Posts

I was an Apostolic Pentecostal...

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By OnlyAGhost ~ I was an Apostolic Pentecostal who left Christianity after 30 years. I was born and raised in it. Now being a bit of a nerd and antisocial I had a hard enough time making friends and acquaintances, but, growing up, the amount of people in my life were limited. I was mostly homeschooled and spent high school in a small Pentecostal private school. My limited social network (and the possibility of some personality disorders) had caused me to live a fairly lonely life. It made relationships difficult to find, and even more to keep. I was definitely an oddball amongst them, and I never actually dated until I was about 24. By then I was able to live my own life, but I was still indoctrinated. However, loneliness drove me to look outside my denomination. My first girlfriend was Baptist. At around 30, I went to prison. I don't want to talk about what I did. I am quite ashamed. I spent 5 years locked up while almost every one of my Christian friends aband...

Interview with (former Christian) Susan, pt. 1

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By Harmonic Atheist ~ T oday I spoke with Susan, a friend whom I have known for over 30 years. We met in kindergarten, and remained good friends for many years as we attended Christian school together, where part of our indoctrination occurred. We were also heavily involved in Bible quizzing, when we memorized hundreds of verses. We discussed Susan's deconversion from Christianity, including the ways that the Christian worldview--especially the fundamentalist Christian one--hurts and emotionally scars people who grow up in it. We talked about the cracks that appear early in life, which are painful to work through, but which ultimately help people to think more rationally, to realize that Christianity is mythology and that the Christian god is not actually real, and to truly begin to live their lives for the first time. We have lots more to share! Stay tuned for part 2, coming shortly. Thanks to Susan for her vulnerability, realness, wisdom, sensitivity, and love for life....

How Scary Was It to Leave Christianity?

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By FlyingOverTr0ut ~ I was raised under the backwards teachings of Christianity which, when I took them seriously, left me confused, alone, sick, and disabled. I talk about how painful it was to leave, how necessary that choice was, and how it had many consequences for me.

10 Reasons People Are Leaving Christianity

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By Friendly Atheist ~

WHY I LEFT CHRISTIANITY and RELIGION for GOOD

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By Kelita Sahliah ~ I n this video I get to the point of why I left religion. I was part of the seventh day adventist church, and I have gladly left. I shar with you my experience of leaving christianity, I am now free from religion, christianity, and the bible, for good! I am so glad I am no longer a christian and I am free from it all!

Leaving Evangelical Christianity - An Intro

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By Dee the Humanist ~ I 'm an ex-Christian and this is a brief overview of how I started asking questions that led to my deconversion from Christianity 4 years ago.

Are the Gospels Historically Reliable?

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By Bart D. Ehrman ~

Fundamental Religion is Abuse, Period

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By MTC ~ F undamental religious upbringings are toxic and unhealthy. Even if the kids appear to be fed, clothed, and cared for, the indoctrination, sheltering, and other negative aspects which are prevalent in such households are abusive in their own way, period. Example: James and Stacy McDonald . James is a pastor, Stacy is an author (one of her books is titled " Raising a Maiden of Virtue ," or something along that line). I'll list a couple of their links below. Both of these kooks have the mindset that the father/husband is always right in the family (yeah, what could possibly go wrong there?), a woman can only be a homemaker and feminism has destroyed families, and other similar garbage. They're also homeschool parents. Conservative Christian and homeschool parents... need I say more? I'm not sure about sons, but I know daughters of James and Stacy McDonald (and other similar religious nuts) are practically forbidden to have unsupervised contact w...

A letter to my parents about my decision to leave Christianity

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By T.S. ~ D ear Mom and Dad,   It is quite difficult for me to discuss this with you, but I have decided to be honest with you in spite of the hurt and grief this letter will cause you. I wish I did not have to share this, I would willingly do anything to spare you pain, but if I am to continue having an open and honest relationship with you, it has to be said. I cannot pretend that I belong to the church any longer or that I share the same beliefs as those in the church. First of all, I would like to say that I love and respect you very much and I do not want you to blame yourselves for my decisions or beliefs. I am an adult and I make my own decisions and live with them. You are wonderful parents and I know you have meant the very best in raising us.  I do not blame you for anything.    The last few years have been very difficult for me in several ways. I have had lots of turmoil in my life, and the religious beliefs that I have lived with have at times made me qui...

We/They: Divided By Beliefs

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From the book Broken Bridges: Building Community in a World Divided by Beliefs , by Chris Highland ~ A n amusing cartoon pictures a man standing at the entrance to heaven reading a sign that says, “Welcome to Heaven: Keep Your Religion to Yourself.” The angel next to him explains, “Ironically, that’s what makes it so peaceful here.” The cartoonist hit the nail of truth on the head and raised an interesting question: What would happen if people kept their beliefs to themselves? We all have a variety of beliefs about all kinds of things. Should we restrain ourselves from talking about anything we feel strongly about? I don’t think so. I think the point of the cartoon is simply that religious beliefs tend to stir the pot and can often hinder rather than create peaceful, harmonious relationships and conversations. Many would say they feel “called” or even commanded to share their faith. They would be disobeying God if they kept their beliefs to themselves. I used to think this way. I ...

The Dying Dog Analogy

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By Michael Runyan ~  S uppose there is a dog owner who is exasperated that his dog never seems to behave well. Periodically he punishes the dog, but this doesn’t seem to promote better behavior. Subsequently, the dog becomes very sick and taking it to the vet reveals a serious heart problem. The vet recommends putting the dog down. But the dog owner has a different plan. He is concerned that this dog will die and ‘get away’ with being such a bad dog- that is, the punishment he has received so far is less than what he deserved. Therefore, he purchases a heart and lung machine and hooks the dog up to it. Suddenly, the dog regains his health. Now the owner goes to work, torturing the dog incessantly, poking it with knives, burning it with hot coals, punching in the face, etc. He tries to keep the dog alive for as long as he can to deliver the maximum amount of pain possible. The dog suffers and burns and chokes and howls and cries throughout his torture. Now, what is the analogy ...