have you ever experienced leaving a religion and feel guilt or grieving a long time after that ?

Question

have you ever left a religion and feel guilt and grieving for a long time ? was it then easy for you to join another religion that your comfortable with or leave your life without religion ? but in that case , don't you a little bit under the influence of your former religion until you join another one ?

Answer 1

No, just tremendous relief and freedom. Part of maturity is realizing that religion is unnecessary and even harmful.

Answer 2

When I was a kid, I was adopted by very strict Fundamentalist Christians. I was forced to convert, and was expected to be at church every time the doors were open, which was many times per week. In adulthood, I quietly went back to the religion I'd had before the adoption. However, many years of hellfire-and-damnation sermons have taken their toll, and I can never get it out of my mind. There are people who think I'm a hell-bound apostate for daring to leave that church, but it wasn't my religion to begin with. It's been decades since I've been involved with my stepfamily's religion, but I still occasionally feel the guilt and harsh judgment from the church, and have dreams about it from time to time.

Answer 3

Only for a little while, not for a long time. I didn't join another religion...I went down the path of searching for what best fit with me, and it turned out to be atheism. I don't feel under the influence of the former religion at all, and have no desire to return to it or any other faith.

I think that maybe it depends on how deeply indoctrinated you were to begin with, it's hard to undo that many years of conditioning.

Answer 4

did you join an occult...... guilt and grieving. That's what they do try to make you feel bad!
I was forced as a child to attend a funddy church like 5 times a week. They didn't brainwash me just everyone elise. They tried to keep my parents from owning TV, they had to dress a certain way, kids couldn't get medical help. I remember watch these Fundy ministers the whole time and thinking there is something wrong with these people. I remember seeing how much hate, they hated everyone. I remember then talking about kids going to hell for having abilities.
My grandmother saved me from them at age 4. I'm very anti-fundy.

Answer 5

If you left a religion because you didn't agree with its teachings, or because it was abusive, why would you feel guilty. If you left because it was boring or took too much of your time, then you didn't really experience religion as a way to know God. You don't need a religion to know God, but many people find the fellowship and community of God's people one way to make religion more palatable. You can be a very spiritual person w/o belonging to an organized religion. You can know God w/o belonging to an organized religion. It all depends on what you want. Do you want to know/experience God? or do you want the community? It's your choice.

Answer 6

During my marriage, I was under a strong religious group. It is the job of the group to make you feel guilty for leaving. I did for a long time. It is hard to break away after you have been taught to think a way for such a long time.

You should not feel guilty, God does not want you to come to him out of guilt, you will find a place that makes you feel comfortable and shares your beliefs. Keep looking, in the mean time, surch within yourself for a relationship with God; no oneelse can give your relationship to you, you have to find it for yourself.

Answer 7

I felt guilt and shame that I ever believed, but I did experience the sense of disorientation and loss that is part of grief. After all, God died, my "soul" died and my "heart" died. Worst of all, though, is that Satan died. I grieved most that my scapegoat was gone, never to return. I became immediately responsible for my feelings of inadequacy, confusion and the poor behavior that led me to religion in the first place. This lasted for several years, but I got over it and have come out of the "other closet" and found fulfillment in the independence of atheism.

Answer 8

you don't feel guilt or grieving if you were happy about the religion you join and thats part of being free is to do the things you want

Answer 9

I felt guilty until Jehovah, God, told me not to feel guilty. I donot follow man, but follow him, it is Jehovah I answer to, not man.
Yes I attend a Kingdom hall, with the Jehovah's Witnesses however I am not a witness because I am not baptized. I left the congregation some time ago & attended a Baptist church, but returned because I felt I abandoned Jehovah ,not the building. The baptist church people (& other churches) made me feel like crap saying I wasn't serving the true God. Well they aren't where I am at & I serve God of the bible, they(society) do not know the relationship I have with God & his son Jesus Christ. I am happy where I am at & btw only Satan delivers guilt & he puts that in society in peoples' heads , when you take a stand personally & put Jehovah first then it doesn't matter what the world thinks.
It was a stepping stone & I learned to lean on Jehovah & know it is his son he sent , to teach his message & to die for us.

Answer 10

I was raised Catholic, but I don't feel I am a Catholic. I tried going to just a Christian church, but if felt wrong. It's tough to change something that is a part of you without feeling guilty or uneasy.

Bottom line is your faith not your religion. That is the only thing that counts and needs to be your focus.

Answer 11

I felt no guilt in leaving Christianity. "Converting" to Wicca was easy. Wicca made sense. Christianity didn't. It was like giving up a pair of jeans that didn't fit me anymore. The jeans served me well while they fit, but once they stopped fitting, why would I feel guilty giving them to the Goodwill? Let someone who doesn't find them too tight get good use out of them.

Now, do I seriously consider my faith to be a pair of pants? Of course not. But I hope that's an analogy you can understand.

BB