[Ex-Christians only] Why did you leave Christianity?

[Sgt. Pepper]

Hello, fellow ex-Christians.

I'd like to hear from you, an ex-Christian, currently or in the past. Please only post here if you're an ex-Christian; this is not the thread for Christians and other theists of an Abrahamic religion to argue with the ex-Christians who respond to my OP. This isn't the thread to defend Christianity or another Abrahamic religion. My main objective is to connect with other ex-Christians and learn why they disavowed their Christian faith. I'm an ex-Christian myself, and I'll share the reasons why I left Christianity in a later post.

Remember, only post here if you're an ex-Christian.

☮ and ❤
Sgt. Pepper

 

[JustGeorge]

I left young(teen years), so I hope you don't mind me answering...

I just don't believe there is only one god. The Biblical god and I never really connected, and the first time I was exposed to Polytheism, it came as natural as a butterfly spreading its new wings to fly. I couldn't be open about my conversion right away(dad was a Bible thumper), but when I moved out at 17, I decked my new bedroom walls with pictures of the Gods I'd drawn.

Christianity just seemed to fall in one ear and out the other. I was forced to go to Sunday school up until I was 14(after that, I just refused, and took the grounding). I went to a weekly Bible study on top of that. And I have almost no knowledge of Christianity... I don't think it wanted me any more than I wanted it.

 

[Rival]

Jesus didn't fulfil the messianic expectations.

Christianity distorts the Tanakh.

Trinity, prayer to saints etc.

 

[ChristineM]

Very simple answer, christians.

I will expand on that if asked

 

[MyM]

Hello, fellow ex-Christians.

I'd like to hear from you, an ex-Christian, currently or in the past. Please only post here if you're an ex-Christian; this isn't the thread for Christians and other theists of a Abrahamic religion to argue with the ex-Christians who respond to my OP. This isn't the thread to defend Christianity or another Abrahamic religion. My main objective is to connect with other ex-Christians and learn why they disavowed their Christian faith. I'm an ex-Christian myself, and I'll share the reasons why I left Christianity in a later post.

Remember, only post here if you're an ex-Christian.

☮ and ❤
Sgt. Pepper

I was born and raised into a Protestant Faith. First Baptist .

I did find Islam, but to deny or disavow Christianity, I don't think that is a word I would ever use simply because I believe in Jesus. I believe he is the Messiah (translated Christ). I believe he was born of the virgin Maryam and I believe he will return again. So to say I am an X-Christian, I would rather say, I believe in the message Jesus taught-being One God. I am not in denial of Jesus and the true message of Jesus is that he taught monotheism.

 

[It Aint Necessarily So]

Hello, fellow ex-Christians.

I'd like to hear from you, an ex-Christian, currently or in the past. Please only post here if you're an ex-Christian; this is not the thread for Christians and other theists of an Abrahamic religion to argue with the ex-Christians who respond to my OP. This isn't the thread to defend Christianity or another Abrahamic religion. My main objective is to connect with other ex-Christians and learn why they disavowed their Christian faith. I'm an ex-Christian myself, and I'll share the reasons why I left Christianity in a later post.

Remember, only post here if you're an ex-Christian.

☮ and ❤
Sgt. Pepper

I came to Christianity at about age 20, for about ten years. The religion didn't make sense to me, but I decided to suspend disbelief to give this God a chance to reveal itself to me and for the dogma to begin to make sense. I likened it to trying on a pair of shoes that didn't fit quite right, but if I walked around in them for awhile, the fit would improve.

My first two years as a Christian were when I was far from home in the military in Maryland. The two years in that Maryland congregation were euphoric, and that was enough to convince me that I had been filled with the Holy Spirit as promised. Then I was discharged and returned to California, where I went to about a half dozen congregations there, finding them all lifeless.

Eventually, I realized that what I was interpreting as the Holy Spirit in Maryland was just a psychological state induced by a gifted and charismatic pastor, since that feeling didn't come with me to California. I realized that the religion was not delivering in its promises and was false, so I kicked off that pair of shoes and returned to atheism, where I found better fitting shoes in secular humanism.

 

[Martin]

I was raised as a Roman Catholic, but left that faith at quite a young age. Mainly because I didn't find the Christian conception of God to be credible or coherent.

 

[Sgt. Pepper]

Very simple answer, christians.

I will expand on that if asked

I would appreciate it if you would elaborate on your answer, Christine. Thank you.

 

[Eddi]

Basically, I left Christianity because I came to view many of its claims as being simply preposterous and non-sensical

And it is obviously man-made

Also, I stopped believing in the reality of Jesus - at first I began to doubt whether or not he was currently up in Heaven with God and then later on I began to doubt that he ever actually existed

Currently I think he may have existed in some form but probably didn't - but for me that level of belief is not strong enough for me to build my entire life around

I wish Christianity was true, life would be much more simple were that the case. But sadly, I cannot bring myself to believe that, that would be too much of a stretch, too much of a leap of faith

But I'm not going to spend my time being bitter about it

I am simply going to move on from it, on to other things

 

[PureX]

I left religious Christianity in my early teens. I couldn't accept the idea that any human (or dogma) should stand as a gatekeeper between any other human and their God. And it seemed that's mostly all religious Christianity was about (Catholicism, anyway). Hierarchical, authoritarian, BS (IMO).

I have come to appreciate some of the ideals of the religion as a general spiritual and personal truth, though, in the ensuing years. But I doubt very much that I would ever return to any form of organized religion. It's just not for me.

 

[ChristineM]

I would appreciate it if you would elaborate on your answer, Christine. Thank you.

ok.

I am dyslexic, as i child i couldn't read or write, at school i was essentially written off as uneducable. My church liked teens to read the lesson but i had to refuse. This was the cause of much taunting and derision from the congregation. Not really what a poorly educated, insecure teenager needed. I eventually had taken enough and bucked up the courage to leave the church.

Only a couple of months later i was diagnosed, it turned out that my problem is that red bleeds making everything that contains the colour fuzzy. Most inks and paper have some red in their composition. Simple cure, filter out the red, green eye glasses.

I taught myself to read, i had read my first book "the colour of magic" within 3 months. My next book was the KJV, i was looking for reasons why those i thought friends and mentors turned on me. It took a little longer to complete but i believe i found several answers in the OT.

I wound up going to college with much support, then uni and made a success out of my life, no thanks to Christianity.

 

[syo]

I am an ex-christian. I left christianity, because it's false.

 

[Altfish]

Science - it made much more sense than scriptures
Going to church - why waste time on a Sunday?

 

[John53]

I had no choice in being a Christian, that's how I was raised, as I got older I found there was not enough evidence to satisfy me that the Christian God existed (or any other God).

 

[Sgt. Pepper]

ok.

I am dyslexic, as i child i couldn't read or write, at school i was essentially written off as uneducable. My church liked teens to read the lesson but i had to refuse. This was the cause of much taunting and derision from the congregation. Not really what a poorly educated, insecure teenager needed. I eventually had taken enough and bucked up the courage to leave the church.

Only a couple of months later i was diagnosed, it turned out that my problem is that red bleeds making everything that contains the colour fuzzy. Most inks and paper have some red in their composition. Simple cure, filter out the red, green eye glasses.

I taught myself to read, i had read my first book "the colour of magic" within 3 months. My next book was the KJV, i was looking for reasons why those i thought friends and mentors turned on me. It took a little longer to complete but i believe i found several answers in the OT.

I wound up going to college with much support, then uni and made a success out of my life, no thanks to Christianity.

I'm sorry to hear what you went through, Christine. I understand your negative sentiment towards Christians. I have a few stories of my own, to be honest. There's an old saying, "Christians eat their own," and I can personally attest that it's the genuine truth.

Christians eat their own, and sometimes that can drive people away from their church, and it can even push people further away from God. One of the main problems I have with Christians is that the majority of them tend to mob-attack anyone who is different from them, whether it is personal appearance, economic status, ethnicity, or biblical interpretation and doctrinal beliefs. I learned that it's especially true when it involves American politics. I could rant on about this, but I don't want to derail my own thread. The quotes below are what I remember whenever I'm confronted by a rude and obnoxious Christian. I thought I'd share them with you.

"I like your Christ, I do not like your Christians. Your Christians are so unlike your Christ." - Mahatma Gandhi

"The greatest single cause of atheism in the world today is Christians: who acknowledge Jesus with their lips, walk out the door, and deny Him by their lifestyle. That is what an unbelieving world simply finds unbelievable." - Brennan Manning

 

[ChristineM]

I'm sorry to hear what you went through, Christine. I understand your negative sentiment towards Christians. I have a few stories of my own, to be honest. There's an old saying, "Christians eat their own," and I can personally attest that it's the genuine truth.

Christians eat their own, and sometimes that can drive people away from their church, and it can even push people further away from God. One of the main problems I have with Christians is that the majority of them tend to mob-attack anyone who is different from them, whether it is personal appearance, economic status, ethnicity, or biblical interpretation and doctrinal beliefs. I learned that it's especially true when it involves American politics. I could rant on about this, but I don't want to derail my own thread. The quotes below are what I remember whenever I'm confronted by a rude and obnoxious Christian. I thought I'd share them with you.

"I like your Christ, I do not like your Christians. Your Christians are so unlike your Christ." - Mahatma Gandhi

"The greatest single cause of atheism in the world today is Christians: who acknowledge Jesus with their lips, walk out the door, and deny Him by their lifestyle. That is what an unbelieving world simply finds unbelievable." - Brennan Manning

I agree with this wholeheartedly.

That said, my best, lifelong friend is Christian.

 

[The Hammer]

It has heavy authoritarian vibes and is reliant on guilt as a means for control.

Neither gels with my personality or worldview.

 

[Heyo]

Hello, fellow ex-Christians.

I'd like to hear from you, an ex-Christian, currently or in the past. Please only post here if you're an ex-Christian; this is not the thread for Christians and other theists of an Abrahamic religion to argue with the ex-Christians who respond to my OP. This isn't the thread to defend Christianity or another Abrahamic religion. My main objective is to connect with other ex-Christians and learn why they disavowed their Christian faith. I'm an ex-Christian myself, and I'll share the reasons why I left Christianity in a later post.

Remember, only post here if you're an ex-Christian.

☮ and ❤
Sgt. Pepper

I don't know if this really applies to me, you judge.
I never believed in the fairy tales but I was a "social Christian". I didn't reject Christianity when I could, even got confirmed and worked in Christian youth groups (the only available youth organization). My atheism was not a problem for about four years. One day the higher ups in the church decided that the youth work should be less secular and I was asked to leave - so I did. (Not only the youth group but Christianity altogether. It had nothing left to offer me.)
(The youth groups lost more members over the next two years and were dead after that.)

 

[Aštra’el]

I originally severed my ties to Christianity to baptize myself into new path, one of my own design. It began as atheism... but then, as I spent more and more time as LHP, I found myself once again incorporating theistic concepts into my Weltanschauung. “Demons”. “Angels”. Eventually... God(s). Except now, there was no priest or prophet standing between myself and the divine, dictating what lore to believe and in what way. The power was now in my own hands to embrace these things as I Will and move forward in whatever way I choose.

These days I find myself affiliated with Christianity in some strange way, as if I were sitting atop the massive wall separating them from outsiders. I have some loyalties to those on the interior, but from my position I prefer to see within and beyond as far and clear as possible. Christianity is without a doubt a part of who I am... but there is so much more to the world, and so much more to my own Weltanschauung.

 

[osgart]

I left Christianity because of the mythology of it. I know for a fact that supernatural events don't happen, and Christians are expected to take the Bible as actual history.

I also left it because it has a senseless justice system.

I left it because it doesn't match reality in any way.

I left it because it suppresses independent thinking, growth and curiosity.