Ex-Christians that are now atheists?

Question

Is their a pivotal moment in your life that caused you to change your beliefs? Do you feel that God has let you down in one form or another? If so, do you feel things would be different if you were not let down? What age were you when you changed your beliefs? Please share and help me understand.

Answer 1

Something I thought when I was a christian - people were atheists because of emotional reasons. Either christians had let them down or an unanswered prayer or something.

Most everyone I know that's an atheist came here from intellecutal or moral reasons!

I was 20, in second year of bible college when the first "pebble" fell down the mountain of my faith. It was in Hermenuetics class - where we translated the bible from it's original languages. The specific passage was 1 John 3 and the "small hole" in english became a gaping hole in koine greek! The harder I tried to make it "fit" with my beliefs (and with reality) the more it fell apart. Eventually, I stopped "thinking" all together and just willed myself to have faith.

I locked myself in a closet every night to pray. I thought that I was being "proud" and relying on my mind and human understanding. So I humbled myself before god. Begging for more faith. It still slipped away. I dropped out of bible college.

For years I held on, just by never challenging it, never thinking deeply about it. Went to church, tried...read CS Lewis, Philip Yancey, anyone that was suggested to me. Read the bible...still...it slipped away. Eventually after the university, it just wasn't there at all.

Taking the last step into atheism was the hardest. I thought I was giving up EVERYthing, all hope, etc. I actually found much peace in not having to force myself to believe any longer. And I have much hope too.

I hope that helps you to understand.

Answer 2

There was no pivotal moment per se. I was 9 years old. I asked several logical questions in religion class (parochial school). I was not given straight answers. I searched for those answers and the truth was uncovered, and the "scales fell from my eyes." I found that there is no evidence to support the existence of any god, much less the christian one.

If you were to ask me to define that moment, I would say it is the moment of independent thinking. If I had not been curious, perhaps you could make a case that I would still be christian.

Answer 3

OK it wasn't a big OMG! God doesn't exist! moment for me, but I can honestly say that I once did believe in God, and over time I learned that there wasn't one. It started at church camp actually. I saw all these people who I knew did awful things away from church yet when we were at camp I noticed that everyone seemed to experience group euphoria and claimed it was god's presence all around them, and how it told them to be more christian like and lead the christian life. Yet as soon as we all got on the bus to leave they were already starting to act as if "the presence" never occurred to them. (I must admit this happened to me too.) This sparked my curiosity as to what i was really happened at camp because if it was truly god presence then it wouldn' t have just vanished as soon as we got on the bus. It led to questions. when i took a deeper look I found what i didn't want to know, but was the truth. The god that my parents, Sunday school teachers, and the bible taught me didn't exist.

To this day i do not claim that there is no god; i just don't believe in the one that the bible teaches. So there is no let down or disappointment, because I know the truth, and that makes me happy, not sad.

Answer 4

No, usually it is a years long period filled with emotional pain, agony, and terror (if you believe, after all, that not-believing is a hell-bound thing, realizing one is losing one's faith is a very frightening thing!). It is not a sudden and dramatic change. It is a slow development of critical though, expanded awareness of other religions, and of intense and devoted reading and study of the Bibe trying to rekindle one's faith. I spent many hours lost in prayer trying to keep the faith that my crisis of faith was God's will and that he would rescue me from it in his due time. I attended every spiritual retreat I could, and was involved in multiple prayer groups and Bible studies.

I do not feel God has let me down, I simply understand that there is no deity. That does not invalidate how those experiences in the past shaped my life, just that they were based on a false understanding of natural neurological, emotional, and psychological processes. Now that I understand these processes, I understand where they came from and how they created the 'divine' experience.

My period of transition was roughly from age 16 or 17 to ages 19 or 20.

To put it bluntly: I learned too much to keep believing.

Answer 5

I started out as a very religious person. There were things that gave me problem with my faith--Biblical contradictions, the fact that God never spoke to me personally--but those were only minor problems.

What really bugged me is that I couldn't believe that a loving God would create billions of people he knew at the beginning of time were doomed to Hell. Even though he could wipe out all human misery with a flick of his finger, he chose not to--even though this would be considered a 'sin of omission'. What gave the coup de grace to my religious beliefs were all the damned hypocrites in organized religion who make a big stink of how holy they were but who were pretty rotten to the core.

That was what started me to examine my beliefs critically and ultimately lead to my rejecting organized religion in general...

Answer 6

Another DFETIRTQ (dollar for every time I read this question) question.

No, there was not a single moment. It was a process of years, in which Christians lied to me, stole from me, took my friends away, persecuted me, had me fired, and belittled me at every opportunity simply because I wasn't THEIR denomination. In short, Christians are the main reason I am not one.

Add the COMPLETE AND TOTAL ABSENCE OF GOD AT ANY TIME IN MY LIFE to that, and it was simply the logical choice to make. God doesn't exist, and I have still never seen unquestionable proof to the contrary.

Answer 7

each and each prayer I certainly have ever prayed has been spoke back. suggestions you, "No" continues to be an answer. human beings look to ignore that. How do i comprehend that even the "No" solutions have been nonetheless solutions? because of the fact i've got not ever regretted not getting a sure on those prayers. whilst i glance returned, I comprehend that a "No" replace into continuously the extra effective answer. There have additionally been some "No"s that I disregarded. That by no skill grew to become out properly. There have additionally been incredibly some "sure"es, one that i think of God would have completed just to show me that i don't continuously want a "sure" (and, returned, looking returned I delight in that he confirmed me that). the difficulty is, in case you suspect prayer works then each and every prayer is spoke back (I do, so i've got confidence each and every prayer I certainly have is spoke back, however I freely admit it ought to in basic terms be my own theory of events). in case you do not have confidence prayer works, no answer would be sufficient (because of the fact the respond will the two not be what the guy needs or they wont comprehend the respond as being divine particularly than mundane). as an occasion, say I pray for rain and it rains. If that an answer to prayer or a accident? If i've got confidence, then that's an answer. If i don't, that's a accident. If it would not rain and that i've got confidence, that keeps to be an answer. If it would not rain and that i don't think, then this is an affirmative of my (loss of) ideals. Edit: that's interesting that maximum who says they have spoke back prayers get a super sort of damaging votes mutually as people who say that they have got not had prayers spoke back get effective votes. Edit: No is a wonderfully proper answer. If a determine continuously stated particular to their newborn, this is termed spoiling. Prayer is for conversing with God, not for paying for issues completed for you.

Answer 8

For me, it was a gradual process. I didn't have any epiphanic moment where I suddenly believed there was no God. It was a process of reading the Bible cover to cover, questioning numerous things within it, plus life experience, and basic logic applied to everyday life.

The same educational tools that make most people atheists are available to everyone, everywhere. It's a matter of whether people choose to investigate for themselves, or opt for willful ignorance.

Answer 9

Again, the stereotype of "I'm not really an Atheist. I'm just pissed off at god and deny him now." An education changes anyone willing to understand.

Answer 10

It was a process. I am a woman & organized religions do not respect women: don't speak in church, obey your husband, etc. When my mother died from cancer, that was the last straw. She was a Christian, dedicated her life to the church, didn't drink nor smoke, had one man in her entire life (her husband, my father), & had people all over the world praying for her when she was diagnosed with cancer. I explored several religions. The eastern ones made the most sense. I am an agnostic. You may feel free to contact me, but please don't preach to me. I've heard it all.