AKR Posted December 1, 2008 Share Posted December 1, 2008 Hmm... this one's tough because there was no one moment that I can say I was decidedly not Christian compared to the moment before. It was such a gradual process that I can't define a beginning for it... but I have been completely ex-Christian for about three years, mostly on the way towards it (but still held onto some sort of God belief) for five years. Same here. I was practically an Atheist around 16-17, but wasn't totally out of it until early 2001. No relapses. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Trutia Posted December 13, 2008 Share Posted December 13, 2008 When you are young,you are somehow afraid of what "they" say: -"an old,white-bearded man, sitting in the clouds will punish you and so on... ( :-S) well,6 or 7 years ago. Frankly,I dont know if I have ever been a christian,maybe that was just a fear-factory. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MaleficVTwin Posted January 6, 2009 Share Posted January 6, 2009 It will be a year for me on 2-17-09. That of course was the day that the nonexistence of God became strikingly clear to me, I had been an agnostic for years previous to that day. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big.blue.nation Posted January 15, 2009 Share Posted January 15, 2009 15 year slow de-conversion process for me. Early cracks were just being irritated with church, christians, culture, etc... Recent years have been confronting honest doubts regarding theology (bible errors, hell, history, etc...) Formal declaration actually this past December...so guess I'm a noob de-convert LOL. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ixolite Posted January 15, 2009 Share Posted January 15, 2009 About 20 years. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Onyx Posted January 15, 2009 Share Posted January 15, 2009 I de-converted from a bunnyhopping religious journey of three years (from 11 to 14) involving fundamentalist, Assembly of God, universalism, British-Israelism and evangelism. It was an extremely painless de-conversion at the age of 14, though there are Dad looking over me and Jehovah's witnesses to contend with. So, I'm an atheist for 5 years and going strong. Very happily, I may add. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amethyst Posted January 15, 2009 Share Posted January 15, 2009 About 4 years now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mahjong Posted January 25, 2009 Share Posted January 25, 2009 18 or 19 years. You can take the girl out of the church, you have a much harder time taking the church out of the girl! Still kicking! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mriana Posted February 3, 2009 Share Posted February 3, 2009 At least 6 years since I left the Episcopal Church 6 years ago, almost 7, and Fundamgelicalism 23 years ago (doesn't seem that long), but had doubts and questions long before that. The thing is, I have close relatives who are Fundamgelicals, so I may have left, but I'm not exactly free from it. I don't suffer from guilt, as much as I do fear. That has been the hardest one to deal with, esp here in the Bible Belt and having Fundie relatives. I saw what they did to my step-cousin and what it led him to (or it was part of it) and I don't want such behaviours towards him around me. So, I avoid them as much as possible, but it's not easy, esp those who are family. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MaleficVTwin Posted February 3, 2009 Share Posted February 3, 2009 I saw what they did to my step-cousin and what it led him to (or it was part of it) and I don't want such behaviours towards him around me. So, I avoid them as much as possible, but it's not easy, esp those who are family. That is horrible. I can not and never will understand how an imaginary being can be more important than family. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NaturalSelection Posted February 7, 2009 Share Posted February 7, 2009 5 yrs (took 5 years before that to ween myself off that mind-rot). I didn't tell anyone outside my immediate family for quite a while; I kept "pretending" or just "going along to get along" for quite awhile. I've pretty much stopped doing that at this point. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mriana Posted February 8, 2009 Share Posted February 8, 2009 I saw what they did to my step-cousin and what it led him to (or it was part of it) and I don't want such behaviours towards him around me. So, I avoid them as much as possible, but it's not easy, esp those who are family. That is horrible. I can not and never will understand how an imaginary being can be more important than family. It's worse than horrible. I was very upset with them when my mother called to tell me that he shot himself in the head due to back pain, but they had been trying to get him to give his life to God/Jesus, because Jesus would take his pain away and heal him. :roll: Then she informed me their preacher stayed with him to get him to "follow the path of salvation" until his brothers agreed to pull the plug because he was brain dead. WTF?! He shot himself in the head because of that, as well as back pain even though he had three surgeries, and they were trying to convert a dead man? His brains were gone. What do they think brain dead means? They pestered him to death and then continued to try to get him to "follow the path of salvation". Just like at my grandmother's funeral, she died in her sleep at 94 and my aunt and mother requested it, the preacher once again, according to my mother for I did not go to his funeral, the preacher preached "the path of salvation" and it "was a wonderful memorial service". I told my sons, when I die, you go and find a Humanist celebrant and have a Funeral Celebration in memory of me, not some stupid minister of any religion who preaches something silly. Celebrate my life, not have some minister talk stupidity. BTW, my grandmother got a funeral and he got a memorial, both done by the same insane preacher, who seems to have the idea that brain dead doesn't mean anything and the dead can still hear people. :roll: That was just last year that he died and my grandmother died the year before. My grandmother was not a big deal, because she died naturally even though she was a believer, but my step-cousin, I blame my mother, aunt, and all their church cronies for making his physical pain worse with mental anxiety that lead to his suicide. That's two people in my family that have committed suicide and religion was involved. I want nothing to do with it, even if I can tolerate people like Spong. I won't be driven to that sort of insanity, if I can help it. Thus, I try to avoid them as much as possible. It shouldn't be that way, but it has to be that way for my own sanity. I've worked too hard to regain sanity in my life. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oddbird1963 Posted February 8, 2009 Share Posted February 8, 2009 I've been out of Christianity privately for about a month. I've been in a slow process of de-conversion for about 13 years. I just woke up one day a in January and realized there was no point in calling myself a Christian anymore. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MaleficVTwin Posted February 8, 2009 Share Posted February 8, 2009 I saw what they did to my step-cousin and what it led him to (or it was part of it) and I don't want such behaviours towards him around me. So, I avoid them as much as possible, but it's not easy, esp those who are family. That is horrible. I can not and never will understand how an imaginary being can be more important than family. It's worse than horrible. I was very upset with them when my mother called to tell me that he shot himself in the head due to back pain, but they had been trying to get him to give his life to God/Jesus, because Jesus would take his pain away and heal him. :roll: Then she informed me their preacher stayed with him to get him to "follow the path of salvation" until his brothers agreed to pull the plug because he was brain dead. WTF?! He shot himself in the head because of that, as well as back pain even though he had three surgeries, and they were trying to convert a dead man? His brains were gone. What do they think brain dead means? They pestered him to death and then continued to try to get him to "follow the path of salvation". Just like at my grandmother's funeral, she died in her sleep at 94 and my aunt and mother requested it, the preacher once again, according to my mother for I did not go to his funeral, the preacher preached "the path of salvation" and it "was a wonderful memorial service". I told my sons, when I die, you go and find a Humanist celebrant and have a Funeral Celebration in memory of me, not some stupid minister of any religion who preaches something silly. Celebrate my life, not have some minister talk stupidity. BTW, my grandmother got a funeral and he got a memorial, both done by the same insane preacher, who seems to have the idea that brain dead doesn't mean anything and the dead can still hear people. :roll: That was just last year that he died and my grandmother died the year before. My grandmother was not a big deal, because she died naturally even though she was a believer, but my step-cousin, I blame my mother, aunt, and all their church cronies for making his physical pain worse with mental anxiety that lead to his suicide. That's two people in my family that have committed suicide and religion was involved. I want nothing to do with it, even if I can tolerate people like Spong. I won't be driven to that sort of insanity, if I can help it. Thus, I try to avoid them as much as possible. It shouldn't be that way, but it has to be that way for my own sanity. I've worked too hard to regain sanity in my life. Wow. I'm sorry for all of that. My paternal grandfather died in '05, when I still called myself a Christian. That was a tough funeral. I have three grandparents left, aged 87 to 95. All of their funerals will be religious, and I will probably end up a prominent speaker at at least one. I'll have to bite my tongue and roll with it to prevent any animosity. Not looking forward to it for a multitude of reasons. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Astreja Posted February 17, 2009 Share Posted February 17, 2009 I have three grandparents left, aged 87 to 95. All of their funerals will be religious, and I will probably end up a prominent speaker at at least one. I'll have to bite my tongue and roll with it to prevent any animosity. Not looking forward to it for a multitude of reasons. If you do end up speaking at their funerals, be sure to take that opportunity to share your good memories of them... All the things that make them dear to you. Because that is what people will remember about them, years later. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MaleficVTwin Posted February 17, 2009 Share Posted February 17, 2009 I have three grandparents left, aged 87 to 95. All of their funerals will be religious, and I will probably end up a prominent speaker at at least one. I'll have to bite my tongue and roll with it to prevent any animosity. Not looking forward to it for a multitude of reasons. If you do end up speaking at their funerals, be sure to take that opportunity to share your good memories of them... All the things that make them dear to you. Because that is what people will remember about them, years later. That's my plan. If I get volunteered to speak, I'm going to make it a nonreligious "life celebration", or whatever it's called. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arcane Lullabye Posted February 22, 2009 Share Posted February 22, 2009 It's been a few months now. I think it really says something about Christianity that I've come across so many ex-Christians who were Christians for 20+ years (and still didn't find the answers they were looking for). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest newborn Posted February 25, 2009 Share Posted February 25, 2009 Just over 2 weeks. As I've told my friends and the word is starting to spread (and the truth of my leaving) is starting to sink into their minds, the shit has been steadily heading towards the fan... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MaleficVTwin Posted February 26, 2009 Share Posted February 26, 2009 Just over 2 weeks. As I've told my friends and the word is starting to spread (and the truth of my leaving) is starting to sink into their minds, the shit has been steadily heading towards the fan... Good luck......that's about all the advice I can give. You're going to hear things like "I can't believe you're doing this" and "I'll pray for you" and such. You may even lose friends over it. What they don't understand is that once you've stopped believing, it's nearly impossible to start believing again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ShackledNoMore Posted March 8, 2009 Share Posted March 8, 2009 I can't believe that I've been on ex-c for 2 or 2 1/2 years and never posted to this thread. My "official" deconversion date (although the process was long) is Sept. 14, 1985, after having been "born again" into a batshit pentecostal fundy church in 1972 and having been raised catholic before that. That makes it about 23 1/2 years as of today's posting. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crazycanuck Posted March 11, 2009 Share Posted March 11, 2009 Almost a year since I declared myself no longer a Christian.....regared myself as an agnostic at first, now comfortable with calling myself an atheist. Took about 10 yrs total of doubting, and much intense thinking and reading the last 2 yrs or so. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MaleficVTwin Posted March 11, 2009 Share Posted March 11, 2009 Almost a year since I declared myself no longer a Christian.....regared myself as an agnostic at first, now comfortable with calling myself an atheist. Took about 10 yrs total of doubting, and much intense thinking and reading the last 2 yrs or so. Feb 17 was my year. I called myself an agnostic for a long time as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anna Posted March 16, 2009 Share Posted March 16, 2009 Almost a month now! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FriedVillageGuts Posted March 18, 2009 Share Posted March 18, 2009 Celebrating 3 years out - always easy to remember since it falls on St. Patrick's day. Now if I just had some green beer... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joD Posted March 18, 2009 Share Posted March 18, 2009 Not sure when I actually "left" although I started to seriously doubt about 2 years ago. I stopped going to church last September. (Although I had only sparsley attended for about 3 months prior). It was probably Oct/Nov of 2008 when I could say with all honesty that I no longer believe. It was my first christmas in my entire 44 years on this planet, that I didn't try to convince someone that jezus is the reason for the season during the holidays! Liberating, freeing, wonderful! I posted my testimony last week, which made it somehow feel more official. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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