Ex Christians: Did you ever reach a point while you were practicing?

Question

that you just got tired of feeling "bad" all the time? This isn't meant maliciously to any Christians who read this, I am giving my viewpoint and wondering if anyone else felt the same. I personally just tired of being told how I will always fall short, I was born in sin and will die in sin, as a woman the fall of man was all our fault, orginal sin, etc. One of the reasons I drifted away was I got tired of feeling bad all the time.

I also know that accoring to the faith Jesus saved us all and all that, but it just didn't make any sense to me that he HAD to save us which of course led the conversations back to the born in sin thing...ugh

I have to admit I NEVER found a church that I felt at home in. Seven state and three denomintions, I just never felt right in one.

Answer 1

no! didnt believe then dont believe it now...

Answer 2

I am an ex-Christan, and that is one reason why I fell out with the crowd, I mean, who would want to feel crummy all the time about doing something bad, I have enough of that when I was a kid (I stopped believing when I was 10, 7 years later I'm the leading Atheist in my school...) yeah yeah and I know any and all Christians will be saying stuff like, "Oh but you should feel good that Jesus" and stuff about feeling good about God and stuff...I did until the REAL reason that I stopped believing popped up, when my parents divorced, I went suicidal for a long time, manic depression actually, and I prayed my a55 off to get the strength to pull through this, to at least give me a reprieve from the nightmare of life, (this was when I was 10, during the divorce but before I was an Atheist) but I didn't get any sort of answer, there was no reprieve, and the only help that I got was from the shrinks and a good friend of mine named Will, he wasn't some sort of Angel or guardian for the Christians out there, because later he fell into the druggy click, haven't heard from him in 3 years. That's the reason why I left Christianity, when I needed God, God was no where to be found, so then I simply left His church then. And besided, the Bible is sexist, for the reasons why you pointed out, Women were responsible for origninal sin, a woman asked for the head of John the Baptist, etc.

Answer 3

Well I'm an ex Catholic and while not the same thing I know exactly what you're talking about. It was exhausting how everything you did was a potential sin. It became ridiculous. So many of "the rules" seemed to me a bit absurd.
I got tired of hearing how everything was women's fault as well. We menstruate as a punishment for eating off a certain tree? whatever.

Women are supposed to be obedient to men because of the same sin. Sounds like men trying to find an excuse to be in control.

And the list of sins was so long it seemed at times you couldn't look in the mirror without having sinned.

I left the Catholic religion because all the negative was overwhelming, along with many other reasons. The contradiction in teaching were abundant.

So my long answer to your question is yes I left my religion because I got sick and tired of being "bad"

Blessings to you and I hope you find your way.

Answer 4

I am not a christian so to say but the original sin. You are scum attitude is only the view point of a few. There are religious extremist in every culture and denomonation. We had the Catholics do the crusades against the Muslims. We had the muslim extremist do a Jyhad against the US and UK.

Not every muslim will blow up an airplane, and not every catholic was a Tempest Knight charging into battle. So that being said not every one that is a christian has that old puritan mentality.

In the end true christians believe and have faith in thier teachings and God (Jesus christ died on the cross and was the begotten son of God) and try to be the best person they can no matter what.

Answer 5

Thanks for being so open and honest. I'm sorry that you felt bad all of the time. That has to not be fun.

I'm also sorry that you didn't find a church you felt welcomed at. I think that happens too much and it's something churches in general need to work on.

I'm a Christian. I felt "bad" all the time until I asked Jesus to forgive me. I was totally aware I was sinning before I was a Christian and was really loaded with guilt. Forgiveness felt good and so did knowing God loves me so much. Jesus always forgives and we don't need to measure up. That's kind of the whole point. Not trying to argue too much - It's just interesting to me how different our experience is. It looks like there are others like you.

Answer 6

Kinda, I think christianity never really had me totally. I always felt left out, and different in a bad way around them. Like I was living a lie, going through the motions, but not feeling the way they all seemed to feel with a big stupid grin on my face. I prayed, but it made me feel like I was doing something stupid. I sang in the choir, and did solos that moved people to come forward and feel things I never felt while singing all the words that were not my own. It sucks to not fit-in with your own family and all the people they put you in contact with. I came to my realization of atheism on my own. And until I stumbled upon this forum, had no contact with other atheists who feel the same as I do. My husband is also an atheist, but he only became so through bitterness, and is not the same as those I identify with here. But my son is a happy, logical atheist who loves his fellow man too. That's what matters most to me, that he knows why he believes what he does, and is a good, loving, happy person.

Answer 7

I have felt that way sometimes but then I read the scriptures or something and I realize that such feelings do not come from God. Any church which teaches that we are evill and completely wicked and evil is itself a wicked church. All men sin but we are inherently good. This mortal life can provide some powerful temptations, though.

Answer 8

I had problems with a lie detector test because I still felt guilty due to my Christian upbringing and another coworker had the same problem.

I find it hard to believe that a god would come up with punishing all humans for two people's one sin. Not only that, but that a god would basically ignore all other cultures throughout the world allowing them to "die in sin" with no or little knowledge of him for uncounted centuries.

Answer 9

I'm a Christian, but I'm not really religious. If that makes any sense at all? I screw up like everybody else, sometimes worse than others. I know that I mean well though. I believe Jesus is my savior. I've got a good heart and a sound mind. I'm not sure if thats going to cut it in the end, but I'm able to go to sleep alright at night, and that works for me.

Also.... I only go to church on Christmas and Easter, and it's not really all that fun... theres no real point in lying about it. He knows how i feel about him though, and thats all that i think really matters.

Answer 10

Yes, you have it exactly right. I was always feeling like if one thing went wrong in my life it was my own fault for not having enough faith or something. I was continually beating myself up for not being good enough. I was always feeling somewhat frazzled because my logical thoughts and questions about the doctrine I was fed were always clashing with what the church was teaching. That was mentally draining all the time. Thank goodness I finally got out from under that!!!

Answer 11

Yup.
No matter what I did, I felt guilty.
Also.. any time I was in church... I felt like I was a stranger in someone else's house.
Once I answered the call of the Gods of my own people, rather than a foreign God, it was literally like a huge yoke lifted off of me. It was a palpable feeling of relief.