jen2174 Posted February 15 Share Posted February 15 I dont know if anyone comes here often or not, but for me I have tried to leave christianity several times and its something i am familiar with. One thing i do when i come back out of it, is start exploring new age beliefs that I was into for fifteen years prior, it is my default. I am not repressing any part of my emotions towards christiainity but at the same time seem to be setting boundaries on how much i want to read that is negative. I am so tired of hearing about all things related to God. So its hard to sit around and read posts and articles on it much. Going back to it I look at my old beliefs before christianity differently now that now i can pick and choose what to believe in and be more careful and empowered about it. it might seem strange to believe in anything but this is where my mind goes naturally. ive seen way too much proof in my lifetime that there is something out there beyond us. anyone here on the same page? 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderator TABA Posted February 15 Moderator Share Posted February 15 This forum section doesn’t see much activity these days. I guess it has varied over the years depending on who the active members are at any given time. But the section was created for a reason: some ex-christians still have an interest in “spiritual” matters, with different people meaning different things by the word. I will say this: there isn’t just one way to be an ex-christian. In fact, the only requirement is to no longer be a christian! Many people deconvert and end up with no supernatural beliefs whatever. That includes myself. But that is not for everybody. There is certainly much about the universe that we don’t understand, and may never understand. So if you are attracted to New Age or other “spiritual” pursuits, I say do what feels good and seems true to you! Maybe some pagan beliefs and practices. Maybe some aspects of Eastern religions like Buddhism, Daoism, etc. One of the nice things about leaving Christianity is that you get to unload a whole set of dogma and rules from your mind. I often say that my mind was “cleansed” of a lot of clutter when I deconverted. Now, I only add back in what I find to be true and useful to me in my life. As I indicated above, I’m not into supernatural or other “spiritual” ideas; instead I developed an interest in various Greek and Roman philosophies like Stoicism and Epicureanism as well as non-supernatural aspects of Buddhism. I found that these ideas are much better for guiding one’s life than the complicated, confusing and often toxic teachings of Christianity. One piece of advice I would give is to avoid any belief systems or traditions that involve a god who cares about how you live. I have become convinced that some of the most dangerous words in any language are “God Wants…” or “God Says…”. Trying to figure out what “God” wants or what he says, and then trying to do God’s will, have caused untold suffering, from the burning of heretics to the suppression of women to fanatics flying airplanes into buildings. Welcome again to our community and to what I hope is a new stage in your life. You will always find help and encouragement here with us! 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
freshstart Posted February 15 Share Posted February 15 One of the many lessons I learned from leaving Christianity was to stay open-minded . . . about virtually everything . . . and that includes the "supernatural." Afterall, much of what was considered "supernatural" hundreds of years ago has been made "ordinary" by the willingness of open-minded people to consider and explore other possibilities. So, personally, I keep exploring. If its easy to go back to New Age beliefs . . .go for it! 3 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pantheory Posted February 16 Share Posted February 16 Yeah, going back to any kind of Christianity would be a "joke" to me. It would be like believing in Greek Mythology. Morals like the golden rule are great, empathy etc. but science obviously disproves the most important parts of the old testament, and there is no evidence IMO for the New Testament or generally none of the bible, since the total bible also fails in logic also IMO. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
◊ Weezer ◊ Posted February 16 Share Posted February 16 17 hours ago, jen2174 said: it might seem strange to believe in anything but this is where my mind goes naturally. ive seen way too much proof in my lifetime that there is something out there beyond us. anyone here on the same page? Yes. I am on the same page! My mind cannot wrap itself around the idea that this finely tuned universe just magically appeared out of nothing. If there was a big bang that started it all, where did the ingredients and energy come from to make the big bang?? It is one gigantic mystery that may never be solved. We just have to go with what we got. After decades of study, I no longer believe the Bible is the word of God. The only things I brought with me from the bible are a couple of things I consider as "truths". These to me are valid when compared with what I have found in a life long study of human wellbeing, nature, and the history of religions. One is that the root of evil lies in humans love of (addiction to) money and power. It deminishes, tears down, and kills people and the planet. The second truth is that loving your "neighbor", as yourself, is the salvation of mankind, and the earth. Human life in the long run is dependent upon the earth. It is all tied together. If we love human life we study how to nurture "WE". Not just "ME". We are interdependent. We also study how to nurture the earth that we are dependent upon. That is now my "religion". 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Super Moderator TheRedneckProfessor Posted February 16 Super Moderator Share Posted February 16 Perhaps the ease with which you are able to flourish in New Age philosophy, in direct opposition to your dis-ease with the christian religion tells you something about your journey and where you belong (for lack of better terminology). There's a reason certain things feel "natural" to us; and often that involves how perfectly those things match our own nature. This is also why what feels natural to me, may not feel natural to you: we simply have different natures. There's no one-size-fits-all philosophy despite religion claiming differently. What works best for you is what you'd best work with. Anybody who tells you different is selling something. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
◊ Weezer ◊ Posted February 16 Share Posted February 16 7 hours ago, TheRedneckProfessor said: Perhaps the ease with which you are able to flourish in New Age philosophy, in direct opposition to your dis-ease with the christian religion tells you something about your journey and where you belong (for lack of better terminology). There's a reason certain things feel "natural" to us; and often that involves how perfectly those things match our own nature. This is also why what feels natural to me, may not feel natural to you: we simply have different natures. There's no one-size-fits-all philosophy despite religion claiming differently. What works best for you is what you'd best work with. Anybody who tells you different is selling something. Overall I tend to agree with you. But I think there is something that is "natural" and "true" that is backed up with evidence. Not just feeling. In nature it is natural for every living thing to attempt to live, grow and reproduce. If that did not happen, we would not be having this conversation. To me, ONE NATURAL TRUTH WE CAN NOT DENY, is that promoting life and wellbeing in life, is in the best interest of our world, and the beings living on it. Promoting life is in the best interest of life. Without it, we have nothing, Would that not be a "religion" that would sustain the wellbeing of the earth?? The universe?? Isn't that, more or less, a fact that is not conditioned into our "feelings" or decisions about what is good or bad?? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
☆ moxieflux66 ☆ Posted February 19 Share Posted February 19 On 2/15/2024 at 5:21 AM, jen2174 said: it might seem strange to believe in anything but this is where my mind goes naturally. ive seen way too much proof in my lifetime that there is something out there beyond us. anyone here on the same page? It may be that belief in anything is at best a temporary stage in our individual development. It's hard to think in terms of such impermanence once we've been indoctrinated that a permanent, static, benevolent god who loves us no matter what is not true (if there are any rules at all). There is something, and it doesn't have to be defined or sold to anyone else. It is your own truth and it will come. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts