Any other ex-christians here, what made you leave and where are you at now,, spiritually speaking?

Question

Ok, Christians. This question is not for you, retards. So go the f*ck away.

Answer 1

I don't remember you asking our opinions on the validity of the term "ex-christian" do you?? Where do these people get off?

One reason I left is the existence of evil, incompatible with an all powerful all good god. Another reason is all the different religions, all of them equally convinced that they are right, they can't be all right, so why am I to believe any of them are? I also recognized an inversely proportional relationship between religiosity and kindness, tolerance, and genuineness.

Now I'm seeking empathy and a closeness with the world around me that Christianity had me so thoroughly alienated from. It's just ourselves, each other, this planet, and this life. That's all we got, better make the most of it.

Answer 2

Contrary to what some wish was true, there is such a thing as an ex-Christian. I know this for a fact because I am one. Did I really believe Christian mythology? Yes I did. But not anymore.

I gave up on churches years ago because I got tired of all the "devil is out to get you" fear tactics. However, I was still a Christian for many years afterwards and continued to believe in the bible.

A few years ago I found myself with the time and resources to study the origins of the bible and the faith, which was something I had wanted to do for years, so I began studying in earnest. It was when I learned that the stories in the bible were really just new versions of many older myths that predated the stories in the bible by centuries that I realized that I no longer believed. Further study confirmed my suspicions.

There is a reason why priests, ministers and other church officials don't want people to ask questions. They know that the answers don't support what they're telling you.

Now I am Wiccan. At least I know the truth of where that comes from.

Answer 3

I was raised Mormon. I left when I was 17, mainly because of how Mormonism regarded women (expendable property). I drifted around a bit, ending up in a fundie church in Indianapolis. A friend I had met there, Brian, was gay, and his preacher had convinced him that he had a demon inside of him, which is what made him gay. Brian said that his preacher did an exorcism which drove the demon away. When Brian still had sexual urges for men, the preacher said that Brian didn't have enough faith to make the demon stay gone. What utter nonsense! My first breaking away from Christianity.

My second and final break came about a year later when my friend Joe, who was also gay, killed himself because he was thoroughly convinced (again, by his church but not the same church as before) that his father could not love him. He thoroughly believed that his father would never tolerate a gay son. At Joe's funeral, Joe's dad said that he would have loved Joe no matter what. NO MATTER WHAT. That is what finally made me realize what a f*cked up mess this religion is. It is hate, intolerance, and cruelty disguised as love and compassion. If Satan really exists, he is having a grand old time in the churches of God.

Now, I am a Pagan, and have been for a good many years (I'm 31 now). I've found a spirituality that makes sense to me, and helps me make sense of the world. It has love and compassion. No disguises. My boyfriend and I are both Pagan (I am female). We finally found love and joy outside the clutches of the fundamentalist madmen.

Answer 4

I left the catholic church years ago because i didn't fully believe in it, i saw it more as something to learn but not to believe. The priest that was at my school (all guy catholic school i attended for 3 years) kept telling us that if we were not willing to be an apostle of christ that we should not be confirmed and if we didnt fully believe in the religion we shouldn't take confirmation. And the priest at my church i was to be confirmed at told me when i made the decision that he knew i was not meant to stay in the catholic religion and that my path lead elsewhere .So i left the church after a few months of thinking about if i should or not, soon after i met a wonderful girl and started dating her and she told me her beliefs concerning paganism and both as a spiritual thing and a way to respect her and her beliefs i researched her path. Over time i felt as if something inside me had finally been found once i had learned more about paganism and realized it wasnt dead like the church and many others claimed it was, and i found something the catholic church never could give me, and since then i have been a pagan but more recently i have journeyed towards Asatru but i still hold many of the paganism beliefs and dont mind being called pagan or heathen or an Asatruar even though most Asatru prefer either heathen or Asatruar.

Answer 5

Yes, ex souther baptist. I got very tired of some wierd old man yelling at me taht I, or women, were the root of all sin and unless I did exactly what he said "I would burn in eternal fiery pit of hell and damnation" yelled in my face in a thick souther accent. Oh, there was much more to it than that, I realized at a pretty young age that there was something very wrong with what these people were telling me and then I got old enough to research stuff myself. That was pretty much the end for me. People like your first responder make sure that I don't even consider going back. I'm Pagan now and very happy with the path I have chosen I ahve spoken with my Dieties and know them as my own, there's nothing that could make me turn away from them.

Answer 6

Actually, the often used term is recovering Catholic.
And we left because "take it on faith" is not a good enough answer to the difficult questions.

"Take it on faith" is the type of answer that you get from people who don't want to do the work to find out. That may be why so many Christians just parrot what they are told by their preachers/ministers/priests.

Actually, in my case, it was my mother who got into it with a priest over birth control. Mom wasn't interested in being a breeder and still wanted to enjoy intimacy with my Dad.

I believe that her parting words to the priest were "And when I have all of these 20 kids, who's going to take care of them? The church?"

Some of us would rather think than be indoctrinated.

That is why we are Pagan. Paganism encourages self-exploration and reflection.
It encourages free thought and accepts that all beliefs are valid for those that choose them.

We may not agree with them but, unlike fundamentalist Christians, we respect everyone's right to follow the belief system that they choose to follow and we don't go out trying to recruit people and convert them.

We only accept, as members, those who come freely seeking us of their own free will and of their own choosing.

You'll never be woken up on a Sunday morning with " Have you tried Wicca?"

Another nice thing about being Pagan is that when the Jehovah's Witnesses come knocking on the door, you open the door wearing a Pentacle and saying that you are a witch, they will never come back. (oh, blessed sleep on the weekends)

Answer 7

Well i'm an ex-Catholic, i left the church because no.1, i disagreed with so much of the doctrine, no birth control, not allowing priests to marry etc.
No.2 I sucked as a Catholic anyway, i never went to mass etc
No.3 I realised that i didn't believe in a fictional man in the sky, in my heart i've always been an Atheist, well ever since i truly understood the concept of religion.

Answer 8

I'm taking a break from Christianity, in the sense that I am willing to allow for God's existence, but I don't know for sure he is real, nor do I believe one can find him in organized religion. I find no confirmation either way, and therefore live my life the best way I know how: living and enjoying life, and loving others.

Is Christianity the only way to live life?
Can it be that ...God loves us so much he will pursue us even beyond death? ...following Christ is more important than believing in Him?

Answer 9

My mother made me a christian. I never cared for it, church is BORING. I tried reading the bible once and i noticed that "women are to be subservient to men" I shut the book and never thought twice about any kind of religion. I believe that anything is possible.
It is just as likely to me that jesus is the son of god as it is that aliens came and probed Gorrillas and that created humans.
I am not a non believer but an all believer. because lets face it NOBODY knows the real truth and any one who says they do are not very logical.

Answer 10

I became a Hellenic Polytheist because the Gods of my religion called me in a way that the Christian God did not. I am currently participating in a Clergy Study Program so that I can better minister to my fellow Hellenistai