One need not turn their back on God to leave Christianity, they need only consider the pre-packaged set of beliefs of Christians to be wrong.
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Why do people leave Christianity?
- Thread starter filthyrottendirty
- Start date
Well, I was in for 30 years. I was raised with it, and I took it very seriously. I know I will probably be dismissed as not having a strong enough relationship with god, being mislead by satan, only having a surface knowledge, or whatever other reason people come up with for me.
Honestly, it was a process that took years. The physical and written inconsistencies and missing evidence in the bible vs. the greater world, the immorality of god in the bible, the intellectual dishonesty of the christians I knew, and the realization of the intellectual dishonesty in myself is what set the dominoes in motion for me.
I live a much happier life now.
Honestly, it was a process that took years. The physical and written inconsistencies and missing evidence in the bible vs. the greater world, the immorality of god in the bible, the intellectual dishonesty of the christians I knew, and the realization of the intellectual dishonesty in myself is what set the dominoes in motion for me.
I live a much happier life now.
halbhh
The wonder and awe of "all things".
Fortunately many leave because they really don't believe.
That's a good thing.
Here's why -- it's just like Francis said:
During a homily in Rome on Thursday, Pope Francis said that if you're a hypocritical Christian, one who exploits people, leads a double life or manages "dirty" business, then "it's better to be an atheist," reported CNN.
I totally agree with Francis: it's far better to be an atheist than a hypocrite. Also, according to what we know from the common bible, one would be far better off being an atheist that merely doesn't realize God is real, than someone who does and then ignores what He says to do.
HonestJoe
Well-Known Member
Wouldn't that also raise the question of why they considered themselves Christian in the first place? Could it be that we're talking about cultural Christians who just ticked the box because of family or general social tradition rather than any real personal conviction?
I think you're being unfair there. Just because you don't think they understand enough to make their decision doesn't mean their decision is somehow invalid. Maybe they just think what Christianity is claiming to offer isn't worth the effort of all that digging.
That's because you're assuming there is a God to turn your back on. If someone no longer (or never) believed that, it wouldn't be the same issue.
In general terms, it is very difficult, if not impossible, for anyone to truly understand what any other person believes. Even if someone in the group you describe explained in great detail, you (and I) would probably still not fully understand it.
halbhh
The wonder and awe of "all things".
Because if a family with Christian parents has several kids, some might believe and some might not, among those kids, some think. Also, there have been times when it seemed socially advantageous to be in a church even to non-believers (that had never been in one, but chose to join), even if needing to pretend, because of the various connections one could make in a church, at times in history, even in the U.S. as recently as about 20-40 years ago, for instance.
The truth is that the truth comes from above, according to James. According to Paul each should consider the other better than themselves. This isn't what happens in bible based churches of my experience. They bind themselves with shibboleths, not bonds of love but of death. They lament "You disagree --> therefore you must be disagreeing with God --> therefore I wont' commune with you." A friend loves at all times, and this bad fruit is a very bad sign.
How is a person to progress? Generally people are mediocre, neither hot nor cold. If a single person takes all of the advice in the NT and suddenly applies it to themselves becoming 'Hot' I think they will find themselves alone, and all alone they won't be able to sustain themselves. They need other people in order to grow spiritually, but how can they compel other people to keep up with them? The whole group must gradually improve together if its to work at all...like a train, but this train can't be held together with words, knowledge tests and belief tests. That's judging. It can't be held together by human leadership or by oaths or by lesson plans, either. People who want to progress find themselves unable to fit in. Either they are kicked out or they leave in disappointment.
Many bible believers won't tolerate disagreement, rejecting communion with anyone who challenges them. This is an anti christian approach, devoid of commitment, devoid of love. Its what is wrong-est. There is no room here for God to be above all and the source of truth, because people have taken glory for themselves judging everyone else.
oldbadger
Skanky Old Mongrel!
Hi......
The more closely I researched, so the more I learned, and the further away I walked from any involved God.
I believe in Jesus now, but not on Christianity.
stvdv
Veteran Member
Some people are just more driven than others
Some people have more focus on spiritual matters than others
Koran is clear on this and solves this confusing issue very elegantly, keeping human judgments out of it; it is God who veils those who turn away
Koran 5:48 says
Koran 4:88: says
Tiberius
Well-Known Member
If you are involved in something and you find a bit that doesn't make sense, sure you can keep working at it until it does make sense. But that suggests to me that you are just determined to go on believing whatever it is you want to believe, and you will not stop until you find a way to justify that belief. In other words, you are essentially saying, "Here's my conclusion, how can I fit the facts into it?"
It is much better to accept the possibility that your beliefs may be wrong. When we find something that doesn't agree with our beliefs, we must be willing to discard that belief if it is incorrect.
I think Mark 4, with the sower that sows the seed, is a great breakdown of why people leave. Hard soil, rocky soil, weedy soil and, for those who press through, good fertile soil.
I'm the fertile style.
Tiberius
Well-Known Member
I think Mark 4, with the sower that sows the seed, is a great breakdown of why people leave. Hard soil, rocky soil, weedy soil and, for those who press through, good fertile soil.
I'm the fertile style.
Of course, sometimes the soil is just plain bad, and no matter how far down you dig, you're never going to find anything that can sustain a crop. When that is the case, you just have to go somewhere else.
Regiomontanus
Eastern Orthodox
That is the complete opposite of my experience.
Sounds like a lot of Christians.
Christianity isn't some default. To spend effort digging, you'd have to see a reason to justify the effort.
It seems to me that a Christian is - generally - someone who's dedicated their life to following Christ. If a person isn't sure enough to make this commitment, it make sense to me that they wouldn't want to call themselves a Christian.
Also, if religion has been a channel for abuse or oppression, I don't fault them at all for leaving.
But the OP said that they were once Christian... so at the least it was a stoney soill--good soil but never removed the stones to give it depth.
What real entity do you intend to denote when you say "God"?
No one seems to have a definition appropriate to a real god, such that if we find a real suspect, we can tell whether it's God or not.
PruePhillip
Well-Known Member
One key reason
PROSPERITY
It shows in the graphs. Educated but poor nations are often quite religious (think of Sth America)
Pedophile Catholic priests did not budge the downward drift of their 120 year attendance data.
The rise of science is more of an excuse. The peak of religion in Australia happened decades
after the Origin of Species was published, fer instance.
Throughout history religion ascends when circumstances descend.
McBell
Unbound
An awful lot of assumptions on which to base your judgmental attitude, no?
Christianity is the only real religion and all others are "Pagan," "heathen," "false," or "blasphemy," according to many Christians.
Could it be that Christianity has the same (or worse) credibility as any other religion? Could the Polynesians be right about their religion(s) having witnessed what they perceive to be God in action (active volcanoes shaking the earth spewing smoke high into the air, and spewing lava? They don't believe in science (nor do many Christians).
We have to get vaccines because some virus mutated (or should I use the word "evolved?)" Is COVID God's punishment for attacking Iraq as it says in Revelation (a chapter of the bible)? Revelation 15 (seven plagues).
The Vatican had shut it's doors and restricted travel from Italy (surrounding it) as COVID ravaged Italy (more so than other countries). Where was the faith of the pope (faith that God would protect them) when COVID was raging. Some pastors thought that God would protect their followers from COVID, so they stupidly continued to hold church meetings as usual, then spread COVID to their members, then praised God that COVID is not as deadly as some diseases could be. Their members, then, spread COVID to those outside of their church. The only thing that spreads faster than COVID is stupidity.
All the while, as God did nothing to combat COVID, science developed a cure. Yes, the same science that many Christians say is the enemy of religion. The same science that is taught in schools in lieu of Creationism.
I am one of the few that think that science and religion are both true, but religion has to be interpreted correctly.
Religion has been politicized (politics), as the Religious Right showed up in droves with Republican campaigns. We got Republicans leaders and we got Republican lies, scandals (Iran-Contra), wars (thou shalt not kill, turn the other cheek, face God's wrath if you attack Iraq (Revelation), and a torture camp in Guantanamo), Reaganomics (miracle of less tax, more spending, and the solution of the voodoo economic miracle.....more debt). The National Debt was 200 years old when Reagan took office, and it was 4 times larger than the 200 year old debt when Reagan left office. Republicans cheered and ignored the debt at that time, as they put the burden of debt on future generations. The Iran-Contra scandal of Reagan and Bush made US counterfeit currency, sold hard narcotics on the streets of the US (Maxine Waters objected), made imitation American-made Russian style weapons, gave those weapons to Iranian dictators, and supported the harsh dictatorship of Contras over Sandinistas (who merely wanted educations for their slave kids and decent wages and working conditions).
Republicans haven't honored their promise to end abortion. They've only made laws that aborted fetuses (mostly brain dead, blind, and physically handicapped) must be kept alive if born alive.
The failure of Republican politics drove Christians from religion.
Despite the full time campaign of Canadian Rush Limbaugh to tear down America, tear down the presidency, and alter United States politics, America remains, though highly deluded by Limbaugh's cleaver lies. W. Bush bankrupted America, but the lies of Limbaugh made it appear that Obama did that....yet, in reality, Obama saved the US (got General Motors out of bankruptcy, lent them money, and was largely paid back, and changed the presidency of GM and shut down unprofitable divisions like Pontiac).
But wait a minute....are we discussing politics in a religious forum? No, we are discussing the result when religion tampers in politics. That causes many to reject religion (when they see religion in action, and see the various failures).
Homelessness, the environment, and aspects of health care were neglected by the Religious Right and their Republican appointees.
Greed (mammon) was favored, as Republicans drilled for oil off coasts and in Alaska, and crashed tankers into North America (how did that little continent get there?). Logging roads were put into pristine forests, and only a few percent of the old growth forests exist in California (they didn't replenish resources as they used them up, and believed that they would rapture to heaven leaving behind a toxic waste pit where once God's miracle nature stood).
The presumption of your question is that the Christian faith is true, and if others would study it more, they would realize that it is true. Yet, perhaps those who study it see its flaws?
The Christian solution....don't study it. Science, they say, is the enemy.
Science is what just saved us from COVID. It makes the farms more productive so we can feed more with less land, and have less waste.
Scientists say that Global Warming could wipe out all live on Earth. Certainly many species are dying out right now, and efforts to conserve are too little and too late (the only solution is modification of the atmosphere as super-volcanoes did). Christians are telling lies about Global Warming...denying that mankind's influence is accelerating it, and denying its existence.
Would Christ ignore the sick (Obamacare)? Would Christ ignore the hoards of the homeless?
Christians, today, don't follow Christ....that is why Christians are leaving the religion.