Since my departure from "the faith"
sent in by "Freedy" Jackson
For 22yrs I was a minister/Christian songwriter & keyboardist. Over this period I wrote over 200 crappy, sappy worship & praise songs...what a waste! In the last year I've been reading a lot of books like the Jesus mysteries, which expose the truth of the Jesus myth cycle. I've come to believe the bible to be a compilation of plagiarized myths & fictional history.
Now that I'm free from that patriarchal, tyrannical serial killer and torturer "god of the bible," I can now move on to seek & study vast universe of truths about what or who god may be.
Since my departure from "the faith," my wife, a Christian school teacher, divorced me. I also lost all my friends & some of my family. There is definitely a grieving process to all of this. I also have four very smart kids, three of which do not believe. They attend a strict style Christian school where they are made to pledge the allegiance to bible and to obey every thing in it. Two of my sons refused and were harassed & threatened with expulsion... so of course they relented. I
Sure glad I found this site!... Freedy
Fort Worth
Texas
USA
How old were you when you became a Christian? 23
How old were you when you ceased being a Christian?45
What churches or organizations or labels have applied to you? non-denominational/ charismatic
What labels, if any, would you apply to yourself now? agnostic/deist/true seeker
Why did you become a Christian? I was lost in sea of booze,drugs & sex
Why did you de-convert? I no longer could take the crazy doctrine and or people in the church,....it just stopped working and I woke up !
email: caseyjack3 at netscape dot com
For 22yrs I was a minister/Christian songwriter & keyboardist. Over this period I wrote over 200 crappy, sappy worship & praise songs...what a waste! In the last year I've been reading a lot of books like the Jesus mysteries, which expose the truth of the Jesus myth cycle. I've come to believe the bible to be a compilation of plagiarized myths & fictional history.
Now that I'm free from that patriarchal, tyrannical serial killer and torturer "god of the bible," I can now move on to seek & study vast universe of truths about what or who god may be.
Since my departure from "the faith," my wife, a Christian school teacher, divorced me. I also lost all my friends & some of my family. There is definitely a grieving process to all of this. I also have four very smart kids, three of which do not believe. They attend a strict style Christian school where they are made to pledge the allegiance to bible and to obey every thing in it. Two of my sons refused and were harassed & threatened with expulsion... so of course they relented. I
Sure glad I found this site!... Freedy
Fort Worth
Texas
USA
How old were you when you became a Christian? 23
How old were you when you ceased being a Christian?45
What churches or organizations or labels have applied to you? non-denominational/ charismatic
What labels, if any, would you apply to yourself now? agnostic/deist/true seeker
Why did you become a Christian? I was lost in sea of booze,drugs & sex
Why did you de-convert? I no longer could take the crazy doctrine and or people in the church,....it just stopped working and I woke up !
email: caseyjack3 at netscape dot com
Comments
it says in the bible do not boast about anything just boast that you know god. just believe in god and jesus.
don't tell me that good and evil in the world doesn't exist that's it's just apart of your imagination.
I'm talking about where your going to spend eternity heaven or hell. this is serious.
I wouldn't say my Christian experience was a waste, but I sure as hell wished I had done something different with my life.
I have an education including three master's degrees in theology and philosophy, which means little to me in the way of getting a real job with a really good paycheck.
Plus, had it been different my children and I would not be estranged today.
Regrets? Too many to number.
I wish you well. It's quite a struggle, but I have made a new life for myself and you will too.
Without God's help.
I'm so sorry to hear that your wife divorced you. Is this not certain evidence that religion does nothing but divide people?
To "Anonymous" of 12/15/2005 7:46 AM--
If someone said to you, "Hey, just believe in Krishna, or Rama, or Allah, or Zeus, or [fill in any deity here] otherwise you will burn forever", would you be able to force yourself to believe? Just because you quote some leather-bound book with golden-edged, onion-skinned pages doesn't mean it's true. Freedy comes in here sharing his pain of losing his wife, children, family, and friends, and all you can offer in Christian comfort is the standard, drone threat ("believe or burn!")?
We must continue to labor for a world wherein the peoples of the world are instructed from childhood to love one another, not cut each other down in the name of the Invisible Magical Friend of their "Only True Religion" (TM).
I never cease to be amazed at the outright destruction that religion causes: whether in relationships, societies, or nations. It's such a shame. I know first hand; I used to be a drone who destroyed countless relationships in my zeal for Christ (whom no one alive has seen or met), his doctrine (which no one can agree on), and his church (which splits itself into new denominations every two days).
Dear Freedy-- I hope your wife can come to realize that her God is really just a figment of her desire for immortality, see how _you_ are the one who truly loves her (and for that matter, Truth), and reconcile based upon the Truth that all you have in this world is each other and your children.
My heart is deeply saddened for you.
It's always great to hear someone who stands by their convictions, it's a characteristic that seems increasingly harder to find. What your kids are going through really hits home with me as I spent many years in a fundamentalist Babptist school. As far as your "friends" and ex-wife, you don't need people who dessert you just because you don't fit their mold any more. You aren't the problem, they are. Sounds like you have very good kids, and that's more than a person could ever need. More than likely, they will always love you for who you are and not what superstitions you subscribe to.
What is a church? It begins with a plot of land, most often donated by a citizen in the community having feelings of guilt bestowed by the rantings of religious propaganda that they have heard somewhere or are nearing death from illness. Now this particular plot of land was functioning as a natural state of nature, when all the sudden comes the bulldozers and tears down the trees and levels the ground all around and totally disrupts and destroys the natural beauty of the surrounding area. Now this church of God is being built, mostly square with a pagan monolith or steeple on top, now a preacher must be elected, or a Mini Pope lets say, now every Sunday at 9 am people come in and pretend to worship this invisible God, so where was this God before this church was built and how come a man and other men have to build a church? How come God does not supply his own church, and how does one know how large to build this church? If God can create the whole universe, how come he can't build his own church? Could it be that the whole concept of God and worship is entirely the invention of a man?
You might be interested in listeing to this show from NPR. It is an hour long interview with Bart Ehrman who has written a book called 'Misquoting Jesus.' Ehrman is an evangelical turned agnostic. He is the chairman of the religious studies department at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill.
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=5052156
I read your testimony and had to welcome you. I haven't been posting on the site for a while, but ususally visit once a day or so to see what is going on.
I have been exchristian for about 20 years or so, but didn't find this site until June of this year. Ever since, I have been reading the comments and articles, and I have become more educated about why I couldn't buy into the myth of god and religion, and confirms that the decision I made a long time ago to leave religion was the right one. The people here are so kind and smart, and eager to help and give good tips about books and material that is interesting and informative. (except for the fundies lol) I have been helped greatly in my ability to have good confident answers to friends and family when they challenge me about being an atheist, and believe me, I am unashamed to say that I am atheist without apology or fear.
As for anonymous, I am sure with your background, you will ignore the ramblings of one who still insists on believing in an ancient superstition. Take care,
Welcome aboard it is good to see other ex-ministers here.
Freedom is sweet.
I've a story here also. ex-pentecostal preacher. Might be of interest to you.
I found this site a few months ago and love it. Have been out of the xian mess about ten years.
The regular posters here who are exian are quite knowledgeable as is evident. The bible is its own worst enemy, as those of us who have studied know.
Welcome again.
ex-pentecostal preacher
Fred
Fred said it: The people here are wonderful. Very supportive and brilliant.
Ex-Christian was what I was thankful for this past Thanksgiving.
I am sorry about the family rift, but truly the best thing is to get out of hateful Xtianity!
So profound! I couldn't have said it better myself.
Matter of fact, I would love a rebuttal from a fundie...would they say, you won't know that your love ones are burning?...hummm then one can logically conclude that in the afterlife of the sweet by and by, you are transformed into a robot. Ah another conclusion: No one has freewill in heaven.
Would the christians recognize god or remembered that they worshiped a god when they were alive? Another breech of freewill - which brings me to wonder if there is no freewill in heaven, why couldn't this god made it so in the beginning.
THEY SPEND BIILIONS ON BIG CHURCHES THAT SHEILD THEMSELVES FROM THE OUTSIDE.---AND FOR GODS SAKE! DON'T HAVE ANY CHILDREN FOR
FOR EVEN THE SLIGHTEST POSSIBILITY OF JUST ONE CHILD ENDING UP THERE.(those of you with kid's nderstand
Am I crazy or is this true?
freedy
I am glad you were able to get away from the myth of Christianity. Good luck.
Dan Barker is compiling a book of testimonies of ex-ministers and invited me to write a chapter.
I need to know how to contact you to see if you may be interested too.
Or you can e-mail me at apacaptainjohn@juno.com.
See you some time!
zak