So long and thanks for all the fish

[VerbosityCat]

I took about a week to decompress and think and I realize coming back and looking at some posts and such that... wow... I am PROFOUNDLY unhappy in this space. Like DEEPLY HOLY FUCKING SHIT I WOULD RATHER GO TO CHURCH unhappy in this space.

 

I feel like it's toxic as shit to spiritual ex-C's and I would really encourage Ex-C's who are fully deconverted but still have a need for spirituality to just leave this space (which seems like it's really most functional as a TRANSITIONAL space rather than a permanent space to live), and find more healthy spiritual communities rather than exist endlessly in a space as a second class citizen in a "ghetto" where you feel obligated to self-reference as "woo" just to get materialists off your back.

 

I apologize for using the word "woo" because I don't believe it at all. I don't believe my views are woo. I don't believe midniterider is woo. I don't believe any spiritual person on this space is "woo" but there is obviously a sense of psychological bullying here or else people wouldn't self-reference as 'woo' as some form of mental Judo to protect themselves from being constantly shrieked at by low-consciousness people who simply are INCAPABLE of referencing the world any way but the material. If that makes them happy, FINE, but why do they feel the need to even be IN this subforum. 

 

And also, what the fuck is up with this "only the strong survive Ex-C" shit? This is just emotional manipulation. Straight up. This is appealing to people's sense of themselves so that you can continue being shitheads to other people who don't share your views. You've run all the Christians off this forum except for the most obnoxious, like End. and so now the only people you have left to bully are spiritual Ex-Cs. But of course you'll disguise it as just wanting to have 'honest debate'. Fuck you. Nobody wants to fucking debate you. They just want to pursue their own spirituality without being constantly harassed with this dumb fucking garbage all the time.

 

Seriously... get off the plantation Ex-C's. Obviously this is not going to become a subforum where materialists are just not allowed to engage at all... If you want to just be able to "talk to your own" about stuff that actually interests you, you need to find a healthier spiritual community elsewhere.

 

As for me, I don't care what you say or think about me, I'm not going to stay in a space I consider unhealthy for me that makes me miserable just to prove how "strong" I am?  (By this logic I should eat cheeseburgers all day every day rather than make healthier choices just to prove that I have freak genetics that can withstand such an assault on my physical health. I mean it's fucking retarded.)

 

If you want to stop bleeding smart spiritual Ex-C's then give these people a REAL SPACE to themselves. Otherwise you'll only be able to hold onto the people you can successfully manipulate with your "survival of the fittest" tripe.

 

If a creature tries to exist in an environment wholly unsuited for it... yes, it will not do well. Dolphins do not fly and crows do not swim. Acting as though dolphins should spend all their time trying to fly to prove they are "as strong as crows" is a functionally retarded viewpoint.

 

Clean your house, or don't. Spiritual Ex-C's decide if this is the environment you really want to swim in.

 

To quote the dolphins: So long, and thanks for all the fish.

 

 

 

[florduh]

There are plenty of spiritually specific forums where no questions or resistance will be met. It's too bad you can't deal with the differing opinions and respect most of us have for evidence because you are one of the best "woo" posters we've had. Smart and knowledgeable ones don't come along that often. Be well. I'll miss your posts.

[disillusioned]

Solid rant.

 

If this has indeed become a place where only the strong can survive, then that is very regrettable.

 

@VerbosityCat, I'm sorry you felt pushed out. You are not the first. I hope you'll reconsider,  but if not, all the best. 

[VerbosityCat]

3 minutes ago, disillusioned said:

Solid rant.

 

If this has indeed become a place where only the strong can survive, then that is very regrettable.

 

@VerbosityCat, I'm sorry you felt pushed out. You are not the first. I hope you'll reconsider,  but if not, all the best. 

 

I don't feel "pushed out". It's my opinion that this is an unhealthy space for spiritually minded Ex-C's. I am not a "victim". Nobody pushed me anywhere. All this language framing people do is in the first case of "only the strong survive" a manipulation strategy and in the second case "feeling pushed out" a way to make it seem as though I'm "complaining" and stating some "victimhood status". I don't claim any such thing. I am nobody's victim. I choose, of my own free will, to not engage and participate on a forum like this because I don't like what it is. Rather than try to push my will onto others to shift an environment that I'm not EVER going to like most likely no matter what's done, I am removing myself from the bullshit bottleneck. Any further comments anybody want me to actually respond to should be directed to me in private message because I'm out of all further commenting on this forum from this moment.

[disillusioned]

For the record, I did not intend to give the impression that I feel anyone is claiming "victimhood status". Not my way.  I respect that not all forums are for everyone, and that's just fine. There's nothing wrong with electing not to have conversations that are not interesting or not helpful to you.  What I meant to say is that, personally, I find it regrettable that an ex-Christian, any ex-Christian, should  find that this is not an engaging and supportive space  in which to engage in dialogue. 

[TruthSeeker0]

I'm sorry to see you go but I understand why you left@VerbosityCat. I'm also growing tired of not having more variety on this site, and more importantly, acceptance for variety of perspective. It's well apparent in other areas of the site as well, it's not only the case here. 

[florduh]

Regarding the "safe space." Everybody here has come out of Christianity. Most were harmed in some way. The majority of Ex-Christians not surprisingly want to question why someone would leave one magical system that lacks evidence and move to another. Everybody is recovering and everybody has to figure it out. Those questioning or even challenging "spiritual paths" that just don't happen to be Christianity also would like to find out what's going on with others and why. Faith has left a bad taste because it is nothing more than belief without, or in spite of, evidence. The majority are not okay with that and it is inevitable that challenges will arise. Try not to overreact.

[♦ Fuego ♦]

I didn't get involved in the other thread because I have nothing to defend. There is a ton that we don't know yet, and I find that attaching archetypal labels to things sometimes helps me get through some life issues that otherwise confound me. This section was intended as a safe space for that. I realize the other sections are not. That is why I choose to mostly stay out of any arguments or trying to defend why I think/feel/etc. It isn't religion to me, it is unknown and exploring the facets of human conscious and unconscious motives and patterns. I could foresee that the other thread was going to become an issue, and didn't like seeing it. I honestly didn't read beyond a few postings (and that is true of rather a lot of threads these days), because it feels like entrenched arguing and some members really get off on that. Many of us don't. I'm firmly ex-C, rather logical, but I also have experiences, emotions, and motives that move me to use other not-directly-rational means to discover things about myself. I hope we can make room for this here. Regardless, I will do as I choose. Yet I hope to see Ex-C not be such a bitching session as often as I do.

[Margee]

Today my horoscope told me to become more assertive and have some fun!  I don't need or want any 'evidence' for this. I like to have some fun and not be challenged why this is silly.

 

I'm all over the place with spirituality. Sometimes it's fun to find some hope in the different spiritualities that are out there. I have tried to be 100% atheist and sometimes I am.... but I'm never really happy about being an atheist. So sometimes, I still love to dabble in different spiritual theories (outside of fundamental religion and any hell doctrines) because they make me happy. So if something in this miserable world makes me a little happy, I'm going to allow it, even if it's just for a while.  We all need our own version of what it means to be happy. If I'm happy about something and I'm not hurting anyone, fuck off and leave me alone. (I know.....there's my aggressive side.. )

 

Maybe, some people should read all the rules for this section. Some Ex-cers' just want to discuss different spiritualities and not be made fun of or challenged.

I would say that this section is not for the true atheist.... unless someone is specifically asking to be challenged..... just like some of us need to stay out of ''The Lion's Den'' here on the site.

 

Sorry to see you go V.C. 

(hug)

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Ex-Christian Spirituality

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This area is for those who have left Christianity for another form of theism or spirituality (Deism, Paganism, Wicca, Great Spirit, The Force, Buddhism, etc.).
 

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[midniterider]

Margee said "fuck off."   *hides under my tiny umbrella*

[midniterider]

VC, you have a nice fresh perspective and I've enjoyed some of the ways you look at things. I think they inspire creativity in people who have not locked their minds down to one way of thinking.

 

I think innovators and researchers have taken some things we once called magick and turned them into reality... which means we must immediately stamp the word science on it.