1989 Posted August 15, 2018 Share Posted August 15, 2018 I've alluded to this in another thread: So I'm listening to The Crucified for some odd reason and the singer screams about having freedom through Christ. So where's that freedom? People are so wrapped up in rules and traditions that Christianity seems more like slavery, which is a term I've heard used before by various preachers. Still, they wave around the freedom word like they think they know what it is. Can someone tell me where's the freedom? I don't want to live forever; this is one ride I'd just as soon as missed, so I definitely don't want to drag it out to eternity. Live forever, suffer forever, but where's my freedom? 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MOHO Posted August 15, 2018 Share Posted August 15, 2018 Yeah. You see, @1989, That whole freedom in Jesus, or freedom through Jesus, bullshit is one of the most manipulative, and obvious in my book, mind-control tactics used by Pastor AssHat. They tell you that you are free when you fall hook, line, and sinker for the doctrine when you really and truly are a slave to it. I am as hard-core free speech and freedom of assembly (no, not THAT Assembly) as they come but, more and more, I'm thinking that in order BE a pastor you should need to acquire a license and be subjected to audits to ensure you are not fucking with your parishioner's minds. 2 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
older Posted August 16, 2018 Share Posted August 16, 2018 It was when I realized that I was an atheist that I felt truly free. 5 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ConsiderTheSource Posted August 16, 2018 Share Posted August 16, 2018 14 hours ago, older said: It was when I realized that I was an atheist that I felt truly free. Me too. 8 years in. Anxiety gone. Banished. Living each day to the fullest. It is like getting chocolate ice cream every day without a tummy ache or weight gain. Not even one day in the last 8 years experiencing anything remotely like regret/fear. 3 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Super Moderator TheRedneckProfessor Posted August 26, 2018 Super Moderator Share Posted August 26, 2018 I used to love The Crucified. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
♦ Fuego ♦ Posted August 27, 2018 Share Posted August 27, 2018 Me three, once I knew I was out, it was like taking off goggles and seeing reality for the first time. I had been re-interpreting reality through Christianity for 30 years and realized what a terrible burden it had been. All of the invisible warfare came to a stop, my mind didn't have to make up things anymore, or pretend to be a god scolding me over sin. What a relief! Christianity is Orwellian where slavery is freedom, dying to self is really living, killing your dreams is paradise, and bowing to a narcissist psycho while calling him "Love" is our ultimate goal. Batshit crazy stuff. 4 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TruthSeeker0 Posted August 27, 2018 Share Posted August 27, 2018 This is one thing I never understood as a Christian fundie. All this talk about freedom, but so many rules, so many sins, that whatever you did, you always felt horrible about yourself. It wasn't only claims to freedom, you can add peace and joy to that mix as well. And when I look back and compare my life before deconversion to the life after, well, I feel a great deal of compassion for the person that was me. I didn't really even know the meaning of the words, until I left. 1 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Super Moderator TheRedneckProfessor Posted August 27, 2018 Super Moderator Share Posted August 27, 2018 It wasn't just all the rules and legalism that got to me. There were no practical applications of "freedom" either. Especially freedom from "sin". Imagine a 13 year old boy who is convinced that masturbation is a sin; and so he prays repeatedly for freedom from it, begging upon the altar before the lord to deliver him. Then, not 10 minutes later finds himself in the bathroom... making jesus cry... again. Yeah. A quick glimpse into my childhood for you. 1 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Samuel Posted August 30, 2018 Share Posted August 30, 2018 On 8/15/2018 at 3:16 PM, MOHO said: Yeah. You see, @1989, That whole freedom in Jesus, or freedom through Jesus, bullshit is one of the most manipulative, and obvious in my book, mind-control tactics used by Pastor AssHat. They tell you that you are free when you fall hook, line, and sinker for the doctrine when you really and truly are a slave to it. I am as hard-core free speech and freedom of assembly (no, not THAT Assembly) as they come but, more and more, I'm thinking that in order BE a pastor you should need to acquire a license and be subjected to audits to ensure you are not fucking with your parishioner's minds. It would be so nice if these people actually were qualified to give the help they claim to be giving. Consumer reports for mind-fuckery. It could be like this religion is minimally invasive, but this one is a total lobotomy. 1 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1989 Posted August 30, 2018 Author Share Posted August 30, 2018 3 hours ago, Samuel said: It would be so nice if these people actually were qualified to give the help they claim to be giving. Consumer reports for mind-fuckery. It could be like this religion is minimally invasive, but this one is a total lobotomy. But... but... these are men of God. Don't they know everything? You know, "From a godly perspective blah blah blah the Bible says blah blah blah give me money." Doesn't that qualify as qualification? 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Super Moderator TheRedneckProfessor Posted September 3, 2018 Super Moderator Share Posted September 3, 2018 On 8/30/2018 at 10:36 AM, 1989 said: But... but... these are men of God. Don't they know everything? You know, "From a godly perspective blah blah blah the Bible says blah blah blah give me money." Doesn't that qualify as qualification? In my church, prophesying over people was all the rage. I made a lot of major life decisions based on prophecies that were spoken over me. A LOT. They all turned out to be disastrous. Every. Single. One. Fortunately, I made it out of the mind-fuck at the age of 30. Unfortunately, by then a lot of damage had already been done; and I am still dealing with some of the consequences 15 years later. Yeah, they're qualified... my ass. 3 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Samuel Posted September 3, 2018 Share Posted September 3, 2018 50 minutes ago, TheRedneckProfessor said: In my church, prophesying over people was all the rage. I made a lot of major life decisions based on prophecies that were spoken over me. A LOT. They all turned out to be disastrous. Every. Single. One. Fortunately, I made it out of the mind-fuck at the age of 30. Unfortunately, by then a lot of damage had already been done; and I am still dealing with some of the consequences 15 years later. Yeah, they're qualified... my ass. Yeah, I get what you mean about people making major life decisions based on what others said. Its sickened me to see people make serious life decisions off of the advice my parents as leaders in their christian community. Did my mom go to college, no. Did my dad ever read ANY books other than the particular books from our religious organization, nope. I have literally been in the room, even while a christian, and just listened to terrible advice being given, assurances that should not have been passed down were passed down, and mostly just nothing burgers with the assurance of God because of their authority position. It upsets me a lot to think of how many people, especially young people, my parents have acted like god to. Its a mind trip, to get out from under that thinking that an authority figure should tell you what to do. Hence the fantasy requirement of a psych degree, or other qualification, which would make people conscious that they are overstepping boundaries, violating people's will (desires, motives, etc) and lying about the fundamental fact that people don't have ESP. One of the hard things for me in the aftermath is learning to trust myself, learning to assert where I didn't out of fears that I would have been disparaged for some spiritual crime. 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Super Moderator TheRedneckProfessor Posted September 3, 2018 Super Moderator Share Posted September 3, 2018 1 hour ago, Samuel said: Yeah, I get what you mean about people making major life decisions based on what others said. Its sickened me to see people make serious life decisions off of the advice my parents as leaders in their christian community. Did my mom go to college, no. Did my dad ever read ANY books other than the particular books from our religious organization, nope. I have literally been in the room, even while a christian, and just listened to terrible advice being given, assurances that should not have been passed down were passed down, and mostly just nothing burgers with the assurance of God because of their authority position. It upsets me a lot to think of how many people, especially young people, my parents have acted like god to. Its a mind trip, to get out from under that thinking that an authority figure should tell you what to do. Hence the fantasy requirement of a psych degree, or other qualification, which would make people conscious that they are overstepping boundaries, violating people's will (desires, motives, etc) and lying about the fundamental fact that people don't have ESP. One of the hard things for me in the aftermath is learning to trust myself, learning to assert where I didn't out of fears that I would have been disparaged for some spiritual crime. It takes a while to develop trust in oneself. And often, even as ex-christians we make the same mistakes, because we fall into the same thought patterns. 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VerbosityCat Posted September 11, 2018 Share Posted September 11, 2018 If you aren't free to reject something without threat of eternal torture, you aren't free when you embrace it either. You're just a slave identifying with your captor. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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