What I Gained When I Lost My Religion
People often ask me if my life is better now that I've left my religion. My honest answer is that it's a mixed bag. On the negative side, I have to say that the reactions of people who liked me better when I still had faith have been at times very strong. I usually become a target for re-evangelism for a while, but they eventually learn to quit pushing me after they realize that I've heard everything they have to say about this a thousand times. Most people probably just decide I'm being stubborn and/or that the Devil's got me under a spell but while the pushing may stop, the disappointment lingers on. Some do their best to keep a lid on that, which I appreciate, but you can still hear it in their voices and that can hurt. If you crave the approval of people, and if you live where I live, I wouldn't recommend atheism for you. But once you rule out how some have behaved toward me because of my unbelief, I have to say that when I am not working too much I am enjoying life in a way that I haven't enjoyed it in a long time. It's not always about what I'm doing at the time, either. Often it's just about feeling more at home in my own skin than I ever felt when I still believed that Earth is not my home and that I'm supposed to be longing for some other place. To explain what I mean, here is a list of the things which leaving my religion has brought me. Not everyone will necessarily experience the same things I did, but these are the benefits that I see I personally have derived from this development