By Klym ~ I could have called this article "Random Thoughts" or "A Day in the Life of an Ex-Christian ." I have truly had a weird day, as you will understand when you read this. First of all, it's a Sunday, so I went to my Unitarian Universalist "church" where the guest speaker was a quite famous Wiccan priest. I say famous because he was invited to the 9/11 memorial service to represent the Wiccan religion and to discuss forgiveness, and he is also the author of the book "Wicca Demystified." Anyhow, being taught throughout my life that Wiccans are evil devil worshippers, I was really curious as to what I could learn from this man. I actually enjoyed his talk---he dispelled many of the misguided beliefs I had about Wiccans. He was somewhat attractive---that is, he didn't have horns or anything coming out of his head. He explained that Wiccan spells are like "prayers with props." The way he presented his beliefs sounde...

By Jutsas ~ I have read with great interest a number of "testimonies" from different people here about their journeys away from christianity. Some have been remarkably similar to mine, others quite different. But a somewhat common concern is how best to let family and friends know that you no longer believe as they do. This (quite obviously) can be a very difficult thing to do, so I would like to make a few suggestions . These suggestions are not for everyone. They are also not absolute. Everyone has a different situation, and every relative or friend you deal with will have different reactions. First some points on whom these ideas do not apply. If you come from an abusive christian background with emotionally or physically abusive parents, relatives or perhaps even friends, then I strongly suggest you get professional help on dealing with the situation. I am not a professional and these ideas will not be very helpful. (I know that some here will say that ...

By Danimal  (aka  Aspieguy)  ~ I n some of my previous stories I have mentioned that I am on the autism spectrum. Autism is a condition marked by social, communication, and sensory deficits. Some of these deficits may be severe to mild, and no two autistics are exactly the same. In my case I am unable to make eye contact with others. I can't tolerate crowds of people for long periods of time. I have various sensory issues with types of clothing, noises, lighting and colors. I am also lacking what is called the " theory of mind ". I am unable to "read" facial expressions and other nonverbal communication . I am very dependent on verbal communication and people have to be very specific with me. So, what does this have to do with religion? In my obsessive study of autism I quickly discovered how many autistics are atheists. Not all, but a great many of them are. I thought this was a curious phenomenon, and I analyzed my own thinking. What I discovered was dist...

By Brian Kellogg ~ L et's take a look at the Abraham Isaac fiasco. If we were to judge this event by new testament standards Abraham would be guilty of human sacrifice . Jesus tells us that if we just consider committing a sin in our mind we are guilty of it (Mat 5:28). Unfulfilled intention is as damnable as the intent fulfilling outward act itself. So, in short, we have god tempting Abraham causing Abraham to commit human sacrifice. Whether Abraham actually followed through on his intent to perform the heinous act motivated by god of sacrificing his son Isaac doesn't matter according to Jesus who is proclaimed the son of and equal to god in the new testament. English: Abraham embraces his son Isaac after receiving him back from God (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) Now, the christian god does not change (Mal 3:6). Therefore what learn of god in the NT must also be true of him in the OT . As we have already seen, unfulfilled intention is as damnable as the inten...

By Valerie Tarico ~ T o outsiders there is little more fascinating about the Mormon religion than the underwear that Mormon temple initiates are expected to wear day and night. As one former believer put it , “I've been an exmo since 1967. All that time, the underwear questions were the first ones I got from people who found out I had been Mormon. A friend brought it up again last week at lunch.” Another former Mormon agrees: “When people first find out I'm exmo, their first question/comment almost ALWAYS is, ‘So what is the deal with the magic underwear ?!’ Honest! People outside the morg are spending WAY too much time thinking about garmies!” ( DC ) (“Garmies” is insider slang for the sacred undergarments prescribed by the religion’s founder, Joseph Smith .) Some outside interest may be driven simply by curiosity: Mormons have sacred underwear! What do they look like? Or incredulity: Religious leaders can tell women to wear undershirts with special symbols all the time...

By Marlene Winell ~ O K, I think we can acknowledge we have a subculture now – a group of people who were once religious but have left and are reclaiming their lives. This group is special and identifiable. It’s not just exChristian; it’s exMormon , exMuslim, ex- Jehovah-Witness , ex-cult, and ex- authoritarian . But we need a name. I believe the terms that refer back to religious worldviews are inadequate, such as unbelievers, deconverted, and apostates. If we were to go that route, hell, we could have a sense of humor and call ourselves the Damned. But I’d rather not give the old frame of reference any power. Other possible labels are free-thinkers , atheists, agnostics, humanists, brights, naturalists, and others. However these refer to large numbers of people, many of whom have no experience with religion. These groups might share some values with us and even some distaste of religion but do not have personal knowledge of what it is like to believe and then lose faith....

By Andrea ~ Yesterday I read an article about why younger people,and people in general, are leaving the church.I saw it on Facebook from some Christians I used to go to church with(they were sharing the link) I had one of those moments where you're awkwardly staring at the screen..wanting to find whoever wrote that and talk some sense into them.I don't know who wrote it but I'm not surprised.It seems to be this weird attitude that a lot of people in the church have about ''lost sheep.'' .I don't know those kind of people anymore.I'm so far removed from the church world.But they sure seem to think they know a lot about ''my type''! In case any of them drop by here ( and since they think they know so much about me) to see what ''lost sheep'' are up to ....here is my open letter to them. D ear Christians of the World, I've seen your articles...you've been worried about losing people in general,but mos...

By a confused ex-Apostolic ~ M y husband and I have recently left the Apostolic Pentecostal church. My husband had been a member of this church since birth, but never truly understood or believed what he had been taught his entire life. He just knew he wasn't allowed to do anything as a child, no movies, no sports, they couldn't even go to Pizza Hut because they started serving beer. His mother went through phases depending on what church they were attending at the time...one year they would have a tv, and the next year they wouldn't. Long story short, when we met, his mother pounced on me! I was so in love with my husband that I was willing to convert to anything to be with him. His mother knew this and immediately "converted" me into the Apostolic Pentecostal religion. For the first few years it was the most amazing feeling I had ever experienced! The welcome feeling from the church members, the feeling of belonging to a loving and caring church fam...

By dswrites ~ H ello, all. This is Daniel Sanchez (a long-time friend of Jason Blue's and author of the post " The 'A' Word "). I just wanted to introduce myself. I would never enter a room in real life and just start talking without permission or invite, and certainly didn't want to do it here. So let me introduce myself. English: Bexar County Courthouse, San Antonio, Texas (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) I am 44 years old, husband to a wonderful wife who shares my non-theist outlook, father to two girls: a college sophomore studying psychology at Loyola University and a thirteen year-old who is, well, busy being thirteen. My heritage is Spanish. My ancestors came from Madrid and settled in Bexar county ( San Antonio ) Texas . My "inheritance," if you can call it that, it that I am the first-born male of a Baptist preaching family. My father is a professor of missions at a seminary. My brother is a missionary. My grandfather pastored a chur...

By an Ex- Evangelical ~ I have waited for a long time to share this with someone. For some time, the anger and rage that I hold can be let go of. I am a human being, ready to free her mind of religious lies and brainwash. A wild bird, finally free of her cage. This is my story, this is my song. Both of my parents were born and raised in Jackson, Mississippi . In the deep south, church is a fundamental part of life. My family lives, sleeps, and breathes church. It's a way of life. My mother is the most dedicated person to "faith" that I know. I would never try to show her she's wrong because, well, I don't think she'd survive it. She is a wonderful mother and I love her for that. My father, however, is a joke of a man, that about sums him up. When my family moved to Baltimore, we continued "church life" but it was different than southern baptist churches. We started going to non-denominational churches , evangelical churches, and the DC Del ...

By Strong Enough Now ~ M y childhood in the 1950s-1960s was spent in a very rural, very poor area. We had no running water or phone, we didn’t get a TV until the 1960s. My parents were very uneducated as children of the Depression -- my mother made it through the eighth grade, my father only the third grade. My mother was raised on ‘fire and brimstone’ as a Southern Baptist. My father’s family were all members of the Jehovah’s Witnesses , and religion had been drilled into my siblings and myself since birth. As I child, I was exposed to and practiced some of both religions. We knocked doors and had more than a few slammed in our face. We had to go and witness, my father insisted and I hated every second of it. (To this day, I maintain it is child abuse.) But, in addition, I attended different churches with relatives and neighbors, my mother wanted me to explore religion. The religions my relatives and parents friends attended were as crazy as my parents’ religions. Among other t...