By Klym ~ I 've always been a deep thinker. I've been told throughout my life that I think too much -- that I analyze things to the nth degree. I've been told that I'm too passionate and that I need to just let things go -- that I don't have to figure everything out or make sense of everything. That I just need to have faith. I think many of us here at Ex-C have similar personalities -- it's how we managed to break free of the religious dogma we were brainwashed with since childhood. Every so often I have days of soul-searching and overthinking things. I am in the middle of an overthinking episode as I write these words. It all started last Sunday evening when my mother-in-law called. I answered the phone to hear her gasping for breath. I knew something was terribly wrong. She was able to tell me through her hyperventilating and crying that her nephew -- my husband's cousin -- was in a horrible, head-on car crash . That he, his wife, and his two chil...

By Amy ~ I haven’t been on this website since the early days of my de-conversion in 2010. But I remember clearly the anguish and anxiety I felt during that time. In particular, I agonized on how/what/when to tell my very religious family that I no longer believed. My own husband de-converted at the same time, so that wasn’t an issue. But I worried about my parents, my siblings and my own children. With my parents and siblings I worried about the grief I would cause, and I was torn between being an honest version of myself and breaking their hearts. With my children I worried about overly influencing a decision I feel is a very personal one. I worried about the confusion it would cause. And I worried about tension that might be felt between them and their grandparents, aunt and uncle. This anxiety consumed my waking thoughts for months. My husband and I spoke long into the night about it many times. The solution we came to over time was simple, kind and not dishonest. I...

By RT ~ W hoa!  Hold on!  Before you press the "Delete" button, keep in mind that I have been working on the enclosed analysis of religion (I am a retired psychoanalyst) for over fifty years.  Hence, maybe, this analysis, consisting of about ten double-spaced typewritten pages, is, at least, worth a quick read.  I have no delusions of grandeur about it, but, in my humble opinion, it does summarize the major issues very concisely.   Moreover, I do not expect many to agree with my analysis.  In all honesty, when it comes to religion, there is very little agreement about much of anything.  Just look at all of the different religions and Christian denominations to prove that conclusion.  Furthermore, I am way past the age of needing people to agree with me or worrying much about people agreeing with me.  Instead, send me your honest replies.  If you disagree with something, tactfully tell me and, hopefully, I will learn something....

By Carl S ~ O n weekends, when the weather is fair, my wife and I go to yard sales and flea markets. Last Saturday morning we went to a Lutheran "charity" fund raising sale. While there, I was approached by a member who asked me, "Do you wear that cap (which has the words "U.S. Atheist" on it) to all church sales?" I said, "I wear this cap everywhere." She wanted to know how people responded to it, and I told her the majority of them either say nothing or are positively encouraging. This lady told me it's a good thing I'm living now; I would have been killed in other times. I pointed out that atheists are still being killed in these present times. My wife, overhearing this, said that people are being killed for many reasons, even for their faiths. For example, the shooter in Oregon was said to have asked his victims, "Are you Christian?" Then, when he got a ‘yes’ response, he replied, "I'm sending you to heaven;...

By Ben Love ~ A s you know, many religions assert that there is a God. This is called  deism . Many further assert that this God is  personal, involved,  and  good.  This is called  theism . Some people, like myself, assert that there is no such God. This we call  atheism . And others refrain from making any kind of decision at all, since they observe that no one can really know for sure. This is called  agnosticism . Of the theistic religions, none quite matches Christianity in its assertions about this God and what he is like. Christianity is  very  specific about the character of this God, his attributes, his personality, his preferences, and his methods of working with humanity. Christians, whether they want to admit it or not, are  not  certain about the things they assert (otherwise, their faith would be superfluous), and yet when atheists like me challenge these uncertain assertions, these Christians will argue...

By Meagan ~ W hy I left Christianity 1. Hypocrisy. Hypocrisy happens when we say one thing and do another. A Christian believes that he or she is following after a God of perfect love. He or she believes they have been forgiven and redeemed from a life of doing wrong. So, if you believe that you are following a God of love, why are you so hateful? Why do you post facebook memes about Muslims and how awful and dangerous they are and how they should be banned from our country? Um… I’m pretty sure that is a horrible thing to say about someone based on race and belief system. Christians believe they should have unlimited rights as citizens, but yet desire to deny those equal rights to those in the LGBT community . Christians believe they have the right to Freedom of Speech, but when another person exercises that same right in opposition to the Christian belief system, the Christian loses their mind and claims “persecution”. OMG Grow up all ready! You cannot say that you follow the...