Leaving the "saints"
Sent in by Kelsie
I grappled for years over whether or not I was living the "Christian life" or if I was even saved at all! I grew up in a highly aristocratic Baptist church that seemed busy teaching the perils of alcohol while allowing members of the Sunday School class to underage drink with rare abandon. From there, the myth of the "Christian life" just began unraveling. I am finishing up a degree in history on a Christian university campus (I was a Christian for most of my time here), where the "believers" around me are caught up in an endless charade of saying and PREACHING one thing while doing the exact opposite. I've had several run-ins with angry, self-righteous "believers" who've thrown the "well you're not any better than us" card at me, and I've also been told that it is only a matter of time before I "lapse back."
Christians themselves, however, have been largely successful in keeping me away from their religion. Theirs is the greatest and most insidious contradiction of all: that one can preach all day and live another way. I feel like Christianity is filled with self-righteous, bigoted, intolerant individuals who only "love" and "minister" to the parts of the world ready to swallow their lie. I've seen and felt firsthand just how hateful the "religion and god of love" can be when its belief system is challenged in any way. It seems to me that Christians don't like asking questions--that smacks of free thinking. In the end, I simply couldn't live in such willing and endorsed ignorance, and the vast majority of Christians I know have cut me off because of that inability. So much for the myth of Christian tolerance.
United States
Joined: 7
Left: 22
Was: Baptist, Roman Catholic
Now: Agnostic
Converted because: I became a Christian at a very early age because it was what I was taught to believe.
De-converted because: I left Christianity for a variety of reasons: primarily because it makes absolutely no sense, when held up to the lense of the Real, Rational World
I grappled for years over whether or not I was living the "Christian life" or if I was even saved at all! I grew up in a highly aristocratic Baptist church that seemed busy teaching the perils of alcohol while allowing members of the Sunday School class to underage drink with rare abandon. From there, the myth of the "Christian life" just began unraveling. I am finishing up a degree in history on a Christian university campus (I was a Christian for most of my time here), where the "believers" around me are caught up in an endless charade of saying and PREACHING one thing while doing the exact opposite. I've had several run-ins with angry, self-righteous "believers" who've thrown the "well you're not any better than us" card at me, and I've also been told that it is only a matter of time before I "lapse back."
Christians themselves, however, have been largely successful in keeping me away from their religion. Theirs is the greatest and most insidious contradiction of all: that one can preach all day and live another way. I feel like Christianity is filled with self-righteous, bigoted, intolerant individuals who only "love" and "minister" to the parts of the world ready to swallow their lie. I've seen and felt firsthand just how hateful the "religion and god of love" can be when its belief system is challenged in any way. It seems to me that Christians don't like asking questions--that smacks of free thinking. In the end, I simply couldn't live in such willing and endorsed ignorance, and the vast majority of Christians I know have cut me off because of that inability. So much for the myth of Christian tolerance.
United States
Joined: 7
Left: 22
Was: Baptist, Roman Catholic
Now: Agnostic
Converted because: I became a Christian at a very early age because it was what I was taught to believe.
De-converted because: I left Christianity for a variety of reasons: primarily because it makes absolutely no sense, when held up to the lense of the Real, Rational World
Comments
To them we're just causing division & strife to their incestuous love-feasts! They claim we are full of demonic doubt and unbelief,& are "blinded by god" to their simple minded faith.
We "can" indirectly influence them through this site,books & our families...(Teaching our kids the truth concerning the biggest scam in world),.....RELIGION!
Yours is a similar story to mine, though years ago for me. You must keep in mind that to fit into the conservative christian camp, you have to accomplish self-deception and self-delusion (aka. faith) where you believe in stories, events and characters that defy all evidence and common sense. In addition, you have to accept a doctrine that all humans are born innately evil, and yet they are held to an impossible standard of behavior. This belief system is particularly attractive to people with these abberations: authoritarians, those that harbor strongly judgmental views of others, controlling and overbearing personalities, moralists, and those with low self confidence that need order and structure dictated to them. Throw into the mix the many of us who were raised in a strict, protected religious upbringing, who really never knew any better.
With a self-imposed, negative, and false view of yourself, others, and the world around you hypocrisy is almost garranteed.
First, the truth goes, then humility, and finally the compassion.
The religious fundamentalists are in control of this whole country and society, the very way it functions and thinks, they are spreading their religious propaganda on all sources of media and no one is openly questioning it, they say well it must be true, otherwise so many would not be willing to believe.
Billy Grahams wonderful new book Peace with God...lol which God? His god??? Just talk to god like he does, and everything will be alright...what bullshit!!!
WTF is wrong with people????
Freedy: you say religion is a scam... what unprovable things do you believe in?
"wow, you guys are bitter.
Freedy: you say religion is a scam... what unprovable things do you believe in?"
Let me guess for freedy...duhhh...zero...none...zilch...where is any sense in believing in unprovable things???
Why does anyone need a beleif? A belief in what????
Asking them to give all the money they can spare once a week for the rest of their life or else this unprovable thing will torture them forever is criminal.
Thanks for the encouragement and support...you've been much more so than the vast majority of my "Christian" friends ever thought of being. Unbelief has been a hard thing to adjust to, but it's good to know there are other people out there who've realized how foolish Christianity is as well. Thanks for all the comments!
No wonder I quit hanging out with christians!(which would you choose,..streets of gold or 72 virgins!)* Your answer will be quite revealing.
I don't want to be mean,but please do some research before commenting here.Most of us are students of religious issues and have not come to these conclusions through bitterness!
I spent 20 yrs. in different ministries and was involved personally in scamming people.
Yet they want to pass around the offering plate to collect it. Jerry Fartwell who is one of the biggest hypocrites on the face of this planet is a prime example.
I remember one time he said in one of his sermons, "You cannot be in God's will, if you seek money." Oh, and by the way "Liberty University" would like you to pledge $200 a month.
Now let's not forget our good buddy Pat Robertson and his organization "The 700 Club". These guys constantly ask for money on a continous basis. They have these big telefons ever so often, and they give these big shot stories about how the lives of people were improved after they joined the 700 Club.
The story baiscally goes like this:
"My spouse and I were just flat out broke. We had lost everything. We were up to our asses in debt. There was no hope left, and then one day we were watching TV, and came across the 700 Club. We decided to become a member by starting out giving $20 a month. Then by golly money started coming out from no where. We couldn't explain it! It was a miracle! So we decided to step out in faith and increase our giving each month, and then our income doubled even more! Now we are totally debt free, we own a big fine home, and we have so much money we could burn it! Thanks 700 Club!"
I know people who have been 700 Club Members, and nothing like that happened in their lives.
The people at CBN should be writing Movie Scripts.