Ex-Christians - What finally enabled you to open your eyes and learn to think for yourself?

Question

In other words, what finally enabled you to see the absurdity of Christianity?

Answer 1

reading the bible

Answer 2

We were on our way to a special Mass when the Pope died, and my son asked me, "Remind me again why we're doing this?" He was really, really angry.

There had been a lot leading up to this. My son had been watching news coverage of the Pope's life, and was extremely annoyed that, after the assassination attempt, the Pope had been in surgery for six hours and didn't thank the doctors who saved his life. Instead, the news called his survival "miraculous" and he told everyone that the hand of Our Lady of Fatima had guided the bullet. My son wants to be a doctor, and he couldn't believe the ignorance of that. He also disliked Catholicism in general, believing that it was wrong on medical grounds, for opposing birth control, particularly condom use. He'd been exploring the tenets of the faith for a couple of weeks, and he didn't like what he saw and he'd been talking about it off and on for a few days.

When he piped up with his question, that was sort of the breaking point, because I was out of answers, and the answers I'd been giving him were not satisfactory. We went home, and that was the end of religious worship for us as a family. I became an atheist a few years later.

Answer 3

I'm not an ex-christian, never been a christian - but one of my friends told me it was the fact that the bible is just plain circular logic. The book tells you to believe in it. We in the real world wouldn't believe anything that was this circular, let alone religion. Read Sam Harris' Letter to a Christian Nation. He's an ex-christian.

Answer 4

I was raised an Episcopalian. Teaching evolution made me look into Creation "Science." I was appalled at the ignorance and deceit. I also read sections of the Bible that my Church never mentioned (re rape, genocide, slavery). The Bible is a horror show.

Answer 5

Thanks for saying that Christians don't think for themselves.You sure are a nice person.
Would you like it if someone stated that atheists don't think for themselves,and that they are absurd? I don't think so.I won't do it to atheists,is it to much to request that the favour will be reciprocated?

1 John 2:19:
"They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would have continued with us: but they went out, that they might be made manifest that they all are not of us."

Answer 6

My very being rebelled at the idea that not just actions, but THOUGHTS, could be considered sinful.

Answer 7

when tha pastor at tha lutheran church i was going to told me i was going to hell. i'm bi. tha only diff is tho (i assume yer talking bout ex christians who became athiests or changed beliefs) i still believe in Jesus i'm jus not a christian. okay i know whut yer thinkin 'how is that possible?' i'm a Christ Follower. tha definition fer a christian may be a christ follower, but bein a christ follower is completely diff tha bein a christian. christians follow tha church. Christ Followers follow tha bible. i follow tha bible. sin is sin and bein gay may be a sin (well i'm bi but anyhoo...) but so is being str8. i know it seems wrong to say that but if u think bout it we're all cousins in tha eyes of God ... do u get where i'm goin with this?

Answer 8

Reading the bible cover-to-cover, and spending a lot of time around fundamentalists and bible literalists.

Answer 9

I love it when peeople get offended by getting told they don't think for themselves, and then quote the Bible.......oh the irony.

Answer 10

My interest in science. Reading the Bible sealed it.

Answer 11

my question for you sir, what really makes you think that you are "finally thinking for yourself"