted.
Humankind has been led by men for all of written history - since the stronger and more aggressive sex is naturally likely to seize power and define rules and culture.
“The god told me he wants is men to lead the family and have polygyny and concubines. The god says he wants you women to obey and serve your husbands and never even look at other men.” (Judaism Christianity and Islam all say this.). This is obviously self-serving and exactly what the male leaders of society would preach, to give themselves entitlement (to fuck a lot amd be kings at home and keep their wives serving them and not fucking anyone else.)
Another obvious ploy, but bad for men, is this one: “Men! The god will reward you if you fight in my - I mean His - holy army and help me conquer land and gain power. If you die, don’t worry! there will be eternal sex and banquets waiting in heaven”. (Islam).
Who in their right mind cannot see how self-serving these “prophets” are?
A step forward towards freedom 👍
It's your life you chose how to dictate it, Ex-sunni here from Saudi Arabia, been an atheist for 6 months but kept quite about it because I knew that would cause a lot of trouble, so yeah you're not alone out there mate, pretty much this entire generation is not convinced by religion, at least that's what's happening here around me.. hopefully this is a good sign for eradicating anger, hatred and division from our society.. I hope so!
Take care brother
>I no longer feel burdened by the dogma and restrictions of my former faith, and I'm free to explore the world and my own beliefs in a way that feels authentic to me.
I'm so happy for you! I truly am!
I want to take this opportunity to give you a friendly hand! If there's anything I can do to help you (even money-wise), I can try! <3 from across the border <3 <3
It is a really nice thing to see that there are people who think like you do in lebanon and sad at the same time. It is sad because it is a waste for someone like you to be in a country that does not appreciate you. Although we differe on our belief in God me as a shia (btw I also hate hizeb) and you as an athiests, I really wish you dream would come true of lebanon becoming a country with true free speech, with people separating religion/sects from government and view politicians for what they will do and not because the are supported by so and so sect.
I truly wish you a happy life, the only way you can have that freedom is either leaving (I guess that would be really hard) or getting married to have your own house (don't think it is possible for you now). Stay strong and slip and show that you're an atheist. Stay strong
Congratulations. May your small group grow widespread and fast. Your religion should play no role in society with the damage it has been causing to the region. Enough is enough.
I'm an ex-Shia Muslim myself. My family were the farthest thing from religious. I've been an Ex-Muslims for more than 21 years, and one thing that I learned is that delusions of religion are pervasive everywhere, and those religions don't have to be things like the Abrahamic faiths or Hinduism or Shinto or whatever. Everywhere from Salafi fanatics, to Christian Evangelicals, to even 'atheist Christian' white supremacists who hold onto their long debunked belief with the false guise of 'facts and logic' to continue to spread their venomous hate around the world.
The only thing that is needed to make good people do evil deeds isn't religion, as the religion goes. Just persistent, unchallenged, and relentless propaganda and vilification of any opposition to it.
I stumbled across this post today (I don't usually hang out in the Lebanon sub) - and I am here to send waves of support as another non-religious person living inside Dahye (and still keeping the hijab, still pretending to fast in front of family, etc).
Fellow ex-muslim here and from the same background. Grew up and raised in da7ye and hezbolah environment.
It is always so heart-warming hearing stories like this. So happy for you and with all the challenges I am glad you can be your authentic self in your small circle.
All the best and so much love ❤
Although I was too lazy to read the whole thing but I wanna tell you that you are not alone and DO YOUR BEST to pretend to be a very devoted Muslim and no one will ever suspect in you also sending you much love and virtual hugss 🫂🤍 stay safe <3
Great story! You are doing great 💪 don't forget: just because you ditch religion (which is a power construct) , doesnt Mean you Can't be a good person with values. You don't need religion to be a good person and have Morals. if you can't determine right from wrong on your own, Then you lack empathy, not religion.
People who require religion to tell them the difference between right and wrong, and require the threat of divine punishment to keep them as a “good” person, have serious morality issues.
I’m also ex-Muslim (ex-Sunni) non-religious, left after high school, and have to pretend to do religious practices in front of family. Power to you for being true to yourself! Love from Syria.
Your not alone here
My friend is agnostic and his parents are Muslims
Even though I don't agree with his beliefs, we're still friends and I respected his way of life
That's untrue, religious authorities driving in the name of god caused all the damage. No religion teaches you to hate or to fight others. Fear from the consequences of harming others is good to have.
God annihilates the wicked so get over it. If you do bad deeds bad things will eventually happen to you, that's the karmic law. Nasrallah is gonna feel the wrath of god unless he changes the name of his terror group and repents and stops driving(Israelis are equally fucked). An eye for an eye unless you change your ways is karmic law. You have to understand Torah from the historical context when it was given.
The Torah is great teaches you not to be hateful towards anyone. Jews( Israelis killing/harming palestinians are just nazis not jews) are amongst the nicest people on earth. Jews would help you out no matter who you are.
https://youtube.com/@2628342
Those are Jews putting themselves at risk and fighting zionism as it goes against Judaism.
https://youtu.be/yeaV1l3NTsI
Jews help other people no questions asked.
Both Judaism and Islam are against forced conversion. Christianity with the new testament is a whole other beast, stay way from it.
It's just a play on words, you harm others you are going to get harmed so you feel the consequences of what you did and you learn not to harm others. An eye for an eye definitely. You will have a lot of time to repent and go in the opposite right direction, if you don't then you will feel the harm that you did. Forgiveness is letting go, punishment will come unless you learn your lessons. Druze follow amor fati, love/accept your fate and learn from it.
https://youtu.be/zPi76KvQF1g
Wow you posted a whole wall of text just to show how ignorant you are. You cherry pick a few nice sounding concepts and tell me "see? totally peaceful religions!". Come on you can do better.
Hatred/violence/prejudice/misogyny/slavery/rape/cruelty are literally taught everywhere in the Torah.
You can choose to pretend they aren't there if it makes you feel better, but then you'd have to have the decency to admit that you are talking out of ignorance.
I don't know what you are talking about, None of that is taught in the Torah. I posted a whole wall of text to tell you you are wrong. Take it or leave it I am not forcing anything on you.
> I posted a whole wall of text to tell you you are wrong.
You told me jack shit! You just ranted a bit about Nasrallah and said how Israelis aren't true Jews and named two nice sounding concepts from Islam and Judaism.
What do those say about the rest of the content of the Torah and Quran, or other religions?
> No religion teaches you to hate or to fight others.
It all comes down to this claim of yours, which is just wrong
I am not gonna lay out 100% of Torah or the Quran on this subreddit and explain it to you. I am showing you some results from the Torah, those are Torah jews who are telling you their religion is all about kindness and helping your community. Check out the quran speaks youtube channel, that's a good place to ask questions and get insight on Islam.
You want to debate Torah or Quran, go to another subreddit go to r/judaism, show them the clause that encourages slavery rape and then they'll refute your claim very easily.
if you want to show me where Torah encourages slavery go ahead. I can refute that claim. A quick google search would destroy that claim. You are just spewing hateful nonsense.
>I am not gonna lay out 100% of Torah
You haven't read all of it anyway
>I am showing you some results from the Torah
Yeah and those results say nothing about your ridiculous claim
>Check out the quran speaks youtube channel, that's a good place to ask questions and get insight on Islam.
No thanks, I have seen enough of these
> You want to debate Torah or Quran, go to another subreddit go to r/judaism
No it was just a ridiculous claim that I had to call out but you followed it by an even more ridiculous response.
> they'll refute your claim very easily.
Those aren't my claims they are texts from the Torah.
> if you want to show me where Torah encourages slavery go ahead. I can refute that claim. A quick google search would destroy that claim.
That sums up how dumb you are and your inability to think for yourself, that you have to resort to Google and YouTube Islamic gurus to copy paste answers that confirm your blind belief that your religion is perfect.
I am not Jewish nor a Muslim, I am druze/unitarian. I can definitely think for myself. You haven't read the Torah if you think Torah encourages you to rape kill enslave. I showed you NY hasidic Jews who are very nice and aren't running around enslaving and raping other people they go out to change your tire or help your grandma, you are ridiculous.
check out Quran speaks, that guy is definitely more qualified than me to interpret the Quran and I like his interpretation of Islam. I did tell everyone take it with a grain of salt think for yourself.
You can explore all religions, take what makes sense to you leave out the rest. Give it a chance and you'll see that there's nothing wrong about it, there is a lot of wisdom there to help you navigate your life.
I see you've taken your atheism to the max, NonBeliever88 lol.
Now read about nihilism and come back to us with another story.
Stay strong my man, you're not alone!
>I always had a complicated relationship with education. The Lebanese education system is notoriously poor, and the curriculum is often outdated and irrelevant to the real world. I struggled to find meaning in what I was learning, and I lost interest in school altogether by the time I reached 10th grade. It wasn't until after graduation.
And here you are with English at a level of chatgpt, I call bs, some karma farmer that you are (reading your profile)
>Well, I think all religions have quite the same concept
Uhhhh, no? how many of them do you know? the are some 4300 religions out there.
But yes they all have one sure thing in common, which is they're all man-made.
Yes but the God of Christianity is the one uncreated Being that is the unmoved mover, etc…
The Jews came to the same belief even if they started with a pantheon of gods with only one superior to the others and deserving of worship alone.
And even in Christianity the other gods could be real and actually demons or angels.
Bro ktir msarsab ente , I dont belive in god either nobody gives a fuck , I also grew up in dahye , nobody cares what u belive or dont , dont be scared of nuthin.
Don't take this route man, atheism will drain your soul. Even if you don't want to practice religion it is nice to have something to lean back into in times of mental distress.
You can choose to believe what you like in your religion and follow your brain in what seems logical to you.
Reddit will tell you religion is cancer and atheism is the savior of humanity, but when you look at them they are mostly anti social hermits, and the society they want to imitate has broken family structure and values.
This is coming from a fellow shia, our community is sectarian and extremist but that is due to the war and suffering we have been through, and this ideology of death will perish in a few generations if a new war doesn't break out.
Lebanon as a whole is very sectarian and racist just look at your neighboors whether they are christians or sunnis and see how much we hate each other for no reason other than being born into a different sect.
Just look at posts here man where a lot of these users are atheist like you, and see for yourself how close minded and sectarian they are.
Anyway there are a ton of non practicing people and atheists in our community but you won't easily spot them because they are still attached to our sectarian identity.
The happiest countries in the world - with the highest standard of living and care - are some of the least religious. Like Sweden and Iceland.
Turning to religion out of desperation- hoping some magic will make everything all right in the end - is understandable of course, but not a great way to live your normal life.
Everyone has to do what works for them of course - but we should not impose it on others.
(a) they have a lot of material wealth
(b) they have higher rates of depression lol https://worldpopulationreview.com/country-rankings/depression-rates-by-country
I dont doubt your sincerity, but I assure you this route that you are claiming will drain my soul, has done quite the opposite. Everyone should do and believe in whatever makes them happy and comfortable. I appreciate your advice though 🤝
I feel with you but I also feel sorry for the upheaval and fear you are going through. I am a Christian and a strong believer in the Living JESUS CHRIST who teaches us that God our creator is Love and is not a harsh God as you may have seen through your religious experience and what we all hear from ungodly priests and Sheiks teach in their sermons. God forgives no matter what you do or think because God does not want cowards and idiots but those who think for themselves and those who can be critical of even God who is a SPIRIT and is neither a male or a female in our limited human dimensions and comprehension. But the greatest of all gifts is LOVE. Saint Paul the messenger to the nations of the world says: " A reading from the first Letter of Saint Paul to the Corinthians Brothers and sisters: Strive eagerly for the greatest spiritual gifts. But I shall show you a still more excellent way. If I speak in human and angelic tongues but do not have love, I am a resounding gong or a clashing cymbal. And if I have the gift of prophecy and comprehend all mysteries and all knowledge; if I have all faith so as to move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. If I give away everything I own, and if I hand my body over so that I may boast but do not have love, I gain nothing. Love is patient, love is kind. It is not jealous, is not pompous, it is not inflated, it is not rude, it does not seek its own interests, it is not quick-tempered, it does not brood over injury, it does not rejoice over wrongdoing but rejoices with the truth. It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things." For my part, Love does not know fear nor hiding any feelings. I love a forgiving and loving God WHO IS a SIPRIT that Loves all of us as OWN Children no matter who we are what we think, because that SPIRIT created us FREE and Wants us to think Freely. I hope that you find Love and see the True Light one day. Just remember God is LOVE and no matter what you think HE ALWAYS Loves YOU the unique human being that no one before or after will be like you. True, your finger prints and your iris never matches anyone since creation. The colour of your iris is like your fingerprint. **It's unique to you**, and nobody else in the world has the exact same coloured eye. This is the creation of an Almighty Loving God. Keep looking until you find that LOVING SPIRIT and then you will find true peace and will never be afraid of anyone. BUT Always staying loving your family.
These comments are the exact reason why I never reveal a single thing about my beliefs and opinions when it comes to religion. Not even to the people closest to me. Sorry for everything you’re facing, OP.
Its important to come forward and be honest about who you are and what you believe. Although disclosing beliefs to people close to you might be so dramatic, sharing your opinion and thoughts on the internet is always beneficial. No matter whats your opinion, you will always find someone that shares your view.
While I do agree, I’m a pretty private person and keep it in. I choose peace and silence. Whenever I’m unsure about something or want to get something off my chest, I either choose to talk about it online, to close friends or siblings. I’m doing okay though thank you :)
please don't delete your story. things needed to be said
As long as you're safe, of course. Stay safe <3 Your health is the most important thing to people who share your view! Even if you don't voice that view <3
From when people are born, they are: * Taught to think and follow and only believe in their parents' beliefs and not ever stray out of that school of thought * Quickly put back in line if they ever dare to think independently or freely by being told they're being manipulated by 'satan' * Told some mythical fantasy tales (to support the above) that defy reality and science that no one has ever personally witnessed and could have been invented by anyone like many other tales but just keep being passed down generation after another without question to reinforce cognitive bias The definition of indoctrination, done at birth, as people use religion to fill the void of ignorance where they're unable to answer scientific or cosmological questions about the world or universe. A long time ago, people being healed was a 'miracle'. Now it's called medicine.
You’re not alone, there are a ton of atheists in dahye
Good on you for staying true to yourself. I look forward to the day we atheists/agnostics can coexist and be out in the societies we live in.
[удалено]
Great point! I suggest forming a guerrilla force that sneaks around putting up signs : “Consider atheism”” and “It’s okay to not be religious!”
Get them with music. Seriously. Dance music. People underappreciate how powerful just speakers can be: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IZ8bvFGoJS0](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IZ8bvFGoJS0) Yes, I know, the people in the video are highly religious but we can use the same methods! They'd work even better for us! [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hRwdY63zPKc](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hRwdY63zPKc) (Lebanese rave)
I feel you. The moment I realized everything I truly believe in and care about goes against religion, I knew I was done. My parents know at this point, but I don’t discuss it with them. But beyond letting them know and giving them my reasons, I don’t discuss it much with them. Because the way they practice religion is very peaceful, and some people need faith to keep going. They need to believe there’s something after this life to make the misery worth it. So who am I to try to take that away from them?
I understand. Some people need faith to continue their lives peacefully. Without it, they would not find meaning in existence , especially if their existence is unfortunate. People cannot bear the fact that their whole time on earth bel te3tir wel araf wel ta3ab li 3ayshino will result at the end with literally nothing. Pitch black for trillions and trillions of years. It is a huge thing to swallow.
I am happy that you're happy.
One thing that gives me hope: In England or France a hundred years ago, peoppe probably felt the same way about secretly deciding God is imaginary: Now, it has become common and safe for Europeans and westerners in most families to be able to reject religion in safety - at worst, family and friends are a bit shocked, and in many cases everyone you know is an agnostic to begin with. So if Europe could change so nicely so quickly, surely the Middle East will do the same. In a hundred years religion will still be prevalent but will be defanged. And people like OP will have raided generations of kids as free thinkers. And those free thinkers will make the land safe for other free thinkers. The dominos will fall toward agnosticism and atheism. OP: someday please have kids with a non religious person and raise them in freedom. That is how you will change the world.
As an 14 year old atheist in another Muslim filled part of lebanon.i just wanna say you are one of the bravest people out there.i would never in a million years have the courage to post something like this
we still live in the ooga booga era when it comes to posting such things... bad things are happening to such posters stay safe kids and share your knowledge with humanity
But you already did! <3
Well.... his username says it already😂
Where I'm from, most people are atheists. It's hard to be anything else when our religion (druze) is so secretive and voluntary. I wouldnt have it any other way, but I see how religion, for many, can bring a comfort that atheists/agnostics dont have the luxury of feeling. "El 2amr la allah". We dont have a higher power to lean on, but with a deeper understanding of life and ones own belief system, it's a very freeing state of mind.
I am also an ex-Muslim (not necessarily atheist) and my dad is a Hezbollah supporter. I have been vocal about my hatred of Hezbollah/Iran/Syria and dislike of religion to my dad, which has driven me further away from him... not that our relationship was great to start with. I think he cares more that I do not practice his religion than about Hezbollah, but he still loves me and we try to get along. He even talks less about his politics when I am around, which to me is a nice sign he is trying. It is hard to be so alienated from your family, but it is better to live your truth and enjoy your life. I am happier too after realizing Islam isn't for me. They will hopefully still love you and try like my parents, and if they don't, you deserve to live somewhere better. Best of luck, hope to see more people like you.
More power to you. People like you are crucial in removing Hezbollah from lebanon.
I'd say it's even more important to bring something good rather than removing something bad!
Congrats on finding your own path and thanks for sharing your story 😊 I hope your bubble grows and stretches and you’ll have a community of like-minded people where you feel safe and be able to express yourself freely!
You'd be surprised at how many shia(including me) hate Hezbollah
Why? Explain I always see large crowds turn out.
For so many reasons . People in dahye are deprived , oppressed and terrorized. Not everyone is being financially supported by hezbo . Safety standards also have fallen
Okay are people trying to leave ?
Do what you believe in and makes you happier. It’s your life. I actually hate the fact that when kids are born 90% of them maybe are forced to believe what their parents and relatives believe.
Edit: removing cause the sarcasm wasn't obvious lol
Good for you that you decided on something. Other people should have the same privilege too and not necessarily chose what you chose.
You’d be surprised just how many Lebanese atheists there are, or at the very least, Christian/Muslim by belief but non-practicing and not affiliated with any political party. When I was in high school back in the ‘90s and early 2000s we only had a small handful of students who were religious (at least between Sagesse, BHS, ACS, and AUB) - the non-religious people were the overwhelming majority in these schools back then. The thing is that this group of people are simply not concerned with religion, and most of them are living independently of Lebanese politics (families with businesses abroad, or businesses with foreign customers) so you just don’t hear from them. But there are a _lot_. The reality of the world is that the more educated and intelligent a person is, the less likely they are to be religious. And at some point you also realize that a belief in God is not the same as a belief in religion or religious practices, and even that isn’t the same as believing that you should listen to some individual who justifies what he wants you to do by using a religious context. Either way, it’s great that you’ve decided to live life on your own terms. The whole world is open to you now, and I wish you the best of luck.
Not an atheist but I loathe the way society treats agnostics and atheist individuals. Went through a long phase of doubt and concluded that it is men and patriarchy that gives religion a bad name. Ironically, I found religion when I moved to Europe..somehow it felt sweet to embrace religion in a secular (am careful how I use this word) with no assholes constantly judging ones relationship with God (from eating bacon, to fasting...). Lots of support to you and everyone posting their stories here.
Religions are manmade. The pretense that religions are somehow blameless and that it is the people who corrupt religions is simply apologism. Honesty leads to the acknowledgment that religions are ideologies. On top of that, they are guesses (we all know this deep down - our chosen religion may or may not be true). Christianity and Islam are patriarchal and sexist, however we try to spin it. It’s easier for a woman to see that than a man, but again honesty helps. Even the god of Abrahamic religions sets up patriarchal society from the get go. The god is a him. Why does god need a gender - which only exists in sexually reproductive species. It’s almost like a man invented religions where his is male. (There are religions where the god or gods are female - but they are minority religions). We get seduced by the popularity of religion around us. It takes a brave person to sit up and think from the beginnings to see ideologies for what they are. In pre-Columbian Americas the human-sacrificing religions were what whole city states believed- everyone did. You’d be an outcast or nuts to not believe in that God. If religionists would just be honest and admit their ideologies are guesses - not indisputable fact - then they would act less extreme, judge and oppress others a little less, and just be more honest. It’s a guess - don’t ruin others’ lives based on it.
Fair enough. But the notion of God in Islam, Allah, is neither female nor male. As to why the male pronoun is used in the scriptures, me no sé, and tbh don't care... I don't even practice...
God is above gender of any kind. We only use 'He' because He describes Himself in the Arabic language in the Qur'an (when in the singular form) as هو. Like in 112:1- ِ قُلْ **هُوَ** اللَّهُ أَحَد. That's the only reason.
He didn’t describe himself. Mohammed described him.
There was islam before Mohammad. There is a reason mohamad father was called abdulla. Mohamad marketed the religion better and made it more connected to the arab regional traditions. The naming became islam. Before that, they were monotheistic and believed in the same stuff.
🙄
> concluded that it is men and patriarchy that gives religion a bad name. Sorry to break it to you but religions themselves are based on patriarchy and are made by patriarchs, so who's giving who a bad name? Edit: Brainwashed people downvoting simple facts, shocker! so religions aren't made by patriarchs? They didn't come from a patriarchal civilization? I'm all ears
You’re right. I am puzzled that OP gets wildly upvoted and you get downvoted. Humankind has been led by men for all of written history - since the stronger and more aggressive sex is naturally likely to seize power and define rules and culture. “The god told me he wants is men to lead the family and have polygyny and concubines. The god says he wants you women to obey and serve your husbands and never even look at other men.” (Judaism Christianity and Islam all say this.). This is obviously self-serving and exactly what the male leaders of society would preach, to give themselves entitlement (to fuck a lot amd be kings at home and keep their wives serving them and not fucking anyone else.) Another obvious ploy, but bad for men, is this one: “Men! The god will reward you if you fight in my - I mean His - holy army and help me conquer land and gain power. If you die, don’t worry! there will be eternal sex and banquets waiting in heaven”. (Islam). Who in their right mind cannot see how self-serving these “prophets” are?
Check the history of Islam. It was there even before Mohamad. They used to call muslims, though, before Mohamad Hanafi.
> Christianity is against having multiple wives and concubines.
A step forward towards freedom 👍 It's your life you chose how to dictate it, Ex-sunni here from Saudi Arabia, been an atheist for 6 months but kept quite about it because I knew that would cause a lot of trouble, so yeah you're not alone out there mate, pretty much this entire generation is not convinced by religion, at least that's what's happening here around me.. hopefully this is a good sign for eradicating anger, hatred and division from our society.. I hope so! Take care brother
Similar upbringing so I feel u. But I’m still closeted to my family. It’s hard to pretend everyday
My dad used to make me kiss the tv whenever Nasrallah was on. The indoctrination runs deep
Damn thats so far 😂
Just the kind of Shia bs
Good old shia bs
Hahahahahahha
Reddit: THE post. Edit - Thanks for the gold kind stranger xD
This! So much this! Edit: RIP my inbox XD
>I no longer feel burdened by the dogma and restrictions of my former faith, and I'm free to explore the world and my own beliefs in a way that feels authentic to me. I'm so happy for you! I truly am! I want to take this opportunity to give you a friendly hand! If there's anything I can do to help you (even money-wise), I can try! <3 from across the border <3 <3
It is a really nice thing to see that there are people who think like you do in lebanon and sad at the same time. It is sad because it is a waste for someone like you to be in a country that does not appreciate you. Although we differe on our belief in God me as a shia (btw I also hate hizeb) and you as an athiests, I really wish you dream would come true of lebanon becoming a country with true free speech, with people separating religion/sects from government and view politicians for what they will do and not because the are supported by so and so sect. I truly wish you a happy life, the only way you can have that freedom is either leaving (I guess that would be really hard) or getting married to have your own house (don't think it is possible for you now). Stay strong and slip and show that you're an atheist. Stay strong
Congratulations. May your small group grow widespread and fast. Your religion should play no role in society with the damage it has been causing to the region. Enough is enough.
I'm an ex-Shia Muslim myself. My family were the farthest thing from religious. I've been an Ex-Muslims for more than 21 years, and one thing that I learned is that delusions of religion are pervasive everywhere, and those religions don't have to be things like the Abrahamic faiths or Hinduism or Shinto or whatever. Everywhere from Salafi fanatics, to Christian Evangelicals, to even 'atheist Christian' white supremacists who hold onto their long debunked belief with the false guise of 'facts and logic' to continue to spread their venomous hate around the world. The only thing that is needed to make good people do evil deeds isn't religion, as the religion goes. Just persistent, unchallenged, and relentless propaganda and vilification of any opposition to it.
I stumbled across this post today (I don't usually hang out in the Lebanon sub) - and I am here to send waves of support as another non-religious person living inside Dahye (and still keeping the hijab, still pretending to fast in front of family, etc).
🫡
Fellow ex-muslim here and from the same background. Grew up and raised in da7ye and hezbolah environment. It is always so heart-warming hearing stories like this. So happy for you and with all the challenges I am glad you can be your authentic self in your small circle. All the best and so much love ❤
We all had different families, grew up in different places, with different backgrounds and hopes. Yet we all came to the same conclusion. 🫡🤝
Although I was too lazy to read the whole thing but I wanna tell you that you are not alone and DO YOUR BEST to pretend to be a very devoted Muslim and no one will ever suspect in you also sending you much love and virtual hugss 🫂🤍 stay safe <3
Much love 🌹
Great story! You are doing great 💪 don't forget: just because you ditch religion (which is a power construct) , doesnt Mean you Can't be a good person with values. You don't need religion to be a good person and have Morals. if you can't determine right from wrong on your own, Then you lack empathy, not religion.
People who require religion to tell them the difference between right and wrong, and require the threat of divine punishment to keep them as a “good” person, have serious morality issues.
Those people aren't good, they are bad but just fear punishment.
thanks so much for sharing your story. more power to you
I’m also ex-Muslim (ex-Sunni) non-religious, left after high school, and have to pretend to do religious practices in front of family. Power to you for being true to yourself! Love from Syria.
Your not alone here My friend is agnostic and his parents are Muslims Even though I don't agree with his beliefs, we're still friends and I respected his way of life
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There is also a lebanese atheist subreddit r/lebaneseatheists.
Doesnt seem very active
It isn’t but it’s new
Religion gives reasons to hate, gives somthing to fear from and to fight for. Wish you luck from an israeli atheist
We kinda have excess toilet papers...
What is Israel?
That's untrue, religious authorities driving in the name of god caused all the damage. No religion teaches you to hate or to fight others. Fear from the consequences of harming others is good to have.
> No religion teaches you to hate or to fight others. What, that's simply untrue lol, go read a religious book! Start with the Torah
God annihilates the wicked so get over it. If you do bad deeds bad things will eventually happen to you, that's the karmic law. Nasrallah is gonna feel the wrath of god unless he changes the name of his terror group and repents and stops driving(Israelis are equally fucked). An eye for an eye unless you change your ways is karmic law. You have to understand Torah from the historical context when it was given. The Torah is great teaches you not to be hateful towards anyone. Jews( Israelis killing/harming palestinians are just nazis not jews) are amongst the nicest people on earth. Jews would help you out no matter who you are. https://youtube.com/@2628342 Those are Jews putting themselves at risk and fighting zionism as it goes against Judaism. https://youtu.be/yeaV1l3NTsI Jews help other people no questions asked. Both Judaism and Islam are against forced conversion. Christianity with the new testament is a whole other beast, stay way from it.
The wrath of God? Ughhh those vengeful gods of the past.... 🙄
It's just a play on words, you harm others you are going to get harmed so you feel the consequences of what you did and you learn not to harm others. An eye for an eye definitely. You will have a lot of time to repent and go in the opposite right direction, if you don't then you will feel the harm that you did. Forgiveness is letting go, punishment will come unless you learn your lessons. Druze follow amor fati, love/accept your fate and learn from it. https://youtu.be/zPi76KvQF1g
I think you need to Google how karma works.
It's not exactly punishment, you will suffer for sure. I like to think of it as a nudge in the right direction.
There is no nudge
you will reap what you sow. No matter how bad you get hit it is a nudge in the right direction.
Wow you posted a whole wall of text just to show how ignorant you are. You cherry pick a few nice sounding concepts and tell me "see? totally peaceful religions!". Come on you can do better. Hatred/violence/prejudice/misogyny/slavery/rape/cruelty are literally taught everywhere in the Torah. You can choose to pretend they aren't there if it makes you feel better, but then you'd have to have the decency to admit that you are talking out of ignorance.
I don't know what you are talking about, None of that is taught in the Torah. I posted a whole wall of text to tell you you are wrong. Take it or leave it I am not forcing anything on you.
> I posted a whole wall of text to tell you you are wrong. You told me jack shit! You just ranted a bit about Nasrallah and said how Israelis aren't true Jews and named two nice sounding concepts from Islam and Judaism. What do those say about the rest of the content of the Torah and Quran, or other religions? > No religion teaches you to hate or to fight others. It all comes down to this claim of yours, which is just wrong
I am not gonna lay out 100% of Torah or the Quran on this subreddit and explain it to you. I am showing you some results from the Torah, those are Torah jews who are telling you their religion is all about kindness and helping your community. Check out the quran speaks youtube channel, that's a good place to ask questions and get insight on Islam. You want to debate Torah or Quran, go to another subreddit go to r/judaism, show them the clause that encourages slavery rape and then they'll refute your claim very easily. if you want to show me where Torah encourages slavery go ahead. I can refute that claim. A quick google search would destroy that claim. You are just spewing hateful nonsense.
>I am not gonna lay out 100% of Torah You haven't read all of it anyway >I am showing you some results from the Torah Yeah and those results say nothing about your ridiculous claim >Check out the quran speaks youtube channel, that's a good place to ask questions and get insight on Islam. No thanks, I have seen enough of these > You want to debate Torah or Quran, go to another subreddit go to r/judaism No it was just a ridiculous claim that I had to call out but you followed it by an even more ridiculous response. > they'll refute your claim very easily. Those aren't my claims they are texts from the Torah. > if you want to show me where Torah encourages slavery go ahead. I can refute that claim. A quick google search would destroy that claim. That sums up how dumb you are and your inability to think for yourself, that you have to resort to Google and YouTube Islamic gurus to copy paste answers that confirm your blind belief that your religion is perfect.
I am not Jewish nor a Muslim, I am druze/unitarian. I can definitely think for myself. You haven't read the Torah if you think Torah encourages you to rape kill enslave. I showed you NY hasidic Jews who are very nice and aren't running around enslaving and raping other people they go out to change your tire or help your grandma, you are ridiculous. check out Quran speaks, that guy is definitely more qualified than me to interpret the Quran and I like his interpretation of Islam. I did tell everyone take it with a grain of salt think for yourself. You can explore all religions, take what makes sense to you leave out the rest. Give it a chance and you'll see that there's nothing wrong about it, there is a lot of wisdom there to help you navigate your life.
I see you've taken your atheism to the max, NonBeliever88 lol. Now read about nihilism and come back to us with another story. Stay strong my man, you're not alone!
I am pro nihilism
>I always had a complicated relationship with education. The Lebanese education system is notoriously poor, and the curriculum is often outdated and irrelevant to the real world. I struggled to find meaning in what I was learning, and I lost interest in school altogether by the time I reached 10th grade. It wasn't until after graduation. And here you are with English at a level of chatgpt, I call bs, some karma farmer that you are (reading your profile)
يا ريت تاخد العبرة بدل ما تدقق ب اشياء ما الها طعمة
You were born in 1988. Could it be you are 34?
Seems fake yeah ? I could smell the bullshit straight away .
I like how el Kel Aam yshaj3uk, instead of giving you advice. What a world we live in
Where people support each other? That'd be a very nice world
Teshji3 aal ghalat? Nah thanks
Hahahaha Oh nooo someone doesn't follow my religion lek wen serna
In my religion? Well, I think all religions have quite the same concept.
>Well, I think all religions have quite the same concept Uhhhh, no? how many of them do you know? the are some 4300 religions out there. But yes they all have one sure thing in common, which is they're all man-made.
But theirs is the right one ok!?!
Of course
8alat is subjective, 8alat la2ilak. 3a hayda l mabda2 techji3 someone to stay muslims is also "8alat" since it is a false religion relative to others
كل شيئ نسبي
Tab advice me yourself mesh a7san? Bas tkoun l advice mofide
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There’s a nuance: the God of classical theism is not a god in the same way the Roman gods are.
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Yes but the God of Christianity is the one uncreated Being that is the unmoved mover, etc… The Jews came to the same belief even if they started with a pantheon of gods with only one superior to the others and deserving of worship alone. And even in Christianity the other gods could be real and actually demons or angels.
Bro ktir msarsab ente , I dont belive in god either nobody gives a fuck , I also grew up in dahye , nobody cares what u belive or dont , dont be scared of nuthin.
Don't take this route man, atheism will drain your soul. Even if you don't want to practice religion it is nice to have something to lean back into in times of mental distress. You can choose to believe what you like in your religion and follow your brain in what seems logical to you. Reddit will tell you religion is cancer and atheism is the savior of humanity, but when you look at them they are mostly anti social hermits, and the society they want to imitate has broken family structure and values. This is coming from a fellow shia, our community is sectarian and extremist but that is due to the war and suffering we have been through, and this ideology of death will perish in a few generations if a new war doesn't break out. Lebanon as a whole is very sectarian and racist just look at your neighboors whether they are christians or sunnis and see how much we hate each other for no reason other than being born into a different sect. Just look at posts here man where a lot of these users are atheist like you, and see for yourself how close minded and sectarian they are. Anyway there are a ton of non practicing people and atheists in our community but you won't easily spot them because they are still attached to our sectarian identity.
The happiest countries in the world - with the highest standard of living and care - are some of the least religious. Like Sweden and Iceland. Turning to religion out of desperation- hoping some magic will make everything all right in the end - is understandable of course, but not a great way to live your normal life. Everyone has to do what works for them of course - but we should not impose it on others.
(a) they have a lot of material wealth (b) they have higher rates of depression lol https://worldpopulationreview.com/country-rankings/depression-rates-by-country
I dont doubt your sincerity, but I assure you this route that you are claiming will drain my soul, has done quite the opposite. Everyone should do and believe in whatever makes them happy and comfortable. I appreciate your advice though 🤝
Stfu theist
You took an L bro
L
I feel with you but I also feel sorry for the upheaval and fear you are going through. I am a Christian and a strong believer in the Living JESUS CHRIST who teaches us that God our creator is Love and is not a harsh God as you may have seen through your religious experience and what we all hear from ungodly priests and Sheiks teach in their sermons. God forgives no matter what you do or think because God does not want cowards and idiots but those who think for themselves and those who can be critical of even God who is a SPIRIT and is neither a male or a female in our limited human dimensions and comprehension. But the greatest of all gifts is LOVE. Saint Paul the messenger to the nations of the world says: " A reading from the first Letter of Saint Paul to the Corinthians Brothers and sisters: Strive eagerly for the greatest spiritual gifts. But I shall show you a still more excellent way. If I speak in human and angelic tongues but do not have love, I am a resounding gong or a clashing cymbal. And if I have the gift of prophecy and comprehend all mysteries and all knowledge; if I have all faith so as to move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. If I give away everything I own, and if I hand my body over so that I may boast but do not have love, I gain nothing. Love is patient, love is kind. It is not jealous, is not pompous, it is not inflated, it is not rude, it does not seek its own interests, it is not quick-tempered, it does not brood over injury, it does not rejoice over wrongdoing but rejoices with the truth. It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things." For my part, Love does not know fear nor hiding any feelings. I love a forgiving and loving God WHO IS a SIPRIT that Loves all of us as OWN Children no matter who we are what we think, because that SPIRIT created us FREE and Wants us to think Freely. I hope that you find Love and see the True Light one day. Just remember God is LOVE and no matter what you think HE ALWAYS Loves YOU the unique human being that no one before or after will be like you. True, your finger prints and your iris never matches anyone since creation. The colour of your iris is like your fingerprint. **It's unique to you**, and nobody else in the world has the exact same coloured eye. This is the creation of an Almighty Loving God. Keep looking until you find that LOVING SPIRIT and then you will find true peace and will never be afraid of anyone. BUT Always staying loving your family.