"Ex-" Christians and all those who feel it may apply : What is it about Christianity that made you turn away?

Question

Was it a passage in the Bible; was it doctrine; was it a plea to someone of the church who didn't help; Did you pray and feel that God didn't answer?... What is it that you had hoped to experience that didn't? Please explain your experience. Do you think that there is any "medicine" to heal your hurt and if so...what?

Answer 1

A broken heart from the most important people in your life who had failed you. Lack of obedience in trusting God is the only answer or why you leave! and Lack of forgiveness for you from you and your mistakes make you leave. The bible is perfect, God is perfect Jesus is perfect that's why He died for us ! Give it another chance

Answer 2

The Bible is the most violent book I've ever come across, not to mention the most contradicting. I used to go to church with a neighbor until the congregation began spreading lies about her. I had a dream when I was a kid that Jesus came for me and I wanted to get away from him so badly that I was crying in my dream. I know my dad never really approved of me going to church because he would quietly turn down all of my invitations to attend with me, and he could quote texts of other religions better than the bible. I read encyclopedias when I was young and was amazed at the devotion not found in most Christians. It contradicts scientific fact.

I hoped to feel reassurance that I had found the truth and a feeling of peace. I received neither until I stopped believing in the Christian god. The only medicine I need is to keep searching for the truth at my own pace and to come to my own conclusions.

Answer 3

well, of course, the initial doubt came from a series of bad events in my life. with disgruntlement, came a new annoyance with Christianity in general. when people would tell me to pray, I could feel something set off in my mind. a feeling of anger.

from this point, the door was open to look at the problems with God in an unbiased manner. and realize the serious psychological issues of the people who created him. "He's your master. Serve him, or he'll annihilate you. it's always best to please master...."

And then, a casual observance of all the things wrong with this planet. After looking, it became apparent that no sentient force is aiding anyone.

Even though I have serious doubts of his existence, I've still got this desire to attack the faith. I sense a lot of ppl on R&S are in this area now. just my opinion.

After a while, I reached this point. My issues with God subsided. Over a few years, I developed a new belief system which works out just peachy as it doesn't involve that sadist strongman.

Answer 4

I grew up in a loving home that had nothing to do with religion. At the age of 12 I decided to look for a higher meaning, and began going to church. I was made very welcome and the people seemed very friendly and welcoming.

I stayed with this church until I was 17 when at that age, I became pregnant, and these friendly welcoming people turned. Boy did they turn.

I left the church, disillusioned. Then I found my true faith a few years later .... paganism.

Answer 5

it wasn't the bible or the doctrine

it was the people in the church.

the people who claims to love god out of one side of their mouth and tare a person down with the other side of their mouth.

it was all the grand standing and flashing.

i did and still do not understand why the pastor has to live like a king while the rest of the congregation is suffering. he is driving expensive @$$ cars while the rest is on the bus. he is living in a house while you have a church member sleeping on the floor in the church.

i don't understand why you have a single mother pledge her entire paycheck for the upbuilding of the church, while she has children walking around with holes in their shoes, hand washing their clothes and hanging them up so they can wear the same outfit in another two days. but yet the pastor's children are wearing the name brand shi+ that your children would do anything to have that gear in their closet.

so i say, it is definately the people that opens your eyes to what church is really about. you don't lose your love for god, but for the people you trust that is suppose to help live right for the lord.

Answer 6

It wasn't just one thing - it was everything. Stories in the Bible that didn't make sense.. The more I learned about science, the more the Bible didn't add up. The more I learned about history, anthropology, physics, evolution, ecology, culture, other world religions, the more it became apparent that the Bible was myth. Personal experiences, hearing the ideas of others, learning about our world, my own observations.. everything over 2 decades has only solidified this perception, and it only continues. It wasn't because of anything the Bible couldn't give me, it was just learning how the Bible couldn't be what it claims to be.

Answer 7

It was a bad stepmother. Claimed to be a "born-again" Chrisitian and turned out to be the devil incarnate. What I saw in her was an amplification of what I have seen in many Christians to one degree or another: a self serving nature mixed with blatant hipocrisy. I mean, is it really important that you have a fancy car when you pull up at church? Is all the pomp and pagentry really necessary? It makes me sick! The communists were right, religion is EVIL.

Answer 8

I come from parents of different faiths. They each practice their own, but respect the other. My brother and I could choose to practice either or neither. My mother is a Christian and my father a Muslim. I am a Muslim and my brother agnostic. I chose Islam (but I only believe it theologically speaking--I don't practice either) because I don't believe that God and Jesus are both Gods... To me Jesus, much like Mohammed and Abraham, is God's prophet and that's it. Yes, he was born to the Virgin, but he is not God.

Answer 9

I found that many of the things I had taken for granted were not as solidly based as I thought.

The virgin birth, for example, seems far more likely to be based on a mistranslation, and was never considered to be a messianic prophecy in the first place.

Answer 10

Hypocrites.
Loudmouthed, condemning, judgmental hypocrites.

Oh, and when my mom, a devout Baptist, died in a house fire, I thought that either God didn't exist or he was a heartless deity.

I was an atheist for 11 years, but I came back when I finally found a group that wasn't hypocritical in its' behavior and when I received a direct answer to my 1st prayer in those 11 years.