Did Leaving The Church Change You On Social Issues?

[Carolorado]

I know there are many here who despise all politicians, and that is fine. But all that aside, I want to know if you are pro moral control ala the right wing or more socially open like the left? Please, no comments about the candidates, I am just wondering about YOU.

 

As an ex-xian, are you more socially liberal or conservative? If not, why not? Did leaving the church change you?

 

Leaving didn't change me, it just helped me see more clearly who I am. I am just curious if everyone or none felt the same. Thanks!

[silentknight]

I've been becoming more and more liberal for a long time. You could say leaving religion was a result of me being liberal, rather than me being liberal being a result of leaving religion.

[VacuumFlux]

I was uncomfortable with some of the church's moral teachings before deconverting, but I hadn't really thought it through very much. When the church had petitions out in the foyer for everyone to sign to get an anti-gay-marriage amendment on the state ballot, I didn't sign it. I didn't stand up for myself either and just let people assume that I had put my name down. I felt sad about the whole thing, mostly because I knew that the people at church wanted me to feel one way while other people wanted me to feel another and there was no way to make everyone happy.

 

Since deconverting I've been working on having a better moral system than whatever happens to make people like me at the time. The big reason that the fundies I grew up with pushed conservative moral laws as a good thing was that god would bless/punish the entire nation based on whether or not we were doing what he wanted. The only reason gays are bad is because god says so (and it's icky). Since I no longer base my moral system on what people around me tell me god wants, I place a lot higher value on individual freedom. I've also decided that many of the "immoral" things the conservatives want to legislate against aren't only none of my business, but they're not even immoral. So I'm a lot more liberal now.

[Carolorado]

Skeptic, you hit on something I had not quite put together. Freeing yourself from religion does free up other thinking processes. It doesn't make you conservative or liberal or in between, it just lets you decide on you own truth.

 

It is amazing how much differently I think when no one is telling me what I must think. I wish I could get that across to everyone still involved in a church like that.

[Positivist]

I was also pro-social justice and pro-environment, increasingly as I was in my 20s and 30s. So....what kind of happened in my case is that becoming more socially aware caused me to leave the church. I just couldn't stand the hate and small-mindedness any more.

[midniterider]

I know there are many here who despise all politicians, and that is fine. But all that aside, I want to know if you are pro moral control ala the right wing or more socially open like the left? Please, no comments about the candidates, I am just wondering about YOU.

 

As an ex-xian, are you more socially liberal or conservative? If not, why not? Did leaving the church change you?

 

Leaving didn't change me, it just helped me see more clearly who I am. I am just curious if everyone or none felt the same. Thanks!

 

I dont like other people controlling how I live when it comes to social non-issues like gay marriage, abortion, gun ownership, etc. I am mostly liberal. I married a fundy and became a fundy myself but really only half-assed believed the way the gop party believed. I just pretended in order to keep the domestic peace. After divorce I reverted back to mostly liberal leaning. Most of the issues dont affect me but what upsets me is being TOLD how to live and I will vote against moral control. Even though the issues aren't really important (to me), I prefer people to have freedom and not be controlled by xians. I wish freedom for others.

[Vigile]

I don't remember church being very politicized when I was younger. The first time I recall politics in church was in the early 1990s. This was around the time Robertson kicked off the xian coalition. Prior to this there was Falwell, but he didn't have any impact on the church I grew up in. I think if we considered him at all we considered him a kook.

[mymistake]

Leaving church was the last thing I did. Realizing that the Bible is the word of men was the thing that changed my political views. I had always voted strait Republican until that day. Then when I became a liberal Christian (trying to hold on to my religion even though I knew the Bible was false) I wound up in the middle politically. I'm not going to blindly vote Democrat. But for the first time in my life I did vote for Democrat candidates. I use to be ultra right on everything. Now I am left on many issues. Abortion is an example of one where I did a U turn. Gay rights is another. I'm still on the right on gun control. I'm more in the middle on taxes. The distribution of wealth is out of balance.

[GardenerGal]

I am a somewhat conservative woman in nature, but leaving church allowed me to put myself in other people's shoes and allow them to make their way through life rather than worry about their decisions and how it affects God. Since my whole worldview has changed, I see life as being so brief, and I just want to do my part to help people along the way.

 

In short, I wouldn't say leaving church made me more liberal, just allowed me to be clear-minded about who I was.

[lunaticheathen]

I've always been on the left of most issues, and a large source of friction for me was the Baptist view on women's rights. I could NEVER back down and give up my rights for those fuckers, so, I didn't change my mind, I left those bastards in the dust.

 

It wasn't long after that when I read the bible and found the original misogynist in that religion - yhwh himself. I honestly can't see how any self-respecting woman is an Abrahamic. The choice is always hers, of course, I just can't grok it AT ALL.

[★ Citsonga ★]

I became a little more liberal after realizing that Christianity is a myth and has no right to control how I evaluate things.

 

By the way, why is this in Rants & Replies?

[SilentLoner]

I became pro choice before I left the church - I actually think that helped lead me to atheism rather than vice-versa.

 

I'm sad to say it took me quite some time to come around on the issue of gay rights.

[Akheia]

I think that as I moved toward a more liberal viewpoint, my Christianity made less and less sense. Some of that indoctrination (reproductive choice, gay rights) was shed before or during my deconversion. Some of it (porn, death penalty, universal health care) was shed after. I think it was all part of an evolution of self, though. I don't think leaving Christianity itself caused those changes; more like I began to question a lot of things I'd always just taken as dogma, and religion was just one of those dogmas.

[mcdaddy]

I once wanted to be a member of the Constitution Party.

 

HOLEE FACK!!!!

 

now I just see all those people as gun worshipping, education-fearing creatards that have not even a loose grip on reality. Wanting to uphold the Constitution is fine, but they literally want to live like its 1799. Screw that.

 

I have no party affiliation and probably never will. I do like Ron Paul tho. Only guy I would have voted for.

[inorbit]

Just got into an epic debate on Facebook with former fundy friends because of this. My views haven't changed so much since leaving. Like for others here, my leaving was further down the path from my views changing. I just had to keep my views to myself when I was in the church.

[Lilith666]

Yep. I went pro-gay and decided abortion might not be all bad.

[Rek99]

Since deconverting I've been working on having a better moral system than whatever happens to make people like me at the time. The big reason that the fundies I grew up with pushed conservative moral laws as a good thing was that god would bless/punish the entire nation based on whether or not we were doing what he wanted. The only reason gays are bad is because god says so (and it's icky). Since I no longer base my moral system on what people around me tell me god wants, I place a lot higher value on individual freedom. I've also decided that many of the "immoral" things the conservatives want to legislate against aren't only none of my business, but they're not even immoral. So I'm a lot more liberal now.

 

Pretty much this. I stopped trying to tell others what is right and wrong if it doesn't effect me at all. Homosexuality is a big one. My mother is gay and in my younger and much less mature days I told her it was wrong. Abortion is another, it really isn't any of my business what another person chooses to do. Personally, my wife and I would not have one, but if someone else does that's their deal.

 

I'm still very fiscally conservative, but on most social issues I'm much more liberal.

[Suzy]

Yes, I became more liberal, because I realized the only reason I considered some things "wrong" (like homosexuality) is religious myths. If those myths are wrong then I don't see a reason any more to uphold its stance on homosexuality. Abortion is a bit more tricky issue to me (and IMO it's also hijacked by the religious right - there is nothing in the Bible indicating that it's such an important issue for its "God" as it is for his followers today). I'm not anti-abortion, IMO there are situations when it's justified (and until a certain time into pregnancy), but it's a complicted issue morally IMO.

 

Generally as far as I am concerned everyone is free to do whatever he or she likes as long as it doesn't violate someone else's rights and doesn't harm others. I have become much less judgmental and I am ashamed of the judgmental asshole I used to be because of religion.

 

My views on marriage also changed. While I never had the desire to marry, not even as a Christian, but as a Christian I put marriage on a pedestal and I thought of course that people either should marry or be celibate. Now, I think, marry if that's what you want, but generally I feel marriage is overrated and I wonder if the fact that so many marriages end in divorce, infidelity etc. is a us, humans not being honest to ourselves about human nature.

[roadrunner]

I changed big time. Religion dictated 100% of my vote. No Abortion, No gay marriage, President must be a Christian. Once I realized that it was all a myth and the views I held were solely a result of religion, I no longer voted according to them and its not my place to force my beliefs down someone elses throat.

 

Since ditching religion I realize that two gay people marrying has nothing to do with my marriage or me at all. I never "really" bought into how this "abomination" was going to destroy the country for my kids anyway. They'll grow up just fine and if not it wont be because there is a gay couple next door who is married instead of dating.

 

I'm trying to be careful not to change my political views based on a sub-consious bitterness toward religion. I was and still am a fiscal conservative that cringes at the national debt. This makes it hard to find a good candidate. I do like Ron Paul but realistically he doesnt stand a chance. Thats the problem with politics. You have to wear wither red or blue, if not you're just that guy nobody remembers.

[ConureDelSol]

I was always a social liberal. I would say my liberal views did nudge me toward leaving the church, but once I did leave, I no longer felt ashamed to have those beliefs. I am also no longer afraid of expressing them. It makes me giggle a little inside just to be able to "like" a pro-gay post on Facebook.

 

I really don't have a fiscal view yet. I really don't know anything about the economy or how it works. I'll get back to you on that when I do.

[Атеист]

If I had to, I guess that I would label myself as liberal now. I suppose I did change my views after leaving, but i wasn't particularly conservative on a lot of issues. I know that I once opposed marriage equality, and assumed that only christian politicians could ever be trustworthy, and other stuff like that. I've changed a lot though over the past few years, but it wasn't all because of losing my religion.

[Paine]

Unlike most here, I have KEPT my Conservative/Libertarian ideals.

 

I find it amusing that most here will point to the RIGHT as the church or the side that "demands" you toe the line on social values like abortion and Capital Punishment.

 

You just try standing up in a Unitarian Universalist "Church" and deny global warming or gay marriage and you see how far you get.....

 

BOTH SIDES DEMAND COMPLIANCE---the Left claims to own "tolerance"....and the Right NEVER HAS. SO when NEITHER are tolerant, WHO ARE THE HYPOCRITES THEN?

 

The only thing that changed...but not REALLY, since I didn't HAVE an opinion on Gay marriage...is that NOW I DO. Gays should freely marry and PAY THE MARRIAGE TAX PENALTY like all the rest of us, and enjoy another American institution as well>>>> D*I*V*O*R*C*E!!! Lol

 

I think and dig for the truth, therefore I am an atheist.

 

I think and dig for the truth, therefore I am a Libertarian.

 

If all you do is FEEEEEEEL, you end up a Christian. And usually a Liberal one.

[★ Citsonga ★]

Unlike most here, I have KEPT my Conservative/Libertarian ideals.

 

It appears that you may have missed the point. This thread is about social issues. Libertarians tend to be socially liberal (they are only fiscally conservative, which has nothing to do with this thread).

[Vigile]

You just try standing up in a Unitarian Universalist "Church" and deny global warming evolution or gay marriage the right to own slaves and you see how far you get.....

 

Damned hypocrites. Telling ebby one else what to think.

[Paine]

Unlike most here, I have KEPT my Conservative/Libertarian ideals.

 

It appears that you may have missed the point. This thread is about social issues. Libertarians tend to be socially liberal (they are only fiscally conservative, which has nothing to do with this thread).

 

You clearly don't know SHIT about Libertarianism...but thanks for playing!

 

And way to prove my point about the sanctimonious "tolerance" of Liberals. Way to go!