Comment · Sun, October 6, 2013
Ex-atheists of reddit, why did you change your beliefs?
Original post in this thread
lifesasport · 1332 points
A lot of people's beliefs seem to based on their upbringing; theists have theist parents and atheists have atheist parents. I'm just wondering what caused people that have been raised as atheists to convert to a religion.
Edit: Oh my. To those that did provide some insight, thanks! And to clarify, please don't read "theists have theist parents and atheists have atheist parents" as a stand-alone sentence (it isn't!) - I was merely trying to explain what I meant in the first part of the sentence, but I probably could've said it better.
What they were answering
styxtraveler · 1143 points
a few years ago I had to have surgery to repair my shoulder. Before hand I had to sign all the papers that say by the way, there's a small chance you will die while under anesthesia, so this was heavily on my mind while they were prepping me. They gave me something to relax me, and told me that they wanted me to be awake to put some kind of pump in my shoulder. Apparently I didn't listen. one second I was laying there watching them walk around me. the next I was cold. I had some weight on my chest and it was dark. I was in recovery. I had no sense of time passing, no memories of what happened. For all intents and purposes, I had ceased to exist, and I didn't know it. I didn't recognize the moment I was loosing consciousness (and I realized I never do) I just, temporarily, ceased to be. It was only that I woke up that I was able to contemplate this. and I realized that if I died on the table, I never would have known it. I would have just ceased to be and I wouldn't have been able to contemplate it later. This somehow grants me peace when I think about death. Some day I'll be there, and simply slip into this deep sleep with no time or memories, I won't notice it, and I'll never be able to contemplate it afterwards. Since I've already kind of did this, (at least I believe I have and that's all that's really important anyway) it doesn't frighten me anymore.
u/MisterYouAreSoDumb
I had shoulder surgery too, and they gave me propofol. They said the same thing they did to you, that I'd be kind of awake but in a light sleep. That was bullshit. I was out within 15 seconds of the IV being turned on. I was not really nervous going into it, other than the knowledge that my recovery would suck. But the actual speed and absolution of the mechanism in which it worked was very interesting. There was no light sleep. There was no transition. I was awake one second, and not the next. It's beautiful and frightening depending on the frame you look at it in.
The surgery failed, so I have to do it all over again in a couple weeks. I guess I just have to put my trust in the anesthesiologist and let whatever happens, happen.