Religions

⚠️Warning

Like for every blog post, firstly please be sure to read blog info to understand my blog pages.

I will especially underline it because religions are a tough topic to discuss. Most people will probably not be open to even think about something else or doubt their lifetime practiced religion, especially when older (e.g. after 30). Additionally most internet forums and chats have a clear rule not to post about religions.

So if you’re a religious person and are not open to other people’s views (against religions), it may be best to leave this page.
On the other hand, it may even be especially valuable (perhaps after some time and thoughts needed) to visit it again and read it.
But I think it’s rather unlikely religious people would find this page. Or read it, especially if they don’t let any doubts to their mind.

⏱️Overview

On this page, I describe my views against religions. It includes my past and obsevations from when I was younger and raised by religious family.
Since over 20 years, I am an ateist. I do not believe in any religion. I find all to be false.
My mind is clear from any faith or believes and I think purely logically and reasonably.
I am of INTJ personality type, and it was intelligence that made me get rid of religions.
The wikipedia page arguments against the existence of God is my favorite as it logically explains. I recommend it, even more than my website.
Yet the world is still about 90% religious, which I find as (a likely) result of only 10% of people being of intelligent personality types.

💡Introduction

Many religions are still present and practiced and many times people died or fought because of religions. Some are so intense that they tell people to kill people having with different religion (extremists do it for their religion). While other religions tell people how to live. And this sums up in all human lives to a significant money cost and also a lot of time wasted.
Don’t get me wrong, you can learn something useful for life from religions too. For some this even motivated them and helped to have a better life without a bad, unhealthy addiction. But for me that’s just a switch to a different addiction.
But for me, especially later, religions are a waste of time and (in total) people’s lives too. Lastly it is a big profiting business like basically any other. Just look at all those big religious buildings everywhere.
It also is another system of control like governments. Especially in countries with one dominating religion.

📜My history and observations

I was born and raised a Christian since my family was so too. Their parents also and honestly no doubt why, given how this religion was spread in county (over 90%) it’s taught in schools too, etc.

Early beginning🚼

At beginning in Christianity there is that christening ceremony. Usually already newborns are dragged into religion and marked (also registered) by priest, in church with their parents.
My point here is that religions start already with newborns and span across families too. It is already very addicting, it wasn’t even my choice to begin with.

Addiction💊

I’ll put my saying here: the younger you are starting something the easier to get addicted (for life) and more severe, longer consequences are. When old, religious people won’t even consider any thoughts like: maybe this is all not needed, not true, and there is no God? Because it would mean they’d have to throw half of their life away (partly) and admit it was wasted on this. And like every other addition, they will deny it, and find any possible, stupidest reasons to continue it.
Some addictions can be stopped quickly by people. I think usually religions can’t, they’d take years to get rid of. The more years a person lived believing, the more years it would take to naturally get rid of this addiction.

Praying🙏

There is little I remember from being few years old, but one thing is that: at some point my mom just showed me and told that I need to pray everyday. I think I still remember it because this was something odd, it felt like a chore and punishment, also unnatural and now even stupid I’ll add.
I can’t even, most people (young or old) just repeat same stuff over and over again praying. IMO it’s definitely one of the worst ways to waste time in life. I even know a song “Praying Is Nothing” with lyrics about it. Additionally I found quite often to have many new ideas before sleep. Obviously I could not have them or destroy them by praying instead.
Well other religion requires praying more often, at certain times, on a carpet. Well I can say it is stronger addicting and wasting more life’s time.

Money💵

When I was a little kid I even at some point said I wanted to be a priest, which was after I saw how money is collected in churches by priests, and it was one of first times I saw money I think. Well I never paid in church, but when I was with family member, they always handed me money to give it to priest.
I remember early in school some kids pressed with questions: from what our priest was earning money. He finally admitted that from weddings, burials. I now know also for: extra masses with dedication, those who play music in churches, paying for graves. Yeah surely if you’ll have any of those occasions, then you’ll get the bill and need to pay money, not small I’ll add. And let’s not forget voluntary offerings big or small every mass. Mass takes about 40 to 60 min and ends with some church news and a list of things you could spend money on there etc. There is also an accompanying business of producing all those holy symbols, images and all candles, flowers and what not for the graves with at least once a year huge display or them.

Attendence⛪

Attendence in churches is required every week, or even more often during holidays (like Christmas and Easter). Well it’s very habit building and for a life time addiction.

I remember for long I didn’t talk inside churches, and only was present. I also really didn’t like confessions and that even masturbating once after, looses that grace (or something) and you’d end in hell if you died then, ugh so much bullshit. Penalty (atonement) for sins is usually just more praying or more mess attendance which is simply forcing more habit and addiction.

Ultimately I think my intelligence and being itroverted (INTJ) won and let me drop it then. I think being around people with same addiction is what addicts like, especially extroverts. Happens in churches, also on concerts, sport stadiums, etc. But surely not everyone thinks of those as (for profit) addictions like I do.

Thinking vs believing🤔

Being constantly subjected to talks and thinking about God does affect your mind, instead of thinking logically only.
The more you believe (more faith you have) the more you silence or numb your brain’s thinking. Especially true for me as INTJ and for other intelligent people (*NT* personality types). So (at least) in my case, returning to faith would mean getting stupider, shutting off my best personality trait (partly) to do what other belivers do, simply because others told them so, without proving it, logically.

Percentages🌏

Why is it so common? Well *NT* types are rare, in about 10% of all people. I think there is a (maybe slight) corelation here with the percentage of atheists also about 10% of world population.
But there are other reasons people are atheists. State atheism has more info about countries which were forcing atheism or are so. It’d be a pity if people associated atheism with communism. Not as an intelligent, individual human’s choice.

Doubt🙅

I think maybe when I was about 16 years old (and still Christian) I had my first doubt, if God does intervene on Earth, i.e. does something. I thought about asking a priest that too, but with no way I didn’t and I’m glad now.
I guess being 18 and rebellious in high school helped here too. I tried once not going to church for a year to see if anything changes at all. For years I didn’t like going to church every Sunday. I also didn’t like that “ancient theatre” there since I started to call it so. Well needless to say I never had any sign or anything divine, proving to me then that there is no God. I only had my family complaining.

A (very) religious person will never doubt, will not let any logical thought disturb their faith. That’s what relligions are about, believing only, not: checking if it’s true, testing what it does, finding flaws of relligion(s), learning about (other) religions (from wikipedia), etc. Basically all common ways of learning, reasoning and logic.

Lastly those who never doubt are set on path of those with power. It can happen in countries by dictators, leaders, politicians, etc. In case of religions it can span even whole lifetimes and families.

Time🕚

I did a simple computation back then, how much time yearly I waste on being in church and roughly this was: 54 * 1.5 = 81 hours, if we divide this by 8 that’s like 10 days of extra vacation. Now who wouldn’t like having this e.g. instead of work or school.

I think I got back after for a year again but then I stopped completely. I remember the frequent family talks that I should go etc. I’m glad though this eventually subsided. But imagine more severe consequences happening worldwide like family abandoning you etc.
Only thing left was Christmas or Easter since my family was pressing a lot to be at least then.

After few years still, my brain finally cleared from all that nonsense. Leaving room for logical thoughts and reasoning that maybe there is no God and all this is just a hoax. Later I understood it’s a system of controlling, ruling and enslaving people, in vast quantities and pecentages of their lives.

Since many years I don’t waste any time yearly for religion or religious activities. Restored time I can spend on anything intelligent, entertaining or just resting.
Like with other addictions, if you get rid of it, you’ll get more time in life. But it comes with more responsibility. It’s up to you how to use that time. It would be stupid to waste it on another addiction.

Finally⏳

Today I can answer all my questions immediately: there is no God, some people invented it all, thousands of years ago (when most couldn’t even read) and this is still a gigantic business, profiting on those who got into. I’m not surprised too much even, given how many other things are just lies in our world and how naive people can still be. Even countries and whole humanity of which 90% isn’t thinking logically.
I’m pretty sure even if I asked any priest the answer to any question(s) will mention God a couple of times and our belief (and that we have to believe), maybe with some examples from bible. Because believing is the key what matters here. Without it religions wouldn’t still exist. Same if it was the opposite and 90% of people were thinking logically.

There surely are good things because of Christianity, one example I know are nuns, and their voluntary help in hospitals.
Honestly religions don’t necessarily help people. Some alcoholics or other addicts go to churches every Sunday and it didn’t help them at all in getting rid of addiction. The goal of confessions and forgiving God is (for me) creating necessity for attendance and priest jobs or churches to even exist.

Purpose of life

One question bothered me also when I was young: why do people live?
I remember asking it few of my closest family members and a close friend.

• my closest uncle (a religious fanatic) immediately started about salvation, eden/paradise, God, etc.
• my dad answered: it’s about doing what makes you happy and then mentined God, eternal life etc.
• my friend answered (extremely close to what I find): to sustain our species. It was as simple as that, nothing more. I immediately liked his answer.

After reading some of wikipedia pages with much more info about this dilema (question), I know that’s also why religions (still) exist too. They answer the one question that eventually most of people will ask. It’s just that they do it by lying and do it for their own purpose (profit), while also taking control of (by few percent of) people’s lives and enslaving them (even since kids).

🏦Big issues⚖️

And there are also really bad cases of wrong turned priests (and other religious leaders). I’ve heard from my taxi driving cousin that he was driving a priest to a brothel (don’t remember how often), yeah great use of church budget. And even priests molesting minors with again an own long wiki here.

Lastly elderly people can get convinced by some priests to give money to churches, sometimes huge sums in total. And for what? For personal spendings? Gambling? I know, missions, spreading to other countries, repairs, and building more big churches, right? Aren’t there enough excessive ones already from old ages? I doubt if this changed much after Covid when people couldn’t go. Lastly for covering expenses for case settlings of abuse victims, if lying didn’t help cover them.

Some people get too passionate and obsessed with religion, spend more, travel with others to visit religious sites organized by church, almost constantly praying during that also with others. For me this is just too ancient, wrong purpose and wasted opportunity to do something else useful for others.

Well the list goes on I’m sure. Like with anything else also here religions aren’t a solution. And if you contribute and give money to this, you contribute to all of it, including the worst things. If only time and thoughts, then its just wasted life’s time (IMHO). If you raise your children in faith then you rob them of freedom and thinking, in favour of believing and being.

I’m sure there are deeply religious people who even know of these, yet they will find a reason to continue being religious or even further put relligion into more of their lifetime or activities.

Religious commercials and 🇵🇱Poland

Poland it’s the country I was born in and raised Christian by my religious family. And since I became atheist (by logical reasons) I have noticed a lot of things in this country that promote religion. These can be also present in other countries or religions, just look different.
Of course in a country with religious majority those will be considered normal, needed, etc.
But for me all these things are to keep and spread religion and also act as religious commercials.
So here is my list of them (all I could think of) with my negative comments.

• Churches. Way too often, like every km (0.6 mi) same as schools.
• Other religious buildings like: sanctuaries, nun monasteries, etc.
• Pope related buildings and icons. Since one pope was born in Poland this turned into even more religion and pope obsession, after death too. Surely lots of profits from this.
• Pilgrimages to sacred places, i.e. places of ancient religious activities, or places mentioned in bible etc.
• Religious oases and other circles (near churches) with meetings and activities for youth and young people. May seem while centered around religion. Even if it wasn’t for me a waste of time, nothing intelligent there.
• Religion it’s taught in public schools. Elementary and high schools. I had it 1h every week. It was probably easier to just sit and ignore, rather than make it so I wouldn’t attend
  It’s present like other patriotic subjects (Polish literature and History, forced even in technical high school) meant to spread patriotism. Obviously this generates some profit for country, by imprinting those ideas in people since young ages.
• Each school has a cross and Polish emblem. For me a clear commercial of both, and just an extension, reminder of the above point. Like that itself wasn’t enough or too much already. Reason is like so: if you get addicted to any (main religion in country or patriotism) you will be unlikely to leave. This means most profit, so it’s justified to promote this and commercialize. Emblems are rather cheap but have power. Same goes for country flags, just for patriotism.
• Some private schools are Christian. Probably with more religion subjects there. If parents are very religious and rich, they prefer that. Obviously I see it as bad for children as it hinders they brain and free will more. But once kids keep this religion spiral for years too long they likely keep it for life, that’s clearly the purpose.
• Some hospitals are Christian. These contain plenty of religious icons and services on site. Not needed at all, but surely spreading or keeping religion and appealing to already older, religious people there.
• Religious radio📻 station. I can’t even listen to that for few seconds. Yet it goes on everyday for hours, blabering about all possible religious topics in that calm voice for weak people. I’m sure it’s okay for those older people who already won’t change. But surely it can make it worse, make people more addicted to religion, by doing more commercials of religious places to visit, ways to give or spend money to, advice more time and reasons for praying, etc. All wasting people’s time and money.
• Religious politic parties. I think they saw an opportunity and just went to profit on that. Probably ages ago too.
  IMO governments and religions are not that far from each other: both systems of controlling society, telling people what to do, and profiting on them. Especially those fooled by their propaganda or by dictatorships.
• Cemetaries. Including their shops of candles, flowers, and other decorations. For me it is sickening to see people benefiting and addicting others (who suffered a loss) to visiting graves (not needed at all) and buying stuff to put on them. Instead of moving on and not obsessing with dead bodies of people who passed and aren’t there. Needles to say, you have to pay for a grave to rent it.
  There are countries who don’t have or just don’t waste space
• Marriages. Well another religious activity, made for profit. This one has even gone more out of control, with how much money can be spent on it by celebrities and other rich people.
• Christmass or Easter in malls. Lots of commercial garbage, decorations, etc. Loosely related to religion, now mostly meaning huge profits from more customers at that time period.
• Mechandise. Icons. So e.g. paintings of saints or other religious people, crosses, figurines, calendars, rosaries (for more praying), bibles. I guess papers or magazines too. For me this just shows how religion is closely similar to any other business, seriously.

⌛Conclusions

There are some other pages on internet.
One website also stated (in short) that given how many different religions are this means all are untrue. There is even some straight up made one lately like this.
Few are listing plenty of contradictions in the bible (e.g. here, here, or this pdf with 101, and another). I also found the middle age history of Christianity (crusades, inquisitions) to be particularly brutal, horrid and disqualifying even for modern times.

Yet there are still many countries in which still the majority is religious. Well imagine how many world problems we could together solve or knowledge learn to make our lives better if we skipped all religions.

Religions are often called faith. And this is really a great explanation of what happens here. They don’t need to be true, don’t need to be based on facts, no need to prove them or any events. All that’s needed for them is faith. Why is it bad? Well having faith means dropping / disregarding logic (I’d say at least few %) and tricking your brain to believe in something rather than proving it’s true first and basing your live only on facts and getting to the truth (so contaminated and lied these days by media, politics, lobbyists, bribes, influencers, and misinformed people who talk or write too much).

There was also one quote (I can’t remember source):
“belief in God is for those who don’t believe in themselves”.
I.e. that they can be fine or even better without religions.

➡️More

Lately I was reading these great wiki pages: about atheism and arguments against the existence of God.
I highly recommend them since they have a lot more on the topic. As a person who thinks logically I found them very enjoyable and even priceless. I didn’t know there were so many logical reasons against religions. Yet countries are still overly full (percentages are here) of religious people. I.e. those who prefer to hinder their brain’s logical thinking (or don’t have it) to blindly believe and not even doubt. For me clearly too many people died or lost their lives (at least a portion if it) to religions.
I also agree that religions remove freedom from people and do enslave them.

I will write more in a short, (even more) bold, intense, to the point criticism of all religions on the page with human stupidity.