What I Hope To Accomplish Here

Once I'd openly renounced my former religious beliefs, I found myself surrounded by a wave of individuals attempting to convert me to Judaism. From a Jewish missionary's perspective, an individual who has left their religion represents a ripe target. The belief is that those who abandon religion do so temporarily, seeking a bit of fun and freedom. Yet when they experience their first disappointment , they start questioning their ways and often return to the fold with renewed fervor. Missionaries lie in wait for this moment of vulnerability and strike when the iron is hot.

Religious Leaders often label skeptics as closed-minded and stubborn, claiming we're driven by base desires and therefore incapable of clear thought. When that is said to me I simply reply that I think they are closed minded because they hope for immortality.

My brother stands as the perfect example. For years, he lived a secular life, but ultimately, he returned to religion with an intensity he'd never displayed before. His life had been a rollercoaster before he found solace in faith, and I suspect that the peace of mind that religion offers is what got him in the end. He's so devout now that he earnestly believes I'm destined for damnation (or at the very least, not Heaven), and he spares no effort to draw me back into the fold. Our frequent and often heated discussions, though always respectful, can be exhausting.

My parents often try to intervene, aware that such debates lead nowhere. The number of times I've sworn off discussing religion with family members is staggering, but I frequently break this vow. I find it hard to stay quiet when nonsense is said in front of me.

Being surrounded by religious folk means I'm often defending my beliefs against conversion attempts. It can be mentally taxing to constantly fend off different perspectives and questions. To avoid self-doubt, I've had to sharpen my debating skills and prepare a repertoire of strong responses.

Over time, I've mentally debunked a substantial amount of dogma, but these insights often fade away in my subconscious, lost perhaps forever. When I share them with religious people, they're usually speechless; non-religious people, on the other hand, Find it amusing and fun. So, I've started documenting my thoughts. This online project serves as a resource for others grappling with similar struggles. If I'd had access to something like this in my early journey of disbelief, it would've eased many hardships.

Constantly having the same arguments with different people can be draining. They don't realize I've heard and considered their points before, so they interpret my impatience as dismissiveness. It's exceedingly rare for me to encounter an original argument.

Now, when Missionary Family/friends approach me, I direct them to my online collection of responses and invite them to return when they've finished reading. It's a strategy that simplifies my life—and hopefully theirs too.

During my younger teenage years, I started to find inconsistencies and contradictions in my religious beliefs. However, I was surrounded by overwhelming religious evidence and individuals who held unwavering faith, making any alternate belief seem unintelligent. For instance, evolution was ridiculed, dismissed as an absurd scientific theory, while our Torah was deemed irrefutable fact. Only later in life did I hear religious individuals accept the occurrence of evolution, strangely claiming it did not contradict the Torah—an argument I could never comprehend given its blatant contradictions with the story of Adam and Eve.

I found myself at a crossroads, unable to ignore the overwhelming evidence supporting religion—stories of miracles, scientific truths in the Torah before the world knew them, and some archaeological evidence—but also unable to reconcile these with the logical inconsistencies and paradoxes. I wished for a clear and concise compilation of arguments that could elucidate how religion could be a human invention while simultaneously addressing my concerns about God and miracles.

Most atheistic resources I encountered focused on Christianity and overlooked the minutiae that Judaism uses to validate its beliefs. There was a time when I considered Christianity as the least sensible of religions, believing that Judaism was more logical and supported by evidence. However, I came to realize that the proofs we use to justify Judaism are used similarly across religions. They all share common tactics, but my awareness was limited to Jewish techniques.

When I started recognizing the depth of my deception, I was torn further. There were compelling reasons to believe, but equally compelling reasons to doubt the idea of a divine being running the show. I questioned the scientific inaccuracies in the scriptures and the moral shortcomings of religious doctrines. Most responses were unsatisfactory, explaining away inaccuracies as metaphors or arguing that morals exist because of God's creation.

One major unresolved query I had was: why did God create a universe with challenges if He made it for humans out of goodness? Why not place us in a constant state of euphoria? The answer given was that humans, by design, enjoy rewards they've worked for. But if God designed us, why didn't He make us enjoy receiving without effort?

The dilemma didn't end there. If God loves only Jews and offers them heaven, why does this goodness not extend to the rest of the world's population? It was suggested that God offered all nations a chance to join Judaism, but they refused. However, I wasn't given a choice at birth to participate in this heaven-or-hell rat race. It was a destiny imposed on me, and I was told I was fortunate for it. It seems that God's goodness doesn't reach 99.6% of Earth's population.

Side note: There's a funny tale that's often told, showing how religions make others look bad, even to young kids. According to the tale, God asked different nations if they'd like to join him. One nation asked, "Can we kill?" God said, "No." They didn't want to join because they liked to kill. Another nation asked, "Can we steal?" God again said, "No." They also refused to join. This pattern kept repeating in the story. Only the jews said yes before the even heard the proposition. Why? Clearly because its god, Who in their right mind would question a direct approach from god? According to this tale 99% of the population did.

Religion, when given too much respect, can become all-encompassing. It can begin to control not only individual lives but entire countries, often resulting in unhappiness and hardship for many people. This is because religion, at its core, often relies on superstition and not on clear, logical reasoning. If we just take a moment to flip through the pages of human history, it quickly becomes clear that superstition, especially when it's a fundamental part of people's beliefs, can lead to more harm and destruction than reason-based thinking. Hence, it's crucial that we maintain a balanced approach when dealing with religious beliefs.

I'm sharing this journey for others who might be grappling with their faith, particularly those from Jewish backgrounds. It's my hope to help those feeling confused and consumed by religious manipulation, enabling them to see their faith more clearly and understand that their religion, like any other, could be misguided.