Julia Sweeney: The Gifts of Not Believing in God

Comedian, author, and atheist Julia Sweeney was raised Catholic, with a God who, in her mind, "was like a really loving uncle." Since letting go of God, she has found new meaning and inspiration in the simplicity of just being human, even as she wrestles with what atheism means for her, and most importantly, for her family.

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[KRN]

Believing in God is a handy way to avoid the larger questions of existence and meaning

[miaa]

this woman changed my life forever .. back in 2008 i listened to here series "letting go of god".
i left Islam and became atheist because of you .. thank you Julia
i wish i can tell her that !!F

[roddychristodoulou]

Becoming an atheist is a great feeling of true freedom.

[xtscarfacem]

My life seems a little less stressful without god.

[Starchild]

I was forced to believe in God as a little girl growing up in Nashville, TN, (not that everyone raised in TN was forced to believe that the Christian God was the only way to NOT roast for eternity), but, I was brain washed to KNOW that if I didn't believe, my flesh/soul would BURN forever!! Being brought from church to bigoted church, Sunday to Sunday, I was terrified, so frightened! Seeing "The Exorcist did me in! I wouldn't dare listen to reason until the age of 27. This was Child abuse! Sad!

[dontfeedthefred]

I think she hits on the beautiful thing about atheism around 7 minutes or so. The realization that all we find to cherish in our existence is so very fleeting, and it is exactly this brevity that makes it so valuable.

[lagaman]

If there were a God, I would thank him/her for Julia Sweeney. Thank you Julia! You were the turning point, in my life, to FINALLY lay down the heavy burden of religion.

[liviadix]

I went to an Unitarian church while visiting Mexico, I enjoyed the service, they never spoke about God, instead they talked about how the church by its involvement in the Community was providing assistance to its people. I thought that was what a church should be about it.
It was a good experience.

[MrExEssex]

2:30 "... I still just find it really hard to believe that anyone believes in a god at all." My long-held sentiments exactly. Stories about a heavenly deity, virgin birth, resurrection etc. are so obviously made up that it shouldn't be possible for an otherwise intelligent person to consider them true. But so many do. There's nothing wrong with them as stories. As stories they work well. People who read Lord of the Rings know that the events portrayed in the books never happened and the people and other characters never existed. But for some reason I've never been able to understand, when they read the Bible, their disbelief goes out of the window. The things in this particular man-made book actually happened and the characters exist. It's truly astonishing that so many people actually believe that to be the case.

[kevint]

I used to be ambivalent about religions, I thought that they were, overall, a good for society.  after many years and a lot of exploration, my earlier views are wrong.  I am not an atheist any loner or an agnostic, I am an anti-theist. Religion is a pervasive and destructive construct, I watch daily, the way the faithful treat their fellow man. I see suicide bombers, mass shootings, ethnic cleansing and righteous wrath being visited upon people who are different.  Religion is a methodology of separating a group of people from the rest of society, one could say, it effectively dehumanizes those who aren't of a group.  it creates an "us vs. them mentality.  The whole religious philosophy seems to be that after-death is preferable to life, and if you "believe enough" you will get a future reward.  In essence, it is like saying "to hell with working things out, and making life better on this earth, to hell with solving problems and working together as a species, you just have to have faith and everything is in Gawds hands".   this is the antithesis of what we need as a species, we need people who will find commonality with all, and want to go beyond superstition and childhood fables.  Religion is a tool of division and ignorance, IMHO.

[barbaranecker]

Julia, you're on the right track. I was brought up Catholic, singing in the church choir with my mom. & I must say the music was lovely. As a teenager, I considered becoming a nun but then rock & roll can along. I went to college after high school & re-thought my choices. As a result, I married a Lutheran man -- in the Lutheran church, because I liked all the trappings of a church wedding. Neither of us went to church after our wedding day & we lived a very happy life together. He died a painful death by cancer. I begged god to save his life, promising I'd return to the Catholic Church if he intervened &saved my husband That didn't happen, so I remained an atheist & have never regretted it. I do my best to be good to my fellow creatures-- 2 legged & four legged

[SquidDesign]

Ironically the closest I ever had to a "religious experience" was the moment I decided to let go of religion. There I was, expecting the sky to fall, but the birds were still singing, the sun was still shining, and everything was just fine... and I felt completely free.

[debbiethomas]

I went to a separate religion and Church and when they tried to explain to me that God created us to work for him metaphorically. I've lost relationships to be told God intervened because it wouldn't benefit him. So all that I worked for could be taken if God decided it wouldn't benefit him and if you don't accept that, this loving God will put you in a burning hell to be tormented through eternity. When I refused to go to Church, my family wouldn't reach out when I needed them and forget family gatherings? Forget those as well. I was never invited unless I agreed to go to Church

[junevandermark]

I believed in the existence of a god until I was 70 years of age, at which point, I had more than enough confusion taught to me by mythologists. I now believe (as did Stephen Hawking, before he died) that the universe always existed in one form or another ... which takes the talk of a god, right out of the picture. I am now 81, and the last 11 years have allowed me to feel that I am whole, just as I am.

[TheSpicyPotatoe]

it truly is a gift...changes your whole perspective of fear and logic

[KevinRoddy]

Julia’s experience was mine. I went to Catholic school until I was 14. My parents exposed me to religion, and at age 14 gave me a choice to continue or not. They never went to church, though my mother taught as a lay teacher at our school. My parents were pretty forward thinking in the 60s...

[RebekahSing]

I grew up as a Christian. I have always prayed. I've questioned my beliefs and have returned to them. I feel good when I read His word. I have had my prayers answered. Following him has raised my self-esteem. Those are simple answers that some might actually use to argue against Him, but they're honest.

[geirerlinggulbrandsen]

I am embarrased on behalf of our species that we still have so many religious individuals. We are a pretty good species, but religion has no place in the modern world.

[VuNguyen-mhoo]

Don't get yourself mixed up between religious and spiritualism. Julia was religious, she no longer is, she is free from religious dogma now. She can think for herself and find her own meaning without resorting to any ancient myth.

[nursegrace]

The purpose of life is to stay alive...hopefully with some happiness, and the ability to help others. What's so terrible about that? The party has to end, some time.