Why do people leave Christianity?

[Shadow Wolf]

I was on the ex Christian sub and lot of people there seem to have only surface level knowledge of Christianity meaning they were either mislead by false teachers or they never truly understood the doctrine.

Of course. It's never anything wrong with a religion that says it wants you dead. It's the person who objects to ancient superstitious nonsense that says they are to be put to death. Just shut out and silence the objections that you never have to seriously consider or acknowledge your religion's toxicity. The fault just is never with what is being criticized, it's always with those doing the criticizing.
One of the many reasons people are leaving Christianity behind: so many Christians absolutely refuse to accept and acknowledge the fact their crap stinks like everybody else's.

 

[Subduction Zone]

I left because i was treated like **** by good christians. Soon after i was able to read/study the bible and realised where all their hate came from. Over a couple of years that study had its inevitable effect, atheism?

You did not fully appreciate Christianity. Christianity is a smorgasbord religion. You get to pick and choose which parts that you like. Let's say that you oppose sex slavery and killing gay people. Well then, all you have to do is to ignore those parts of the Bible supporting that sort of activity. You can even say "the Bible does not say that!" and still be a good Christian. But let's say those activities do interest you, then do I have a religion for you!

 

[Hockeycowboy]

Even in my pre-teens, I thought that those professing to follow Christ, who commanded His followers to ‘love their brother’ and to not be ‘of the world’....if they didn’t follow these rules - and most don’t - then probably what their teachings were, were wrong, too.

And through my research of the Hebrew & Greek Scriptures, I found that opinion to be right.

 

[Trailblazer]

I came to believe that Jesus did not fit the definition of the Messiah as per the Tanakh.

Jesus never claimed to be that Messiah as per the Tanakh that Jews have long awaited so of course He does not fit the definition of their Messiah. Christians try to fit Jesus into all the prophecies but you cannot make a square peg fit into a round hole. Jesus did not fulfill all the OT (Tanakh) prophecies nor did Jesus ever say He was planning to come back to earth and finish what was not finished.

The body of Jesus died on the cross and His soul ascended to heaven so the body of Jesus cannot ever come back to earth, which is one reason why Jesus never promised to come back in the same body. The other reason is that the work of Jesus was finished on earth (John 17:4, John 19:30)

 

[oldbadger]

I was on the ex Christian sub and lot of people there seem to have only surface level knowledge of Christianity meaning they were either mislead by false teachers or they never truly understood the doctrine........................................................
When I come across something I don't get, it makes me search harder for the truth, it doesn't make me turn my back on God.

I am not a Christian, so please could you list, say, the five most important tenets of a Christian?

 

[Trailblazer]

I left because I don't believe the God of Christianity is the one and absolute, just one of many manifestations of God, and honestly, not one I care much for.

There is no God of Christianity, there is just the God Christians believe in.
The God Christians believe in is the one true God. Christians don't own that God, they just "believe" they do.

There have been many Manifestations of God and Jesus was "one" of them, but not the only one, as Christians believe.

 

[oldbadger]

Why do people leave Christianity?

Thoughts.

No......... Actions.

 

[Deeje]

I was on the ex Christian sub and lot of people there seem to have only surface level knowledge of Christianity meaning they were either mislead by false teachers or they never truly understood the doctrine. Why do you think some people, when they don't understand something, they keep digging until it makes sense? While others use it as an excuse to leave the religion altogether?

I really believe that they want an excuse to ditch God and do whatever they want. And you are right.....so many who ditch the faith have limited knowledge in the first place. They make their decisions on half baked notions and when the answers to their questions are not forthcoming, they quit.

When I come across something I don't get, it makes me search harder for the truth, it doesn't make me turn my back on God.

I am like you...if I can't find the answer to my questions, I will keep digging until I do....all the while asking for God's help to solve the puzzle. He has never let me down. I have answers to all my questions by deep personal study and prayer. No one can tell me that there is no God.....he is the most important person in my life who guides and directs every decision I make.

Finding out the big picture was the biggest revelation for me. Everything fits.....everything....the Bible is one story from Genesis to Revelation.

 

[Twilight Hue]

It's amazing how actually reading the bible compared to having selected bits dictated to you can change your perspective

The weird part is on how Christians deny any type of contradictions and false narratives that are all over the place in the Bible.

It goes to show just how brainwashed people can get when they start with conclusions first and find facts later to reinforce those conclusions in the spirit of banging square pegs into round holes.

I'll never forget Becky Fischer of the infamous Jesus Camp with this statement seen in the film.

The Bible says it.

I believe it.

That settles it.


Wow. And to think I was just like that once.

 

[Mock Turtle]

I was on the ex Christian sub and lot of people there seem to have only surface level knowledge of Christianity meaning they were either mislead by false teachers or they never truly understood the doctrine. Why do you think some people, when they don't understand something, they keep digging until it makes sense? While others use it as an excuse to leave the religion altogether?

When I come across something I don't get, it makes me search harder for the truth, it doesn't make me turn my back on God.

Why didn't you burrow into Islam or Hinduism or whatever else, rather than just Christianity? I suppose I was just corralled into a religion by my parents having such beliefs (like so many), but once I began to think for myself I was more inclined to pursue other options.

 

[firedragon]

I was on the ex Christian sub and lot of people there seem to have only surface level knowledge of Christianity meaning they were either mislead by false teachers or they never truly understood the doctrine. Why do you think some people, when they don't understand something, they keep digging until it makes sense? While others use it as an excuse to leave the religion altogether?

When I come across something I don't get, it makes me search harder for the truth, it doesn't make me turn my back on God.

In my opinion.

There are several types of converts. One are the most educated ones like scholars in religion, and there are many. Not most, but many.

Then you get uneducated converts. Yet of course, you get people who convert for social matters like partying a bit, a new girlfriend or boy friend, marriage, get-with it-crew etc. Nothing technical discussed here.

There are also people who genuinely found leaving is the only option with greatest difficulty due to reason.

Well. Thats what I feel. Thus, I dont know if anything could be generalised.

 

[Glaurung]

I was on the ex Christian sub and lot of people there seem to have only surface level knowledge of Christianity meaning they were either mislead by false teachers or they never truly understood the doctrine.

When I was in my teens to early twenties I embraced atheism and spent a lot of time on atheist internet forums. And I agree that the way Christianity was usually presented often betrayed an extremely superficial and polemical understanding of the tradition. Which in turn laid the groundwork for my later embracing of Christianity.

But I think Christians share a large portion of the blame. Surveys have shown that most American Christians are confused on even the basic fundamentals of Christian doctrine. My own country Australia is almost certainly no better.

I really believe that they want an excuse to ditch God and do whatever they want.

For once I agree with you Deeje. I think there is a lot of more of that than many will admit.

That for many the real motivation to reject Christ is a distaste for some aspect of the moral law, usually in regards to sex.

The modern culture is increasingly opposed to the moral vision of the Gospel. Given that, I think it is harder to be a Christian these days than it was in the past. To be a serious Christian in the modern culture is to increasingly put yourself at odds with what is 'respectable' opinion. And it's only going to get more overt in the near future.

 

[Samael_Khan]

I was on the ex Christian sub and lot of people there seem to have only surface level knowledge of Christianity meaning they were either mislead by false teachers or they never truly understood the doctrine. Why do you think some people, when they don't understand something, they keep digging until it makes sense? While others use it as an excuse to leave the religion altogether?

When I come across something I don't get, it makes me search harder for the truth, it doesn't make me turn my back on God.

Ironically people usually do not join Christianity through study. They usually only have a shallow understanding of their faith. If people can be baptised despite having little knowledge of the group they are doing then likewise it should be fine for them to leave with the same low level of knowledge.

I left JW's and then Christianity because of studying the Bible. To me it didn't reflect reality and is very cultish, although 1st C Christianity was pretty benign (I study cults). Also now regard things as truth from an evidence based perspective, so if the evidence isn't matching up to the religion then I have no reason to follow it.

Now why should one keep digging until something makes sense? What if ultimately it doesn't make sense? At what point is it acceptable to abandon the digging because you realise it is fruitless?

 

[9-10ths_Penguin]

I was on the ex Christian sub and lot of people there seem to have only surface level knowledge of Christianity meaning they were either mislead by false teachers or they never truly understood the doctrine. Why do you think some people, when they don't understand something, they keep digging until it makes sense? While others use it as an excuse to leave the religion altogether?

When I come across something I don't get, it makes me search harder for the truth, it doesn't make me turn my back on God.

I got to thinking about this more. It might help for you to step back a bit to change your perspective.

It sounds like the issue isn't so much with people leaving Christianity as it is a disconnect between your worldview and theirs.

Someone who leaves Christianity obviously has a reason for leaving; if they didn't, they wouldn't have left.

If you're actually interested in understanding the position of these other people, it might help to start with that assumption: there is a reason (or rather, at least one reason per person) why people leave. If you can't see that reason, then it's you who isn't looking deep enough to see it.

Of course, if you're just here to vent and not to understand, that's okay, too.

 

[filthyrottendirty]

Why didn't you burrow into Islam or Hinduism or whatever else, rather than just Christianity? I suppose I was just corralled into a religion by my parents having such beliefs (like so many), but once I began to think for myself I was more inclined to pursue other options.

I did (and still do) burrow into Islam.

 

[filthyrottendirty]

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.

No I meant I was on a subreddit for ex Christians on Reddit. Not that I am an ex Christian. I follow Christ.

 

[filthyrottendirty]

That is the complete opposite of my experience.

What was your experience?

 

[Colt]

The majority of professed Christians are actually secularists.

I'm a disciple of Jesus, a believer/practitioner of his original, pre-cross Gospel of the Kingdom. I believe most of the Nicene Creed but not enough to be accepted by all Christian denominations.

I also know that the Bible books are far from perfect, that life evolved as did religion.

 

[thomas t]

I for one continue to believe that Bible is inerrant....

Jesus never claimed to be that Messiah

The woman saith unto him, I know that Messias cometh, which is called Christ: when he is come, he will tell us all things.
26 Jesus saith unto her, I that speak unto thee am he.

John 4:26.
So please....

nor did Jesus ever say He was planning to come back to earth and finish what was not finished.

see Jesus' Four Failed Prophecies About Him Returning In The Lifetimes Of His Apostles

 

[Kenny]

No I meant I was on a subreddit for ex Christians on Reddit. Not that I am an ex Christian. I follow Christ.

Yes.... I did understand that.