'Real' ex-(religion) adherents. [actual belief]

[Desert Snake]

I'm curious as to how many people here are REALLY an ex-(religion), as in, you completely believed in the Doctrines before, but have since changed your mind.

p.s. also other options

 

[Susanpalli,JW]

I'm curious as to how many people here are REALLY an ex-(religion), as in, you completely believed in the Doctrines before, but have since changed your mind.

I am an ex Catholic. I believed that Mary could intercede for us, I prayed to the statues of Mary and Jesus and the cross. I believed in miracles of Lourdes, etc.
I believed in eternal Hellfire and the Trinity Doctrine.

When I began to seriously read the Bible, I came to the conclusion that these doctrines had no Biblical origin.

 

[Infinitum]

It depends a little bit on which dogmas you deem as an integral part of said religion. I was brought up in a certain branch of Christianity where there are several beliefs that contradict each other in some degree. I built a solid framework out of the dogmas that made the most spiritual sense to me and was desperate to get closer to God (partly due to intense loneliness at the time). I found my own values during those years and have held on to them ever since, especially that faith has to be guided by truth and that human intellect is capable of finding it. This core belief and the extensive study of scripture is what led me to question one dogma at the time until my research came to the point where Christianity as a whole just fell apart. I don't regret that, because under the surface I had for years already grown out of what the framework was able to offer me. Especially the lack of God came as a relief for me, since despite the work I had done to come close to him I had gained nothing other than pain for myself. In the extremely unlikely case that I'm wrong and God does exist, I firmly believe he would understand the choices I've done in my life and will accept me as I am. If not, he wouldn't be a the god of unconditional love anyway and therefore not worthy of worship.

 

[1137]

Jew / theistic --> Satanist / atheistic / gnostic --> new anger / gnostic / panentheism / mysticism --> Luciferian / agonistic.

 

[Desert Snake]

Hm I just realized, there is an open-ended implication for the third option. Not sure what to vote here, because I believe some Doctrine, other, not so much. I guess I'm a mix of belief concerning Christianity, always have been.

 

[Desert Snake]

It's inbetween 2 & 3, however just voted third option for practicality, that refers to Christianity in the most standard form.

 

[LuisDantas]

Let's see.

Up until I was about 10 I was expected (not asked) to be a "non-practicing" Catholic with a few passive forays into Candomble practices at year's passing.

Then I was pressured the heck out of myself into frequenting Kardecist Spiritism centers by my raisers. Not that I ever wanted to or hid it from them, mind you.

Then I was expected to prepare for Catholic Eucharisty. Brazil is a lot like Haiti in that sense; people are nominally Catholic out of social expectation alone. I actually had it, too, at age 14 - not that I ever considered myself a Catholic. No one truly wanted to know whether I did.

Then, as a side-effect of the relentless, senseless insistence of my raisers that I must accept Kardecism, I made contact with a SAW Gnosis occultist group. I was about 17 at the time.

It was phenomenal, to actually have a say on what I was purported to believe in. So much so that it took years until I noticed that I just did not believe that stuff.

So I am not sure any of those options apply. But technically "never believed, now jut don't don't identify as (religion)" should fit, since I no longer choose to identify as part of a Gnosis group.

 

[Desert Snake]

So I am not sure any of those options apply. But technically "never believed, now jut don't don't identify as (religion)" should fit, since I no longer choose to identify as part of a Gnosis group.

Yes, my intent for the poll options was to leave them fairly broad in meaning, hence, it's referring to specific religions, not theological belief necessarily.

 

[Sha'irullah]

It all depends on which religion we are talking about here. I never hold great belief in Christianity as a child as it just baffled my mind with great absurdities. I even picked up on the violence and immorality of it at a young age. I then moved to Islam and truthfully believed in every last bit of it but that did not last long of course.

Then of course after that I tried out Hinduism, Satanism, Paganism and Deism and all of these I never really believed in and just kept muddying around the waters trying to experience something. I still love what all of these religions and philosophies have to teach but I do not really have any belief in a god. I just find the concept to be pointless and nonsensical.

 

[Desert Snake]

It all depends on which religion we are talking about here.

It could, I guess. Since I believe in certain aspects of Christianity, I might be a Christian in that sense. By what standard is the bar set at "adherence" might be the question. There are very liberal forms of Christianity, so I don't think it's dishonest for me to use that label.

 

[Sha'irullah]

It could, I guess. Since I believe in certain aspects of Christianity, I might be a Christian in that sense. By what standard is the bar set at "adherence" might be the question. There are very liberal forms of Christianity, so I don't think it's dishonest for me to use that label.

I like tossing words around like "Islamic Atheist", "Mulhid Sufi" or "Philosophically Islamic" to express my love of Islamic/Sufi philosophy and all things Arabic. Islam does not have a high opinion of atheists yet alone murtads so I try loosely associating myself with Islam. Perhaps Mulhid Sufi is a better word, not sure

 

[Iti oj]

I nearly became a priest before losing
my faith

 

[Sha'irullah]

I nearly became a priest before losing
my faith

Becoming a priest will do that

 

[Jainarayan]

If this means Actual belief change or stopped believing I have to say my beliefs changed, but I never stopped believing in something.

Progression: Roman Catholic --> Eastern Orthodox --> agnostic/deist, believing in the Hindu deities as real entities --> full-fledged Hindu with a brief dalliance with some syncretization.

 

[Windwalker]

My views have grown and matured, which means in effect that I don't believe as I did. But that doesn't mean I believe the opposite. It means I throw out the bathwater, not the baby. I don't have a need for the bathwater part anymore.

 

[Desert Snake]

If this means Actual belief change or stopped believing I have to say my beliefs changed, but I never stopped believing in something.

Could be either. My beliefs haven't 'changed' very much, per-se, however in the religion context, there can be a standard of accepted beliefs that might either cause one to be, not of said religion, or having to specify doctrinal adherence. I didn't expect these poll results, but really, probably should have.

 

[Gjallarhorn]

My beliefs have changed an awful lot. I feel like if I met the me of 10 years ago we would be unable to hold a conversation.

 

[Sir Doom]

I voted the first one. I was raised Mormon from the age of 9 until about 14. This may seem young to say that I actually believed, but I was very active in my faith. I gave testimony before the congregation more than once (which was totally voluntary) and was quite enamored with the entire affair. It wasn't until I began to explore science and attempted to reconcile the two that things began to unravel. It wasn't so much that I couldn't reconcile them, but that when I tried to consult people I considered authorities on the matter I was essentially told that trying to reconcile them was a big mistake. That pretty much ruined it for me. I suddenly perceived a massive dose of reality that the people I considered authorities didn't have a shred of the perspective I was working with and shouldn't be considered authorities anymore.

Presented with the impossible task of sifting through everything I had believed up until then based on authority I decided to shake the etch-a-sketch and start all the way over (inasmuch as that is possible).

 

[1137]

I nearly became a priest before losing
my faith

Really? I wanted to be a Rabbi!

 

[metis]

I selected "don't believe, still identify as (religion)", but please realize that "don't believe" doesn't mean or imply there cannot be a God or Gods.