atkegar Posted June 2, 2012 Share Posted June 2, 2012 Hi all: Just a quick introductory message from a de-Converting former christian. There is so much for me right now, with the anger, sadness I feel for the death of my faith in a loving God. I hope in time to give more of my story in time, but for now, I lost faith because of the big things (the physical suffering of so many, natural disasters with their loss of life) , and some of the little things that bothered me about the bible (such as the story of Abraham brining his son Issac to be sacraficed, the condemming of the one who burried the one talent in the parable of the talent, etc) have come flooding in my mind. So, I am no longer a believer.. That is easier for me than to quit going to Church. For now (and it could be permament), I will start at the local UU, which I know my lack of belief is welcome. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Positivist Posted June 2, 2012 Share Posted June 2, 2012 Welcome, atkegar! You are in good company here! We are all at different stages of our grief, anger and peace. I was driven from faith by many of the issues you describe. My difficulties with Christianity colluded into a tsunami of a crisis of faith. The wave broke over me. I am now free and finally at peace. Stick around! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcdaddy Posted June 2, 2012 Share Posted June 2, 2012 Hey!! Welcome! This place is awesome. A haven for those of us that don't have many alternatives to talk about stuff like you mentioned. I think you'll love it here! Now excuse me while I vacuum all the sand out of my car from my vaca to the beach! Adios Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blackpudd1n Posted June 2, 2012 Share Posted June 2, 2012 Welcome, Atkegar It's always good to see a new face around here Let us know if there is anything we can help you with in your journey Catch ya later, Pudd Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TrailBlazer Posted June 2, 2012 Share Posted June 2, 2012 UU is a good refuge for anyone transitioning out of a former religion or church. I hope you find a welcoming UU to attend and that it's helpful for you as you make this transition. Hugs> it does get better as your grieving process goes on. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spectrox Posted June 2, 2012 Share Posted June 2, 2012 Hi all: Just a quick introductory message from a de-Converting former christian. There is so much for me right now, with the anger, sadness I feel for the death of my faith in a loving God. I hope in time to give more of my story in time, but for now, I lost faith because of the big things (the physical suffering of so many, natural disasters with their loss of life) , and some of the little things that bothered me about the bible (such as the story of Abraham brining his son Issac to be sacraficed, the condemming of the one who burried the one talent in the parable of the talent, etc) have come flooding in my mind. So, I am no longer a believer.. That is easier for me than to quit going to Church. For now (and it could be permament), I will start at the local UU, which I know my lack of belief is welcome. Welcome to ex-C. Believe me, the God of the Bible doesn't deserve worship. Hope you find plenty of support and friends here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
3DollarBill Posted June 2, 2012 Share Posted June 2, 2012 Welcome to the real world. It's not always a pleasant place. Certain aspects can be pretty tough to swallow, like realizing this life is all you are going to get, that you can't get your wishes granted by praying really really hard, that you believed a lie for a long time. It's important to make the best of all these things. Realize that your life is so valuable because it's the only one you get. The time you spend with elderly friends and relatives is so precious because it is very limited. The most important thing is to not let it bother you that you were fed a bunch of bullshit and you bought it...for a while. But then you woke up. Be proud of that. You had the audacity to think. Some people never do. It is not a sign of weakness on your part to have believed in xtianity, rather it is a sign of intelligence and strength that you now leave it. Everything looks kinda strange from here, doesn't it? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shadesofgray Posted June 2, 2012 Share Posted June 2, 2012 Welcome! I've recently joined here too and it's like a breath of fresh air after a lifetime submerged in Christianity. Good luck on your journey! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Overcame Faith Posted June 2, 2012 Share Posted June 2, 2012 Welcome, atkegar. I'm glad you're here and that you have come to the truth about Christianity. I understand how you are feeling now because it is no pleasant thing to lose one's faith and learn that the religion is all a lie. Your feelings of anger and sadness are common among us deconverts. Common does not mean easy, by the way. It just means that you are not alone. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
atkegar Posted June 3, 2012 Author Share Posted June 3, 2012 I thank everyone for their comments so far. My move away from Christianity has been a gradual process, but the end came abruptly. I grew up in a US mainline Protestant Church, but was early on influenced by fundamentalism. I thought at the time I was graduating from College that I was called to the ordained ministry, and spent 3 semesters at a mainline Seminary. There, we were taught basically what scholarship was saying about the bible, which was quite a bit different from what I learned. This was jarring to me. In time, I more or less accepted the results of my training, with the first major doctrine that I rejected was the virgin birth of Jesus. I llatter became a universalist. However, my questions came more into force, and eventually I had to reject the idea of a personal God. But, I could not see how the universe came about except from God creating it. But the last question on this was "how did God came about", and that is as mysterious to me. This happened last fall, but I was not ready to accept these realizations yet, so I tried traditional Christianity again. In moving back and forth, I realize now my faith died last fall, and that it was wishful thinking otherwise. Thanks again for all the comments. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sjessen Posted June 3, 2012 Share Posted June 3, 2012 I lost faith because of the big things (the physical suffering of so many, natural disasters with their loss of life) , and some of the little things that bothered me about the bible (such as the story of Abraham brining his son Issac to be sacraficed, the condemming of the one who burried the one talent in the parable of the talent, etc) Hi atkegar! I am fairly new too. The story of Abraham being asked to sacrifice Issac was a huge problem for me as well. I kept wondering what crazy thing would Xgod ask me to do? I have had a lot of problems with the bible myself. I have found this to be a great place to work through your de-conversion. Welcome! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
par4dcourse Posted June 3, 2012 Share Posted June 3, 2012 Look at it this way: I got ninety-nine problems, but that bitch-god ain't one. Welcome to the forums! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcdaddy Posted June 3, 2012 Share Posted June 3, 2012 Hello atkegar, Welcome! You are in good company. It has been nearly 12 years since I left Christianity and I still feel anger at it, but it's very rare nowadays. The feelings of hurt will fade over time, and with many others like us, you will heal faster. Again, welcome! I hope to see you around a lot in the future. Why was I under the impression you were a recent deconvert? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RedStar Posted June 3, 2012 Share Posted June 3, 2012 I could not see how the universe came about except from God creating it. But the last question on this was "how did God came about", and that is as mysterious to me. This. What I find funny is that when I read debates where Creationists are arguing against evolution they say "something can't come out of nothing." The thing is that's what they believe, how else would god get there? I hate it when they say he was just always there, that's a pitiful answer. How could there be something that's meant to be intelligent and powerful enough to create a whole universe that was always just magically there??? Fail. Welcome to the forum, it's fun here Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2Honest Posted June 3, 2012 Share Posted June 3, 2012 Welcome atkegar. Hope you can stick around and make some friends. This is a safe haven. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Super Moderator buffettphan Posted June 3, 2012 Super Moderator Share Posted June 3, 2012 Welcome to the best site on the webs! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
atkegar Posted June 4, 2012 Author Share Posted June 4, 2012 Well, made it through my first Sunday as an ex-Christian. Did go to the local UU, and as I expected, they started their summer schedule of informal discussions as opposed to regular services. I loved it, and I do not think "God" was mentioned once. Anyway, one more question, for those who left Church for theological reasons. How hard was it for you to not go to any Church for the first time, and how long did it take for any qualms to go away? One reason I did go to the UU is that as I think I said before, I am more afraid of becoming a non-church goer than of losing my faith. I guess I was more committed to "Churchianity" than to "Christianity". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
atkegar Posted June 4, 2012 Author Share Posted June 4, 2012 I could not see how the universe came about except from God creating it. But the last question on this was "how did God came about", and that is as mysterious to me. This. What I find funny is that when I read debates where Creationists are arguing against evolution they say "something can't come out of nothing." The thing is that's what they believe, how else would god get there? I hate it when they say he was just always there, that's a pitiful answer. How could there be something that's meant to be intelligent and powerful enough to create a whole universe that was always just magically there??? Fail. Welcome to the forum, it's fun here Thanks Redstar. That statement has more to do with atheism vs. deism for me. Of course the "Young Earth Creationist" would have no more use for deism than atheism. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RedStar Posted June 4, 2012 Share Posted June 4, 2012 I didn't worry about it too much when I left church, I'd stuck around because I thought I was doing the right thing and I still had belief at that point. I waited until it got so bad that I hated going to church, so when I decided never to go again it was a relief for me. Thinking back on it theology was something that really annoyed me because so many people had so many different ways of interpreting what they read and there was always people disagreeing about it and fighting over who was right. I was really over that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderator TrueFreedom Posted June 4, 2012 Moderator Share Posted June 4, 2012 Welcome, atkegar! My doubts began while studying for ministry as well. I'm happy for you on figuring things out fairly quickly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
atkegar Posted June 5, 2012 Author Share Posted June 5, 2012 I have another question here (it seems like I am full of questions), for those who consider themselves atheists, how long did it take you to feel comfortable with calling yourself that title? I know that I have become an atheist, but I am not yet comfortable owning that for myself. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Xtech Posted June 5, 2012 Share Posted June 5, 2012 How long to identity as atheist? I think right away, but it was long ago and a different time, before the word became an object of vilification. Lots of people, who do not know better, associate god with all that is good, therefore anyone who rejects the idea of a god must be opposed to anything that is good. Something like that. 'Atheist' is totally bad ass. Own it. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Akheia Posted June 5, 2012 Share Posted June 5, 2012 Welcome! There are a lot of choices between "atheist" and "full-blown Bible Christian." Call yourself whatever you want. Explore whatever spiritual paths you want. You're free of having to justify your beliefs to anybody. "It's personal" is one of the most powerful non-answers a human can give. Feel free to use it a lot. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcdaddy Posted June 5, 2012 Share Posted June 5, 2012 . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AnnaNymity Posted June 9, 2012 Share Posted June 9, 2012 Welcome Atkegar. I'm a newbie here too. Sit in the recliner,settle in, and relax, there are some really decent people here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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