Strength For The Ex Christian

[Guest Gary Lenaire]

Some people who spent sincere time as believers are frequently plagued with feelings of remorse, abandonment, and guilt. Some former Christians second-guess themselves as a result of the brain-washing effects of dogma, doctrine, and theology. They ask themselves, “Did I make a mistake by leaving the fold?” Well, if you need a pick-me-up, here are a few things to consider:

 

“If the creation story is true, then the fossil record from bottom to top would be mainly composed of gradually larger species. But there would be the occasional random mixture of species as well: trilobites with humans with dinosaurs with maples with Cycad trees, etc. Species would be somewhat mixed. The very bottom layers would include signs of human habitation. That is simply not the case. If the theory of evolution is true, the fossil record from bottom to top would show gradually more complex, less primitive species (and it does). Certain species would only be found in certain layers; they would never be found in others. For example, a trilobite would never be found with a dinosaur; a dinosaur would never be found with a human fossil. Species would be rigidly segregated. There would be no signs of human habitation in the lowest layers (and there is not).”

 

“Some Christians make the following statement, “Don’t give reason too much place in your life; your faith in God is more important.” My first response to this is to ask, “How is it that you even ponder the topic of faith? Is it not accomplished using the very faculty of reason?” Whether you are contemplating faith or physics; reason is the ONLY way to discuss it with yourself or anyone else. Therefore, reason, not faith, is our most essential mental ability. Lack of reason is the measure of delusion.”

 

“The Bible teaches that Christians are to walk by faith, not by sight. Christians contradict themselves greatly when they walk by physically seen recorded history (statues, artifacts, Bible documents, etc.) instead of walking by faith in the unseen God. Their faith, according to the Bible, is supposed to be in the unseen, not the physically seen world. However, countless Christian leaders attempt to defend their faith using physical records. This is why Christians become so very confused when they are taught by their leaders to argue their faith against scientists using physical, seen human records. Scientists, of course, walk by sight, not by faith. The difference between faith and science is not apples and oranges; rather, it is supernatural apples and natural oranges.”

 

“You may have an opinion that a man is inspired, but you cannot prove it, nor can you have any proof of it yourself, because you cannot see into his mind in order to know how he comes by his thoughts; and the same is the case with the word revelation. There can be no evidence of such a thing, for you can no more prove revelation than you can prove what another man dreams of, neither can he prove it himself. It is often said in the Bible that God spake unto Moses, but how do you know that God spake unto Moses? Because, you will say, the Bible says so. The Koran says, that God spake unto Mahomet, do you believe that too? No. Why not? Because, you will say, you do not believe it; and so because you do, and because you don't is all the reason you can give for believing or disbelieving except that you will say that Mahomet was an impostor. And how do you know Moses was not an impostor?” –Thomas Paine

 

-all quotes from the book by Gary Lenaire, “An Infidel Manifesto Why Sincere Believers Lose Faith”

[Fweethawt]

I umm...

 

Uh...

 

I -- I don't feel encouraged. Sorry.

[riverbank]

Different people have different reasons for leaving the fold. I for one am not the slightest bit interested in science that had nothing to with my deconversion.

 

I think though that we all had GOOD reasons for leaving. It takes a while to come to terms with things. But the process of time makes things easier. I don't feel the slightest bit of guilt now for leaving the faith.

[Amethyst]

For me, it wasn't necessarily the science that made me leave, although it was a part of it. It was more realizing how unjust the Christian god was, and then reading up on other religions and realizing how similar they all were, to the point where it could not logically be a coincidence.

 

I felt guilt for a time, but I am pretty much over that now.