Inquiring why...

[Guest NoSnipeLimit]

Hey,

 

Was just buzy chatting in a channel, and someone popped up the link to this site... I'm a Christian. As this is a ex-christian site, i'd just like to enquire why you don't believe in Christ. I am aware that the bible we see today is not nearly as accurate as it should be. From my "clouded" (so far read that ppl think christians are ppl that don't have their own free mind) point of view i can't see why'd somone want to leave Christianity.

 

Thanks

[lalli]

Heya,

 

Perhaps the best way for me to answer your question would be to suggest you read the testimonies (or indeed anti-testimonies) here, where the ex-Christians on this board share their stories of why and how they left Christianity. They can be found in this section of the forum ("Testimonies of Former Christians").

 

Also, since you're new to this place, you might want to have a read of the forum guidelines here, and special guidelines for the Testimonies section can be found here

[Caretaker]

My first and foremost reason for leaving Christianity is that there really is no proof to begin with. Actually, I have to admit that I was only borderline from day one and took the Bible stories to be more like fairy tales. To be straightforward, I suppose I could say I was never really convinced.

 

Sure, I have seen Christians stop by and try to prove their truth by quoting the Bible, but before the can convince me by method of Bible, they need to prove that the Bible is true. Unfortunately, they still manage to assume the Bible is true in order to prove that it is true.

 

Next, I tend to like to solve problems. I recall one question I asked in 6th grade CCD that was not answered adequetely. The topic of that day was Multiple Sclerosis and my question was how MS was disabling people. My teacher simply said something about the genes going screwy. Now that didn't really answer my question. Of course, with the Internet nowadays, I found the answer to be that the immune system starts attacking the nervous system, which says alot more than the genes going screwy.

 

In my self-guided search for answers, I never really found much to be consistent with the Bible.

 

There are others who could probably answer your problems better.

 

We also have posted testimonies that can be insightful.

[DaveL]

Hi Snipe,

 

Welcome to Ex-C. Keep reading the posts (if you decide to stick around) and you'll find out. It's pretty simple really - just use your thinking cap. Please don't tell us about the after life etc. Most of us have been through it, heard it all before and dealt with it both here, and in our daily lives.

 

Just have fun and keep an open mind...

 

Regards,

Dave

 

[Caretaker]

BTW, I think this thread would be better placed in the Debates section.

[Mike D]

i can't see why'd somone want to leave Christianity. 

Hi NSL,

 

In my case I never really had a chance to "choose" to be a Christian, I was made one by my parents. I was born into a very Christian family and was being indoctrinated at a very early age. I was taught that God loved us, Jesus was real and the Bible was true, end of story. And I believed it...... like every other kid, I trusted what my parents told me as being the absolute truth.

 

But as I got older I started noticing things about Christianity that didn't seem quite right. As I read the OT, God seemed rather mean and nasty most of the time and not very loving at all. I started noticing how judgemental and hypocritical Christians seemed even though Jesus said not to judge others. Then I had huge problem with the whole concept of hell and that God would send people there to be tortured for eternity, just because they were a different religion, or not religious at all. I mean come on.... burning people alive forever and ever just for that?? It was the most disgusting thing I had ever heard. The "loving" god my parents had taught me about as a child didn't seem to be anywhere in Christianity that I could see, and eventually I just no longer believed any of it. And these are just a few reasons why I am not one anymore, I could give a list about a mile long of all the other reasons why I left.

 

So you ask why someone would want to leave Christianity..... I ask why would anyone want to stay a Christian?

[Reach]

Also, since you're new to this place, you might want to have a read of the forum guidelines here, and special guidelines for the Testimonies section can be found here

Thanks for mentioning that, Lalli. Good to see that you have finally made it back here, as well. Hope you enjoyed the break.

 

NoSnipeLimit, here are some answers for you from our previous forum.

 

Why did you leave Christianity?

 

And some more...

 

What made you an ExChristian?

 

This thread has been moved from Testimonies to Debates.

[SmallStone]

As this is a ex-christian site, i'd just like to enquire why you don't  believe in Christ.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Hi NSL.

 

I suppose your question can be answered with a question. Why don't you believe in Krishna or Apollo?

[MrSpooky]

Philosophically, there is absolutely no evidence at all to support an objective belief in God.

 

Heck, the scant evidence that is pushed around by theologists is downright unintelligible.

[Thurisaz]

Was just buzy chatting in a channel, and someone popped up the link to this site... I'm a Christian.  As this is a ex-christian site, i'd just like to enquire why you don't  believe in Christ.  I am aware that the bible we see today is not nearly as accurate as it should be.  From my "clouded" (so far read that ppl think christians are ppl that don't have their own free mind) point of view i can't see why'd somone want to leave Christianity. 

 

To me, the reason to leave christianity for the faith of my ancestors was, quite simply, that with Asatru I actually have the impression that there is something out there, something Divine. I never had that feeling in all the 33 years when I was (nominally) a christian.

 

The disgust and bitterness I feel today for (at least the US brand of) christianity comes from the fact that I stared into the face of the dark side of the force... read: US fundies... and started to have a really close and rational look at that religion.

Yes, there are christians who strive to be like Jesus supposedly was - kind and loving and altruistic. Sadly, the bible can just as well be used to justify the most abominable atrocities man can commit. I don't mind the kind, liberal christians... but I do say that at the very least the whole faith, its doctrines, and the bible itself urgently need a reform or five, to make that inhuman abuse as impossible as you can.

And as for the fundies... if they keep screaming about their legendary and sadistic hell, they can as well roast in it. I won't care a rat's backside.

[Kalidasa]

Oh for the love of the Goddess, here we go again...

 

I left because a) I learned to think for myself, there is no proof that everything that supposedly happened in the Bible ever took place, c) science has laid to rest quite a bit of the Christian myth, and d) I didn't agree with most of the teachings about women. If Christians think I am going to willingly be submissive toward any man, then they had better think again.

[Ouroboros]

Hey,

 

Was just buzy chatting in a channel, and someone popped up the link to this site... I'm a Christian.  As this is a ex-christian site, i'd just like to enquire why you don't  believe in Christ.  I am aware that the bible we see today is not nearly as accurate as it should be.  From my "clouded" (so far read that ppl think christians are ppl that don't have their own free mind) point of view i can't see why'd somone want to leave Christianity. 

 

Thanks

 

Well, you were not a xian before you became a xian, so you must have a reason why you believe in Christ. So our question to you is why YOU believe.

 

Most ex-xians left because truth, decency, honesty and consistency could not be found in the xian religion.

 

We wanted also to know "why?” When something didn't work from the Bible, or something didn't add up, we asked questions and couldn't get answers that measured up to decent common sense. Every inconsistency had to be accepted prima facie and we had to trust in people we've never met.

 

We got to a point when religion and Jesus couldn't meet our needs anymore. We had spiritual and emotional needs and we asked and we didn't get any help from any external source.

 

We had our families in dire duress and we pleaded to God for help and the he didn’t help, and the only explanations would be:

1. He could not do it because he's not almighty, but just a weak creature in hiding somewhere.

2. He could not do it because we didn't have enough faith, which God is supposed to give us, so it would be his fault if we don't have faith enough anyhow.

2. He would not do it because he wanted to teach us something, but without telling us what the lesson was.

3. He would not do it because he wanted to punish us for sins we didn't know we had committed, and he wouldn't tell us what they were.

4. He would not do it because he isn't a loving God after all, but is acting out in anger and jealousy. (He really needs to go to anger management.)

5. He would not do it because his greater plan for the greater good means that my family has to suffer, so someone on the other side of the planet doesn’t have to.

6. Or last, but not least, he just doesn’t exists at all, but is a mere figment of our imagination, because we have a strong need in us to explain the unexplainable.

 

So after trying to accept any of the first 5 points, most people give up. In my case I even asked God in prayer to strengthen my faith. The next minute I lost it completely.

 

So if God exists, he took my faith away.

Or my faith was just a hope for something that was never there to start with.

 

Some of us have not given up hope all together. Some of us still believe in a greater entity, but just not the xian version of it. Some of us don’t believe there is anything, but they keep their mind open if something would come up to disprove them, which has not happened so far. And yet some of us keep a standpoint by standing in between and saying “we can’t know, and we can’t prove either way”. And actually some are still Christians in heart, but can’t accept the way it’s preached in most churches.

 

I think that you joined this site because you have questions and doubts. We had it too before denounced our faith. It’s good to keep on searching and not just stop and get comfortable in status quo, you need to dig deeper into your faith and why you believe what you believe.

 

So with this rant, I’d like to welcome you NoSnipeLimit to our site, and looking forward to many discussions in the future.

 

Hans

[fallenleaf]

A person who can't be bothered to actually read the big huge link regarding rules for posting... and a person who can't be bothered to spend 10 minutes skimming through previous posts... doesn't have enough respect that I need to be bothered answering a question which has such a personal answer.

[Asimov]

Hey,

 

Was just buzy chatting in a channel, and someone popped up the link to this site... I'm a Christian.  As this is a ex-christian site, i'd just like to enquire why you don't  believe in Christ.  I am aware that the bible we see today is not nearly as accurate as it should be.  From my "clouded" (so far read that ppl think christians are ppl that don't have their own free mind) point of view i can't see why'd somone want to leave Christianity. 

 

Thanks

 

Because Jesus has no credible claims of reality outside the bible, and because the bible is, for lack of a better word, wrong.

[Guest Dreamer]

Hi, welcome to the forum, I'm new here myself.

 

The reason I left Christianity is because it gradually stopped making sense to me and as I see it, the way today's Christianity is, is that it doesn't make sense with the world of today what with science and reason and whatnot. Of course there are many other reasons why I left, but they're too long to list here.

 

Of course, I still can't rule out the existence of a force, energy or god (even though I believe it doesn't intervene with the universe) so I became a Deist.

 

Anyways, enjoy your stay at the forums!

[Amethyst]

Because it's so hypocritical. Christianity is supposed to be a religion of love, and yet it is a huge reason why so much prejudice exists in the world today. Prejudice against gays, non-Christians, women, other minorities, you name it. That, and other religions. I will have no part of such bigotry and hate. Also, I realized that the Bible is complete fiction. That doesn't mean that you have to rule out the existence of god, just the existence of the Christian one.

 

If you really want to know more, you should read other posts in various forums here and the anti-testimonies. So you might as well pull up a comfy chair, and get your munchies and beverage of choice. Happy reading.

[LloydDobler]

I am aware that the bible we see today is not nearly as accurate as it should be. 

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Oh really? Where did they mess up?

[Antihero]

This person, NoSnipeLimit, I expect is just another holier-than-thou asshole christian - poor spelling and sentence structure; pre-concieved notions (the notion that "we just have our ideas about xianty wrong"); pretentious remarks insulting our intelligence; use of "quotations" - it's all there. But hey, maybe (s)he'll prove me wrong.

 

To answer the stupid question, I don't belive in christ because there is no good reason to. And I left christianity because I felt (quite accurately) that I could do far better without time wasted believing in a god.

[nightflight]

'Cuz its a life-sucking cult.

[Eponymic]

Hey,

 

Was just buzy chatting in a channel, and someone popped up the link to this site... I'm a Christian.  As this is a ex-christian site, i'd just like to enquire why you don't  believe in Christ.  I am aware that the bible we see today is not nearly as accurate as it should be.  From my "clouded" (so far read that ppl think christians are ppl that don't have their own free mind) point of view i can't see why'd somone want to leave Christianity. 

 

Thanks

 

I'm willing to give you the benefit of the doubt, and I hope you will be understanding of those who are being a bit harsh, they've been misled before & aren't up for anymore B.S.

 

Hopefully you're not just fishing.

In hopes that you're not, here's some reasons:

1. The Bible is pure mythology based on older civilization's God's & mythologies.

2. The Bible was created in order for rulers of the time to unify power over the masses.

3. Even if the Bible was based on fact (the few events that have minimal factual basis have been interpolated and is anachronistic.)

4. The negative contradictions & problems created by Christianity far outweigh the positive aspects.

[Mr. Neil]

As this is a ex-christian site, i'd just like to enquire why you don't  believe in Christ.

Where would you like me to begin?

 

First of all, I have to point out the presumptious nature of the question, as though there is actually a reason to believe in Christ. I could just as easily ask you to explain why you believe what you believe. And don't just say that it's faith. Why did you even start believing it in the first place? Is there a reason, or were raised to believe it?

 

But to actually answer your question, there are a number of different reasons for not accepting Christ. I guess we could start with the incoherency of religious speak.

 

For example, God is characterized as an infinite supernatural spirit or entity, but none of these are particularly descriptive. First and foremost, the word "infinite" simply means "not finite", when you use infinite as a definition (Note: both "infinite" and "definition" have the same root word), you've essentially argued your way into absurdity.

 

A definition is a collection of specific characteristics which make up what that being is. If you say that a being is infinite, then you say that a the being has no characteristic, because it is limitless. And if it has no characteristics, then it can't exist.

 

Second, what does supernatural mean? I suppose it means that God is above nature or of a superior nature, but what does that mean? If I say that I am Super Neil, what have I said? "Supernatural" is a nonsense word. It doesn't tell us anything.

 

And finally we have the word spirit. Spirit, like "infinite" is a negatively defined word. It literally means soemthing that is incorporeal or immaterial. Well what is an immaterial thing? This is simply one of those words that theists use all the time, but if you confront them and ask them to provide a coherent definition, you find that they don't have one.

 

I am aware that the bible we see today is not nearly as accurate as it should be.

It's not just a matter of the Bible not being accurate. There are times where the Bible is not even close. Let's talk about the incoherency of the New Testament.

 

Right off the bat, Matthew gives us a genealogy of Jesus leading right up to his father, Joseph, but if we turn to Luke 3:21 and start reading, we find a completely different genealogy! What gives? And if you think about it, there's no reason to have these genealogies, because as you can see, they both end with Joseph. Well, Joseph isn't Jesus' father. So it seems that Matthew steps on his own foot right in the opening chapter. Great way to start the New Testament; with a contradiction!

 

And as I was just pointing out to someone else in another topic, there are some stories in the New Testament that, when compared to each other, simply cannot be true at the same time. For example, in Matthew 26 and 27, we see a story in which Judas betrays Jesus, but later regrets his actions. As a result, he returns the money he was paid and hangs himself. However, in Acts 1:18, Judas acquires a field with his reward money and then dies in the field.

 

These are not two accounts of the same event. These are two completely different stories! The only similarity between the two accounts is that Judas died. He's not even portrayed the same way. One story has him regretting his actions. The other has him squandering his reward. These stories literally cannot both be true.

 

And then there's the issue of what follows Jesus' baptism. In Mark 1:11-12, we find that Jesus is driven immediately into the wilderness for 40 days, but in John 1:19 thru 2:11, we see that Jesus sticks around for an entire week without being driven to the wilderness. Again, we have two different stories (not different versions of the same story) that cannot possibly both be true at the same time.

 

So you see, accuracy is not the problem here. These are not stories told differently by different authors. These are different stories that have nothing in common with each other.

 

 

From my "clouded" (so far read that ppl think christians are ppl that don't have their own free mind) point of view i can't see why'd somone want to leave Christianity.

Because it's simply not true. You don't stay with a belief system that's false.

[Ouroboros]

Religion is nothing more than a pyramid scheme.

 

Try to connect as many as you can to your down-link,

and your chances to win the big price increases.

 

And pay respect and totally blind trust to your up-link.

Your pastor always knows better than you.

[white_raven23]

I suggest you read the testimonies. A lot of people have many different reasons for leaving christianity.

 

If you really want to know, start there. I don't mean to sound like I'm brushing you off, far from it, but Christians come on here a LOT and that's often the first thing they ask. And when we tell them, they just try to start an argument they never truly consider what we've said. They act like parents "disciplining" errant children. And while your religion dictates you have a duty to witness....

 

We don't want to hear it.

We've heard it.

We've been guilty of doing it ourselves (when we were in the fold).

We've learned and grown.

Christianity is not our solution, it WAS our problem.

 

So if that's what you are here for, I hope the door smacks your "holier than thou" cheeks on the way out.

 

But. If you truly want answers, and are genuinely curious. Please stick around. We are willing to share, and we can be very courteous and patient. Lately we've had a glut of the "preacher-teachers", so if this isn't you, please forgive our acidic reservations.

 

I hope you prove to be different.

 

[narcissist]

Religion is nothing more than a pyramid scheme.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Where do you think the pyramid schemes got their ideas from?

[chefranden]

 

I wonder why you don't believe in Nut. After all you can see her any time you go out doors.

 

Welcome to the forum, this is a chance to examine your own assumptions. Always a good thing to do.

 

I didn't leave Christianity. Christianity left me.