QUESTION FOR OLD TIMERS

[Deidre]

3 hours ago, TABA said:

Bro Jeff was/is bipolar and went back and forth between Very Christian and Very Not Christian several times.  He hasn’t been here since before his last reconversion, AFAIK.  I came across his Christian website where he was focused on predicting the Second Coming in 2020 and then again in 2021.  

It’s been a while, I don’t remember him going back and forth like that. I hope he’s doing okay. 

[TheRedneckProfessor]

51 minutes ago, Deidre said:

Well, Mequa passed away a few years ago, from a routine heart surgery. He was like 32 yo and I had found out from a forum member on another was site. Some here may have remembered him. 

I guess you never know the moment. 

[DanForsman]

6 hours ago, Weezer said:

Also it could be that people wanting to leave church got to do so during the pandemic, and are just not going back??  And I honestly think what goes on in the Lions Den at times is keeping some lurkers from joining in. 

I suspect there was kind of a pent up need to let out unchristian thoughts and feelings that were not openly expressed and had no good place to be to be expressed let alone  explored. For most of my life the christian church controlled the entire social narrative on how historically and logically well supported Christian beliefs were and on how sleazy and immoral atheists were. So as these ExC type sites came online along with obviously sincere deconverts who began telling their stories through Youtube, an oasis in the desert of repressed ideas began to slowly grow bigger until the floodgate was opened for people wanting their not so christian thoughts and feelings to be validated. I think the volume of material on line eventually became extensive enough to fill this enormous social need. The quality compelling internet material along with the much more charismatic atheists publicly fighting back against the church smear campaign and then the many church child molestation scandals, all these things together really changed the landscape for questioning christians to a very significant degree. So maybe there was this backlog of repressed unhappy christians who's needs have largely been met and then as new troubled christians begin to look for answers they can easily and immediately find validation and comradery and information aplenty right at there fingertips. I think the power of the christian church to silence the ideas that threaten them has been very much reduced and the atheist community gained substantial credibility thanks primarily to the world wide web availability.       

[TABA]

On 11/29/2022 at 4:29 PM, TheRedneckProfessor said:

I don't think SeaJay went back to christianity.  @TABA has kept in contact and may have more information; but I'm pretty sure he was able to fully deconvert.  

In the long-running three-way message thread with me and @Hierophant, SeaJay asked us to pass along this update on his behalf…

 

“Just thought I'd touch base because Christmas is coming up, and I wanted to wish you both a peaceful happy time.

I checked the email I use for this website and was alerted that Logical Fallacy had mentioned me. I'm not ready for posting there just yet, but if one of you could do me a favour, I'd appreciate it.

Thank everyone for me for helping me through the rough times. Whilst I have left Christianity, I still get episodes of anxiety now and again, but they are fewer and farther between. I believe I made the right decision and life is much better as a result! 

So a big massive thank you to everyone on the site!”

 

- A timely reminder of the good this community can do in people’s lives!