I thought leaving would fix everything and I'd finally be happy. But 6 years later I'm still lost and in shambles. Help.

Oh come on. You loathe Jews. Does this include Leonard Nimoy, Jerry Seinfeld, Mel Brooks, Woody Allen, Albert Einstein, Theodore Bikel, or Groucho Marx? Jews are on the whole very charming. Sometimes neurotic, but even then, charmingly neurotic.

I can understand not liking Judaism, however. It is a religion that is burdened with an excess of traditions and rituals, and is far too demanding, even exhausting. Of course, it comes in different levels of orthodoxy and many Jews do not let it become too burdensome. Many Jews go to Chinese restaurants and eat unkosher food. Shrimp, even. Shrimp can be delicious, if well prepared.

I once studied Scientology in depth. Talk about useless knowledge. But still, it gives me an opportunity to answer questions about Scientology, which can come up here on reddit, so it was not entirely useless. Even though Judaism is just an elaborate fantasy, there could still be some point in knowing about it, if only to be able to talk about it, not to practice it.

Say what you like, matzoh ball soup is delicious. It is not all for nought.

I am sorry that your experience in Judaism was so traumatic. But life goes on! At the age of 24, you still have practically your whole life ahead of you. I understand that you have difficulty dating, but that is much more common than you may realize. Dating is an awkward business for most people. Even so, you can do it. Don't tell people that you hate Jews, unless you are looking for neo-Nazis to date.

You do not need to be Jewish to have an identity. You live in some country, possibly America. You can be American. You can be an atheist (I recommend it). You can be whatever you want to be. My identity for many decades was as a science fiction fan. I used to go to science fiction conventions, and meet other fans. Several fans remain friends of mine to this day, whom I met 35 years ago.

Your condition as you describe it does sound serious enough to suggest that you should consult a therapist. But sometimes you can tough it out. I recovered from Scientology without getting therapy.

/r/atheism Thread