At the Crossroads

sent in by AndrewT

I am at the Crossroads. I am about to make a turn, which will completely change my life in a new direction.

This new path, I take, has not been traversed by many, but I am willing to take the risks to see what awaits me.

My heart pounds with anticipation and anxiety as I search for signs or clues as to what lies ahead.

I see several and they all seem to give me fortitude. I turn back one more time and I see that I am leaving behind most of my friends and family who plan to stay on the same path that has been traveled for 2000 years. I now see that a few of my friends and several strangers have already made the turn. This is the path to TRUTH and REASON.

My head is now clear as I take my first few steps in this new direction. I feel a sense of liberation, for I have now shed my fears and confusions that have chained me for 38 years.

My new journey has just begun. I have now renounced Christianity.


Plano
TX
USA
How old were you when you became a christian? since childhood
How old were you when you ceased being a christian?38
What churches or organizations or labels have applied to you?Catolic, Baptist, pentecost
What labels, if any, would you apply to yourself now? Deist
Why did you become a christian? My upbringing
Why did you de-convert? Lots of reading and observance of the world around you.

Comments

Anonymous said…
Dear Andrew,

All the best and hats off to you. it needs guts and courage for taking this stance because few of them can muster it up to look beyond. 38 years is a long time. very long time. now you have to build your life in many ways all over again. but one thing is a promise. you will find love (defenitely not the fear filled christian love). this love will show you wht freedom is all about. there is no other power (supernatural) that can be more powerful than human love. All the very best.

Lavanya
heyram123_in@yahoo.com
Anonymous said…
My thoughts go out to you no matter how long you've been in christianity the leaving of is a hard process but one of the best things in the world because as anony said above you do find what love really is and what compassion is too. To do something nice for someone else just because you can and to make them feel good. Not for selfish reasons to please a god or to get you into heaven. That your somehow above the lowly people your helping. Such a freedom to know that this life is the one chance you've got and not to live for the day you can fix stuff you screwed up with someone who died when you see them in heaven. Love and hope and know that you have a place and a family here and in others elsewhere even if it's not blood. We are here for each other.
Steven Bently said…
Might as well brush away those needless fears, because the only place the concept of a god exists, is what was put in your brain by repetition of others.

Notice how most of us Americans never focus on Allah or Buddha, or Zeus, why not? Because they were not the popular beliefs that were reinforced when we were children.

So this proves that the concept of the bible god is only a result of repetitive brainwashing, the people that push such nonsense want to infect as many as they can, so that they will not look insane for accepting something so insanely bizare and assinine and pathetic, and once they've made a verbal public commitment in front of the church, then they've essentually made a Pact or verbal contract, totally under duress and under false pretenses.

So to prove that the concept of a god or gods are stored only in conscious thought!

1. Once a person goes to sleep, there is no more conscious thought of a god or any gods.


2. When a person is under anesthesia, there is no more conscious thought, of a god or any gods.

3. When a person is knocked unconscious or passes out, there is no more conscious thought of a god or any gods.

4. When a person dies and the brain ceases to function, there is no more conscious thought of a god or any gods.

After death, that's it! The brain only stores what it trust's to be the truth, by repetitive indoctrination, we trust our parents, our friends, our relitives, other adults, etc. to have already filtered the information for us when we were children, and we gladly accept their ignorances that is being taught to us as being true.

Now what is really so sad is that we have Adults that will not and refuse not to see the religious bullshit as a pure lie, no amount of proof, no matter what crimes a preacher or church member does, it will not reflect upon their silly childhood beliefs, they will die believing a fairytale, it's alot like obedient servitude to the death, similar to a Kamikazi or very devout Muslims, religion is a very psychotic form of mind control.

Try giving up the nonsense and you'll wonder how you ever fell for such bullshit to begin with, but then you'll finally see how it all happened.

Best Wishes! Ben
Anonymous said…
Hi Andrew,

Thirty eight years! Wow, I'm 37 and I'm not sure I could go against what for me would be the habits of, quite literally, a lifetime! You have my unqualified respect.

I agree wholeheartedly with the two previous posters and would like to add my own positive vibes, good wishes or whatever you want to call them in this new phase in your life. It's scary to take full control of, and responsibility for, your own life but I truly believe it is by far the more satisfying path.

All the very, very best to you with my utmost sincerity.

Hugs, SwissMiss x.
Anonymous said…
Dear Andrew , just one more pat on the back . I'm a recovered Catholic spent many years of my life tormented by religion . I'm a far better person living as a kind thoughtful humanitarian & devout Atheist . tp. mullin (popartist)
Anonymous said…
Andrew,
I'm 45 and converted at about your age. My friends are still my friends, and family still loves me. The ironic side of a common sense approach to life is Xtians that have tried to bring you back into the fold will eventually stop. After a handful of conversations with them and you are asking some tough questions that they cannot answer or reconcile. They will avoid the subject. It is hard for emotion to win over reason, logic and knowledge. Believe me, you are on a path that will give you more knowledge about the bible and the christian religion than most christians have.
Good luck and hang in there,
Your Pal,
Farris
Anonymous said…
Andrew, good to hear from you. It is a tough decision, it's changing your identification both to yourself and others. Not the easiest path to take, but I find it easier to look in the mirror.
Anonymous said…
CONGRATULATIONS!!
Anonymous said…
I come here everyday looking for prose like yours...

You say so much with such few words..

Your post reads like poetry...

and it made me weep.

Toronto - male
Anonymous said…
Congratulations on choosing reason. Though you said a few friends and strangers around you have also chosen reason, you did mention leaving friends behind...I'm in your area, same city+state, drop me a line if you want to chat.

Philip
excr-534368 (at) myth.cc
Fellowhuman said…
Congrats, it always healthy to question and after 38 years it is hard to change. I applaud your journey. We like to hear about these things at www.priestsgonewild.com. If you interested in writing an article about where this takes you, or a personal story, please submit it. I am now what I call a realist. I can say I am truly happy for the first time in my life. I do not fear death, nor do believe in heaven, hell, or the tools of fear in which religion tends to use. Faith in your self will lead you to becoming fearless of the unknown and death. I here people say "there must be more to life then this?" Why? Is not this good enough; even if its lights out at death. The planet we spin on is certainly more then good enough. It is only what we do with it. Good luck to you.

Anyone who wished can submit articles to priestsgonewild.com regarding any social political religious issues or personal stories. We are also hosting a logo contest I encourage anyone to join. Everyone has a voice at this site.

"Question with boldness even the existence of a God; because, if there be one, he must more approve of the homage of reason, than that of blind-folded fear." Thomas Jefferson
info@priestsgonewild.com
Anonymous said…
What a pompous anouncement.

Who gives a shit?
Anonymous said…
Ian, The bible was written by Cowards, for cowards, all religious people are cowards!

When people are confronted by someone that has abused them, either verbally or physically, instead of being Brave and rising to the ocassion and handling the offence swiftly and properly, they will escape from the offender, out of fear and hand over the problem, for God to deal with them.

I've heard these statements so much in my life by christians.

The religious coward says:

Well god will take care of them!

Just wait until the judgement day!

God knows who is right and wrong!

It's all in the hands of god now!

God is the final judge!

God knows all things!

God can handle this!

I turn it all over god and jesus!

You see man's invention of a god, the bible, is man's scapegoat, route for his childhood fears.

The three letter word, g-o-d can conveniently be used to explain and justify every event that has ever happened, and for every event that will happen in the future, and for every event that has ever happened in the past.

God and satan, if god did not allow something to happen, then satan did.

If satan did not allow something to happen, the god did.

You see, god and satan are the same entity, because man could not distinguish between the two forces in his mind, of what is good and what is evil.

One force either justifies the other or one entity condemns the other.

The result is mental psychosis, that is the reason the people of this world is so screwed up, it's a constant battle in one's brain that never ends until death.

That's the reason the majority of people all over the world, cannot elect leaders that can make intelligent decisions, is because we elect people based on what they've been taught out of books written by men, and how much money they have, it's not based on their common sense of reality.

Ian, your common sense is telling you to reject the teachings of ancient men that was written down in books and called it from a god.

The bible is the book written for cowards, people that cannot face up to reality, they seek shelter and solace in the bible, it comforts their childhood fears, it's a temorary placebo for the moment.

Any one who uses the term hell or as a threat, are delved in constant fear, christains live in constant fear, preachers live in constant fear, fear that they will not be found worthy enough to pass the invisible god's eternal judgement.

Hell is the invention of man, so he could cast judgement on those that have done him/her wrong, and it's the only way they can punnish their offender without dealing with the problem themselves, out of fear.
Anonymous said…
The above post was meant for Ian, it got misdirected some how, sorry about that Andrew, TC

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