Free at last! Free at last! Thank logical thinking, I am free at last!

sent in by Edwin Wollet

Like a lot of people, I was born into the shit. The early years were particularly mindnumbing, since my parents (and therefore myself) were charismatic Christians, washed in His blood, anointed, etc. We would do the speaking in tongues bit and the falling down (slain in the spirit) and the anointing of heads with oil. Then we switched to the Catholic church. Different style, same substance. "Jesus Christ died on a cross for your sins. You are a sinner. The only way to get to heaven is through complete obedience to Jesus Christ." What a load of guilt-ridden crap. But, coming from a small, Midwestern town, that's the norm.

I heard about atheism (and agnosticism) in college, but did not give it much credence. There was no way that there wasn't a god, it just could not be true. Then, I graduated and went to work. Most of my friends turned out to be Atheists. By this time, my family had become liberal-minded Christians (i.e. God could be a woman, women should be priests, priests should be allowed to marry, etc.), so my "faith" had evolved. Anyway, most of my friends were atheists and every time we would debate the topic, they would win. If you can't beat 'em, join 'em. So, I did. It was a slow deconversion, but once I did, I felt an immense relief.

The only problem now is that all of my family are still Christians, including my wife who is pregnant and her family. They happened to be charismatic..."The Lord led me to do this" and "It was God will that it happened." They pray for me and all of that shit. I am getting sick of it. Remove your heads from your asses, and learn the facts. God is a made-up entity that could not heal you anymore than the tooth fairy could leave a dollar under your pillow!

Thankfully, this site is here for people to vent and hear others. I would welcome any comments even from the religious wrong. I'd also like to put a plug in for American Atheists, a political organization. Without action, our voice will not be heard.

Edwin

Became a Christian: Born into the occult
Ceased being a Christian: 24
Labels before: United Methodist, Roman Catholic
Labels now: Infidel, Atheist, Non-believer
Why I joined: Parental guidance
Why I left: Education and friends