why did you leave ur faith?
and what religion are you now?
have you changed ur political views?
was it hard or easy for you to convert?
2006-12-11 11:10:50 · 21 answers · asked by Anonymous in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
I was frustrated for many reasons. I have always had libertarian sympathies, and the Assemblies of God church has always *not*. My pastor tried to convince us that all media was evil. There was a lot of flexing of power and status. And then there was the fact that one week, I was told that Ted Bundy (notorious serial killer/rapist) would go to heaven because he accepted God....and the next, I was told that lesbian couples who were "unrepentant" would go to hell. Leaving aside the fact that I liked a girl, I simply didn't want to share heaven with the likes of Ted Bundy, and I no longer believed my pastor had anything to teach me.
I am Pagan. I have been since 1997. I left in 1993, and I church-shopped for a while. Then I had a couple spiritually apathetic years. I'm glad for those. It gave me some time to chill out, and I could walk calmly towards Paganism, instead of running away from Christianity. I like being Pagan now. It's not always easy, but it feels really right.
My views have changed a bit; I identify as "left-libertarian." But as I said, I always had libertarian sympathies, and I left when I was 18. There would have been change regardless.
It was hard to explain to my family and my church and Bible club friends when I left. I remember wanting to play all the awesome early 90s hip-hop I'd missed out on. I deliberately "took the Lord's name in vain" all the time, and felt like I was filing for divorce. But I was glad to have the straitjacket off my mind, and develop the relationship with that girl I liked (we're still together!!!!), and to treat my friends as friends rather than projects who needed to be dragged to church.
2006-12-11 11:21:39 · answer #1 · answered by GreenEyedLilo 7 · 2⤊ 1⤋
Christianity is just too contradictory for me. Jesus had a lot of wonderful lessons to teach, but I cannot force myself to believe that he is the son of God incarnate. He was just a prophet, and this view makes me an ex-Christian.
Now I am Pagan.
All the religion in the world won't change the fact that I loathe and despise all politicians.
It was easy to convert, and it's an ongoing process with each new day of learning. What is hard is telling the family, which I have yet to do. I'm 30 years old and still hide my spellbook, pentacles, etc when my mother comes over LOL.
2006-12-11 11:40:21 · answer #2 · answered by Rapunzel XVIII 5 · 4⤊ 0⤋
I left Christianity for Judaism. Why? Because ever since I was a child, I felt I had a Jewish soul, it burned with a passion. When I saw a Torah, my soul yearned for more. I always knew I had a Neshama-Jewish soul, and Judaism is what I love the most. Plus I always knew, I remember when I was in 4th grade in Catholic school, we had to draw Christmas place mats for an old-folk's home and for some reason all I drew was Hanukkah things.
Politically, I have not changed that much, I'm still a moderate/almost liberal sometimes. Converting is VERY hard if you want to do it the right way.
2006-12-11 11:21:36 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 0⤋
I left because I realized there was no evidence behind it.
I am an atheist. I have been one for about 30 years, give or take.
Not at all, I am still a Conservative. I didn't really change my morality much either. I don't think either really come from your religion.
It was weird at first. I was pretty young and I didn't know any other atheists. I really didn't know how to define what I was, I just knew that the stuff they were selling at church was absurd. So I would say intellectually no, but it was a little tough realizing your parents were delusional at about 10. I finally read Cosmos by Carl Sagan which has a chapter about his beliefs, and it was very reassuring that others thought the same thing.
2006-12-11 11:20:07 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 1⤋
I realized that the reason I believed in what I did was only because I was taught to believe that way.
I am currently exploring religions, but the two that are closest are Unitarian Universalist and Agnosticism.
My political views have mostly remained the same, but I have become more OUTWARDLY liberal.
It's still very difficult because my parents are hard-core Christians. It comes up every Sunday when they go to church and I sleep in. Or when they pray at meals. Or at holidays, where I don't know how to celebrate.
2006-12-11 11:27:18 · answer #5 · answered by Rouge Honey 1 · 2⤊ 1⤋
- I read a book and that made me question my faith and more research definitely confirmed that I had made the right choice
- I do not participate in organized religion although I wouldn't mind taking a few pages from Hinduism, Pagan religions, and Buddhism
- I have no political views; most politicians I see on tv cannot be trusted
- It was interesting; there were times when I wondered if I had made a mistake; and since I am young no one knows that I have changed my beliefs
2006-12-11 11:15:07 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 1⤋
I even have this sense that we could get right into a very good debate on the as quickly as saved consistently saved concern. sure, I do agree that the fairly some atheists who're the main illiberal are people who're former Christians. yet, i visit disagree with you on the "i've got confidence that they on no account HAD a private relationship with God or they does not be "ex-Christians" interior the 1st place. yet that's yet another tale." concern.... i understand far too many human beings on right here who incredibly enjoyed God and felt they did have a private relationship with God by using His son, Jesus Christ. a lot of whom went into ministry because of the fact they had to serve the Lord. yet, for one reason or yet another, they have rejected God. So, in accordance on your good judgment, they the two would be dragged into heaven because of the fact they have been saved, or they mistakenly believed that they have got been Christians yet they actually weren't. If the latter area is actual, then how can anybody ever have confidence that they are incredibly saved? there's a scripture by using Jesus interior the Bible: "he that endures to the top with me would be saved." on the same time as no you could take you far off from God, you could elect to stroll far off from God.
2016-10-18 03:24:38 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
I just thought one day (maybe someone had asked me earlier): "Why am I a Christian?" I then realized that it was only because my parents had told me to be one. I had never really thought for myself on the religion. So I hung in limbo for a while, still calling myself Christian, and for the most part still believeing it. then my cousin's husband juan went over to Iraq. My entire family and his entire church were all praying for him to stay safe. then he died. that was the breaking point for me. I was in seventh grade then, so i couldn't grasp more complex reasons to not believe. i prayed one last time for God to give me some sort of sign to keep my faith intact. I'm in 11th grade now and still waiting for that sign. As i grew older i actually found more and more reasons to not believe. and the more i hear christians (and most any other religion for that matter) talk, the more i think it sounds absolutely ridiculous.
I am now an Intellegent Design person/Aetheist.
I have changed a few of my political views, but most switched back. like i was for gay marriage for a while, but i'm back to being against gays entirely (OH NO I'M INTOLERANT!) but i am against "In God we trust" and "Under God". And to tell the truth, even if i ever went back to being a christian I still wouldn't believe those are right because the country does not trust in god and not everybody thinks it is under god.
So it was a hard decision to convert until juan died.
2006-12-11 11:21:14 · answer #8 · answered by Shamus O'Larry 4 · 3⤊ 1⤋
why did you leave ur faith?
Becuase I found a more logical explaination of why everything is the way it is.
and what religion are you now?
Athiest
have you changed ur political views?
No.
was it hard or easy for you to convert?
Easy.
2006-12-11 11:14:14 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 1⤋
Study of the bible and its history, and that of the Christian church. Consideration of the implications of scientific observations of the natural world. The implications of division within the Christian community, particularly looking at what different interpretive authorities were being employed. (A cacophony rather than one voice, once confidence in one's own rightness is challenged.)
Broadly, existential atheist.
No, this didn't impinge upon my politics.
No-one I've voted for has ever got in. At any level.
I'm used to being a minority.
(Mark Twain: Whenever you find yourself on the side of the majority, it is time to pause and reflect.)
Very hard. I'd invested more than fifteen years in Christianity. It was my life, pretty much. I did not want it not to be true. I took advice, prayed with tears, even did courses in different theological approaches to try and find a way I could believe. But to stay would be to lie.
(and I know a good number who did that: for them the community was what truly mattered, not the tenets of belief.)
2006-12-11 11:33:02 · answer #10 · answered by Pedestal 42 7 · 1⤊ 1⤋