It's a bit of an essay

[LogicalFallacy]

1 hour ago, disillusioned said:

.... Not criticising, but this is Eowyn's thread. Why is it in the den?

I get that Knott's contributions may merit the den, but Eowyn's introduction? Really?

 

I agree.

 

Um.. @buffettphan Perhaps this should be moved back to introductions for Eowyn and I'll create a topic and copy Knotts post and tag him?

 

Otherwise Eowyn will wonder what has happened to her intro thread.

 

Trust a Christian to ruin a good intro thread.  

[buffettphan]

Weird software limitations when trying to split the thread.  Moved back to Introductions.  

 

@Eowynesque    Apologies for the wackiness that happened to your thread.  Welcome to Ex-C!

 

@Knott   Please keep your ex-churchism-but-still-born-againism brand of christianity in the Lion's Den.  Thank you for your cooperation.  

 

 

[Joshpantera]

15 hours ago, Knott said:

I have a question, I'm curious about how atheists come to believe in no god. I'm not real versed on atheism. Is it science, study, Christians being so damn goofy, all the above, ect.

 

I guess you'd better Knott ask that outside of the lion's den. 

 

 

[Eowynesque]

Well that was a wild ride. No worries. 

[Guest]

On 5/23/2018 at 2:00 AM, Eowynesque said:

 

Then classes resumed and I was drawn back in, yet extremely adverse to worship services. I just couldn’t let go yet. My faith had been so precious to me.

Welcome to Ex-C! I think a lot of us here have been through this, it is hard to let go. There was a time for me when I knew that I no longer believed but couldn't acknowledge it, my emotions just hadn't caught up yet, and I was in denial about what I knew the future was going to hold for me. There was a lot of "I want to believe, but I can't," and I honestly think there are probably a great many Christians who go through life in this phase and never leave it, they just ignore the cognitive dissonance and prefer to let their emotions take over.

On 5/23/2018 at 2:00 AM, Eowynesque said:

I settled into a liberal Christian faith, but it felt so empty. I couldn’t relate to my fellow Christians like I used to. The common beliefs were gone. The 2016 election was the final straw. I still feel like I am in the process of deconverting yet I am comfortable describing myself as an atheist. I have so much to learn. I’m mourning all the good things that I lost. I’m suffering anxiety that my parents will soon learn the full truth and their hearts will break. I love them so much. I’m thrilled that the mental gymnastics are over. I’m furious that religion so easily destroys relationships. Writing this out has helped.

I can relate to all this. My advice is, just give yourself time, let it all happen naturally. Let yourself grieve, it's part of it. Letting your parents know the truth, if that's what you wish to do, is something you should consider beforehand. I took some time to think about how I was going to do it. For a long time I put it off, because I didn't want to break their hearts. In the end, I realized I am not responsible for other people's emotions or reactions, and that I had a right to live my life honestly and be open with people (it was hurting our relationship because I had to hide so much from them).

Your anger is normal. I will always despise how religion so easily destroys relationships. The best you can do is rebuild them as best you can, and find other relationships as well.

You certainly aren't alone with your experiences, and you will find a great deal of help from the people here if you need it. Best of luck!

[Eowynesque]

I appreciate all of the warm welcomes and thoughtful replies.