Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I wanted to say thank you to everyone who replied. I am very grateful for the kind, sympathetic, and understanding responses. This has been a difficult road but a nessaccery(sp-no sp check on this thing) one. I have studied other religions and was stunned to find out how unoriginal Christianity is, every major story has been reappropriated from previous religions, but those are only to be considered as myths, not the "true & only religion". Fact is, & I am a little intimidated by this, this is the closest I have ever been to considering Atheism. I do still feel wonder at the world and am seeking the divine however, I don't believe it is to be found in a male-centered, exclusionistic organized religion like Christianity. I also can't stand to be a part of a group who is so smug to think they are the only ones to curry favor with the divine. As for the above post, it is hard to walk away from Jesus after a whole lifetime, but I absolutely feel the Bible is only a group of myths used to corral the masses, to implement control. This has been a hard decision but not much that is good comes easy. I am looking forward to finding a new path, and to self-discovery w/out fear. Thanks again, lil red....
Best decision you can make my friend. Leaving religion will set you free. You do not need a cult or group to tell you how to live your life. 10 to 1 murders are christian. you do not see Atheists murdering people, and the nut jobs are always hearing gods voice that tells them to do some atrocity in the name of god or another. I think believing in that crap would make anyone go crazy.
[SIZE=3] [/SIZE]
Fact is, & I am a little intimidated by this, this is the closest I have ever been to considering Atheism. I do still feel wonder at the world and am seeking the divine however, I don't believe it is to be found in a male-centered, exclusionistic organized religion like Christianity.
Lilred, you can be an atheist and still feel great wonder at the world around you. I feel great wonder and immensely tiny and insignificant when I lie on a mountaintop under the stars and just let the vastness of the universe wash over me. There are many beautiful and wondrous things in the world and in the universe, but you don't need a fanciful belief in a deity to experience them or to understand how incredible they are.
You may very well decide that you wish to keep believing in a diety, or you may not. But it's like Christmas -- just because you don't believe in Santa, doesn't mean the holiday loses meaning or joy for you. You simply understand what it's all about, and it's not a fat man in a suit.
I wanted to say thank you to everyone who replied. I am very grateful for the kind, sympathetic, and understanding responses. This has been a difficult road but a nessaccery(sp-no sp check on this thing) one. I have studied other religions and was stunned to find out how unoriginal Christianity is, every major story has been reappropriated from previous religions, but those are only to be considered as myths, not the "true & only religion". Fact is, & I am a little intimidated by this, this is the closest I have ever been to considering Atheism. I do still feel wonder at the world and am seeking the divine however, I don't believe it is to be found in a male-centered, exclusionistic organized religion like Christianity. I also can't stand to be a part of a group who is so smug to think they are the only ones to curry favor with the divine. As for the above post, it is hard to walk away from Jesus after a whole lifetime, but I absolutely feel the Bible is only a group of myths used to corral the masses, to implement control. This has been a hard decision but not much that is good comes easy. I am looking forward to finding a new path, and to self-discovery w/out fear. Thanks again, lil red....
You're obviously disillusioned with the church. I urge you not to give up on your relationship with Jesus. Have you considered a different church?
First of all, @ Rifleman: Your post verifies why I admire you.
Next, @ lilred0005: Thank you. To question the overwhelming pressure to believe in the status quo is akin to "coming out of the closet." People who never question their upbringing, their place in "accepted" society or the "truthfulness" of the established religious order never grow beyond the repeated parroting of ancient dogma.
There is divine truth available to every single person on this planet. Any religion that claims it alone has THE TRUTH is lying. Because - as the Bible itself proclaims - the road is narrow. And what our extremist friends don't understand about that phrase is that the road truly IS narrow, but not because there is only ONE way for all to believe.
It's actually a road only YOU travel upon. That's why it is narrow.
I figure you are in the airport, waiting for your flight and are bored.
Spare me. If you were to leave Christianity sincerely, you will do so in silence and secrecy and not feel the burning urge to advertise it from a difficult PDA. You want points for your emancipation, right?
I hate PDA's coz composing messages is a pain in my muscular bum
Nah, when I left I felt the urge to shout. It's hard to keep that sort of change to oneself.
After years of difficult soul searching, I have decided to end my relationship with organized religion, specifically Christianity. I believe in God, whether it be an entity or entities, or a natural force, with all my heart and soul. I would be a lost soul without my faith, however, I do not feel I can obtain spiritual fufilment(sp?) by following blindly organized religion. My disillusionment with Christianity was painful at first, but now that I have accepted it, I feel free. My main issues with Christianity are as follows: I can't follow a group that thinks it knows, or has figured out everything about life and the divine. I don't believe there is "one true Faith" and "one true" spiritual path. I can't deal with a group that is so obviously misogynistic and had no room for women. I don't believe the Bible came directly from God and that it should be taken literally. The Bible was obviously written by powerful, educated men who used it as a tool to manipulate and keep the uneducated masses in line. I can't deal with a religion that views mankind(especially women) as inherently evil(sin) and weak, slaves to their base natures. Finally(I could go on but you get the major points), I don't believe that ONLY Christians will be saved and that everyone else, no matter how good, pious, and selfless, will BURN, or that the only way to salvation is to declare alliegence to Jesus. Those "saved" ppl can now never lift a finger to help others because "good works won't get you into Heaven" and no matter what they have done in the past(child rape, et al), all is forgiven but the Pagan/Hindi/Buddist who helps his fellows and is moral is condemned for Eternity. These are the major reasons why I can no longer call myself a Christian. If I BURN, so be it ; I followed my heart. ...lil red...... Btw, I am very sorry for the single paragraph. My PDA removes all the paragraph spaces. Thank you.
I understand you decision. It is very hard to follow an organize religion, who sole agenda seems to be obedience to the doctrine of the church.
You're obviously disillusioned with the church. I urge you not to give up on your relationship with Jesus. Have you considered a different church?
I'm curious. What is this fear you speak of?
Actually he has broken free of the bounds of the mass hallucination of control driven organized religion, and let his mind explore an existance not bounded by teachings of fear, hate, discrimination and eternal suffering by a really spiteful and unforgiving deity.
I mean really, this deity professes that if you don't spend the his special day kowtowing and honoring HIM, but choose to provide for your family by working then you shall be stoned to death? Really dude, you support that? How silly! Who would not want to be free of such an irrational concept, given it's all fictional.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
