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

[Sand Dancer]

The problem of evil/suffering initially got me questioning. That and the fact that Christians are no more good or moral than anyone else, and sometimes they are more immoral, bigoted and judgmental, didn't sit right with me. This is mostly the case of the religious right. The Christian Left are often very Christ-like people, but still not enough to get me back. I like a lot about it, but then again, I like a lot about other religions.

 

[Ashoka]

Hoo let's see:

Calvinism.

Eternal hell.

The abominable fancy.

Christian "love"

Bigotry

Sexism and misogny

Racism

Homophobia

Rabid pro-life beliefs

So many more reasons. But that's a few of the big ones.

 

[Father Heathen]

As a child and especially as a teen, science made far more sense to me than did Christianity where the two conflicted, also the glaring and blatant double standards when it came to the behavior of your average christian; the biggest ******** often wore crosses around their neck.
Also, the notion of eternal damnation always seemed extremely unjust and sadistic, and the whole salvation and resurrection thing didn't add up.

 

[Viker]

Lost interest. Didn't feel welcome any longer. Too much I disagreed with and I wasn't going to change who/what I am. I was curious about other paths. Then I answered another calling.

 

[Clara Tea]

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

Do dogs lay eggs....?

The website, above, says that dogs lay invisible eggs that are rich in protein, and the dogs, themselves, eat the eggs to supplement their nutritian.

Opinion of Clara Tea:

Should we believe in an invisible God and not in invisible dog eggs?

Should we be swayed by the large numbers of people who believe in God (peer pressure)? Many people thought that Noah was nuts for building a ship in the desert. Noah didn't cave to peer pressure.

Should we be impressed with the good intention of the bible? Not if theist's actions are not good. I am not against a bible that says "thou shalt not kill" but I am daunted by millions of American theists lending moral support to wars against innocent people (killing a million of them and making torture camps around the world). President W. Bush also asked Congress for permission to hire mercenaries to do things that the military was not allowed to do (violation of international treaties). So, I don't oppose the Christian religion, but I point out that the people calling themselves Christians don't follow Christ.

Is it my fault that many Catholic priests chose to rape little boys, then the Catholic church chose to compound the problem by silently relocating the priests to other parishes without issuing warnings about them? Is it my fault that the Catholic church (Vatican/pope) chose to declare bankruptcy to protect their mammon and not compensate their victims? Am I wrong to point that out?

Religions need to own up to their shortcomings, or they will never be able to fix them. Responsibility is required of God. God requires us to know what the bible says, and obey his words.

It's like giving the keys of the family car to a teenager who crashes it into a ditch, then when the teenager asks for the keys again, we give them to him? After the Religious Right wrecked the United States by polluting, warming the globe, causing useless wars against peaceful people, running up huge debts, ignoring the poor, etc., should we turn over the keys of the United States to them again? Christian forgiveness? Or...be wary of those who damaged us before?

 

[Clara Tea]

As a child and especially as a teen, science made far more sense to me than did Christianity where the two conflicted, also the glaring and blatant double standards when it came to the behavior of your average christian; the biggest ******** often wore crosses around their neck.
Also, the notion of eternal damnation always seemed extremely unjust and sadistic, and the whole salvation and resurrection thing didn't add up.

You make a lot of sense.

Why should a loving God allow (or cause) his only son to be brutally murdered, and taken off of earth where he could do so much good, merely because he is incapable of forgiveness without a blood sacrifice? Why is suffering and evil allowed?

 

[Clara Tea]

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.

Supernatural events don't happen? It was recently proposed that the walls of Jericho were knocked down by an icy meteor (5 foot depth of ash 14 miles from ground zero to Jericho, that occurred when the city was destroyed). ESP was proven by Dr. Jessica Utts (former chair of her department at the University of California, Irvine).

 

[Sand Dancer]

As a child and especially as a teen, science made far more sense to me than did Christianity where the two conflicted, also the glaring and blatant double standards when it came to the behavior of your average christian; the biggest ******** often wore crosses around their neck.
Also, the notion of eternal damnation always seemed extremely unjust and sadistic, and the whole salvation and resurrection thing didn't add up.

I remember when the Catholic school kids went to high school, they ended up being the biggest partiers and trouble makers. If something is forced from the outside, it's usually rebelled against, if it isn't internalized on one's own.

 

[Shadow Wolf]

I was born into it (Southern Baptist). I was a very devoted believer, being brought up for the clergy, even considered the ideal teenaged Christian. And why I left had a few layers to it. One being the church was so highly insular that when I got outside of their bubble many things I learned contradicted Church teachings. And it was a bombardment of new information, much of it irreconcilable with the Church (like learning science doesn't really have an anti-religion agenda). And then there were my own personal struggles and hardships, and prayers that never seemed to go answered. When I turned to the Bible for guidance I didn't find love and mercy but cruelty and violence. I was lost, drowning in despair, and pleading for this god to save from myself. And it was like a poison being pumped into me that eventually left me suicidal and having nightmares of going to Hell.
And I do hope it's not "once saved, always saved." If that's the case the Kingdom is falling under new management when I die.

 

[Sand Dancer]

I was born into it (Southern Baptist). I was a very devoted believer, being brought up for the clergy, even considered the ideal teenaged Christian. And why I left had a few layers to it. One being the church was so highly insular that when I got outside of their bubble many things I learned contradicted Church teachings. And it was a bombardment of new information, much of it irreconcilable with the Church (like learning science doesn't really have an anti-religion agenda). And then there were my own personal struggles and hardships, and prayers that never seemed to go answered. When I turned to the Bible for guidance I didn't find love and mercy but cruelty and violence. I was lost, drowning in despair, and pleading for this god to save from myself. And it was like a poison being pumped into me that eventually left me suicidal and having nightmares of going to Hell.
And I do hope it's not "once saved, always saved." If that's the case the Kingdom is falling under new management when I die.

Gosh, that's sad. I am glad you left. I have to say that my low self-esteem got lower when I was a Christian. I kept wondering why it never got better. Hmm, now I know why...

 

[Shadow Wolf]

Gosh, that's sad. I am glad you left. I have to say that my low self-esteem got lower when I was a Christian. I kept wondering why it never got better. Hmm, now I know why...

Christianity and self-esteem don't exactly go hand-in-hand. Rather they really are polar opposites of each other.

 

[loverofhumanity]

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 was born and raised a Catholic and loved being a Christian. But my devotion was always to Jesus not the church or priests, so when I heard Christ had returned I embraced Him wholeheartedly . (Baha’u’llah) Unfortunately, the church and around 2 billion other Christians missed the Second Coming but I was not going to follow them but Jesus so I ended up becoming a Baha’i. I felt I couldn’t remain a Christian and lie to myself that He hadn’t returned when He had. So I left Christianity.

 

[rational experiences]

Didn't leave spirituality. I left going into a building using imposing ceremony.

 

[Sand Dancer]

I was born and raised a Catholic and loved being a Christian. But my devotion was always to Jesus not the church or priests, so when I heard Christ had returned I embraced Him wholeheartedly . (Baha’u’llah) Unfortunately, the church and around 2 billion other Christians missed the Second Coming but I was not going to follow them but Jesus so I ended up becoming a Baha’i. I felt I couldn’t remain a Christian and lie to myself that He hadn’t returned when He had. So I left Christianity.

Did Baha'u'llah live up to the expectations or attributes of Jesus? Sorry it's bad wording.

 

[loverofhumanity]

Did Baha'u'llah live up to the expectations or attributes of Jesus? Sorry it's bad wording.

Definitely. I have inner peace, contentment, joy and happiness. This is a gift I would refuse if I had a choice as I there are so many wonderful people out there. When I was a Catholic, I became filled with guilt and shame and it paralysed me and gave me an inferiority complex.

Now I know I was created pure and innocent, a noble being and I accept myself without shame or guilt. Now my spirit feels like it’s free to love all as Christ taught not condemn those who don’t believe.

I can now befriend any religionist of any faith and pray and meditate in the church, mosque, pagoda, synagogue or temple. A stable marriage of 43 years since becoming a Baha’i and work life followed.

I’m the luckiest person in the world because I looked into this and didn’t listen to the priests or others. I followed my heart and found something too wonderful for words to express.

 

[blü 2]

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 previously set out a brief account of my Christian adventures >here<.

 

[Sgt. Pepper]

I've talked about my personal experiences with Christianity in a few of my posts already, but I'll share my story here, too.

I left Christianity after being a Christian for 30 years. It took me several years of emotional healing before I was mentally capable of freeing myself from my psychological dependence on my faith in God. I honestly believe that I'm a prime example of how deeply a person can be brainwashed and controlled by a religion or by a spiritual belief. My devout faith in God was deeply entrenched into my psyche, and it was almost impossible for me to leave it behind. I compare my experience leaving Christianity to being locked in a prison cell, except the door to my cell was open, but I never realized that I could leave whenever I wanted to. Being deeply devout to God, I was blinded by my faith and I couldn't see the forest for the trees. I was devoted to God, despite the nagging feeling in my heart that my belief was totally wrong. I ignored the bitter truth that my belief in a loving, merciful God was incompatible with the horrific reality of my childhood. I grew up in an abusive home, and I endured severe abuse, neglect and bullying for 13 1/2 years.

Despite the fact that I frantically prayed to God, asking him to save me, I still suffered abuse daily at home and perpetual bullying in school. As I reached my teenage years, I stopped praying for deliverance. I took the matter into my own hands when I turned 18. I confronted my older brother in a physical confrontation that made him back off and leave me alone. It also made an impression on my abusive mother, because she also backed off, and she never laid a hand on me again. God never once lifted a finger to save me.

I saved myself when I mustered up enough courage to finally fight back against my abusers, but I am still paying the price for the abuse I endured. I suffer from PTSD, and I have panic attacks now and then, but these attacks have become less frequent. The truth is, God turned a blind eye and left me alone to suffer severe abuse for 13 1/2 years. I was a child, but he obviously didn't care about me. A loving and merciful God couldn't be bothered to save me from abuse, despite my devotion to him while I was growing up.

I can honestly say that disavowing my Christian faith was the best decision that I've ever made for myself. It was most definitely the best decision that I've made for my mental health. Honestly, I feel a comforting peace in my heart now, and I never felt that when I was a Christian. I also feel hope and joy, and I actually enjoy my life now. I'm feeling content in my life, and I feel optimistic for the future. The shame and guilt I once felt about forsaking my faith is gone. Christianity was a prison for me, but now I'm free from it.

 

[Sand Dancer]

I've talked about my personal experiences with Christianity in a few of my posts already, but I'll share my story here, too.

I left Christianity after being a Christian for 30 years. It took me several years of emotional healing before I was mentally capable of freeing myself from my psychological dependence on my faith in God. I honestly believe that I'm a prime example of how deeply a person can be brainwashed and controlled by a religion or by a spiritual belief. My devout faith in God was deeply entrenched into my psyche, and it was almost impossible for me to leave it behind. I compare my experience leaving Christianity to being locked in a prison cell, except the door to my cell was open, but I never realized that I could leave whenever I wanted to. Being deeply devout to God, I was blinded by my faith and I couldn't see the forest for the trees. I was devoted to God, despite the nagging feeling in my heart that my belief was totally wrong. I ignored the bitter truth that my belief in a loving, merciful God was incompatible with the horrific reality of my childhood. I grew up in an abusive home, and I endured severe abuse, neglect and bullying for 13 1/2 years.

Despite the fact that I frantically prayed to God, asking him to save me, I still suffered abuse daily at home and perpetual bullying in school. As I reached my teenage years, I stopped praying for deliverance. I took the matter into my own hands when I turned 18. I confronted my older brother in a physical confrontation that made him back off and leave me alone. It also made an impression on my abusive mother, because she also backed off, and she never laid a hand on me again. God never once lifted a finger to save me.

I saved myself when I mustered up enough courage to finally fight back against my abusers, but I am still paying the price for the abuse I endured. I suffer from PTSD, and I have panic attacks now and then, but these attacks have become less frequent. The truth is, God turned a blind eye and left me alone to suffer severe abuse for 13 1/2 years. I was a child, but he obviously didn't care about me. A loving and merciful God couldn't be bothered to save me from abuse, despite my devotion to him while I was growing up.

I can honestly say that disavowing my Christian faith was the best decision that I've ever made for myself. It was most definitely the best decision that I've made for my mental health. Honestly, I feel a comforting peace in my heart now, and I never felt that when I was a Christian. I also feel hope and joy, and I actually enjoy my life now. I'm feeling content in my life, and I feel optimistic for the future. The shame and guilt I once felt about forsaking my faith is gone. Christianity was a prison for me, but now I'm free from it.

Oh my gosh, how horrible! I don't understand how we feel too afraid to leave, even though things don't seem right. Like danged if you do, danged if you don't. The threat of hell for one thing is demoralizing and paralyzing. With abuse going on, and unanswered prayer, you must have felt like you had no one in your court. So proud of you for gathering the courage to fight for your well being. I swear it's like Stockholm Syndrome. I feel bad for the many people who are going through similar things. Fly free, beautiful bird.

 

[Twilight Hue]

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

Reality simply smashed the rose color glasses and smashed the stained glass windows one day.

I have the congregation and clergy itself to thank for that over the years, proving that it was just a show of make believe and wishful ambition all along, making it very easy to leave after that point where I could put it all down and walked away with no fear of the imaginary hell following me.

It was incredibly liberating and fresh like a gust of fresh air blowing away all the staleness of living in a fantastical fantasy life for over thirty years.

That happened in 2005-2006.

 

[Sgt. Pepper]

I would like to thank everyone who has replied in my thread thus far. I truly appreciate it. If you're an ex-Christian, and you haven't replied to my OP yet, please feel free to respond if you want to. My thread is a safe haven, so you can talk about your experiences with Christianity and explain why you forsook your Christian faith without facing any criticism for it. I hope you'll choose to respond.