Ex-believers, what made you quit your religion/cult?
-
This post did not contain any content.
My brain started working.
-
I appreciate your response and the other person who replied to you is right as well, but I wanted to add that I can "appreciate" Bible stories the same way I can appreciate other myths or legends, many of which the Bible stories originated from. I love mythology, it fascinates me, especially seeing who borrowed from who, but that doesn't make them real or worth worshipping.
Absolutely not, I 100% agree.
To your point about who borrowed from who - one of my favourite examples is the story of Noah's Ark, or less specifically, "The Great Flood". So many religions and mythologies have a Great Flood story. It's fascinating to see how similar or different certain people's recounts were of historical events like that.
Like I say, at this point in my life I'm still of the opinion that a good chunk of the Bible means well, but who knows? One of these days I might run out of sci-fi novels to read and go cover to cover, old testament to new. It's certainly possible my mind might yet change.
-
I was always kinda skeptical but the event that triggered my way out was when I asked my mom how can God expect people, who were raised with other religions, to believe in him instead when they simply have no idea. She said they know about God and it’s their own fault for not believing in him. And that for me was not logical because I knew from my own experience that I only believed in God because that’s all I knew.
But it took a while for me to completely stop believing in any deity or whatever supernatural power because I kept looking for reasons why we exist. Now I don’t care for that. Sure the Big Bang is mysterious and we might never solve it but there is no sense in making things up either. Everything else can be explained by science so let’s just go with that.
If the Christian God wants me to believe in him, he should stop being so vague and contradicting. Turn the moon into cheese. Pluck a mountain out of the ground and float it in the sky. Whatever, he is almighty, he should do almighty things.
Similar here, region locked gods lol.
-
This post did not contain any content.
I used to attend church with a small following (50-60 members). The pastor seemed very kind at the time and still does some charitable things... But when my grandfather was dying in the hospital, he suggested that suffering brings you closer to God and any kind of hospice or pain-relief was a sin.
The next Sunday I attended, the pastor starting mocking the medical staff during a sermon, basically airing my family business and likened my family to Judas. I walked out and never came back.
Some of my family still attends his church. I saw the pastor a few years ago and extended my hand for a handshake and he walked away.
My mom and I talk about this whole situation sometimes (she attends a different church). "If you hear something at church you don't agree with, don't bring it home with you." That was her way of saying that the pastor is just a person, too. Take what you can from a lesson and apply it for good in your life.
-
This post did not contain any content.
Does it count if you live in a very religious state that has pushed religion down your throat all your life but you resisted? For me I think I was about 22 when I started to see religion as not just a personal belief, but as a tool used by power hungry men to hurt and control others. I used to respect my religious peers, now I feel sad for them, because I know that they were raised into it so hard that I can't really blame them. The sad thing is, even though I live in one of the most developed nations in the world. I am still in a part of it where criticism of religion, past not believing it, can come with a high social price.
-
This post did not contain any content.
My super religious wife cheat on me and get knocked up. Followed by all our church friends throwing her a party. All the scandals didn’t help also. So I’m done. I now consider myself an atheist.
-
My brain started working.
This. Your faith is presented as normal when growing up in religious family. As you get older, there is opportunity to question those beliefs and, for some people, you realise those beliefs are mental and insane.
-
I was always kinda skeptical but the event that triggered my way out was when I asked my mom how can God expect people, who were raised with other religions, to believe in him instead when they simply have no idea. She said they know about God and it’s their own fault for not believing in him. And that for me was not logical because I knew from my own experience that I only believed in God because that’s all I knew.
But it took a while for me to completely stop believing in any deity or whatever supernatural power because I kept looking for reasons why we exist. Now I don’t care for that. Sure the Big Bang is mysterious and we might never solve it but there is no sense in making things up either. Everything else can be explained by science so let’s just go with that.
If the Christian God wants me to believe in him, he should stop being so vague and contradicting. Turn the moon into cheese. Pluck a mountain out of the ground and float it in the sky. Whatever, he is almighty, he should do almighty things.
he should stop being so vague and contradicting.
"He" can't do that because "he" doesn't exist. Just like the other 5000 or so gods that humans have invented over the millennia.
-
he should stop being so vague and contradicting.
"He" can't do that because "he" doesn't exist. Just like the other 5000 or so gods that humans have invented over the millennia.
Thanks, that's what I obviously concluded too.
-
This post did not contain any content.
I thought doubting God was a sin and I'd go to hell if I died with doubt in my heart, so I avoided atheist material out of fear that it was Satan working through them to tempt me to doubt.
But eventually I just couldn't resist, and figured the atheist arguments would clearly be false, and God's truth or whatever would show through and then I could always refer to that event to shake any doubts.
The first video I watched was a debate between a pastor and Christopher Hitchens.
Absolutely shook my faith to core, and for a couple days afterward, no matter how I tried to twist it, I couldn't find the fault in Hitchens arguments.
After that, I began to research the history of Christianity with a more open mind, and it became clear what a shit show the whole thing was. I became agnostic, and I suppose in a way I still am a bit, in the sense that the existence of reality itself is quite puzzling, but I can say with certainty that no religion on earth has any answers toward that end.
-
Two things started the slow 10ish year journey to atheism for me. I can't remember which happened first.
Some Mormon lads doing their mandatory missionary work knocked on our door when I was home alone. I decided, screw it, kill them with kindness. Maybe I'll convert them! After I got them some ice water, they started the spiel. It was so stupid, how could anyone believe this? Then I thought, wait, how is what I believe any more believable? That was an unsettling thought that I could never really shake.
I also challenged myself to read the entire Bible (NIV) front to back (which I did, thankyouverymuch). I already had a lot of apologetics for the pentateuch warfare, slavery, etc. but in Psalms there's a verse that basically goes, "blessed is he who dashes the babies on the rocks." And like. What the fuck is that. In what possible circumstances is killing babies okay, let alone with God's explicit endorsement? That also stuck in my head ever since.
There was a lot else in between, but years later I stumbled into a copy of The God Delusion. "Know thine enemy, right?" So I read it on lunch breaks at work. While I now know the book has a reputation for kinda bad philosophy, by the end it had tidily dismantled the last vestiges of the purely "rational" arguments to believe in God I still had. So I sat there, an atheist for the first time in my life.
I remember that exact same verse! I had had multiple traumatic happenings in life and tried to study Bible to soothe my mind and find some answers. I read the whole thing and hoo boy was it eye-opening! I tried reading apologetics to allay my doubts but they seemed like dodging the questions and didn't provide satisfying answers. Then I started reading stuff with historical critical approach and it started to make sense. I fell away from Christianity. Then I read other "holy" scriptures just make sure I wasn't missing something and realized that they all had cool stories but that's about it. So, I decided to rebuild my world view on something that wasn't based on wishful thinking.. and I've been a content atheist for 15 years.
-
This post did not contain any content.
The final nail in the coffin for me was looking at a world map and thinking about other religions. These people here were raised on this religion, and they believe wholeheartedly that they are right. But, I also believe that I am right. Everyone believes their religion is right, and that belief is solely based on what you were exposed to in your region. Doesn't that mean it's all bullshit? Only one belief can be right. Religion is shaped by the culture of the land, and if the culture changes, so does the religion. With all the changes to each religion over time, that means the original beliefs are gone, or the original "correct" religion is gone. I suppose a current one could be the correct one. It's just infinitly likely that there is no god since religion is formed by those in power instead of an actual god contacting the people of the world.
-
I was always kinda skeptical but the event that triggered my way out was when I asked my mom how can God expect people, who were raised with other religions, to believe in him instead when they simply have no idea. She said they know about God and it’s their own fault for not believing in him. And that for me was not logical because I knew from my own experience that I only believed in God because that’s all I knew.
But it took a while for me to completely stop believing in any deity or whatever supernatural power because I kept looking for reasons why we exist. Now I don’t care for that. Sure the Big Bang is mysterious and we might never solve it but there is no sense in making things up either. Everything else can be explained by science so let’s just go with that.
If the Christian God wants me to believe in him, he should stop being so vague and contradicting. Turn the moon into cheese. Pluck a mountain out of the ground and float it in the sky. Whatever, he is almighty, he should do almighty things.
I remember posing this question to my mum and dad. Their answer was "that's what missionaries are for". Honestly they should've just said they didn't know.
-
This post did not contain any content.
If I'm really honest it was just because I'm a bit of a weird guy and just didn't fit in.
I mean if all church girls loved me I would've probably just ignored the illogical nature of it all, at least for a while.
-
I remember posing this question to my mum and dad. Their answer was "that's what missionaries are for". Honestly they should've just said they didn't know.
Bad luck for the people not being visited by the missionaries!
-
This post did not contain any content.
I didn't quit the LDS church, I was unofficially excommunicated for being born intersex and having a puberty not consistent with my assigned gender.
I have both sets of genitals. Both are small, deformed, and non-functional. The bishop at the time told my parents to keep it a secret and to raise me as a boy. Then puberty came along and I physically filled in as female.
It scared the ward members, it scared the bishop (different bishop than before), ajd it scared me. I didn't know what was happening, nor did anyone else in the church. From their POV, a boy just physically changed into a girl.
The common sense thing to do was to consult a qualified and competent doctor about this, yet no one in the church did that. Not even my parents. The bishop gave my parents an ultimatum. Choose between God or your child abomination.
They chose God and my parents disowned & kicked me out. The church quietly turned their backs on me. They all wanted me to just go away.
I'm older now, wiser, and in a far more stable life. I'm an ordained Satanic minister now, and am happy. Our congregation welcomes those who are cast out.
-
The final nail in the coffin for me was looking at a world map and thinking about other religions. These people here were raised on this religion, and they believe wholeheartedly that they are right. But, I also believe that I am right. Everyone believes their religion is right, and that belief is solely based on what you were exposed to in your region. Doesn't that mean it's all bullshit? Only one belief can be right. Religion is shaped by the culture of the land, and if the culture changes, so does the religion. With all the changes to each religion over time, that means the original beliefs are gone, or the original "correct" religion is gone. I suppose a current one could be the correct one. It's just infinitly likely that there is no god since religion is formed by those in power instead of an actual god contacting the people of the world.
Only one belief can be right.
Or many could be right, or none. Although with how much difference it seems to make, it probably doesn't matter much.
-
The final nail in the coffin for me was looking at a world map and thinking about other religions. These people here were raised on this religion, and they believe wholeheartedly that they are right. But, I also believe that I am right. Everyone believes their religion is right, and that belief is solely based on what you were exposed to in your region. Doesn't that mean it's all bullshit? Only one belief can be right. Religion is shaped by the culture of the land, and if the culture changes, so does the religion. With all the changes to each religion over time, that means the original beliefs are gone, or the original "correct" religion is gone. I suppose a current one could be the correct one. It's just infinitly likely that there is no god since religion is formed by those in power instead of an actual god contacting the people of the world.
This more or less. Not only all the different religions that people sincerely believe in, but also the diversity within each religion, too. If they can't make up their mind how can I?
-
I didn't quit the LDS church, I was unofficially excommunicated for being born intersex and having a puberty not consistent with my assigned gender.
I have both sets of genitals. Both are small, deformed, and non-functional. The bishop at the time told my parents to keep it a secret and to raise me as a boy. Then puberty came along and I physically filled in as female.
It scared the ward members, it scared the bishop (different bishop than before), ajd it scared me. I didn't know what was happening, nor did anyone else in the church. From their POV, a boy just physically changed into a girl.
The common sense thing to do was to consult a qualified and competent doctor about this, yet no one in the church did that. Not even my parents. The bishop gave my parents an ultimatum. Choose between God or your child abomination.
They chose God and my parents disowned & kicked me out. The church quietly turned their backs on me. They all wanted me to just go away.
I'm older now, wiser, and in a far more stable life. I'm an ordained Satanic minister now, and am happy. Our congregation welcomes those who are cast out.
I'm an exmo. Gender and sex is doctrinally binary, I always wondered how intersex children would be treated. Thanks for sharing. There were lots of things that made me leave, but I always disagreed with the church's stance on LGBTQI+ issues.
-
This more or less. Not only all the different religions that people sincerely believe in, but also the diversity within each religion, too. If they can't make up their mind how can I?
I'm curious about your point of view bc ur comment sounds like you don't believe in religion but your username sounds like something religious(I'm not a native Arabic speaker). It roughly translates to "witness of worship", right?
