openpalm45 Posted July 16, 2012 Share Posted July 16, 2012 Tonight I have been reading about an old ministry I was in and thinking about the girl I used to be. She was always speaking things she thought were true and right, repeating all she was taught, with no doubts. She was so naive and brainwashed. I would barely recognize her if I saw her today. I'm so glad I got out. I'm so glad I have found true freedom, and that I can really be me. I could never go back. 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kaiser01 Posted July 16, 2012 Share Posted July 16, 2012 "One cannot stand in the same river twice."- I cant remember. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TrailBlazer Posted July 16, 2012 Share Posted July 16, 2012 I used to be a quiet, timid, self-hating sinner. I felt like I was never worth God's time and my self esteem took a huge blow. I was very angry for reasons I couldn't explain. The world is better off without that gloomy girl. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderator TrueFreedom Posted July 16, 2012 Moderator Share Posted July 16, 2012 Indeed. Those of us who were most committed were the ones to finally see through it. There's no going back without blunt force to the head. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GardenerGal Posted July 16, 2012 Share Posted July 16, 2012 I could never go back. I said something similar to a Christian friend last week about my leaving the faith. I said I couldn't go back, even if I wanted to. It would be awful. :S Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
raoul Posted July 16, 2012 Share Posted July 16, 2012 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5km4Yepldlc&feature=youtube_gdata 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TrailBlazer Posted July 16, 2012 Share Posted July 16, 2012 Indeed. Those of us who were most committed were the ones to finally see through it. There's no going back without blunt force to the head. So true. I'm reminded of Jars of Clay's song "Faith Enough". It talks about how you have just enough faith to get by and stay strong in God. It seems to me that the ones who have a wishy-washy faith and only go to god when it's convenient for them are the ones that tend to stick with the faith. It's the most devout that seem the most likely to end up in very dark despairs of religious piety. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
roadrunner Posted July 17, 2012 Share Posted July 17, 2012 Indeed. Those of us who were most committed were the ones to finally see through it. There's no going back without blunt force to the head. So true. I'm reminded of Jars of Clay's song "Faith Enough". It talks about how you have just enough faith to get by and stay strong in God. It seems to me that the ones who have a wishy-washy faith and only go to god when it's convenient for them are the ones that tend to stick with the faith. It's the most devout that seem the most likely to end up in very dark despairs of religious piety. Agreed. Julia sweeney says some thing like "its only because I had such a high opinion of you that I stopped believing". Something like that. When you feel that he is in all things its easier to see when logically he can not be there. If you only experience religion in tough times you're getting your fix. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Antlerman Posted July 17, 2012 Share Posted July 17, 2012 Indeed. Those of us who were most committed were the ones to finally see through it. There's no going back without blunt force to the head. So true. I'm reminded of Jars of Clay's song "Faith Enough". It talks about how you have just enough faith to get by and stay strong in God. It seems to me that the ones who have a wishy-washy faith and only go to god when it's convenient for them are the ones that tend to stick with the faith. It's the most devout that seem the most likely to end up in very dark despairs of religious piety. I'd recommend looking at Jennifer Hecht's book Doubt. It's actually ironic that those who have the strongest faith, are those that end up disbelieving what the mainstream swallows. Her book is a sort of history in reverse, how that the greatest movements forward in society and culture came from those whose faith led to great doubt and then disillusion with the norm, which then led to reforms and innovations. Faith and doubt are bedfellows. The greatest faith has the greatest doubt. As the Zen saying goes, "Great Doubt: great awakening. Little Doubt: little awakening. No Doubt: no awakening." Those that are True Believers, really have no doubt at all, and therefore no faith, and no awakening. I consider everyone of us as being more true to what is in us this way than those who pat themselves on the back for never being shaken in their beliefs. That is not a heart that yearns for higher understanding, but one content in the security of a common belief. Kudos to all those who take the harder path of doubt into unknowing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vigile Posted July 17, 2012 Share Posted July 17, 2012 This is why I wonder if/how the No True Scotsman fallacy applies to an x-believer. Once the blinders are off, once the questions are off the shelf, that's it. Pandora's box is open. Humpty-Dumpty has fallen off the wall. I suspect a good argument could be made that shows an exception to the Scotsman rule. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Antlerman Posted July 17, 2012 Share Posted July 17, 2012 This is why I wonder if/how the No True Scotsman fallacy applies to an x-believer. Once the blinders are off, once the questions are off the shelf, that's it. Pandora's box is open. Humpty-Dumpty has fallen off the wall. I suspect a good argument could be made that shows an exception to the Scotsman rule. I don't exactly follow. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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