London Posted April 24, 2012 Share Posted April 24, 2012 I never really had much of a choice in accepting my weirdness. "Pretty" just isn't me I get where you are coming from. People like to label "weird" "geek" "nerd" all to make themselves feel better. And those people come out of the cookie cutter "pretty" world. Xians especially do this. One day I suddenly saw how cool different people are and I no longer felt different. I'm not sure why my perspective changed but it did. I think of people as a diamond, each surface reflects a part of you when the light hits it. Each facet shines in it's own time. It is multi-dimensional beauty. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blackpudd1n Posted April 24, 2012 Share Posted April 24, 2012 ...my dad gives me the same advice every time I face a difficult decision; he always tells me that you don't know if the decision you make is the right one until you make it. And he says that, if you then find that you made the wrong decision, most of the time you can go back and change it to the right decision. When you make your decision, you will soon know if it was the right one for you or not. THAT is some great advice -- advice I need to remember! Yeah, it helps me when I'm facing a tough decision. Helps to take the anxiety out of it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ClaraOlive Posted April 26, 2012 Share Posted April 26, 2012 I haven't been on this board for over a year, and had come back to look at what was going on because some stuff going on with an ex-religious friend sparked my memory of this site. While I think this site is a great place, I ended up leaving because it's about ex-Christianity and I'm not an ex-Christian anymore. When I was an ex-Christian, it consumed a lot of my time and energy. It was really important to me. If you'd asked me to describe myself, one of the first words I'd have used would have been "atheist". I knew that I didn't fit in with Christians and felt like I didn't fit in with secular/normal people. I evaluated everyone I met on their religious status. I was very stressed. This past year, I feel like I finally made the jump to where religious simply isn't part of my life. I don't believe in any gods or religions, and I still decry the way that religious lies and particularly fundamentalism damages people, but for the most part, it's not something I care about and certainly not something I worry about. I've made friends outside the internet where before I was pretty isolated. And like others have mentioned, I feel like I was so previously saturated that I need a good break, not just from Christianity, but from ex-Christianity and the skeptical examination of Christianity. I think this is a good thing, and while some who do this may stay on the board for social and community reasons and some may leave, I certainly don't think there's any reason for someone to feel that they have to hold onto the "ex-Christian" description. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xerces Posted April 26, 2012 Share Posted April 26, 2012 If you like it why leave it for good? Seems like you're making a big deal out of nothing. It's a just a forum, the people are pretty cool. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Super Moderator florduh Posted April 26, 2012 Super Moderator Share Posted April 26, 2012 I certainly don't think there's any reason for someone to feel that they have to hold onto the "ex-Christian" description. Totally agree. I am an ex-Cub Scout, an ex-Ninth Grader, an ex-Art Student, an ex-Hippie. Religion became a non-issue years ago. That's why the discussions here have no triggers for me and I am free to enjoy the byplay without being invested in it. I am the religious honey badger. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
par4dcourse Posted April 26, 2012 Share Posted April 26, 2012 Please do not attempt to exit the ride until it has come to a complete stop. And never fry bacon naked. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Antlerman Posted April 26, 2012 Share Posted April 26, 2012 It is never said enough, thank you, han's, kev, antlerman and dave, for putting up with all the bullshit of this site. It has helped me in ways I could never adequately repay. This place is my second home, and in many ways my mental and intellectual home. I love it here and don't intend to ever leave permanently. Thank you exchristian.net for just being around and so so much more. You're welcome. We try in our own ways to find a balance for everyone to benefit for themselves here. For me personally this site has provided a hugely diverse community in order to process my own path of healing from those early days. It's like a blog where I process my own thoughts out loud through discussions to find what works. I've been here for over 8 years, before this last version of the forum 7 years ago. It's amazing the role it has played for me in my personal process. I never leave it. It's fun sometimes to look back at those early posts to see where I've come from. If this were just a single worldview forum, that would get old quick, all self-congratulatory and whatnot. This to me is freedom. It's in an environment like this we are allowed to grow and find our own paths. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ConureDelSol Posted April 26, 2012 Share Posted April 26, 2012 Please do not attempt to exit the ride until it has come to a complete stop. And never fry bacon naked. Hear hear. +1 on the bacon as well. Otherwise, you might end up like Pud and burn your crotch. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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