I was raised a fundamentalist and attended southern Baptist schools until I graduated high school (including two years homeschooling). Somewhere along the line I turned into an angsty teenager and started questioning everything, including the religon that a: surrounded me with people who never questioned ANYTHING (or stopped eating, for that matter), and b: outlawed both premarital sex and pop radio, both of which I was itching to indulge in.
It is strange to see things from both points of view. I am now agnostic, but not long ago I was one of the pigtailed, plaid-skirted girls who handed out "Jesus Saves" pamphlets at the supermarket. The sight of that makes me almost angry now, and I think that has something to do with my former religion, which was handed to me along with my gender, skin color and, yes, sexual orientation. Luckily, I can actually change my religion.
Has anyone else altered theirs?
2006-12-27 13:57:32 · 13 answers · asked by well... 3 in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
Yes, I was raised a fundamentalist, and as a teen worked for the moral Majority through my Xian High School. Theses churches are full of folks that are scared to make decisions on their own and like the safety of the black and white rules. Others(mostlly men) are drawn to theses types of faith because they are insecure and enjoy the power it gives them. A few are just simple nice people that turn a blind eye to all the hypocrisy. Thankful we still have Freedom of Religion (and Freedom from Religion) One of the few freedoms the Xian right hasn't used the Republican party to strip away.
2006-12-27 14:07:31 · answer #1 · answered by will.hunter 3 · 3⤊ 1⤋
I'm not an atheist or agnostic, but I am a former fundamentalist christian.
I chose a path of paganism after a really long search for what fit me best. I totally understand how you feel.
I wasn't raised a fundamentalist. I got "saved" at 8 years old by going with a friend to a baptist AWANA's group.
I spent 20 years studying the bible in its many translations, asking questions, searching for answers to things that didn't make sense. I tried out messianic judaism and then judaism. At least with Judaism, I was able to figure out that there is no solid evidence of Jesus' existence. From there, I studied the beliefs of other faiths, and came to what is right for me.
Many blessings to you on your path :)
Kallan
2006-12-27 14:20:39 · answer #2 · answered by Kallan 7 · 1⤊ 1⤋
I was raised as a Christian and my mother is actually a pastor but I rejected the religion pretty early on because it didn't make sense to me then. As I got older and studied many different religions, philosophies and their origins, I basically rejected Christianity because it was established by the Roman Catholic church who were the most corrupt organization in history. The Bible that Christians use to justify their beliefs was stolen from older cultures such as Sumeria and Egypt and yet call them pagan and wicked so I realized that the religion was based on hypocrisy and inconsistencies and believers who don't know much about the origins of their way of living or doctrines.
2006-12-27 14:13:03 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋
I was raised catholic became a pentacostal "fundie" and make a long story short i started questioning and searching - the answer I found was "I don't (can't) know! - I am pretty sure no one else "knows" - as in having proof either! they just choose to beleive and call it "faith" For the last 13 years I have been agnostic. One good thing about being middle aged i am not told "you are young, just wait and see you'll change your mind"
2006-12-28 12:21:36 · answer #4 · answered by ladyshadowwalker60 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It's too bad you left the faith. when it's just a bunch of restrictions and rules, then I'll admit it is a big turnoff. I grew up a pastor's son in a Baptist church. I went to college for 5 years for pharmacy and some of my friends asked questions that I couldn't answer back then. But it's all about having a relationship with Christ. You don't need all the rules and do's and don'ts. You don't need to know all the answers. But there's nothing better than having forgiveness and victory over sin. Pursue the truth. If you find religion phony, then still search the Bible and He will reveal the truth to you.
2006-12-27 14:09:18 · answer #5 · answered by elias 2 · 1⤊ 2⤋
I'm a minister's son, and I spent some time in high school as a "Jesus Freak," but I never fell into the full fundamentalist camp. My Methodist dad taught me that faith should be based on scripture, reason, tradition and experience.
And now, after majoring in religion and attending 1 year of seminary before dropping out, I'm a gay atheistic-leaning agnostic who practices Buddhist meditation.
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2006-12-27 14:07:44 · answer #6 · answered by NHBaritone 7 · 2⤊ 1⤋
Oh me! I was raised in Wyoming. Fundy, camp counsellor, bible quiz team, went to Baptist Bible College. A long trip out of that, which began in bible college when I couldn't get the koine greek to jibe with what my religion told me it SHOULD say.
Ha, when I was in bible college, I also couldn't listen to the radio nor christian "rock."
It is really funky - you see things in "stereo" for a while when you come out of fundyism. You'll be at a concert having a ball and then "realize" it's a "sin!" Luckily, this bit passes in time and that fundy voice doesn't pop up as much. Also, you get a lot of ANGER at first. Anger at myself for being such a schmuck and anger at my family for their reactions and for their...stupidity/smallmindedness. Luckily, that too only lasted a little while.
Welcome to "the other side." It's great here! :)
2006-12-27 14:07:56 · answer #7 · answered by Black Parade Billie 5 · 2⤊ 1⤋
I too was once a Fundamentalist Christian. I'm currently atheist. I wasn't raise religiously, but when I was 13, I accepted Jesus as my savior, and believed the Bible to be a literal account of history. I was naive enough to believe that modern science was a group of lies concocted by scientists who were all atheists. Eventually, I was daring enough to purchase a copy of "The Origin of Species". After reading it, I found out that evolution actually made sense. Then, I was a "liberal Christian". Eventually, I stopped attending church, and slowly stopped praying to God and Jesus, until I finally reached the conclusion that God has never existed.
2006-12-27 14:04:43 · answer #8 · answered by Nowhere Man 6 · 4⤊ 1⤋
As a working laptop or laptop scientist/utility engineer, I take exception to using the words "deprogrammed" and "difficult force" To be real looking, the concepts is an extremely complicated RAID force (stretching the analogy somewhat lots) and it is not that straightforward to purge advice type it. on the different hand, this is a lot greater durable to bear in mind advice out of your concepts than this is from a tricky force. yet confident, in certainty "deprogramming" the guilt, traditions, and studies of an entire life are no longer common.
2016-10-06 02:31:58 · answer #9 · answered by ? 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Your still very young, and much to learn, this is the reason why we are here on earth, it takes a life time to know the truth, a temporary life, and you'll know the rest and more in heaven. I now understand that religion doesn't matter. But God does, your spirits prays to God, most people aren't even aware of it.
I wish you well, and that you soak in, life learning experiences.
2006-12-27 14:13:41 · answer #10 · answered by inteleyes 7 · 1⤊ 1⤋