Moving On.... :(

[Shinobi]

I hate that I feel like I've been contributing to the insanity in the world with my posts. Can't do it anymore. Sorry, family.

[Lucy]

Believing in Christianity causes you to play weird mind games with yourself. But people go along with it and praise Jesus anyway.

 

Good stuff = Praise Jesus! His blessings are abundant!
Bad stuff =  Praise Jesus!  What a miracle it wasn't worse!
Really bad stuff = Praise Jesus! He has a special plan and his reasons are beyond our comprehension, but obviously this was for the best even if we can't see how!

 

Even when someone dies a horrible death, it just means they get to go be with Jesus and praise him in person! Hallelujah!

[Shinobi]

On 6/28/2017 at 4:40 PM, Lucy said:

Believing in Christianity causes you to play weird mind games with yourself. But people go along with it and praise Jesus anyway.

 

Good stuff = Praise Jesus! His blessings are abundant!
Bad stuff =  Praise Jesus!  What a miracle it wasn't worse!
Really bad stuff = Praise Jesus! He has a special plan and his reasons are beyond our comprehension, but obviously this was for the best even if we can't see how!

 

Even when someone dies a horrible death, it just means they get to go be with Jesus and praise him in person! Hallelujah!

 

........................

[MOHO]

 

Very creative. I thought you were going back to christianity for a second there. Whew.

 

christianity really is a charade. In my experiences both the nondenominational-hyper emotional crowd and the orthodox-fundamentalist-biblical literalist crowd are just fucking nuts. There's really no other way to put it. And I've tried sincerely many many times to live the way they do.

 

Yup.

And that was us just a few short months, years, decades for all of us. 

[ag_NO_stic]

 

Awhile back, I crashed my car.  My whole life was thrown into a tailspin because of it.  I had to find alternate transportation to work, and I nearly lost my job over it.  But, things are better now.  I believe Jesus allowed me to crash my car so that I could learn to better appreciate the things I have.

 

Just the other day, I had to take my car on a long trip through the big city.  I nearly got into a huge wreck when a truck driver forgot to hit his breaks.  The truck came about six inches from smashing right into me.  I really believe that Jesus caused the truck's breaks to work just a little bit better than they normally would have.  I'm sure that my car would have been totaled and I might have even died...  But, Jesus saved me from crashing my car! Hallelujah!

 

A long time ago I tripped on acid, and I really believe that Jesus spoke to me in a vision while I was tripping.  He was so real and so kind.  Because of that wildly spiritual acid trip, I came to the realization that Jesus is real.  I really believe he worked through the acid trip to reveal his true nature to me.  Thank you, Jesus!

 

About a month ago I smoked a little bit too much weed.  I got too high and started freaking out.  Within minutes, I was having a full blown panic attack.  During that time I swear I could feel the devil's angels trying to rip my life away from me.  I started frantically praying, and Jesus calmed my spirit.  It was almost like I could hear his voice speak to me telling me that everything was going to be alright.  He showed me that day that drugs are bad, and there is no place for them in his beautiful world.  Now, I'm going to do my best to make sure no one ever touches the devil's lettuce again!  Praise his holy name!

 

A few years ago, my wife and I had the opportunity to help a young Ethiopian girl out of poverty.  She came here with a missionary, and we volunteered to let her live in our home.  Jesus used us to keep her from living a life of poverty, pain, and misery.  She is now going off to college here in the U.S.A.  She is going to become a minister!  Isn't Jesus great?

 

Two years ago, I saw a video that showed thousands of poor Ethiopian children who were on the brink of death by starvation...  I knew there was nothing I or anyone else could do to help them.  I said a prayer for them and turned the television off.  I guess Jesus just allows those things to happen so that we can appreciate the blessings he's bestowed upon us and our beautiful country.  It's really a shame, but sometimes we've got to be able to see the bad to appreciate the good.  Can I get a witness?!

 

A year ago, an entire town was wiped out in a tornado.  Over 100 people died.  It was such a terrible tragedy to witness.  However, I know there was a reason that Jesus allowed it to happen.  Since the disaster, I've heard that so many people have given their lives back to him.  They probably wouldn't have had the disaster never struck their town.  But, thanks to the efforts of the church and Jesus' wonderful grace, those people have been able to find a true calm after the storm.

 

About six months ago, a tornado swept by the town I live in.  The weather forecaster said that had the wind direction been just a little more to the south, our town would have been wiped out for sure.  Thankfully, it didn't.  I really believe that Jesus spared our little town.  I mean, what would we have done?  Praise him for his eternal mercy...

 

Two weeks ago, my grandpa died from lung cancer.  He was such a good man, but I guess it was his time to go.  My family and I prayed for him day and night, but I guess Jesus was ready for him to come home.  I know he's not in as much pain now, and I know he's in a better place.  The craziest thing about it all is that unbeknownst to any of us, grandpa had a secret inheritance of a million dollars that he left behind for us.  Now, my family can afford to do all of the things we've always wanted to do.  It turns out that Jesus knew the whole time what we really needed even when we didn't.

 

Five days ago, my aunt Lorraine came home from the doctor and told us that she was officially cancer free.  We were all so happy and overjoyed.  I know in my heart that Jesus worked through the doctor's hands and the drugs to bring about a miracle recovery in her life.  Isn't Jesus great?  He truly is the great healer!

 

Eight months ago, my wife and I celebrated our anniversary.  We each drank a bottle of wine, and we had the most romantic and fun night of our life.  There was candlelight, dinner, plenty of dancing, and lots of lovemaking afterwards.  What a memory!  That night revealed to me just why Jesus didn't mind turning the water into wine every once in awhile.  Praise Jesus, the true vine and the creator of real mirth and joy!

 

Four months ago, I met a poor sap who had a drinking problem.  I invited him to my church recovery group, and now he is clean and sober.  Jesus really did a miracle when he delivered that young man from the demon spirits that surround alcohol!

 

A few weeks ago, I experienced a real miracle.  I went to my mailbox and found a letter that was addressed to me with no return sender.  I opened it up, and it contained five fresh one hundred dollar bills.  It was the exact amount of money that I needed to pay my electric bill.  I was so overjoyed.  I'm so glad I told the members in my church to pray for my finances because Jesus sent me just the amount of money that I needed to keep the lights on.  That day he showed me that he truly is the Giver of Light!  Glory!

 

Two and a half weeks ago my neighbors had their electricity shut off.  I hated to see it happen to them, but in my heart, I understood why.  The father of the family of four has been backsliding for some time now.  He hasn't been to church in nearly a half a year.  He can't really expect Jesus to reward him for that kind of behavior, now can he?  I'm sure that Jesus is using this bad experience to teach him a lesson.  Maybe he'll get his life right and come back to church!  I'll be praying for him regularly - you can count on it!

 

I looked in the mirror today and realized how strong and healthy I am.  Jesus sure has taken good care of me.  I know that I'm going to need my strength and health to participate in all of the work he has for me to do.  For example, next week I'm helping to build our wonderful pastor a brand new house!  Thank Jesus that I have the strength and the know-how to accomplish this huge task.  I know that I couldn't do it without him.

 

Yesterday, I ran into one of my old friends that I used to go to the gym with.  I hadn't seen him in awhile, and I was shocked by how terrible he looked.  He told me that he had been diagnosed with muscular dystrophy, and his health and strength was fading fast.  Tears welled up in my eyes, and I gave him a big hug.  I know that Jesus is using this terrible turn of events to teach him a lesson that he needs to learn.  Maybe he needs to learn to not be so prideful?  Or maybe he needs to learn to rely less on himself and more on Jesus?  Either way, I'm going to be there for him because that is what Jesus would want me to do!

 

*************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************

 

In case you missed it, the moral of this story is that Jesus didn't have a thing to do with any of the things I mentioned above.  For many people, Christianity is nothing short of a live action role playing game in which each participant makes up the rules and the explanations for things as he or she goes along always being sure to fit the miraculous and powerful interventions of Jesus in when applicable.  Now, to be clear, I'm not trying to make the point that a god, a higher power, a higher order, or a collective consciousness etc. doesn't exist.  I don't claim to have enough knowledge to make those kinds of assertions.  Maybe science will eventually figure it all out... or maybe not.  It really doesn't matter.  What I do know is that Christianity is a mind control game that saps its participants of their intellect, their common sense, and ultimately, their ability to clearly see the true nature of the lives that they lead in this world.  There is nothing holy, sacred, or miraculous about any of it.  Thanks for taking the time to read!  

 

The funniest ones to me: "I guess the lord is using your doubts" and "His holy and perfect will be praised....I'm just going to pray that it changes!"  Apparently, he wants that relationship with me so bad that I need to learn on my own time that he will answer all my questions on his time. I'll be stronger for this.

[FreeAtLast]

 

Two years ago, I saw a video that showed thousands of poor Ethiopian children who were on the brink of death by starvation...  I knew there was nothing I or anyone else could do to help them.  I said a prayer for them and turned the television off.  I guess Jesus just allows those things to happen so that we can appreciate the blessings he's bestowed upon us and our beautiful country.  It's really a shame, but sometimes we've got to be able to see the bad to appreciate the good.  Can I get a witness?!

"We've gotta see the bad to appreciate the good"

Saying that you have to experience evil to appreciate goodness is like saying you have to experience death to appreciate life.

BS.

[Castiel233]

 

Awhile back, I crashed my car.  My whole life was thrown into a tailspin because of it.  I had to find alternate transportation to work, and I nearly lost my job over it.  But, things are better now.  I believe Jesus allowed me to crash my car so that I could learn to better appreciate the things I have.

 

Just the other day, I had to take my car on a long trip through the big city.  I nearly got into a huge wreck when a truck driver forgot to hit his breaks.  The truck came about six inches from smashing right into me.  I really believe that Jesus caused the truck's breaks to work just a little bit better than they normally would have.  I'm sure that my car would have been totaled and I might have even died...  But, Jesus saved me from crashing my car! Hallelujah!

 

A long time ago I tripped on acid, and I really believe that Jesus spoke to me in a vision while I was tripping.  He was so real and so kind.  Because of that wildly spiritual acid trip, I came to the realization that Jesus is real.  I really believe he worked through the acid trip to reveal his true nature to me.  Thank you, Jesus!

 

About a month ago I smoked a little bit too much weed.  I got too high and started freaking out.  Within minutes, I was having a full blown panic attack.  During that time I swear I could feel the devil's angels trying to rip my life away from me.  I started frantically praying, and Jesus calmed my spirit.  It was almost like I could hear his voice speak to me telling me that everything was going to be alright.  He showed me that day that drugs are bad, and there is no place for them in his beautiful world.  Now, I'm going to do my best to make sure no one ever touches the devil's lettuce again!  Praise his holy name!

 

A few years ago, my wife and I had the opportunity to help a young Ethiopian girl out of poverty.  She came here with a missionary, and we volunteered to let her live in our home.  Jesus used us to keep her from living a life of poverty, pain, and misery.  She is now going off to college here in the U.S.A.  She is going to become a minister!  Isn't Jesus great?

 

Two years ago, I saw a video that showed thousands of poor Ethiopian children who were on the brink of death by starvation...  I knew there was nothing I or anyone else could do to help them.  I said a prayer for them and turned the television off.  I guess Jesus just allows those things to happen so that we can appreciate the blessings he's bestowed upon us and our beautiful country.  It's really a shame, but sometimes we've got to be able to see the bad to appreciate the good.  Can I get a witness?!

 

A year ago, an entire town was wiped out in a tornado.  Over 100 people died.  It was such a terrible tragedy to witness.  However, I know there was a reason that Jesus allowed it to happen.  Since the disaster, I've heard that so many people have given their lives back to him.  They probably wouldn't have had the disaster never struck their town.  But, thanks to the efforts of the church and Jesus' wonderful grace, those people have been able to find a true calm after the storm.

 

About six months ago, a tornado swept by the town I live in.  The weather forecaster said that had the wind direction been just a little more to the south, our town would have been wiped out for sure.  Thankfully, it didn't.  I really believe that Jesus spared our little town.  I mean, what would we have done?  Praise him for his eternal mercy...

 

Two weeks ago, my grandpa died from lung cancer.  He was such a good man, but I guess it was his time to go.  My family and I prayed for him day and night, but I guess Jesus was ready for him to come home.  I know he's not in as much pain now, and I know he's in a better place.  The craziest thing about it all is that unbeknownst to any of us, grandpa had a secret inheritance of a million dollars that he left behind for us.  Now, my family can afford to do all of the things we've always wanted to do.  It turns out that Jesus knew the whole time what we really needed even when we didn't.

 

Five days ago, my aunt Lorraine came home from the doctor and told us that she was officially cancer free.  We were all so happy and overjoyed.  I know in my heart that Jesus worked through the doctor's hands and the drugs to bring about a miracle recovery in her life.  Isn't Jesus great?  He truly is the great healer!

 

Eight months ago, my wife and I celebrated our anniversary.  We each drank a bottle of wine, and we had the most romantic and fun night of our life.  There was candlelight, dinner, plenty of dancing, and lots of lovemaking afterwards.  What a memory!  That night revealed to me just why Jesus didn't mind turning the water into wine every once in awhile.  Praise Jesus, the true vine and the creator of real mirth and joy!

 

Four months ago, I met a poor sap who had a drinking problem.  I invited him to my church recovery group, and now he is clean and sober.  Jesus really did a miracle when he delivered that young man from the demon spirits that surround alcohol!

 

A few weeks ago, I experienced a real miracle.  I went to my mailbox and found a letter that was addressed to me with no return sender.  I opened it up, and it contained five fresh one hundred dollar bills.  It was the exact amount of money that I needed to pay my electric bill.  I was so overjoyed.  I'm so glad I told the members in my church to pray for my finances because Jesus sent me just the amount of money that I needed to keep the lights on.  That day he showed me that he truly is the Giver of Light!  Glory!

 

Two and a half weeks ago my neighbors had their electricity shut off.  I hated to see it happen to them, but in my heart, I understood why.  The father of the family of four has been backsliding for some time now.  He hasn't been to church in nearly a half a year.  He can't really expect Jesus to reward him for that kind of behavior, now can he?  I'm sure that Jesus is using this bad experience to teach him a lesson.  Maybe he'll get his life right and come back to church!  I'll be praying for him regularly - you can count on it!

 

I looked in the mirror today and realized how strong and healthy I am.  Jesus sure has taken good care of me.  I know that I'm going to need my strength and health to participate in all of the work he has for me to do.  For example, next week I'm helping to build our wonderful pastor a brand new house!  Thank Jesus that I have the strength and the know-how to accomplish this huge task.  I know that I couldn't do it without him.

 

Yesterday, I ran into one of my old friends that I used to go to the gym with.  I hadn't seen him in awhile, and I was shocked by how terrible he looked.  He told me that he had been diagnosed with muscular dystrophy, and his health and strength was fading fast.  Tears welled up in my eyes, and I gave him a big hug.  I know that Jesus is using this terrible turn of events to teach him a lesson that he needs to learn.  Maybe he needs to learn to not be so prideful?  Or maybe he needs to learn to rely less on himself and more on Jesus?  Either way, I'm going to be there for him because that is what Jesus would want me to do!

 

*************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************

 

In case you missed it, the moral of this story is that Jesus didn't have a thing to do with any of the things I mentioned above.  For many people, Christianity is nothing short of a live action role playing game in which each participant makes up the rules and the explanations for things as he or she goes along always being sure to fit the miraculous and powerful interventions of Jesus in when applicable.  Now, to be clear, I'm not trying to make the point that a god, a higher power, a higher order, or a collective consciousness etc. doesn't exist.  I don't claim to have enough knowledge to make those kinds of assertions.  Maybe science will eventually figure it all out... or maybe not.  It really doesn't matter.  What I do know is that Christianity is a mind control game that saps its participants of their intellect, their common sense, and ultimately, their ability to clearly see the true nature of the lives that they lead in this world.  There is nothing holy, sacred, or miraculous about any of it.  Thanks for taking the time to read!  

Brilliant, simply brilliant....

 

As Jesus said to the Roman......

 

"You nailed it"

 

 

[Margee]

Excellent  Shinobi! Five star post! Thanks for taking the time to write that out. My confession  on ex-c today would be that this is the game that I miss playing. This is the silly mind game that always had me twisted trying to figure out God's "higher ways".  And this stupid game is what always gave me a little hope  (as silly as that sounds ). It is our July  long weekend and it has been raining off and on all week. Now for the next 2 days it's  pouring  out. All activities in our city have been cancelled. Hundreds are disappointed including me.  I guess that Jesus is protecting us from forest fires this summer cause he's  providing so much rain! Or maybe he wants me to sit and post on ex-c! Glory to his name!  Thanks again for showing us the mind games we had to play as Christians. (Hug)

[Shinobi]

On 7/1/2017 at 5:28 AM, Garry said:

Brilliant, simply brilliant....

 

As Jesus said to the Roman......

 

"You nailed it"

 

 

.........................

[Shinobi]

On 7/1/2017 at 8:32 AM, Margee said:

Excellent  Shinobi! Five star post! Thanks for taking the time to write that out. My confession  on ex-c today would be that this is the game that I miss playing. This is the silly mind game that always had me twisted trying to figure out God's "higher ways".  And this stupid game is what always gave me a little hope  (as silly as that sounds ). It is our July  long weekend and it has been raining off and on all week. Now for the next 2 days it's  pouring  out. All activities in our city have been cancelled. Hundreds are disappointed including me.  I guess that Jesus is protecting us from forest fires this summer cause he's  providing so much rain! Or maybe he wants me to sit and post on ex-c! Glory to his name!  Thanks again for showing us the mind games we had to play as Christians. (Hug)

 

...........................................

[TABA]

 

 

On another note that I think you might be interested in (based on some of the posts you've made in the past), I am not an atheist. I realize that there are people who frequent this site who are 100% convinced that no god, higher power, etc. exists, and I am happy that they have been able to find peace in claiming that worldview. However, on a personal level, I've never been 100% comfortable with looking at the world strictly through that set of lenses, so to speak. That's not to say that I haven't gained a lot of useful insight from their various perspectives. Atheists have a real knack for taking a no-nonsense approach to life which I can fully appreciate and respect.

 

 

This has been said before, but it bears repeating from time to time: most of us who consider ourselves atheists are not 100% convinced that there is no god.  Rather we see no convincing evidence for the existence of any god, so we don't believe in any and don't worship any.  Technically we are agnostic atheists.  Somebody who was 100% convinced would be a gnostic atheist, and those are rather rare.  It is certainly possible to be spiritual  in a sense without believing in any deities.

 

Just sayin...

[☆ DarkBishop ☆]

You had me going for a minute there but I figured out what you were doing when you talked about the acid trip lol. Yeah your right. Christians praise God for good, bad, and ridiculous reasons. There was a time I praised God like that. But not anymore.

 

Last year I was diving a quarry. I had some complications at about 55 feet. I figured out I was over weighted. I had used this weight set up before but for some reason in that quarry it was to much. I panicked and started to hyper ventilate. I couldn't get enough air out of my regulator. My buddies were to far above me to help. My mind went blank. And I almost pulled my regulator out to breath in a nice fresh lung full of water. Jesus wasn't there for me. Jesus actually didn't cross my mind when I thought I was about to die.

 

My kids saved me that day. It's true what they say, when you are dying you think about what is most important in your life. In a matter of seconds a flood of images went through my mind. My boys growing up without me, my baby girl crying her heart out because her dad had died, my boys being taught how to drive by someone else. My daughters first dance, prom and getting married all without her dad. And my boys becoming men without me being there to see it.

 

Those thoughts were what made me calm down, remember my training, and I knew what I had to do. I felt for the quick release on my weight pocket, found them at the same time, and dropped all my weight. I probably should have just dropped half but the it wasn't the time to worry about it. It cost me $50 for the weights that day but it was the best 50 I've ever spent. My kids saved my life that day. Not Jesus. 

 

PRAISE THE CHILDREN! HALLELUJAH!!

 

I think I'm going to build an altar to them and offer incense and burnt sacrifices lmao.

 

Dark Bishop

 

Unfortunately tho I did get a little ptsd from that. I have a reoccurring nightmare now. I'm in the quarry again and for whatever various reason, I'm about to drown again and wake up gasping for air. My plan is to, face my fears, go back, and have a good experience there so I can hopefully get rid of the dreams.

[TABA]

It's great that those thoughts of your kids helped you focus and do what you had been taught to do.   You saved yourself, thanks to your own mind and to the dive instructors who taught you well. And you're a better diver now that you've experienced that. 

 

I want to learn to dive.  One of these days...

[★ Citsonga ★]

 

 

Exactly!  It's completely ridiculous.  Now, that I've been away from it for awhile I have a hard time comprehending how I didn't see through the charade sooner.  Smh  :/

 

I've kicked myself many times as well. The irrationality of Christianity is so crystal clear now that it's become difficult for me to fathom ever having believed it, but I was totally convinced that it was true for the first 29 years of my life.

 

[Shinobi]

On 7/2/2017 at 7:54 AM, ThereAndBackAgain said:

 

This has been said before, but it bears repeating from time to time: most of us who consider ourselves atheists are not 100% convinced that there is no god.  Rather we see no convincing evidence for the existence of any god, so we don't believe in any and don't worship any.  Technically we are agnostic atheists.  Somebody who was 100% convinced would be a gnostic atheist, and those are rather rare.  It is certainly possible to be spiritual  in a sense without believing in any deities.

 

Just sayin...

 

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

[Shinobi]

On 7/2/2017 at 9:22 AM, Citsonga said:

 

I've kicked myself many times as well. The irrationality of Christianity is so crystal clear now that it's become difficult for me to fathom ever having believed it, but I was totally convinced that it was true for the first 29 years of my life.

 

 

.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,

 

  

[TABA]

 

 

Edit:  Fuck it! It's time to come clean.  The preacher I'm referring to is my father...  I've been scared to let anybody know what I've been through, but I'm tired of hiding it.  My dad was a respected preacher of a huge church, and he raped my sister.

 

  

 

Oh man, I'm so sorry!  I can't imagine.  I hope it helped in some small way to 'get it off your chest' here.

[TABA]

 

 

Hi, ThereAndBackAgain.  I completely agree with you.  I hope you know that I really wasn't making that reply to disrespect atheists in any way, shape, or form.  Like I said, I completely respect where most of them are coming from.  I've just found in the past that when I've brought up my own beliefs or ideas about the nature of the universe and reality, I've been belittled and made fun of in a really bad way by various atheists.  Like you, I don't claim to really know the true nature of the universe.  I've had a lot of experiences in my own life that have led me to believe that there might be something else going on outside of what we taste, touch, see, feel, and hear, so I feel no shame in researching and hypothesizing about the nature of reality from a pantheistic perspective.  All the same, I completely understand why there are people out there who might see that as a waste of time.  I try my best not to judge others.  We all have legitimate reasons for embracing our various worldviews.  I think the important thing to focus on is the fact that nearly everyone here has been able to see through the smoke & mirrors of Christianity and organized religion in general.

 

It's clear to me you meant no offense to atheists or anybody else, so no worries there!  And although I am certainly an atheist, I do see the value - in fact the importance - of promoting forms of spirituality that do not include worshipping gods.  People get benefits from prayer, no doubt, and many are comforted by believing that a god is watching over them.  If humans as a species are going to outgrow their gods, there needs to be widespread adoption of non-theistic ways of coping with the trials of life.  Various forms of meditation seem like the most promising answer there. 

[★ Citsonga ★]

 

Yeah, I was the exact same way.  It wasn't until I had my eyes forced open by a number of really bad experiences within the church that I started taking the time to question all of it like I should.  

 

I personally didn't really have any bad experiences with the church. The Christians I know are mostly decent people. A lot of them would give you the shirt of their back if they knew you were in need. My father was a bit overbearing and unreasonable in his parenting style, but he's an honest man who thought he was doing the right thing. For me, what opened my eyes was seeing serious problems in the Bible when I was studying to "grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ."

 

 

One of the preachers I grew up with who I also knew on a personal level turned out to be a child molester.  When I found out what he had been doing to his daughter, my faith took a swan dive.  It turned out that he had been molesting her before and after services in the church office.  Afterwards, he would get up in front of his huge church and preach about the evils of perversion etc.  The night that he was exposed he gave a sermon about how rapists, homosexuals, and child molesters all had a place waiting for them in hell.  No, I'm not making any of this up.

 

Anyway, I didn't lose my faith because I was mad at the church or the preacher, even though I was heartbroken and furious to the point of rage.  However, those events are what caused me to take a few steps back and open my eyes to take a closer look at everything I had been raised to believe in.  Once I started asking the really tough questions, the doubts started pouring in like a flood, and eventually, after years of soul searching, prayer, anguish, and research, I was forced to let all of it go.  I eventually ended up taking a number of history courses in college that really opened my eyes to the fact that the Bible is not an academically reliable source of history - after coming to that realization, it was so much easier for me to overcome the fears that I had been silently harboring about losing my faith and going to hell.

 

Long story short, when a person has been brainwashed to believe that Jesus is completely in control of every aspect of life, reality, and the world in general, it is extremely hard for that person to ever completely wake up on his or her own without a little bit of outside help.  Had I not had my eyes violently pried open via tragedy, I'm not sure that I would have ever fully caught on to the charade that is known as Christianity.  

 

Edit:  Fuck it! It's time to come clean.  The preacher I'm referring to is my father...  I've been scared to let anybody know what I've been through, but I'm tired of hiding it.  My dad was a respected preacher of a huge church, and he raped my sister.

 

Oh, my, that is awful! I'm so sorry to hear what your family had to endure, especially your sister. Hopefully that creep is locked away for a very long time. I wish your family the best as you move on from such a terrible thing.

 

[Shinobi]

On 7/2/2017 at 11:45 AM, ThereAndBackAgain said:

 

It's clear to me you meant no offense to atheists or anybody else, so no worries there!  And although I am certainly an atheist, I do see the value - in fact the importance - of promoting forms of spirituality that do not include worshipping gods.  People get benefits from prayer, no doubt, and many are comforted by believing that a god is watching over them.  If humans as a species are going to outgrow their gods, there needs to be widespread adoption of non-theistic ways of coping with the trials of life.  Various forms of meditation seem like the most promising answer there. 

 

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,....................................

[MOHO]

 

 

Yeah, I was the exact same way.  It wasn't until I had my eyes forced open by a number of really bad experiences within the church that I started taking the time to question all of it like I should.  One of the preachers I grew up with who I also knew on a personal level turned out to be a child molester.  When I found out what he had been doing to his daughter, my faith took a swan dive.  It turned out that he had been molesting her before and after services in the church office.  Afterwards, he would get up in front of his huge church and preach about the evils of perversion etc.  The night that he was exposed he gave a sermon about how rapists, homosexuals, and child molesters all had a place waiting for them in hell.  No, I'm not making any of this up.

 

Anyway, I didn't lose my faith because I was mad at the church or the preacher, even though I was heartbroken and furious to the point of rage.  However, those events are what caused me to take a few steps back and open my eyes to take a closer look at everything I had been raised to believe in.  Once I started asking the really tough questions, the doubts started pouring in like a flood, and eventually, after years of soul searching, prayer, anguish, and research, I was forced to let all of it go.  I eventually ended up taking a number of history courses in college that really opened my eyes to the fact that the Bible is not an academically reliable source of history - after coming to that realization, it was so much easier for me to overcome the fears that I had been silently harboring about losing my faith and going to hell.

 

Long story short, when a person has been brainwashed to believe that Jesus is completely in control of every aspect of life, reality, and the world in general, it is extremely hard for that person to ever completely wake up on his or her own without a little bit of outside help.  Had I not had my eyes violently pried open via tragedy, I'm not sure that I would have ever fully caught on to the charade that is known as Christianity.  

 

Edit:  Fuck it! It's time to come clean.  The preacher I'm referring to is my father...  I've been scared to let anybody know what I've been through, but I'm tired of hiding it.  My dad was a respected preacher of a huge church, and he raped my sister.

 

  

 

 

DUDE!

That's heavy!

 

I Just have an over barring fundy wife and step-son.

I've got it easy!

[Shinobi]

On 7/3/2017 at 1:04 PM, MOHO said:

 

 

DUDE!

That's heavy!

 

I Just have an over barring fundy wife and step-son.

I've got it easy!

 

.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,

[MOHO]

 

 

Hey, MOHO.  I certainly understand where you are coming from.  However, just because you've never had to deal with a psychopathic pervert preacher who also happens to be your father doesn't mean that you've got it easy.  I'm sure you deal with more than your fair share of trials, heartaches, and headaches as they concern dealing with your wife, stepson, and all of the religious gobbledygook that comes along with having to live with their belief systems.  The truth of the matter is that none of us who have found the courage to walk away from the faith we were raised to embrace as our own have it very easy.  So many aspects of our society are built around a lot of religious nonsense and superstition, and at times, I'm sure we all feel like the world is completely against us... 

 

Anyway, I wouldn't wish what my family has been through on anybody.  There were times when the pain and confusion was enough to make me consider completely flipping out and going off the deep end.

 

 

thanx for that, Shinobi,

 

You are insightful individual.

[Enlightenednow]

This was me before deconverting. Lol. There were no exceptions really. All of it. Something good happens, you are being blessed. Something bad happens, you are still being blessed cause Jesus wants you to learn. Something aweful happens, Jesus loves you so much that He wants you to get closer to Him and need Him even more. 

[LogicalFallacy]

On ‎03‎/‎07‎/‎2017 at 0:54 AM, ThereAndBackAgain said:

 

This has been said before, but it bears repeating from time to time: most of us who consider ourselves atheists are not 100% convinced that there is no god.  Rather we see no convincing evidence for the existence of any god, so we don't believe in any and don't worship any.  Technically we are agnostic atheists.  Somebody who was 100% convinced would be a gnostic atheist, and those are rather rare.  It is certainly possible to be spiritual  in a sense without believing in any deities.

 

Just sayin...

 

This, this and this again. TABA nailed this point nicely!

 

I'm atheist not because it's my worldview, its just technically the position I hold based on the definition. Agnostic Atheist at your service.