Has anyone here gone from believing in the Bible to not believing in it?

Question

I'm not referring to those who simply have been "religious" and now don't attend church anymore. I'm more interested in the stories of those who were once full-fledged zealots for the "Word of God," who maybe even read their Bibles every day and tried to "get people saved."

What are your thoughts on life now? Do you miss the faith you once had? Have you had success with sharing your story with people who still believe?

Answer 1

Yep, I took things a little literally though. I started telling people that they shouldn't say certain things(like omg, Jesus Christ, just any profanity) or correct their behaviors I pointed out hypocrisies amongst other Christians. I got mad at people who gossiped and just put my two cents worth of religious beliefs in peoples conversations and situations. This PISSED people off like no other. Later I started to attack my own faith and experience guilt for like every little thing I did wrong because there was stuff in the bible that would make me feel like I was on the right path one moment and the wrong 10 verses down( I focused more on the negative because those were the things I needed to work on getting rid off to become more like '"Christ"). If I said Oh my God, I would sometimes cry because of it or if I saw my mind wondering into lust or other "sinful" distractions I felt crappy for almost the whole day. If I didn't read a bible for a day or apply the message in church in my life, I felt totally fake. After about two years of this I started to question this God. I distanced myself from him and this process put me through a complete depressive state becauseI felt like I was giving into the devil and rejecting all form of Gods truth and love. There was no more purpose in life. However, I still believed the bible...I just stooped following it and started looking into the occult because my interest in spirituality still burned. this led to reading ancient pagan mythology. I realized how similar a lot of things were and deeply started to question the content in the bible. What if it was borrowed material (later changed) of the pagans? I started reading things on other religions and eventually came to these conclusions:

1. The gods of the past were just as real or unreal to the people who worshiped them as the gods of today are to the people who worship the. However, now we consider the majority of those past gods as fiction. Religions of today could be in the same boat 1000 years from now.

2.Christianity did not work for me. if one finds a path that helps to enhance their life on earth its right for them.

3. The world of people's believes is not black and white, and cannot be labeled as right or wrong like answers on tests(its a totally different realm)

4. Spiritual path is totally personal and should be kept as such.

That is how I view the world today. Although I tend to have a more eastern view as well. My spiritual fulfillment isn't found outside this world through salvation but withing it, through nature. My goal is to grow and develop as a human to the point where the body and the spirit become one, and reach harmony with the Universe. If I don't finish then my energy will recycle back to the earth and manifest in a simpler form. I don't miss my faith in Christ. I feel more free now than I did when I was a Christian. Maybe some would say I wasn't a true Christian because true Christians don't wonder from their faith, but I feel that I have taken enough room here as it is and therefore am not going to explain. If you're really want one you can email. Sorry for the length:-(......... Peace:-)

Answer 2

I used to believe so strongly that I thought I could heal people just like Jesus did... because he says in the bible that I can. During that time I was able to temporarily muster up enough fake happiness to last me a short while. After the feeling wore off, I prayed and prayed and prayed. Then I started seeking out answers on my own. It was not until I began to open my mind to new ideas that I was able to understand the whole picture.

I have been much happier since the day I started thinking for myself. I have been much happier since I became willing and able to accept the fact that I could sometimes be wrong and learn how to deal with believing things that are wrong. I learned that being wrong is not so bad as long as I am willing to correct myself, learn from my mistakes, and become a better person afterwards. Life has been more and more wonderful ever since.

Christianity is a nasty trap. It is brainwashing. It is the destruction of the mind and all of its true power. It is a coping mechanism for the weak. It is a lie and a threat to mankind.

Answer 3

I have...
When I was younger, I believe in God, believed in God being an almighty all powerful all forgiving God that was looking over us everyday. Naturally I read the Bible, and believed everyword of it.

As of now, I believe in the morals that the Bible talks about... but the stories, and ideas I do not believe... They are, in my opinion, just fairy tale stories to explain a point. I do not believe in the "all mighty" God either. I am always open to listening and learning about it, and other religions, and believe that no one is truly wrong or right. Faith is more what we have in our hearts... this is faith.

I'm 19 years old now, I've been through a lot but I do everything in my power to help other people, volunteer, etc. I do not attend church, nor do I pray. A lot of my friends are the same way. It seems to me that, and this is not everyone, but that a lot of church goers go to church, pray, go home and believe that this is what makes them good people. My friends and I are constantly helping, volunteering, working for other people who are less fortunate... that is my faith. That is who we are, and what we are made of.

So having good faith, and being a truly good person doesn't mean going to church and living your life by God's word. This is what I believe... we're all here, we're all different and we all need to be open to other people's beliefs

Answer 4

I was. Won 3 souls for the lord, memorized books of the bible, went to bible college to translate it from the original languges.

Ahh, at first I "missed" it more. But it was a missing like you "miss" belief in Santa when you hit Jr. High. You know you can't go back to it, but it was a sweeter, simpler time. The older I get, well...I stopped missing it a while ago.

I don't "evangelize" people. I will have conversations with people who bring up the topic. Two nephews who were home-schooled fundies are now atheists and my sisters blame me but...I don't really think I had all that much to do with it.

Answer 5

Oh that would be me.
I'm a pantheist pagan now and have been for many years. At one time I was a born-again, bible believing christian who read her bible every day (20 chapters per day, plus 1 psalm and the proverb of the day). I was head of the Lady's Missionary Fellowship, Editor of the Church newsletter, Sunday school teacher, and sang in both the choir and a gospel group that traveled throughout several states.

I don't miss it at all. I'm thankful to be out of it.I don't try to proselytize people from christianity. I simply ask them to educate themselves to what they and others believe in order to bring about better understanding.

Answer 6

Absolutely. I was such a zealot. I'd interrupt your lunch in the park to tell you about Jesus and Hell and all the good bits.

Thoughts on life now? I should go back to school and get a degree to make more money. Seriously...I do try to be more practical these days.

Do I miss my faith? No, it was a tremendous stress. Faith is a burden on intelligent people because they feel pulled in different directions by their mind, faith, aspects of the personality, etc.

Have I had "success" sharing my story? What success would that be? Getting them to "go atheist?" Eh, don't really care about that, really. My only success is keeping myself entertained.

Answer 7

yep.

Was once full-fledged, tongues-speaking, faith-healing, prophesying, demon-expelling, vision-seeing, practicing of the presence, poor folks feeding, prisoners visiting, buybull believing, born again christian. Put a LOT of time and effort and energy into it.

Maybe it's different for other people, but for all that . . . I never felt that my religion was "fixing" the things about me that bothered me the most . . . and it always felt like a "bad fit" spiritually. Eventually, I simply walked away. Tried other things. Tried nothing.

Found heathenry. And *home.*

No, I don't miss being xian. I don't miss churches full of backstabbing hypocrites and narrow minds and "prophets" whose private lives never live up to their pulpit proclamations. I don't miss being asked not to use my brain, and I definitely don't miss being expected to remain celibate outside marriage. I don't miss having all the joy and pleasure and fun sucked out of my life, or believing that god was an angry, vindictive old man with a big stick, just waiting for me to screw up so he could smite me.

Not even a little bit. o_O

Xians talk about their god being love, but they don't LIVE like they believe it.

Now, I understand that life is good. Pleasure is good. Prosperity is good. And that while the godhs I choose to follow are neither perfect, nor even immortal . . . *I* am good enough for them.

Answer 8

Daily Bible readings, Sunday School teacher, faithful Protestant, considered Seminary, attended 2 or 3 Sunday services every week for 20 years....

That was me. But then I started to realize that the ideas of Christianity didn't fit me anymore. It just didn't answer the many questions I had, and actually made me more edgy with the constant fear of hell looming overhead.

I have plenty of respect for Christianity, but it just isn't for me.

Answer 9

There are many atheists who became atheists because they read the bible hoping to get a better understanding of christianity.

I do not believe that people can be converted to atheism. It is a choice that person has to make for themselves based on their own beliefs. Sharing an atheist view with a christian will not make the christian question his/her beliefs and become atheist.

Answer 10

Yeah George Bush