I’m an atheist who converted to Buddhism after a decade of non-belief, AMA

I, too, was raised as a Christian but left and have been an atheist for decades. I have studied for years in a Zen temple and believe that the philosophy of Buddhism has a lot that can be helpful in thinking about how we want to live our lives and to treat ourselves and others (anatta, duhka, conditioned arising, etc.) But I've never been tempted to believe the hocus-pocus stories about deities and reincarnation and the like that have been added to that philosophy. A lot of religions teach a lot of good thing (treat your neighbor as you would like them to treat you) because they are all products of the human mind, and we have a lot of good in us. We can critically examine what religions teach and follow the good advice while rejecting the fantastical claims about the supernatural that most of them make. We don't need god(s) to be good.

/r/atheism Thread