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Goodbye Jesus

Weird things you used to believe when you were a Christian


SerenelyBlue

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I am listening to some good music at the moment.  Feeling happy and liberated.  At one stage when I was a fundy I believed Satan used to be the angel of music and all music that was not gospel was evil to listen to.  This made me so fearful and made my life so restricted and I felt guilty for no reason when I enjoyed secular music.

What are pointless and strange things that you did and believed as a Christian?

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18 minutes ago, SerenelyBlue said:

I am listening to some good music at the moment.  Feeling happy and liberated.  At one stage when I was a fundy I believed Satan used to be the angel of music and all music that was not gospel was evil to listen to.  This made me so fearful and made my life so restricted and I felt guilty for no reason when I enjoyed secular music.

What are pointless and strange things that you did and believed as a Christian?

 

 

That distinction (see bold above) deals with music which contains singing.  Instrumental music does not have lyrics.  I wonder how certain religionists, who forbid listening to secular music, can distinguish between secular and sacred instrumental music.

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7 minutes ago, sdelsolray said:

 

 

That distinction (see bold above) deals with music which contains singing.  Instrumental music does not have lyrics.  I wonder how certain religionists, who forbid listening to secular music, can distinguish between secular and sacred instrumental music.

I've never thought of it that way before.  I though any music, instrumental or otherwise, that was not dedicated to God was evil.

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Interesting.  So it is the composer's intent which makes a musical work acceptable or not (to certain religionists)?  What if the composer is dead and I do not know his/her intent?  What if the composer has no intent, other than to create the musical work?

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I wasn't thinking reasonably.  I just wanted to give myself to God and anything I didn't buy on the gospel section was off limits.

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2 hours ago, SerenelyBlue said:

I wasn't thinking reasonably.  I just wanted to give myself to God and anything I didn't buy on the gospel section was off limits.

 

I wasn't picking on your prior belief SB.  I've conversed with many religionists who made similar claims.  When I asked them the same or similar questions, I received a variety of answers.  Here's an example:

 

Me:  What about instrumental music, which has no words?

Religionist:  God knows if it is of the Devil and should not be listened to.

Me:  How do you know?

Religionist:  God tells me.

Me.  How convenient.

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     Lots of weird things.  A couple off the top of my head were things like the usual young earth stuff.  The entire universe being 6000 years old (give or take).  That black people were black because they had been cursed (I believe this was because of Noah cursing Canaan).  I know there's more but it's not coming to me (which I think is a good thing that I have to struggle to remember the batshit crazy stuff that used to come so naturally).

 

          mwc

 

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I had problems with music too. Some secular music I was quite ok with (after my worst Pente days anyway, during which I only wanted gospel) but if there was a cuss word in the lyrics, or a god was mentioned in a some kind of way that didn't feel right, I didn't feel good about listening to it.

With instrumentals I trusted my gut reaction to it, or whether I'd seen someone I considered a "true believer" listen to it.

 

Other pointless and strange things, well, um. I thanked Jesus for anything and everything I did. I particularly remember walking up stairs, thanking Jesus each and every time I reached the top.

I also thanked Jesus in my thoughts before thanking other people for the favours they did.

I thought feathers on the ground were signs from angels.

I thought the warm buzzes through my body were proof of the holy spirit working.

 

I once tried to convince someone that god exists by talking in tongues in front of his face. I was surprised he didn't convert right there, because to me, it was perfectly obvious that glossolalia was, again, proof of god.

 

No wait. I did that more than once. It only "worked" at all if the person already believed.

 

I looked up to someone who was very likely psychotic.

 

No wait... Not just one person there either.

 

And becoming borderline (or maybe full-blown? No one knows anymore) psychotic myself, I only thought I was finally living the way I was meant to.

 

I thought everything happened only because it was part of a bigger plan penned out by someone wiser than me. As a result of trying to figure the plan out, many things went wrong. I felt needless guilt about possibly straying from the plan. I didn't learn appropriate self control when I kept praying "thy will not mine" and then just seeing what happens (as I was sure god would pave an obvious road for me if I just denied myself). I let people hurt me in many ways, repeatedly.

 

I also was studying science but firmly believed in a god of the gaps. Even though the gaps get smaller and smaller, some entirely disappearing, all the time.

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5 hours ago, sdelsolray said:

 

 

That distinction (see bold above) deals with music which contains singing.  Instrumental music does not have lyrics.  I wonder how certain religionists, who forbid listening to secular music, can distinguish between secular and sacred instrumental music.

 

Very easy.

 

*Channels precious Christian self*

Secular (read of the devil) music uses lots of percussion instruments to give a beat to the music. This beat is like the whitchcraft dances of heathen tribes of Africa which is of the devil. Also any fast dance music or weird new age music. This is because David the Pslamist said to play on the harp and brass instruments to make a joyful noise to the lord, not have all this devilish music.

 

 

What is sad is that I can actually spit out that religious answer like I remember it from yesterday.

 

Am I ever going to forget the answers I would have given as a Christian?

 

PS on the subject of intent - we went through a stage where the church had a purge of all non Christian media of all sorts. People would research and author, creator, composer etc and if it wasn't Christian it got biffed. My sister an I lost so many of our favourite children's stories, games etc to this bullshit. I can still name the man that introduced the idea of the purge into the church.

 

At this point I'm going to stop posting or else I'm going to mention about proof of how religion fucks the mind....

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Weird things I used to believe:

1. The Bible is divine and inerrant.

2. The universe and all things on earth were created in six days.

3. Three persons are one god.

4. Dinosaurs and humans lived at the same time.

5. Scientists who aren't creationists are just trying to rationalize god away.

 

Regarding music and intent, what about gospel music performed by irreligious people simply to sell a product to a specific demographic? My dad used to play a George Jones gospel album a lot, but I thought it was a bit off-putting because he was apparently a big drinker and didn't seem to be a true believer.

 

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@citsonga - ditto for me

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9 hours ago, SerenelyBlue said:

At one stage when I was a fundy I believed Satan used to be the angel of music and all music that was not gospel was evil to listen to.  

All music? Classical and orchestral, not just hard rock or whatever? All of it?

Edit: I read your later posts and it looks like you answered my question.

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Hmm, let's see. When I was little, about first grade, I decided to refuse to believe in dinosaurs because they and humans couldn't have existed at the same time in the Garden of Eden. I also thought people had sex by lying flat on their backs and then magically orgasming (got this from taking "so-and-so 'lay' with his wife" in the OT literally).

 

But anyway. Guess those don't count. People with depression didn't trust god enough, god made people gay as a punishment for rebelling against him - my parents probably got that one from Romans 1:28 - unbelievers must be argued with whenever possible, probably other things I don't care to remember.

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I used to believe that I needed to anoint the doorways and windows of my home to keep the devil and his demons out... looking back I'm not sure why, if he were real, he would need to use the door. I mean he could just come through the walls or floor right? 

 

I used to look up and talk to God. Not sure why peering into space means I'm looking toward Heaven. God would be in a different realm so to speak so looking any direction would not matter...

 

In response to the music thing, I was always taught if it's not for Him it's against Him((Drama king))

 

I believed if a demon was cast out in the sanctuary we had to lay our hands on all the children in the nursery/daycare and ask for a "hedge of protection" around them. Apparently demons like to posses little children... not sure why a "loving Heavenly Father" wouldn't automatically think to protect the children first. 🤔

 

Probably the most absurd and possibly the funniest now: when I was a little girl, I was very private about using the bathroom. Like I literally could not go in public or if anyone was near by. I had been told that God/Jesus watched me constantly and always knew what I was doing. I would hold it as long as I could because I didn't want them/him/whatever to see me in the bathroom exposed and trying to do my business. So, I would pray over and over before I went that they would just look away for a few minutes until I got done. Id promise not to do anything bad while I was in there. Lol I'd work myself into an absolute frenzy. It was very stressful at the time, I was probably 4-8. By 9/10 I got over it because I realized God wasn't paying attention to me that closely. 

 

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I used to think if god didn't answer your prayer he would at least give you peace about it and understanding about why it wasn't answered.

 

Silly boy!

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"I used to look up and talk to God. Not sure why peering into space means I'm looking toward Heaven. God would be in a different realm so to speak so looking any direction would not matter... "

 

Australians must be looking towards Hell when they pray. Just kidding, Aussies.

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Thinking about it now.  Most of the stuff we believed in was weird.  Most of the stuff like baptism etc. was weird.

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I was a literalist, so I believed that...

 

            Jonah was really swallowed by the whale

            Samson lost his strength by having his hair cut

            All the animals really did get on the ark

            Evolution = bullshit

 

And every other crazy idea that is in the Bible. As I think back on it now, I just shake my head in wonder. I was in my late 30s before I saw the light, but at least the truth did finally set me free.

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42 minutes ago, BlindersRemoved said:

I was a literalist, so I believed that...

 

            Jonah was really swallowed by the whale

            Samson lost his strength by having his hair cut

            All the animals really did get on the ark

            Evolution = bullshit

 

And every other crazy idea that is in the Bible. As I think back on it now, I just shake my head in wonder. I was in my late 30s before I saw the light, but at least the truth did finally set me free.

 

Ditto here except for the late 30s part. 

 

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I was raised to believe that the whole Bible was literal and God-breathed thus I believed the following (and many more to add):

 

• The 6 day creation story and on the 7th day he rested 

•Women are and always will be subservient to men and that we were made out of a rib bone 

•That God breathed life into our bodies 

•That demons can and do oppress us, however if we have Jesus living inside of us then they can't possess us, only oppress us 

•That Jonah was swallowed by a whale

•That we are so blessed by rainbows because it's a holy covenant that God won't flood the whole world ever again

•That childbirth didn't used to hurt (haha)

•That I'm a wretched person undeserving of good things 

•That I could lose my assurance of salvation 

•That we ALL came from 2 people 

•If I partook of holy communion and didnt believe or was doubting I'd go to hell. 

•Evolution is of the devil 

•That something was wrong with me because I didn't speak in tongues 

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Covering head with a scarf or any other material while praying, cause as believers explain that..."when a woman while praying won't cover her head some angels from the sky might become attracted to her and transform into fallen angels".

 

I'm still in church as a closed free-thinker and I cover my head while praying and when other people pray, but sometimes when someone starts to pray I don't always cover it that quickly.

 

I noticed that my female friends from Pentacostal church find it weird, although some of them cover their head. In general in my Evangelical church this is a norm. 

 

Sometimes I literally sigh when some Christian girls from the Ukraine come to my church and they have covered head for a whole service- but their scarf or whatever that is it's like a piece of some narrow belt rather the material that covers whole their head.

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That I could use telepathy to ask the invisible creator of the universe to solve my first world problems

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I have a problem here.  I'm trying to think of something I believed as a Christian that does not come under the heading of "weird".  So, the answer would appear to be "Everything I believed as a Christian was weird"...

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I used to believe that if you bowed your head your prayers went downwards to Satan instead so I made a very conscious effort to never do that. I also resolutely believed that one house we lived in was possessed by demons. I still believe it had bad vibes but that was because the owner and his family were batshit crazy, and my dad moved us there for the wrong reasons.

 

I used to believe that sometimes when I held my hands out while singing that I could feel my praises rising up out of them. And it was also very similar where I couldn't point them downwards. I also fasted regularly in the summer and had devotion days where I would eat nothing and focus as much as I could on the bible because I though that god would give me some kind of clarity if I did. I don't think I got much other than heatstroke, low blood sugar, and an eating disorder.

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5 hours ago, Lost said:

Covering head with a scarf or any other material while praying, cause as believers explain that..."when a woman while praying won't cover her head some angels from the sky might become attracted to her and transform into fallen angels".

 

I'm still in church as a closed free-thinker and I cover my head while praying and when other people pray, but sometimes when someone starts to pray I don't always cover it that quickly.

 

I noticed that my female friends from Pentacostal church find it weird, although some of them cover their head. In general in my Evangelical church this is a norm. 

 

Sometimes I literally sigh when some Christian girls from the Ukraine come to my church and they have covered head for a whole service- but their scarf or whatever that is it's like a piece of some narrow belt rather the material that covers whole their head.

 

I had no idea that's why some Christians covered! I knew about other religions but it always baffled me why Christians did it as well. Is it specifically during prayer or is it when you set foot in a holy place?

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