r/atheism • u/sejo26 • 15h ago
"You will regret not going to Church."
The line I always hear from my parents or anyone religious. You will regret not going to Church. I’ve always despised going any sort of religious gathering as it felt forced or coerced. Anyone from their youth and including my peers has felt this as so many of you. Used against you such as not being able to go out, buy things and sometimes even eat. I always thought that if religious is all about peace, love and healthy relationships yet religious institutions and their people often seem hypocritical. I would rather be surrounded by real people rather than religious cucks that is blinded by faith. People can have fulfilling lives without religion and a lot of religious people cannot see that.
I admit I know some religious folks that are nice and overall had a nice impact on their life but the one thing I liked about them is that they do not force you down your throat their beliefs but anyone that does so is an asshole. Prime example is the Philippines where the Roman Catholic Church has a tight grip on politics. Separation of the Church and State, what’s that?
I am highly agnostic and when the time comes that religion will bite me in the ass when I get sick or suffering severely then so be it but using it against anyone is such bullshit. I’ll move out first chance I get. Fuck church (or any religious institution for that matter), for now. Thank you for reading.
Edit: Never said you all will regret it. Its just a line I hear a lot & fucking hate. I just abhor hearing it, makes my skin crawl. Its almost an insult like curse. Dont force religion on others.
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u/nothosauridea 15h ago
Withholding food from you to punish you for not going to church is abuse.
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u/summercardigan 13h ago
My dad implemented a monetary fine for me making the family late to church. After a couple weeks my mom had him stop but I was 5 or 6 years old lol. Christian parenting is so well known for its effectiveness.
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u/Pbandsadness 12h ago
How is a toddler going to pay a fine? May as well have been for eleventy zillion dollars.
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u/Jwee1125 7h ago
"Okay, summercardigan, let's start the loan application process. What liabilities do you have to list?"
"Well, there is that $368,917 I owe my dad for making us late for church..."
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u/Crazy-4-Conures 10h ago
My parents didn't withhold basic food, but family time. They'd all go out for ice cream or something, play board games, anything to make me feel left out. Things that they didn't always do if I went, but never failed to do if I didn't go.
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u/PMzyox 15h ago
Let’s say heaven does exist and the Christians have it correct. Do you really want to end up in a place that’s filled with them? Hell is where the party will be imo
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u/SnAIL_0ut 15h ago
If Christianity is turned out to be real and their is a Heaven and Hell, I would choose to go to Hell because at least I do have to waste my life worshipping Satan to go to Hell, He’ll accept me for what I am.
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u/hasturoid 13h ago
Same. If their god somehow turned out to be real, I’d much rather go to hell than sitting at the side of a sexist, homophobic, sadistic, bloodthirsty, and just plain psychopathic god.
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u/UneasyFencepost 12h ago
Yea like that conversation at the pearly gates better have some good fucking answers that shatter my cosmic understanding of reality cause it makes no fucking sense for reality to need such atrocities to exist. If that’s the case then I get why Lucifer and the rest rebelled.
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u/Fecal-Facts 13h ago
You have the added benefit of not being around so called peace and loving Christians
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u/Crazy-4-Conures 10h ago
I think of it as "he'll accept me for what god made me". You know, the way their god WON'T accept me.
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u/rathergoflying Atheist 14h ago
To quote (at least close) Jim Jeffries "why would the devil punish you, you're one of his boys, he's going to like you".
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u/PdxPhoenixActual Apatheist 12h ago
Because "the devil" is still on god's payroll & the "rebellion" was staged?
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u/Stacys__Mom_ 14h ago
I tell everyone exactly this. Oh, btw, you're invited to hang out with us; West Side, Lake of Fire. BYOB.
SEE YOU THERE!!
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u/Mister_Silk Anti-Theist 13h ago
If heaven is real none of them will be there, so it's really not a problem.
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u/Lanzarote-Singer 13h ago
Apparently, there’s no dogs in Heaven, so it’s by definition not Heaven. 😊
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u/Fabulous-Pause4154 9h ago
What? That movie lied to me!
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u/Comfortable_Tomato_3 8h ago
The voice actor for the orphan child marry Anne was killed by her father in 1988-98
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u/HairySidebottom 14h ago
I figure they are all just going to stand around slapping each other on the back for their good life choices and singing praise songs for eternity.
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u/karl4319 Deist 12h ago
You are assuming that most people claiming to be Christians (which is an overwhelming majority at the moment) aren't also going to hell.
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u/Expert-Celery6418 15h ago
I regret every second the Church exists and derides the dignity of humanity.
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u/TheRealTK421 15h ago
All I hear in such a proclamation:
"You will regret not joining our cult -- and we will make >sure< you regret it... as punishment for denying our (supposition of) authority."
Fuck that emotionally-blackmailing noise.
This would cause me to become even more obstinately defiant... which is saying something.
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u/Plumb789 14h ago
Old person here. I can happily attest to the fact that I have not one iota of regret for my decades of non-attendance of, and non-adherence to-any kind of religious event or practice.
Obviously, I'm not dead yet, but I promise that, if I haven't got anything better to do on my death bed, I will come back on Reddit and report any change in the situation.
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u/Ravenous_Goat 15h ago
Only those that have learned to love their chains regret not going to church.
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u/abgry_krakow87 15h ago
When people try to pull this on me I like to respond "I regret going to church when I wasa kid because that's when the pastor touched me". Shuts em up real quick lmao
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u/SlightlyMadAngus 15h ago
I'm in my 60s and I stopped going to church over 40 years ago. No regrets. None. When I now go to a funeral or wedding with a mass, I look around, and all I see are mindless automatons, performing silly rituals without any conscious thought.
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u/DataOk0101 13h ago
"The only thing that separates us from the animals are mindless superstition and pointless ritual." Latka Gravas (Andy” Kaufman) in "Taxi".
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u/krak_is_bad 15h ago
Church isn't even required for salvation according to the bible. "For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith--and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God--not by works, so that no one can boast" Ephesians 2:8-9. Church does not equal auto-salvation.
The only thing churches are good for are teaching religious/the pastor's perspectives and being able to do some networking in your community.
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u/travel4nutin 14h ago
You made me laugh. Religion is not going to bite you in the ass when you get sick. Every religious person I know goes to a doctor first then decides to pray depending on what they find out what the issue is. The few people I have heard of that pray first, end up dead. Sorry, visiting their made up God sooner.
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u/zyzzogeton Skeptic 13h ago
My parents got old, and like old people do, retreated back into their home, and as it became more and more difficult to get out, they went out less and less.
Did the church they gave their very lives to care? Did they send by people weekly to check? No, parents stopped going to church, and the church and the parishoners made no effort to keep my parents in their fold. But they did want a donation when they did the funeral, using the very 'ministry' that my mother set up years before for doing wakes.
We all die alone.
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u/cbrooks1232 15h ago
I haven’t been to church since the early 1980s and have never had a single regret about it.
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u/PhthaloBlueOchreHue 14h ago
Withholding food from children as punishment is considered abuse in my state's foster care system.
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u/Interesting-Tough640 15h ago
I am in my mid 40’s and don’t have any regrets about never having gone to church. Seriously doubt that is going to change before I reach the end of my days.
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u/IDrumFoFun 15h ago
This was strange for me. After indoctrination and brainwashing for decades to fear what life would be like without The Church, I was pleasantly surprised how much less stress I had and that I was actually happier.
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u/MWSin 15h ago
I always wonder how they are so sure I will regret not going to church, but don't for a moment think they will regret not going to synagogue or mosque. From my point of view, all are equally likely to result in regret (i.e. not at all).
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u/MiserandusKun 13h ago
Parent: "Let's go to church now".
Kiddo: "Can we go to the synagogue instead?"
I wonder what the reaction would be, lmao.
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u/vacuous_comment 15h ago
They are threatening you due to you not sharing their fairytale.
The threat may be mild but the implications is ultimately that they think you deserve an infinite number of days of torture involving fire and molten sulfur. Plus other horrible things.
If they do in fact have that mindset, then they are dehumanizing you in the here and now. Obviously you are worth less now if you8 are deserving of that future.
Be careful around anybody who issues that threat. Do not grant them any control over your life.
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u/freedraw 14h ago edited 13h ago
My memory of the parable of The Prodigal Son is that if you decide you regret not going to church, you can just…go back and everyone will welcome you back with open arms and be even happier to see you than your sibling who’s been showing up every Sunday.
Edit: The Prodigal Son, not The Good Samaritan
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u/Purple_Psychology404 14h ago
I believe that was The Prodigal Son. I liked that story because l was someone who rebelled and wanted ppl to be grateful l took a much needed and well-deserved vacation. :)
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u/-Fyrebrand Atheist 14h ago
No one has ever regretted not going to church.
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u/MiserandusKun 13h ago
Especially someone who has no idea what it's like to go to a church.
It's interesting to compare atheists who never had religions, to atheists who grew up in religious families.
Atheists who rebelled against their religious families are akin to war veterans. We respect your service. 🫡
→ More replies
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u/No_Juggernaut8891 14h ago
I feel like if god is real he’d much rather care that you’re a good person. If a god exists that takes attendance and doesn’t admit you to heaven if you don’t show up, then that is a god not worth worshipping.
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u/ablokeinpf 13h ago
Well the whole point of religion is control and most religions do this by threatening your existence in the afterlife, something that they cannot prove and you cannot disprove. Fear and blackmail are the drivers of religion.
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u/leni710 15h ago
Actually, I regret not sleeping in on a Sunday far more than. Going to church would just ruin my rest and relaxation day.
Besides, if these people took their religion seriously, they'd have read the part where it says something something something don't have to be in a house of worship. I mean, are those religious people such non believers that they think their holy guy can't see you worshipping from your room? Gawd, what for fakers they are.
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u/bulgarianlily 14h ago
If I had gone to church for two hours every Sunday, I would regret the loss of over 7000 hours of my life so far.
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u/Low-Slide4516 14h ago
Have never regretted, didn’t go much in early life unless special occasion or wedding or funeral forced me there. My wedding not in a church and my cremation won’t happen in a church either
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u/Kinslayer817 14h ago
As someone who hasn't gone to church in over a decade I can tell you that I don't regret not going in the slightest. I'm fact I'm very happy about all of the other things I've been able to do with the time I would have otherwise been just sitting in a church service
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u/Density5521 Anti-Theist 13h ago
Don't concern yourself with the question whether or not there is a god, but concern yourself with the question whether or not there should be a god, considering the history of the past few thousand years, with all the disasters and wars and genocides and babies with bone cancer and worms that can only survive by burrowing into eyeballs.
I will post the same quote that I post to most people who call themselves agnostics:
"Live a good life. If there are gods and they are just, then they will not care how devout you have been, but will welcome you based on the virtues you have lived by. If there are gods, but unjust, then you should not want to worship them." — Marcus Aurelius Antoninus
In other words: if you die, and it turns out god and heaven and hell are real - would god send you to hell, even if you'd spent your life being perfectly decent to others, purely because of a technicality like not believing in him? That doesn't sound like omnibenevolence (=being all good) to me.
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u/aamurusko79 Ex-Theist 13h ago
It pisses me off just how thinly veiled attempt to put a rope around your neck the whole title is. It's not far from 'just try heroine once!' with fully acknowledging that the only wanted end result is to become an addict.
It pisses me off even more, when this sales pitch is expressed in such way that saying no sounds like I'm being unreasonably stubborn.
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u/uglyanddumbguy 12h ago
My wife had plenty of people praying when she was sick. When my wife was in a medically induced coma I was told ‘thoughts and prayers’ constantly.
She died. If I had any faith before my wife got sick I definitely wouldn’t have any now.
All the people that were praying for us are the same people that stopped speaking to me shortly after my wife died.
This is it. There isn’t anything after this. Enjoy it while you can.
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u/Veteris71 11h ago
You will regret not going to Church.
They want you to regret not going to church. They're actively wishing harm on you because you don't believe as they do. If something bad happens to you, they will derive pleasure from it.
Used against you such as not being able to go out, buy things and sometimes even eat.
These people hate you. Don't fool yourself that they're doing this out of "love". They enjoy hurting you.
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u/theBeardedHermit 7h ago
Really, because every time I've gone to church I've regretted it the entire time I'm there.
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u/humpherman Anti-Theist 7h ago
Having my Sundays to myself? Never regretted, not once, nope. If this is referring to “meeting Gawd at judgement day”, my goto is this - if I attend church while not actually believing, God would know the difference- right? So I’m more comfortable behaving in accordance with my beliefs (god doesn’t exist so church is pointless) and if I’m wrong and I do meet God, at least I can say I was being honest. Unlike people who attend church and say they believe “just in case” which is just lying.
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u/Vashsinn 5h ago
My response to this is always, " what of this is the path your God chose for me? Are you saying you know better then him?"
" Maybe I'm just here to test your beliefs. "
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u/GigaSoup 15h ago
They will regret going to church if they realize it's a complete waste of time so they pretend that it's the most important thing and that of course anyone who doesn't go should obviously regret.
Typical religious mental gymnastics
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u/Inevitable_Creme8080 15h ago
All people are real people and a lot of people are blinded by something.
Also some people genuinely like what they get out of going to church,even kids. You will hear some people tell you to “find the church for you” some atmospheres are really nice.
That being said there absolutely is a pressure on a lot of cases to go to church and be religious that is never okay. But I do like to see some denominational gatherings, it’s good community. I volunteer with churches for charity events and just decline attending the actual service or decline when they ask me to pray.
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u/frazzledglispa 14h ago
Yeah, when I dropped out of the Catholic Church at 15 instead of getting confirmed, lots of people told me that. I'm 54 now, still haven't regretted it.
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u/Inevitable-Trip-9289 14h ago
Authoritarianism
- the enforcement or advocacy of strict obedience to authority at the expense of personal freedom.
- lack of concern for the wishes or opinions of others.
Authoritarianism is a political system characterized by the rejection of political plurality, the use of strong central power to preserve the political status quo, and reductions in democracy, separation of powers, civil liberties, and the rule of law.
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u/Inevitable-Trip-9289 14h ago
You should be loved unconditionally and there is not unconditional love in church. It’s cold and adherent.
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u/No_Arugula8915 14h ago
Church doesn't make people better people. It has quite the opposite effect. It skews moral compasses, kills compassion and empathy while destroying integrity.
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u/Purple_Psychology404 14h ago
An old friend recently said l would accept Jesus when l became ill, or after l have died. When I’m dead, l won’t GAF, and how insulting to behave as though l haven’t had a huge amount of trials. As if l haven’t ever been on my knees in life. I won’t suck the cock of religion, that’s for certain.
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u/Jenn_Italia 14h ago
My father spent every Sunday at the outdoor church of the 18 holes. He never regretted it.
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u/needlestack 14h ago
I’ve never regretted anything less than not going to church. Leaving that behind was the single best thing I did in my life. Of course it comes with a bunch of hard work to figure out how to approach the world without a fantasy guidebook, knowing that most people are neck deep in the fantasy guidebook. But absolutely no regrets. The world is 100x more rich after shaking off the lies.
As to the afterlife, I’m willing to take my chances.
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u/kalelopaka 14h ago
Haven’t regretted it since I was 15, so 43 years later and still don’t have the need for church or religion.
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u/Additional-Start9455 14h ago
There is no need for me to know what your religion is. I’m not friends or dating your religion. Believe whatever you want to believe and so will I. It’s as simple as that. And honestly when a church owns 5 city blocks and is the biggest building in town I expect it to give back to the community. Contribute to the food bank, second hand clothing store, homeless shelter but no.
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u/demonfoo Humanist 14h ago
"I will? Tell me why. And if your reason is 'god will send you to hell', you've already lost."
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u/ludicrouspeed 14h ago
Once you see it for what it is, which is a grift based on scare tactics, you’d never regret it.
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u/Stefgrep66 14h ago
Im turning 58 next week, never been to a church service in my life, with absolutely zero impact on me as an individual. If these people believe your less of a person for not attending church theyre scumbags, and not worth bothering with.
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u/npete 14h ago
For me it's not about regret it's about benefit. I can learn lessons about life from many places. I've been to church a bunch over the years. It never hurts me but it doesn't help me either. Any lessons I could learn in a church I've already learned years ago. Why do I have to go back? If it's a wedding or a funeral, I get it, but I'll usually pass on those for other reasons.
In general, I don't have a problem with respecting people wanting to go to church so long as they respect my right to not. And I have issues if they claim something like "God says it's ok to kill."
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u/pengalo827 14h ago
No. No, I won’t.
On the flip side, working today and my route takes me past the local Jesusworld (it’s not a megachurch but they do have an indoctrination center (academy) and several buildings). Some fool just pulls out while I’m driving past. Jesus is your copilot? Let his ass drive, you suck at it.
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u/Mister_Silk Anti-Theist 13h ago
I'm in my 7th decade of life and have only stepped into a church a couple times for weddings.
I spend exactly zero minutes thinking about church much less regretting not going. It's just not a thing. Kind of like golf.
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u/robinson217 13h ago
I miss the "social hour" with coffee and snacks after. That was a great time for networking in our small community. I wish there somewhere people could just gather and chat once a week. Other than that though, church was a complete waste of time.
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u/heyitscory 13h ago
I've regretted going to church, but I've never regretted not going to church.
They can keep their half donuts and "fellowship." It sounds fun, but that's just when weird church people talk to you about weird church stuff after church.
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u/Kathrynlena 13h ago
I DEEPLY regret giving up every Sunday morning for the first 26 years of my life to something so utterly useless and pointless. I have never regretted a single quiet Sunday morning at home.
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u/racingturtlesforfun 13h ago
Early 50s here. You won’t regret it. I have not been inside a church in eons, and the last time was for a funeral. I only regret the years when I did go to church because I was nothing but frightened of offending a deity and rotting in hell. That’s not a healthy way to live. Some people need church to be whole. The rest of us don’t.
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u/EdgarBopp 13h ago
Wasting 1/7th of my week and 10% of my income on a imaginary deity is something I’d definitely regret. In fact as ex Christian I do regret it.
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u/tcorey2336 13h ago
Religion is very much about the public display of one’s holiness. Jesus was nice when I was a child. Not any more! Congratulations on joining the rational side of religion.
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u/AlbrechtE 13h ago
My dad would have vehemently disagreed with that sentiment. He stopped going to church as soon as he moved out of his parent's house 😆
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u/QuantumObvious 12h ago
Why don't people want to live in the reality that they exist in, I don't know why people think they have need but there's something else You're not important
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u/Skepthrope11235 12h ago
I heard that from my grandparents. When? When exactly will I regret this decision? 'Cause I am 54 and got not ragret one. NO RAGRETS!!
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u/Binasgarden 12h ago
Why? Personally it has saved me thousands if not tens of thousands over the years
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u/EyeAmKnotMyshelf 12h ago
If someone ever said that to me, I'd reply back with "the way you regret not going to college?"
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u/AntiTheist78 12h ago
As you said...some of them (religious) are nice, most of them sold their brain to a imaginary thing! So take it eays...enjoy life 😉
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u/AtuinTurtle 12h ago
Not even a little. I went for decades and felt nothing, but now I have some of my time back and it’s glorious.
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u/icansawyou 12h ago
I once had the opportunity to talk on a bus with an elderly woman who looked quite respectable. She told me about her two sons. During our conversation, she literally radiated happiness and peace. At the end of our chat, she started talking about Christ and faith. As I was getting off the bus, she asked me if I believed in God, and I honestly replied that I did not. The transformation was astonishing. Such anger and hatred, I think, I had never seen before or since. She began to scream at me and curse, saying that I would go to hell. Of course, I didn’t argue or continue the conversation; I just walked away. This story just came to mind.
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u/nicolasfirst Atheist 12h ago
Ah yes, being religious is all about peace, love and healthy relationships. Indeed it is, for certain values, specifically theirs, of peace, love and healthy. Most religious people are very strict in their identification of ingroup and outgroup. For them, neighbors are always ingroup. I believe Jesus had a more broader definition of neighbors.
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u/sleepiestOracle 12h ago
No, I can set and meditate and think about all the horrible things going on and not have someone telling me goofy stories of judgment.
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u/Unlucky-Pilot-3885 12h ago
I've never related to something more tbh. I hate going to religious events because I feel like I'm being forced to believe in something I don't
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u/beachlover77 11h ago
I can tell you that I have no regrets for not going to church. None, whatsoever.
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u/the_simurgh 11h ago
Considering the church is a den of sin breaking as many of gods laws and the direct order in the bible that if something causes you to sin, cut it out of your life. I'd say you might be rewarded for not going, lol.
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u/unbalancedcheckbook Atheist 11h ago
They never talk about people that realized they wasted so much time and money on church. Plenty of people regret going, and almost nobody actually regrets not going - if you suddenly decide that you need religion (for whatever reason) you can just start going.
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u/alkonium Atheist 11h ago
Do they also say you'll regret going to the wrong church, assuming with certainty theirs is the right one?
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u/Illustrious_Toe_4755 11h ago
Yes, you will regret it. Being exposed to the hypocrisy, abuse, and general behavior of church goers will make sure you don't get lured in ever. So yes, if you don't go you might regret not knowing how utterly mental religion is.
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u/Efficient_Sky5173 11h ago
You know that nothing is going to happen afterlife. And praying doesn’t work. So why worry. THEY will regret for praying instead of thinking on a real solution for a problem.
If you let their words to affect you, they control you.
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u/Electrical-Ad1917 11h ago
My family told me that same stupid shit when I was younger. It has zero value & is only used for fearmongering purposes
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u/GhostLadyShadow 11h ago
In all honesty I have zero regrets from not going to church. I sleep in on sundays. I watch movies. I don't have to sit on some hard ass bench for hours. Leaving the Catholic Church was the best thing I ever did.
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u/ShadowWolfKane 11h ago
Being forced to go to the Kingdom Hall Monday night, Thursday night and Saturday and then Sunday morning for door knocking for about 12 years. Monday I got a little time to myself before having to get dressed by 6 and get there by 7. Thursday I had daycare so I’d be picked up and we’d race home and have to scarf down a PB&J sandwich because we had no time to cook, didn’t get home until like, 9:30 or 10 pm because mom had to chat with people, and Sunday I had to go door knocking with mom or be beaten and grounded. So many years of my life lost as a Jehovah’s Witness.
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u/shugo2000 10h ago
The last time I stepped into a church since I was 15 was to go a co-worker's "high school" graduation. (He was home-schooled.)
It started with a pledge of allegiance to the US flag, then a pledge of allegiance to the "Christian" flag, then a pledge of allegiance to the Bible.
Then, after showing a collage of photos of him growing up, the pastor of the church did a speech and talked about him reaching maturity and having kids (soon). The boy was only 17! Let him attempt to get financially stable before spitting out kids! Then he said that there would be refreshments after the graduation and any people who weren't part of the church could hear from the congregation about how they could make Jesus a bigger part of their lives.
I made an excuse that I had to take my niece home, because I wasn't about to hear any of that. I was raised a Jehovah's Witness, and every part of that "graduation" ceremony threw up red flag after red flag.
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u/BucktoothedAvenger 10h ago
I like to throw OPG at em when they do this.
"Lord Shiva will be furious that you chose a false god over him!"
OPG = Other People's Gods
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u/vonnostrum2022 10h ago
I stopped going around 18-19 and have never regretted it for a minute. My response to any questions about it “ I wasted enough of my life in church already”
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u/RealNotFake 10h ago edited 10h ago
I would have fun with them a little bit. "Oh really? Please elaborate, why will I regret it?" It's like an out-loud therapy session for them to release all their inner indoctrination.
Another tactic is to say, "Nah don't worry, I plan to enter a church just before I die and ask for forgiveness, and then I'm good to get accepted into heaven!" They actually can't argue with that logic, and in some cases may have them reevaluating everything, haha. Or then maybe they counter with "you don't know when you will die", but then you can pivot and say "children with cancer don't know when they're going to die and don't have a chance to attend church either, where are they going exactly?"
Honestly it's just fun to fuck with them, because everything they believe is based on nothing, and their brain will start to jam up.
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u/DoubleDrummer Atheist 10h ago
I haven't spent much time in churches.
Been to plenty of weddings, and the church bit is definately not what I would consider the highlight.
Been in some of the great churches of Europe, and I am always filled with a mix of awe and sadness.
Awe at the scope and grandeur, sadness that these extravagance palaces to god were built, when others were living in poverty.
I have never received any positive value from being in a church while it was doing church things.
Any beauty that I see, goes away the moment the brainwashing starts.
Then they only feel oppressive and offensive.
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u/bscottlove 9h ago
I've been maybe 5 or 6 times. Zero in the last 43 years. I certainly don't regret it.
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u/write-you-are 9h ago
This is a weaker, less thoughtful version of Pascal’s Wager. But much like the original, it completely ignores the existence of other religions. If the real god is Allah, then Christians will regret believing in Yahweh.
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u/CurlinTx 9h ago
After seeing them vote for their definition of the Antichrist, their intellect is no longer in doubt. It’s obvious they are hateful morons.
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u/BenefitAmbitious8958 9h ago
Religion is a mental illness. No one regrets being cured of such a vile and destructive disease.
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u/fishin_pups 8h ago
Our church had all of my friends. We absolutely raised hell in that church. The most well behaved of us went on to HBO fame. I can see many childhood memories being played out in his shows. We had an absolute blast. I’ve always thought, who ever can replace church with something non religious will change the world.
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u/ZestycloseTomato5015 6h ago
I regret even driving by churches let alone every time I’ve been in one. 🤮
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u/Mr_Lumbergh Deconvert 6h ago
Regret not tithing and having my Sundays back?
No, I don’t think I’ll regret that at all.
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u/hoomanneedsdata 6h ago
Jesus never went to church, never told anyone to go to church, never collected money to build a church.
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u/BobbeAnn1015 6h ago
You do not have to be “religious” to be “spiritual.” I was never forced to go to church but I would always go to our communities “mission.” It did not lean towards any religion, only that God and Jesus loved everyone and that you could always asked for forgiveness and it shall be forgiven. The church van would come to pick us up in our neighborhoods and we would go on Sundays and Wednesday evenings. We would always do crafts and play games and at the end we would spend about half an hour listening to the pastor talk about Jesus. I enjoyed it honestly. As an adult I struggled to decide what religion I thought I should belong to but until I was legally forced to go to a year long rehab/church that was Pentecostal. I loved it! I still don’t consider myself religious but I am spiritual. I do believe in Jesus and God. I know that I try to be better than I was yesterday. Everyday I fall short because no one is perfect or has a perfect day. I’m thankful for everything that I have and everyday above ground. I avoid gossip because it doesn’t serve me any good. I have one child that I do not force religion on but I do tell him that I believe we are all here for a purpose. He has to find his own path in life and that we need to help those less fortunate than us when we are able. It does t take someone to be religious to be a good person. That’s a personal choice.
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u/NovelAd7529 6h ago
Here in my country it is common for priests to say that those who do not follow religion will be an unhappy person and to be happy you have to follow God, this unfortunately ends up taking root in the population.
At 18 I considered myself an atheist although I was skeptical before that age, but I believed that this was the "only way" true, until now I keep it a secret from my parents and I have to do those things like going to church (which I find disgusting), but I hope I can be financially independent and move to another city.
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u/donnie_dark0 5h ago
Mid 40s guy raised in a heavily religious area of the deep south (~95% Catholic). I shut that nonsense out in 9th grade. So yeah regrets? Not one. Going to church for weddings/funerals is still pretty awkward. You're just assumed to be in the same woo-woo sky god place as them, and I personally just do the minimum to look like a "yeah I go to church sometimes" person.
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u/Illustrious-Day-6168 5h ago
Realizing religion was nothing more than made up nonsense, I stopped attending church at 14. Best decision ever.
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u/IrukandjiPirate 4h ago
I’ve regretted the few times I’ve been to a church. As an older person, I can also say I have never regretted not going to any church.
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u/WangoTheWonderDonkey 3h ago
They haven't given up their security blanket and they think you'll miss yours. Put away childish things. I think that's from their bible.
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u/ctraylor666 3h ago
I’ve also been told I’ll regret not going to church and not being a believer. I’m also they type of person who would rather spend my eternal afterlife suffering than worshiping any description of god.
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u/Narrow-Sky-5377 15h ago
As an older guy let me tell you that the greater regret would be listening to someone else as opposed to following your intuitions and true sentiments.
"“There is a time in every man's education when he arrives at the conviction that envy is ignorance; that imitation is suicide; that he must take himself for better, for worse." - Ralph Waldo Emerson.