Chikirin Posted June 1, 2012 Share Posted June 1, 2012 I thought I was a critical thinker, I thought I was objective. I really wasn't, because there were things I was scared to read. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Xtech Posted June 1, 2012 Share Posted June 1, 2012 I thought I was a critical thinker, I thought I was objective. I really wasn't, because there were things I was scared to read. You are (were) probably not alone with that. I had a fundy ask me to read all sorts of apologetics, and I did, provided he would read what I suggested. Guess what, he read very little of what I suggested. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcdaddy Posted June 1, 2012 Share Posted June 1, 2012 Most of us intuitively knew it was pretty crazy to think that Christianity=reality. That worldview is very warped when compared to a rational view of the world as we know it. But we wanted it to be true so we didnt educate ourselves to the information that may, in the end, cause us to recognize it for the bullshit that it is. Its social suicide too, at least for many. Some days I wish I'd have taken the blue pill. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcdaddy Posted June 1, 2012 Share Posted June 1, 2012 Oops double post Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scriptor Posted June 1, 2012 Share Posted June 1, 2012 I thought I was a critical thinker, I thought I was objective. I really wasn't, because there were things I was scared to read. I think it is entirely possible to be both a Christian and a critical thinker. I was for quite a while, and I know a number of people who are still. In my case, critical thinking did play a role in my deconversion, but it was not the only factor. And as a Christian there was nothing I was afraid to read. For example, I actually read The God Delusion quite a while before my deconversion. It did not affect my beliefs. To this day, I still don't find Dawkins' arguments to be terribly convincing. Sadly, however, there are many Christians who are in the same position you were in. That is, they believe themselves to be critical thinkers when really they are not. And it is this type of Christian that I find annoying to have conversations with. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ToonForever Posted June 1, 2012 Share Posted June 1, 2012 Most of us intuitively knew it was pretty crazy to think that Christianity=reality. That worldview is very warped when compared to a rational view of the world as we know it. But we wanted it to be true so we didnt educate ourselves to the information that may, in the end, cause us to recognize it for the bullshit that it is. This. You know it deep down that something's off, and that if you open up your mind and read some of the criticism, you'll go down that path. So you avoid it and avoid it, until one day you can't avoid it anymore. When I hit that spot nearly a year ago, I must have read 2000 pages in a few days trying to figure things out, including giving Geisler a chance. I was right, of course - I did go down that path and never looked back. I was right because I already knew somewhere deep inside it was bullshit, but didn't have the strength to face it. Its social suicide too, at least for many. Some days I wish I'd have taken the blue pill. Not me. Never an hour goes by that I don't rejoice at my clearer vision and freedom from delusion. It's changed my social makeup somewhat, true, but I'll take it. Of course, it's easy for me to say - my wife had become an agnostic before me. She blazed the trail, and she was there to walk with me when I came around. Most people don't have it so easy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcdaddy Posted June 1, 2012 Share Posted June 1, 2012 Some days, not most days. It's like wanting a drink or smoke to escape reality. Don't want that every day though. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lunaticheathen Posted June 2, 2012 Share Posted June 2, 2012 I read too much to stay christian. They tried to take a hell of a lot of myself away from me, and almost succeeded, but one thing they never touched was my hunger for knowledge and voracious reading. Of course, they threw apologetics books at me, and told me to read the bible, but the kicker is, those are the books that led DIRECTLY to my deconversion. Lee Strobel can suck my left labia, and the god depicted in the bible isn't worth worshiping. I'm kind of weird for not deconverting for scientific or rational reasons - though I knew Strobel couldn't logic his way out of a wet, torn paper bag - but just because I read the bible and went "this god is an asshole and makes no sense!!!" I don't know if I'm a "critical thinker" or not, but I think for myself. And no one will stop me from learning. Ever. I'll punch 'em in the dick. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcdaddy Posted June 2, 2012 Share Posted June 2, 2012 You'll beat their dick off? I sent a friend Strobels bullshit once to try and convert them. Uggghhhh Why not the right labia? Is the left one bigger Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chikirin Posted June 2, 2012 Author Share Posted June 2, 2012 In college I gave "More than a Carpenter" by josh McDowell to all my professors Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcdaddy Posted June 2, 2012 Share Posted June 2, 2012 In college I gave "More than a Carpenter" by josh McDowell to all my professors lol. you're a religious fundy wackjob. just kiddin' Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TrailBlazer Posted June 2, 2012 Share Posted June 2, 2012 My parent's were never exactly Christian and I like to think they raised me to be a questioner and a critical thinker independent of religion. It was when I started to actually read my bible that I got in trouble with my faith and realized what a load of BS it all is. I read both christian literature and non-christian literature and after reading apologetics I felt the need to apologize for christian ignorance! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shadesofgray Posted June 2, 2012 Share Posted June 2, 2012 In college I gave "More than a Carpenter" by josh McDowell to all my professors Hahaha I used to try to convince my non-Christian friends to listen to my church's sermon podcasts because, you know, if they did, they'd obviously be dumbstruck by the LOGIC of it all and follow JEEZUS. (Ironically it was one of these sermons that finally pushed me over the edge to admit to myself that I no longer believed in God. Ha.) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zaphod Posted June 2, 2012 Share Posted June 2, 2012 I read too much to stay christian. They tried to take a hell of a lot of myself away from me, and almost succeeded, but one thing they never touched was my hunger for knowledge and voracious reading. Of course, they threw apologetics books at me, and told me to read the bible, but the kicker is, those are the books that led DIRECTLY to my deconversion. Lee Strobel can suck my left labia, and the god depicted in the bible isn't worth worshiping. I'm kind of weird for not deconverting for scientific or rational reasons - though I knew Strobel couldn't logic his way out of a wet, torn paper bag - but just because I read the bible and went "this god is an asshole and makes no sense!!!" I don't know if I'm a "critical thinker" or not, but I think for myself. And no one will stop me from learning. Ever. I'll punch 'em in the dick. I may have said this before, but I read Strobel's "The Case for Christ" at a time when my faith was beginning to unravel and I desperately wanted to believe, but it just sounded to me like a lawyer questioning his own witness on the stand. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
midniterider Posted June 3, 2012 Share Posted June 3, 2012 I thought I was a critical thinker, I thought I was objective. I really wasn't, because there were things I was scared to read. I think it is entirely possible to be both a Christian and a critical thinker. I was for quite a while, and I know a number of people who are still. In my case, critical thinking did play a role in my deconversion, but it was not the only factor. And as a Christian there was nothing I was afraid to read. For example, I actually read The God Delusion quite a while before my deconversion. It did not affect my beliefs. To this day, I still don't find Dawkins' arguments to be terribly convincing. Sadly, however, there are many Christians who are in the same position you were in. That is, they believe themselves to be critical thinkers when really they are not. And it is this type of Christian that I find annoying to have conversations with. I was a critical thinker while being a christian. I just didn't critically think about christianity. If you dont particularly care that scientists say the earth is ancient and you dont particularly care that some xians say the earth is only a few thousand years old then there is no coginitive dissonance. If two opposing ideas are not important enough to reconcile, then there's no problem. I just didnt like the manipulation of my mind, so I quit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Valk0010 Posted June 3, 2012 Share Posted June 3, 2012 To me, being a critical thinker is just being able to think intelligently about issues. The better I got as a critical thinker, the harder Christianity became to believe. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RedStar Posted June 3, 2012 Share Posted June 3, 2012 To me, being a critical thinker is just being able to think intelligently about issues. The better I got as a critical thinker, the harder Christianity became to believe. This is how it was for me too, you can only push valid logical questions to the back of your mind for so long before it gets too much and your brain screams "Stop trying to kill me!!!" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
atkegar Posted June 5, 2012 Share Posted June 5, 2012 For me, it was only after my experience told me that there is not a personal God that I began to think critically about Christianity. I am still working on this. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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