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Goodbye Jesus

Ex-Christian ≠ Atheist


Abmin9

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Please redirect me if this topic already exists, thanks.

 

I'm new here and let me just say I've taken great comfort in reading so many stories and arguments.

But here's the part I'm pondering right now... I've read many "I was Christian but now I'm atheist" stories but no "I was Christian, I saw through the man-made lies, and have now found peace in **insert religion/god here**."

 

I enjoyed reading some Taoism and some Universalism books and find them to be sooooo much more peaceful than Christianity. I'm not practicing or following any of it, I guess I'm just feeling an all or nothing vibe on this site.

I have not come to the conclusion that our existence is by chance and therefore cannot call myself atheist. I'm definitely ex-Christian because of being able to see through the fog & mirrors.

 

Anyone else out there hear what I'm saying? I don't care about labels but if I needed one, would it simply be agnostic??

 

Thanks and something bless you! LOL

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In general, giving up the jesus myth entails a critical look at the bible, and the bible god. Beyond that, it's up to you. We do have other beliefs represented here, but they and we are all open to sound argument.

For me. when the jesus myth started to come apart, god-belief unraveled in a hurry. But that's just me, everybody finds their own way out.

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There are plenty of other theists and deists(you might be a Deist) here, they have a whole forum section at 'Ex-Christian Theism or Spirituality.'

 

Many of the atheists here also poked around in other religions, including myself. I'm a huge fan of Taoism, and still read it's books, even if I don't think the Tao is anything other than the natural systems Lao Tzu didn't understand at that time. We all share in common that we left the church, but we are all on our own journeys. This site is too important to simply be atheist only, I hope that you aren't scared away, but you must understand that for some people the concept of 'God' crumbles after they leave the church, and they simply can not put it back together again in any fashion. Deists and other pagans offer just as much insight into recovering from Christianity as the atheists, but they also tend to have their own communities, or are under less prejudice for their beliefs, and thus maybe have less need to talk to people online.

 

Once I was able to understand how everything could be like it is without divine miracles, I no longer needed the concept of the divine to explain it. It wasn't really a choice, just a realization.

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I think quite a few of us are atheists, but certainly all outlooks are represented.

 

This is a site for all Ex-Christians, wherever we are in the vast spectrum of worldviews. There is a discussion section here called 'Ex-Christian Theism or Spirituality' you might want to check to out.

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Pagan here. I always felt that christianity was not only insane, contradictory, and harmful to me, but very much just not who I am at all. I feel like I am more of my true self as a pagan. There are other pagans here, and even among ourselves agree to disagree about what deity/spirituality/whatever is. Atheists do look to be the majority, but are not everyone. We even have a few christians scattered about, for assorted reasons. But the one thing the vast majority have in common is that we are all Ex-christian. The rest is on individual basis.

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Welcome, Ab!

 

I guess I'm just feeling an all or nothing vibe on this site.

I guess you haven't perused the spirituality forum. After becoming disenchanted with Christianity, it seems many people assume there must still be some sort of god but he's just not in the Christian church. After the Christian disappointment many investigated alternative religions or dabbled in some sort of general "spirituality." Eventually, some of us just give up the search after being satisfied there's nothing to find after all.

 

What sets Christianity apart from most other unfounded religious beliefs is its arrogance. Buddhists don't knock on my door or leave tracts. Christians are in my face every day with their billboards, bumper stickers, tracts left in public places, proposed legislation, and of course their threats of Hell - still without one shred of evidence.

 

So at least for me, the mindset was never "all or nothing" but I eventually arrived at the conclusion of "nothing." Not everyone does.

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In my opinion I would be careful with exploration of other religions other than for educational purposes. The majority of religions are no different than Christianity. Just more false promises, pie in the sky bullshit. I would recommend reading "god is not Great: How Religion Poisons Everything" by Christopher Hitchens. He has a chapter in there called There is No "Eastern" Solution. He draws up the alarming similarities between East and West and offers glimpses into the violent history of both Buddhists and Hindus. The whole book is a very mind blowing read and has made me much more stable in my deconversion.

 

Again this is all just my opinion. I really think though, that if there was a god, or a god that wanted us to know him, her or it....we would just know. We wouldn't have to search so hard. Once one lie unravels they all unravel.

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In my opinion I would be careful with exploration of other religions other than for educational purposes. The majority of religions are no different than Christianity. Just more false promises, pie in the sky bullshit. I would recommend reading "god is not Great: How Religion Poisons Everything" by Christopher Hitchens. He has a chapter in there called There is No "Eastern" Solution. He draws up the alarming similarities between East and West and offers glimpses into the violent history of both Buddhists and Hindus. The whole book is a very mind blowing read and has made me much more stable in my deconversion.

 

Again this is all just my opinion. I really think though, that if there was a god, or a god that wanted us to know him, her or it....we would just know. We wouldn't have to search so hard. Once one lie unravels they all unravel.

I'm with you here. Religion is dangerous and poisons everything.

 

Having said that, I am satisfied that most of the deists, panENtheists, pagans and such have a good head on their shoulders, and when they seem to be getting cultishly mystical, they can bring themselves back. So far.

 

I only have one little god, Asklepius, and his bust gives me my powers. Without him, I would become an immoral, promiscuous serial killer with no regard for anyone but myself.

 

Just kidding.

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Again this is all just my opinion. I really think though, that if there was a god, or a god that wanted us to know him, her or it....we would just know. We wouldn't have to search so hard. Once one lie unravels they all unravel.

 

 

 

Welcome, Cobra, and I like the way you sort of distill it all down here.

 

 

It reminds me of a moment I had with a couple of "Christian" friends last year when I finally just blurted out, "C'mon, all three of us know deep down that it(religion) is just all nice fantasy. We're all grown up now, and there's no watcher in the sky, and no bogey-man in the closet".

 

It was most curious; for a moment they realized it. They totally knew it. But....they'd be back in church that Sunday, mainly for the social thing and maintaining their lifestyle 'status quo'.

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I have not come to the conclusion that our existence is by chance and therefore cannot call myself atheist. I'm definitely ex-Christian because of being able to see through the fog & mirrors.

 

Anyone else out there hear what I'm saying? I don't care about labels but if I needed one, would it simply be agnostic??

Most everyone has covered it pretty well already but I may as well chime in...

 

I didn't just, one day, decide that I wasn't xian anymore and in the same breath become an atheist. It was a rather long, involved "journey" (I don't care for that but it's the closest thing I can think to use). I looked at Judaism, Buddhism, Universalism, this-ism, that-ism, the-other-ism. I didn't like the idea of nothing at all. So I wanted something. I settled briefly on theism, then deism and finally just agnosticism. I was reasonably happy there for awhile.

 

It seemed, to me, that it was the "right" place to be. I didn't have enough knowledge to make a choice and so I couldn't say there wasn't any god(s). I had to "default" to the off chance that there was such a thing. Basically I was keeping my options open...just in case. But just in case of what? In case there was a god of some sort? What would it matter to a god if, in my mind or on the internet, my "options were open?" Would it ask? I realized this was not such a reasonable position but one from a position of fear. I feared not being "open to the idea" and it would come back to haunt me in some way. Maybe it was a lingering "fear of hell" type of thing. I really don't know.

 

The idea of atheism just seemed so final. I didn't want to cut off all my options though. Until I realized that wasn't what I was doing. I was just saying that I was without a god or gods. By definition this is what it means and that's exactly what I was. I was atheist. I just refused to admit it. So I admitted it. I'm still agnostic. I know they aren't mutually exclusive ideas. Do I possess any knowledge of any god(s)? Nope. If I did I couldn't very well be agnostic and I might not still be an atheist (but because a god exists doesn't mean I have to have anything to do with it...I'm not sure there's any rules that say I do at least).

 

So I'm quite open to any supernatural beings, gods especially, making themselves known to me (since I don't believe in the supernatural any longer this makes it more difficult but it would just mean proving me wrong on at least two items). All are welcome but none have decided to stop by for a visit. I remain without any god(s) in my life. I'm still atheist.

 

Looking at your post you seem to believe in a god that you have absolutely no knowledge about. So you believe in some unknown god because you want to believe in some unknown god because that makes more sense to you than not believing in some unknown god. Your next step will be to attribute all the things you want in a god to this unknown god so that it starts to take the shape you like. You are well on your path to creating your own god so that you can explain your own creation. And you'll keep an open mind, as an agnostic, just in case your god turns out to actually be real.

 

mwc

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My general skepticism led to atheism. I can't accept other religious views for the same reason I can't accept xianity. This is probably why we are over represented here. Most, like myself, didn't just assign ourselves a label, it just happens to be what fit after everything else washed out. I have no problem, however, with others who see things differently as long as they don't get preachy; and likewise, I believe the same goes for us atheists.

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Um well, I generally don't bother labeling myself. I only acknowledge I'm an atheist when pressed. As Stevo has said, atheism is something I don't do. I don't think about gods. But I do enjoy the Tao te Ching and I think that spirituality can be understood in many different ways. I mostly feel it when everything seems to be one.

 

Welcome to ex-C Abmin.

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To all who have replied... Wow! Thanks for sharing your thoughts and opinions!

 

One of the things that struck me as odd when I first "drank the kool-aid", was that on Christian radio talk shows, there were ONLY Christians talking to other Christians!! They were affirming, getting along, agreeing, agreeing more, and agreeing to the point that I had to ask... WTF?? Apologetics was a course a friend said I had to take to know how to argue for the faith, but on the radio, I never heard anything that would give a good example of that. On all other talk shows they had opposing views, so that the listener could hear both sides and come to his or her own conclusion. That was missing on Christian radio. If you heard an opposing comment, it would be from a preacher, quoting a "heathen," and always doing so in a condescending manner.

"Pffft.. Then the atheist said to do what feels right to you!! Wow, now THAT's the enemy at work if I ever heard it!"
-Eesh!! I'm so ashamed I used to use words like that! "The enemy, his will, heathens, unbelievers, unsaved (heck, SAVED for that matter!), hell, biblical truth, and ______ _______ _____ " (please feel free to add your own)!

 

Again, thanks to all for your comments. I feel very comfortable here!

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I consider myself atheist because I do not believe in Christianity, any more. But I think I probably lean towards agnostic more than total atheist. I'm willing to believe if someone can prove their claims about god are true. So far that has not happened. I think I am this way because I spent a life time in Christianity and worshiping god. Common sense tells me there is no god but remnants of religion still has an influence on me. When I argue with Christians using logic, Christians just don't respond and if they do their responses are riddled with scripture to the point the gray mass almost makes me blind, so I fight back with scripture, even though I do not believe the Bible is god's word, and that seems to get a better response because I am arguing with people who cannot think past their King James Version of reality. Many times, my pleasant demeanor and arsenal of four-letter words often get my point across.

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I personally after leaving Christianity tried to go into New Age beliefs, but that didn't last long. I have seen a couple of things that could be supernatural, but since in general I'm mentally ill, there is no proof they were not hallucinations.

 

Plus they were stupid anyway, why would God prove himself by sending a text message to my phone that has the name of my favorite video character followed by gibberish? (yes, that happened unless I hallucinated it).

 

Oh, and if you don't get the joke, it says under Gods Chaos, that is the name of the God of Destruction from the Sonic the Hedgehog video game series. Chaos gets upset and destroys the city of Station Square with a flood... at least he doesn't flood the entire Earth, lol :lmao:

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  • 1 year later...

I just came across this, my, post from close to two years ago now. It was really cool because it's a snapshot of where I was back then.

 

Where am I now? Atheist! Full fledged. I want to take over for Christopher Hitchens!

 

Actually, I'll be honest and admit I have a bit to go. Wifey knows I'm "reading" and "seeking" but doesn't know my mind's made up. Too much detail to go into but in short, she's a believer.

 

Curious to see where I'll be in 2 years from now!

 

LOVE this site!

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I just came across this, my, post from close to two years ago now. It was really cool because it's a snapshot of where I was back then.

 

Where am I now? Atheist! Full fledged. I want to take over for Christopher Hitchens!

 

Actually, I'll be honest and admit I have a bit to go. Wifey knows I'm "reading" and "seeking" but doesn't know my mind's made up. Too much detail to go into but in short, she's a believer.

 

Curious to see where I'll be in 2 years from now!

 

LOVE this site!

Abmin! good to here you are feeling comfortable and very glad you're back to post!! Hope to hear more from you!! It's amazing what a little time and study can do for one converting!!

 

Don't wait 2 years to come back!!! biggrin.png

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I just came across this, my, post from close to two years ago now. It was really cool because it's a snapshot of where I was back then.

 

Where am I now? Atheist! Full fledged. I want to take over for Christopher Hitchens!

 

Actually, I'll be honest and admit I have a bit to go. Wifey knows I'm "reading" and "seeking" but doesn't know my mind's made up. Too much detail to go into but in short, she's a believer.

 

Curious to see where I'll be in 2 years from now!

 

LOVE this site!

 

Hey Abmin :)

 

You know, I was having a talk with my (informally adoptive) dad the other day, who identifies as pagan. Dad helped me a lot, through our many hours of discussion, to deconvert and think. Three years ago, I was an xtian fundy. One year ago, I was a pagan.

 

I said to dad, "I will forever respect paganism for helping me to lose xtianity, and for the world view that it has given me. But I am leaning more towards atheism now, because it makes me the most comfortable within myself and happy in life. And as much as I like paganism, less of it is sitting right with me."

 

Dad looked at me, and said, "There comes a point where the two paths must break from one another, and we must chose which path we go down. I see you coming to that point, as I am, too."

 

Dad said that he was starting to break away from paganism, too, which I hadn't quite anticipated. And for the same reasons as myself- he is more comfortable saying "I don't know" when it comes to some phenomena than trying to accept the pagan explanation for that phenomena.

 

I was very surprised by my dad saying that, though I suppose I should not have been- no belief system or non-belief system has ever been sacred to our discussions, they are all up for examination. And in the three years that we've known one another, we have provoked thought in each other. I guess in a way my journey towards atheism has kick-started my dad's own journey. Maybe atheism is a virus, after all lol

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I was a theist pagan when I came to this site. Eventually I stopped believing in gods all together after being on this site a good long while, but I still practice and enjoy pagan rituals celebrating the cycles of life.

 

So no, you are definitely not alone! There are predominantly atheists here, but here are still plenty of theists, deists, pantheonists, animists, and so on here.

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I'm not sure what I am at this point but there are people on here who believe various things. For myself, I practice some pagan elements with the knowledge that there probably isn't anything out there...honestly I'm okay with that. I get to decide my purpose now. Glad you know where you stand :)

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It's funny how the term 'atheist' can get applied to anyone who doesn't believe in the same gods to whom the establishment pays lip service. There was a time when Christians were labelled as atheists because they refused to worship the Roman pantheon.

 

On the other side, there are Christians (now that it's the dominant Western faith, even though it's so fragmented) - sometimes friends, family and community members - who will label you as an atheist just because you don't conform. Doesn't matter what you actually believe in; you're marked by what you don't believe and what you don't practise.

 

Fortunately there are forums like this one, where there are broad-minded folks who have travelled the roads beyond the faith in which we were raised. For me, the enlightenment began through friendships with non-Christian folks (Jewish and pagan were the main beliefs) and gradually I went from being a Catholic to a deist. I loved some of the ideas of paganism and wicca, and I would dearly love to believe in reincarnation, but strangely enough, I just can't force myself to be convinced smile.png

 

Anyways, it felt like a relatively easy step from deism to atheism, but the thing that surprised me (and I was rather happy to be surprised, I must admit) was the realisation that I am - and have been for a long time, probably even when I was growing up in a Catholic family - a pantheist. To me, this isn't a set of supernatural beliefs, but much more of a philosophy and a way of living, an emotional response to the universe as we expand our knowledge of it, in all its mind-boggling intricacy, its breathtaking beauty - and, yes, its brutality and its cold indifference to our insignificant existence.

 

It's possible that this marks the end of what might be called a spiritual journey for me, but it would be kind of sad if it does...

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