Guest Anonomous Person Posted January 12, 2008 Share Posted January 12, 2008 Hello everyone, I first discovered this site about a month ago after hearing about it from my brother. I think it's fantastic that there is a place for people to share their experiences. I too am an ex-christian (Doesn't this all sound a bit like AA? ie Hi everybody I'm nick and I'm an alcoholic!). I will try and give a short condensed version of my story today, I am happy to expand in the future. I was raised in a strict Evangelical household within a large extended family of strict Evangelicals. Looking back now, both myself and my bro see it as a bit of a cult really. Free thought wasn't allowed, we were basically told how to think. If we raised a question which they couldn't answer we were given one of many brush offs ie: When you grow closer to God you'll understand, Faith comes first then Understanding, There were two trees in the Garden eat off the tree of life and not the tree of the knowledge of good and evil etc etc. Making things worse, our Dad was very domineering and controling and used to get very upset if we didn't see everything his way. We were told about the concept of Hell at a very young age, filling us with fear (In fact there was a childrens record which our parents used to play to us called "Cransal Thorndike and the Dragon" or something like that, and it was about some kid who goes to Hell for being mean to his brother! Has anyone else heard of it?) I had a pocket book version of the New Testament in my pocket on my first day of Primary School, resulting in ridicule from not just other students but also the teachers. Really, is a 6 year old child psychologically developed enough to understand the issues of Theology & Doctrine, Meta-Physics, Philosophy, Psychology and general paradigms of thought? I think not! Ok so childhood was rough, but it wasn't all due to Religion, some of it can be put down to ordinary development stuff. But it did create suppression of individuality & creativity and certainly stunted my interpersonal development. As I grew older I developed an interest in Psychology and eventually so called "Paranormal Phenomena" which started pushing me away from Christianity, as I started compiling a list of Philosophical problems I had with Christian dogma. I started leaning towards a more Heretical approach to Christianity which seemed to produce brick walls around me whenever I chose to discuss my views with my family. Eventually I turned 18 and finished high school and started a massive bender, first of alcohol then marijuana. My Dad sat me down one day and said "There are two paths you can go from here, you can repent and be a good Christian or you can keep on going as you are and end up in Hell". Whilst I can now see some figurative truth in what he said, I do know that he meant it in the literal sense. I spiralled out of control as my external life fell apart (A long series of complex events) and internally I became quite confused. I was becoming drawn to Eastern Religion, in particular Buddhism but I had this fear inside me that I would spend an eternity suffering in Hell for turning away from Christianity. Whilst it seems quite irrational now, it had been drilled into me all my life and for along time I found it quite hard to shake. After a long dark period in my life of deep depression, I started stimulating my intellect through reading, finding new life spawning within me. I also tried Reiki Healing several times and had powerfull and profound experiences giving me new faith (Ok, I realise that many people on this site are Atheists, and I will try to avoid stressing the Subjective experiences I have had since I have left Christianity and tried other Spiritual Paths, but the point is that it revitalised me greatly). I found answers to the philosophical questions that had bugged me for most of my life, and I found responses to the dogma of Christian relatives and friends. Now, 3 or 4 years on I am settled in my life, very happy and becoming more so with every breath. I personally follow the traditional Hindu Mystical path (Yoga, Vedanta) and am interested in other simular (or virtually identical) forms of mysticism ie: Buddhism, Tantra, Kabbalah, Alchemy, Gnoctism, Hermeticism, Taoism, Some New Age, etc. I am actually in the process of creating a "Project". Initially I am planning to create a website where a variety of serious topics will be discussed and debated, with the various Paradigms defined and represented side by side. The central topics will be Consciousness, Paranormal Phenomena, Relgion & Science, whilst later I hope to be able to also cover History, Medicine/Health, Politics, Economics, The Environment & more. To differentiate this from other such sites, there are several specific things about this project and the way it will be constructed that I have planned out. Whilst in the final stages it will not be an open debate, in the foundation stage I will send out regular emails with various specific topics to be discussed and debated. I will need the assistance of alot of people to get the project to the level and standard that I have planned. If you are interested in knowing more or being involved please email a response to me at theparadigmexperiment@live.com.au to let me know that it's OK for me to send the emails to you. Thank you all for your time, I look forward to hopefully getting to know some of you over the future. Anonomous Person P.S. Please excuse the unoriginal name. In my project I have big plans for it and I would like to contact as many people as possible, so I have decided for the moment to try and keep my identity quiet. Thank you Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GraphicsGuy Posted January 12, 2008 Share Posted January 12, 2008 All good stuff, Anon. Welcome! Don't worry about trying other spiritual avenues. Many here have gone the same path and there are probably fewer (hardcore) athiests on here than you might think. Of course, I could just be talking out my ass too, so don't take my word on it. There is value in finding your own "spirituality" regardless of the path I think. As we've all discovered, you just can't let anyone tell you what that path has to be. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grandpa Harley Posted January 12, 2008 Share Posted January 12, 2008 Grandpa Harley's rules of the trail. Rule 1 - there are no rules, not even this one... Welcome aboard! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MathGeek Posted January 12, 2008 Share Posted January 12, 2008 Come as you are...not as you were...not as I want you to be... As a friend...As a friend...not as a known enemy... You are your own person, run with the ball since you are free to do as such. Great story, by the way. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bellsybop Posted January 12, 2008 Share Posted January 12, 2008 It was a nice testimonial of your life. I've seen different opinions on here, not just atheist. So, express away. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hereticzero Posted January 12, 2008 Share Posted January 12, 2008 Welcome. I would make the suggestion you create another ID other than anonymous person. Many christian soul-savers come to this site with an ID like anonymous so you may experience posts from others who may think you are one of the converters. Just an idea. Anyway, welcome and hope you discover what you are searching for. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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