Ex Christians

[waitasec]

The common thread I see here is that at some point Christianity "no longer made sense" as if the measure by which we are to judge truth is whether or not we can completely fathom it. I'd be lying if I said the thought never crossed my mind that sending people to hell for eternity is unreasonable regardless of what they had done. I just choose not to lean on my own understanding

when i was a believer i had a level of doubt that was comfortable, but as i grew older life changed and perceptions changed. if my perception stayed the same i might as well be living in a cave...

 

[Vadergirl123]

As I've already stated, yes, I was raised as a Southern Baptist. I was once very much a Christian.

I didn't know if by raised you actually accepted the beliefs for yourself, or just believed because you parents(or the people around you)did/told you too. My bad

 

[Jacksnyte]

Why?


Well yeah God lets us make our own choices.



Yes I was raised in an independent baptist church



I believe God inspired men to write out his words for us to understand, and since he inspired it then everything that's in it is what he wants us to knwo about him.


Are you saying some people claim God's one thing and others claim he's something else? If so it doesn't matter what people claim about God. Ultimately it's his words which should have the final authority on who he is.

And what reason(other than your upbringing and indoctrination) do you have for choosing the Bible over the Koran, or the Vedas, or the Zend Avesta? How do you know that these weren't "inspired by god" as well?

 

[-Peacemaker-]

I'd also argue that there are basically two "religions" being represented in this thread, Christianity and "rationalism", despite the fact that people here are claiming to identify with one of countless different "faiths". The reality is that the people here that turned from Christianity sought something that "made more sense" to them. Regardless of what such people call their religion, they've demonstrated that they trust their intellect and ability to reason more than anything else. They choose their belief systems based on whether or not these systems "make sense" to them. The moment they stop "making sense" they'll move to something that does "make sense". Again, such people are not Jews, Buddhists, deists, or dharmics. They are products of Thomas Paine and their temple is the "church of the mind" as he called it.

 

[Gjallarhorn]

Oh, what interested you about the angels?

Power, wisdom, and rather swept under the rug as far as theology goes (mainly to detract from angel worship). The very concept of their substance, rankings, etc was much more interesting than Jesus or his Father.

 

[waitasec]

Why?

because i value honesty. it's the only way to grow, as far as i'm concerned.

Well yeah God lets us make our own choices.

interesting huh?

Yes I was raised in an independent baptist church

i was baptist too.

I believe God inspired men to write out his words for us to understand, and since he inspired it then everything that's in it is what he wants us to knwo about him.

then why is it so misunderstood?

as i said, you cannot confuse water with fire.

Are you saying some people claim God's one thing and others claim he's something else? If so it doesn't matter what people claim about God. Ultimately it's his words which should have the final authority on who he is.

do you mean the bible?

if you do, then you still haven't explained by what criteria you use to determine if this is the word of god.

the only criteria i knew of was believing it through faith.
well, please don't take this offensively, what do you think those that flew into the WTC felt. i would imagine in order to kill oneself one is very sincere in their faith, right? that is giving license to very dangerous thinking. consider the defenseless children that have died at the hands of their parents in the name of faith healings where in the gospel jesus plainly says
mark 16: 17 And these signs will accompany those who believe: In my name they will drive out demons; they will speak in new tongues; 18 they will pick up snakes with their hands; and when they drink deadly poison, it will not hurt them at all; they will place their hands on sick people, and they will get well.”

so if it's broken if it causes confusion, why would it be the word of god?

it doesn't add up to me. it used to, but not any more.

 

[tumbleweed41]

I'd also argue that there are basically two "religions" being represented in this thread, Christianity and "rationalism", despite the fact that people here are claiming to identify with one of countless different "faiths". The reality is that the people here that turned from Christianity sought something that "made more sense" to them. Regardless of what such people call their religion, they've demonstrated that they trust their intellect and ability to reason more than anything else. They choose their belief systems based on whether or not these systems "make sense" to them. The moment they stop "making sense" they'll move to something that does "make sense". Again, such people are not Jews, Buddhists, deists, or dharmics. They are products of Thomas Paine and their temple is the "church of the mind" as he called it.

Well put. However I am not sure if everyone would agree with your assessment.

I see value in reason over dogma myself.

 

[bigbadgirl]

It was not a loss of faith, nor a rejection of the teachings of religion in general. It was the sordid past of all the "religion of the holy books" that told me that a "God revealed" is a "God" denied. If everyone that follows a religion would take the responsibilty for the atrocities that their religion or "God" commited, then they would in the end be resposible for the conduct of their own religion. How can anyone belong to a religion that commits the same "sins" that they are taught not to commit? From an "ex" believer.

 

[waitasec]

I'd also argue that there are basically two "religions" being represented in this thread, Christianity and "rationalism", despite the fact that people here are claiming to identify with one of countless different "faiths". The reality is that the people here that turned from Christianity sought something that "made more sense" to them. Regardless of what such people call their religion, they've demonstrated that they trust their intellect and ability to reason more than anything else. They choose their belief systems based on whether or not these systems "make sense" to them. The moment they stop "making sense" they'll move to something that does "make sense". Again, such people are not Jews, Buddhists, deists, or dharmics. They are products of Thomas Paine and their temple is the "church of the mind" as he called it.

and you don't rely on your belief system?

 

[waitasec]

And what reason(other than your upbringing and indoctrination) do you have for choosing the Bible over the Koran, or the Vedas, or the Zend Avesta? How do you know that these weren't "inspired by god" as well?

that is exactly why ask by what criteria does she determine that the bible is the word of god?

 

[-Peacemaker-]

and you don't rely on your belief system?

I've chosen to rely on it even when certain doctrines have left me scratching my head

 

[bigbadgirl]

that is exactly why ask by what criteria does she determine that the bible is the word of god?

They are called "revealed religions". Simply because they never existed before they were revealed.If a religion did not exist before it was revealed, then why? Perhaps because they are creations of not a "God" but a person.

 

[waitasec]

I've chosen to rely on it even when certain doctrines have left me scratching my head

as your doctrine has caused me to scratch mine.

 

[Twilight Hue]

Hello , and what did you compare christianity to?

Everyday life in general.

I just clamed up, dropped my beliefs, then observed, and noted the contrast between what was said and taught and compared it to what actually transpires.

 

[blackout]

Vadergirl,

You keep coming back to the 'personal relationship with Jesus' thing.
Inner 'relationships' with non physical entities are subjective experiences and expressions
based on/in (personal) feelings and mindsets.
Feelings and mindsets, however, do not make our beliefs, desires and intuitions 'so'.
('so' as in- objectively and independently existent beyond our own minds, hearts and feelings)

Our 'feelings' are chemical events.

The inner catalysts of one's chemical events can change
as easily as we can.
In fact, they tend to change in tandem.

 

[arthra]

Oh okay I no very little about the Baha'i religion(another one I need to look into haha) So then what's your relationship with Christ based on?

Being a Baha'i I accept Jesus as a Manifestation of God and recognize His return... so for me anyway my relationship with Him continued... but this isn't the belief that you suggested for yourself that has to be based on such views as "we are all sinners" and that human beings are depraved.

"As day follows night, and after sunset comes the dawn, so Jesus Christ appeared on the horizon of this world like a Sun of Truth; even so when the people -- after forgetting the teachings of Christ and His example of love to all humanity -- had again grown tired of material things, a heavenly Star shone once more in Persia, a new illumination appeared and now a great light is spreading throughout all lands."

~ Abdu'l-Baha, Abdu'l-Baha in London, p. 82

 

[roberto]

.....Yet i still believe he's the Messiah

Which one of the 2 ?

What's your first point about exempetions and what exemptions are you talking about?

It is not my point ....read here >> Constantine the Great and Judaism - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

..............I remember something about the Prophet Elie. That he disapeared or something like that and people waited him (but I don't know very much about). Why not Jesus ?

Because "jesus" did not exist before the year 325 AD , thats why. Study history. Yeshua is coming back, as a Jew not as "the Greek"

How imporant is that actual date? Is it not more imporant that we simply celebrate the ressurection of our Lord?

Christians can worship "their Lord" as they want, I just do not want any part of it anymore.

The common thread I see here is that at some point Christianity "no longer made sense" ...... I just choose not to lean on my own understanding

Yeh, just follow and put your head in the sand..

.......In the first century Jewish and Christians both made efforts to distinguish themselves, Christians worshiped on Sunday ........

No you assume wrong : Act 15:21 For from the earliest times, Moshe has had in every city those who proclaim him, with his words being read in the synagogues every Shabbat."
[Synagogues gathered on Saturday not Sunday]

The reality is that the people here that turned from Christianity sought something that "made more sense" to them.

Nope, I started studying the Bible instead of reading it.
.

 

[Heathen Hammer]

So I've read a couple of posts about people claiming to be "ex christians" and I'm curious as to what they mean exactly. If you are an ex-christain were you in a relationship with Jesus Christ and decided you wanted the relationship to end? Was it that the belief of christiantity stopped making sense or something else entirely? Please let me know.

Foremost it was the fact that the 'relationship' did not exist.
You cannot have a 'relationship' with someone who does not participate; it flies in the face of the definition of 'relationship'. And since that was what was promised, and that promise was not fulfilled, I left for, as others mentioned, something that made more sense.

It did not help that as I went through my religious education I began spotting all the other misrepresentations, contradictions and outright lies that were presented to me. it became apparent that this was a faith of flowery words and zero substance. My bible studies became Bible critiques; I was looking a lot deeper into the reading material than my instructors had planned.

Decades later research on the understandings of others via the interwebs confirmed most of what I'd found, and gave me a LOT more material to work with.

So now I'm here, rattling bars.

 

[F0uad]

Yeshua is coming back, as a Jew not as "the Greek"

Islam agrees that Esha/Heshua/Yeshua(p) will come back as a Nationality of being Jewish and not Greek nor what the Gospels in general portrait him.

Jesus(p) was Jewish its a fact i think Christians themselves agree on this.

 

[roberto]

Islam agrees that Esha/Heshua/Yeshua(p) will come back as a Nationality of being Jewish and not Greek nor what the Gospels in general portrait him.
Jesus(p) was Jewish its a fact i think Christians themselves agree on this.

Yeah, but they refuse to follow the Jewish Messiah , they created a "loving" god called jesus for themselves.
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I love Muruna, Taqiyya, and Kitman of Islam.
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