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G Alan's picture
Question

Hi everyone.  First of all I want to be honest and let you know that I am a Bible believing Christian.  I did not join this forum with the intentions to attack, debate (even though posted in "debate room") or try to belittle anyone. In turn, I do ask and expect the same treatment, please.  I am doing a personal study on the topic of apostasy of the Christian faith. Some believers think that a person of Christian faith can choose to not follow Jesus.  I do have my own beliefs about this subject of which i will not discuss.  I do personally know of one person who kind of turned away for a period of time , but eventually returned to the faith.  I am here to ask if there are any of you who were a bible believing, Christ following, Christian who chose to "walk away" from that belief.  If so, how long were you a follower of Jesus and why did you abandon that faith?  What is your belief now?
Thank you so much for your time.
G.

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LogicFTW's picture
First, be aware that, this

First, be aware that, this forum gets quite a lot of people that create a new sign in, and post a question to atheist, saying they want to collect responses from them for various theist inquiries. I would say about 2-3 a week on average.

You may be met with some hostility from this board as a fair amount of people that have done questions a bit like this in the past were not honest with their true intentions.

Also know, this is a debate forum, do expect some people to want to debate. I get that you are just looking to gather information and there is decidedly a large lack of places where you can do so, so you are left with these debate forums.

As for me personally, I kind of sort of vaguely believed a little bit of christianity, my dad comes from a highly religious family and would identify as roman catholic.

I never believed in the bible though, so I am guessing my thoughts are not the ones you are looking for.

Good luck here trying to gather from others, I would recommend you put on some armor, at least a little bit of hostility is to be expected.

watchman's picture
@ G.....

@ G.....

" I do ask and expect the same treatment,"......

" I do have my own beliefs about this subject of which i will not discuss. "....

"how long were you a follower of Jesus and why did you abandon that faith? What is your belief now?".....

Well "G"..... that's a pretty powerful sense of entitlement you've got there.......

Thank you for your visit....

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dHYglytOFsQ

turning_left's picture
I was a Bible believing

I was a Bible believing Christian until age 19. I'd only ever dreamed of growing up to work in full-time ministry. I was heartbroken. There was a lot of crying and begging that god would reveal himself to me and help me with my "doubts." Regarding the possibility of loss of faith: When I finally came to the conclusion that I didn't believe in the god of the Bible anymore, I had a conversation with my dad and step-mom about it and was sobbing while telling them how awful it felt to realize that god wasn't real. My step-mom's response was to coldly tell me that if I no longer believed, then I must have never been Christian, which seriously hurt me. I'd never loved anything more than I'd loved God, but she had a doctrinal belief that said that was impossible, so she totally disregarded what I was saying. I felt deeply wounded by that.

There were a lot of things that led up to my loss of faith. A few: realizing that the Bible was no more special than any other religious text; that if I had been born in a different country or at a different time, I might have grown up believing just as strongly about a different religion; looking at the atrocities that god commits in the Bible and how utterly ruthless he was, which is inconsistent with the idea of a loving god; the idea that god would punish someone for eternity for sincerely not believing that he exists when he could have clearly revealed his existence - that's not justice.

I'm an atheist now.

Randy the Atheist's picture
I was a very evangelical

I was a very evangelical christian but I didn't "choose to walk away". I simply lost small pieces of my faith over a long period of time. It was so gradual that I can't even place a date on when I became an Atheist - I simply realized one day that I had been one for quite some time.

If I were to guess, I became an Atheist somewhere during post graduate college.

algebe's picture
@G. I do have my own beliefs

@G. I do have my own beliefs about this subject of which i will not discuss.

I feel exactly the same way. I'm not a specimen for some dabbling Xtian poseur to study under his faith microscope.

This is the debate room. What are you doing here?

CyberLN's picture
Hi G. You wrote, “ In turn,

Hi G. You wrote, “ In turn, I do ask and expect the same treatment, please.“

You can expect it. You may not get it.

I expect that religions butt out of my secular government. I often don’t get it.

Expectations too frequently lead to disappointment. A pity, eh?

Grinseed's picture
Abbreviated account. Like

Abbreviated account. Like Randy I was evangelical. Started early, self driven, no parental or initial peer pressure, active church life for many years...mid week bible study groups, prayer groups, headed local christian prayer groups...God and Jesus and me...then as I grew older realised bits and pieces of faith falling away despite prayer...until certain events made me realise it might all be a sham and that I had no idea what real life was like...my minister suggested I go find out...I never looked back.
I am an atheist happier than I ever was. There is/are no god/gods.
Now, please, whats your story G?

Arcturus Alexander's picture
Hello there, I am a Bible

Hello there, I am a Bible reading Christian as well. You asked those that had turned away from the Christian faith to contact you in means of why that person(s) left. Well I'm not sure if you'll be interested seeing as it's apart from your request, but I will gladly tell you why I am still a Christian and not an Atheist. If your interested?

Jared Alesi's picture
I was raised Baptist by my

I was raised Baptist by my aunt and uncle, but my parents are agnostic and atheist. I used to believe wholeheartedly in the gospel, but experienced some cognitive dissonance with the subject of faith when I reached the age of reason. I estimate that I was an atheist by 15. I'm not opposed to the notion of a god existing, but no evidence exists as of yet to support one, and I'm certain that the Judeo-Christian god is false on account of the fact that science disagrees with the Bible so frequently. Hope this helps.

chimp3's picture
I was raised Christian but

I was raised Christian but left at the "age of accountability"! You can also expect me to be a bit snarky! Helps to level the playing field with believers who believe their iron age nonsense gives them any knowledge or authority.

Tin-Man's picture
@G. Re: " I do ask and

@G. Re: " I do ask and expect the same treatment, please.....I am doing a personal study on the topic of apostasy of the Christian faith.... I do have my own beliefs about this subject of which i will not discuss...."

And, yet, you expect us to open our life stories to you. Last time I checked in the mirror (which was only a few minutes prior to sending this post), I did not look like the attached pic. While I do not usually mind sharing my story with others, I am a fairly firm believer in good manners and proper protocol depending on the situation. This just happens to be one of those situations. In the interest of trying to give you the benefit of the doubt, perhaps you did not intend for your post to sound arrogant or condescending with a hint of smug entitlement thrown in for good measure. Unfortunately, it did.

Imagine, if you will, that I happen to stroll up into your church one day in the middle of services and approach the pulpit and politely nudge the preacher aside. And then I address the congregation and state, "Hey there, ladies and gentlemen. Good day to everybody. You don't know me, and I will not discuss anything about myself or answer any questions about myself or my intentions. However, I will be passing out a small notepad and a pencil to each of you in a moment, and I would like for each of you to tell me why you are a Christian and why you believe in God. And since I am being totally polite in my request, I do not expect anybody to be rude or hostile toward me."

So, tell me please, Mr. G., putting yourself in the place of a member of that congregation, how do you suppose you would react? Granted, I do not expect an answer from you, but I simply wanted to put this out there to make a point. However, if you do happen to respond and prove yourself to be honest and genuine in your request, then I am always happy to share my beliefs with those who are sincerely interested. Good day to you, sir.

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emv_66's picture
Took the words right out of

Took the words right out of my mouth! Thank you for phrasing that so well.

Sky Pilot's picture
G.,

G.,

"Hi everyone. First of all I want to be honest and let you know that I am a Bible believing Christian."

According to the biblical fairy tale even Yeshua's own family didn't believe in him and they thought he was nuts. Since they supposedly knew him first hand and didn't believe in him it seems silly for people 2,000 years removed from the alleged events to believe in them.

As it says in Titus 1:14 (CEV) = "Don’t pay any attention to any of those senseless Jewish stories and human commands. These are made up by people who won’t obey the truth."

Why don't you believe that verse?

Cognostic's picture
I was a holy rolling "Jesus

I was a holy rolling "Jesus People" at the Kansas State Fair in the Early 70s. A real Kansas, Bible Belt Believer. I belonged to a small church group that roamed the open fields of Kansas performing in places like, Kansas City, Cunningham, Greenberg, Great Bend, Kingman, Medicine Lodge and more.

What changed. Well, the little group got exposed to lots of different Christian faiths. I was ministering along with the group and enjoyed it so much I thought I would become a preacher. And this was the END of FAITH.

I made the decision to learn as much about God as I could. So, a friend and I decided to visit every church in the area. We were about 6 deep when I realized, everyone hated everyone else, the church up the street was going to burn in hell, the Quakers were more pious than anyone but the Mennonites, the Catholics were idolaters and bound for hell and the Evangelic were possessed by demons. No one knew what the hell they were talking about. And that was obvious.

From there it was a gradual falling away as I noticed the bigotry inherent in the people in their attempts to be more pious than their neighbors. Instead of memorizing bible verses I began studying them, where they came from and how they got into the bible. I wondered where the Bible came from and how we really got it and then it was over. Religion is BS. It is a money making scam to bilk the less intelligent among us out of their hard earned cash and nothing more.

turning_left's picture
Heyo! Former Kansas Mennonite

Heyo! Former Kansas Mennonite, here. Coming from a small super Christian town, it was amazing to see how many churches of different denominations there could be in a square mile, and how deeply and passionately they could disagree.

Sky Pilot's picture
Cognostic,

Cognostic,

"Religion is BS. It is a money making scam to bilk the less intelligent among us out of their hard earned cash and nothing more."

As you said, it's all about the money. Religion is a huge industry that employs an untold number of people. So everyone has a vested interest in keeping the con going because it puts bacon on the table. Architects get hired to design the buildings. Clothing manufacturers make the vestments. Book publishers print the Bibles and song books. The preachers and priests get to act important and sanctimonious. Politicians give them lip service. When people die they get religious services and fancy tombstones. Some sites such as Mecca are big theme parks that provide the operators with a fantastic amount of yearly income. So just about everyone has some interest in keeping the con going even if they don't believe a word of it.

Kataclismic's picture
I really don't understand

I really don't understand what a "Bible-believing Christian" hopes to learn from asking a person why they "chose" to walk away. You're asking a loaded question and have already insulted all atheists for suggesting it is a choice.

You are the one making a choice.

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ZeffD's picture
You cannot gain understanding

You cannot gain understanding or comprehension from asking why people "walk away" from [any] belief, or why people 'abandon a belief". Those questions ignore how such superstitions are inculcated in people and why they persist.The questions also seem to contain the assumption that religious beliefs must necessarily be replaced by other beliefs rather than simply rejected as wrong.

It is okay to ask the questions you have presented, of course. However, other questions are necessary to understand why some people believe the three-in-one, Resurrection, and other plainly ridiculous beliefs of Christianity while others do not. Your questions might suggest you don't want to know about that, you only want to know why people "abandoned" Christian beliefs once they were successfully instilled.

It is important to understand that religion is parent-given, not god-given. Religionists tend to raise their children to 'follow the faith'. It normally passes from parent and environment to child. Not all religionists accept that.

I was raised "in the Christian faith" but always found it as unbelievable, unsubstantiated, indefensible and as silly as Santa. I hope you find my response frank and not offensive.

NewSkeptic's picture
For what it's worth, the

For what it's worth, the belief was never really mine, like so many others, it was forced on me.

I remember being appalled at the hatred and vitriol spewed by the preachers from an early age, and my only real sense of any belief was due to trying to avoid hell. Once I was rational enough to see how ludicrous that concept was, the rest of the ignorant superstition faded away quickly.

Cognostic's picture
@kataclasmic: "I really don

@kataclasmic: "I really don't understand what a "Bible-believing Christian" hopes to learn from asking a person why they "chose" to walk away."

I think you are being a bit touchy on the subject. I certainly chose to walk away from religion and religious beliefs. I gained enough information over the years that religion just began to look foolish. The more I read and the more I learned, the further from faith and belief I grew. I think it is a perfectly acceptable statement. I certainly chose to walk away. It is a conscious choice born of facts and evidence as much as it is for a lack of facts and evidence regarding Christian assertions.

"You're asking a loaded question and have already insulted all atheists for suggesting it is a choice."
The question might not be all inclusive. Some atheists may not have been religious and might not have made a choice. Some might have been forced into religion and never believed. I fully grant that not everyone has made a choice. The god idea just never tempted some. I get it. At the same time, it is not insulting to simply ask why people walked away from religion and faith. I certainly did and I think many others have done so as well.

It is certainly acceptable to point out that many atheists have not walked away from anything. They have never believed and could not bring themselves to believe. It may be appropriate to state that knowledge affected belief and as an atheist you simply found yourself unable to believe any longer. A passive alteration that was not the result of active inquiry. But, my inquiry was active and I took full responsibility for my decision to walk away based on the facts and information I discovered.

In the end. I think I get your point but I would assert "Insulting" is a bit harsh.

Kataclismic's picture
That doesn't change the fact

That doesn't change the fact it is condescending to suggest that you needed to "choose" to think for yourself and bear the brunt of irrational discrimination because of your thoughts. It's like saying that a homosexual "chooses" to be attracted to the same sex. It isn't a choice like you picked a particular candy bar, it is an assault on your senses that you have to deal with in some form or fashion.

I do understand, however, that some people just keep going to church for fear of making any decisions whatsoever.

Cognostic's picture
@ZeffD

@ZeffD
I'm dense. I really do not get the distinction you guys are making. The original question was " I am here to ask if there are any of you who were a bible believing, Christ following, Christian who chose to "walk away" from that belief."

If you were once a believer and then found you could no longer believe, for whatever reason, you eventually did walk away from the faith. (No longer believe.) For some it may be an active choice, like me, and for others a passive experience where belief just faded away.

Note in the question: The explicit population being discussed is people who once believed and then stopped believing (walked away) for some reason.

If you have just always not believed or even attended church and never really believed this does not apply.

I certainly abandond my belief. I just dropped it. And, in doing so I did not adopt another belief. I just thought "Why am I believing this stuff when it is obviously not true." "Faith is not a path to truth."

I think the real issue is that the question being asked is only focusing on a segment of atheists, those that obviously believed and walked away from their belief and not atheists that were never able to believe as they spotted the folly at a younger age or were never believers in the first place.

In short: Some of us actually did, "Give up believing in gods and walk away." Admittedly "Not all of us."

I agree the question may be limited and not encompass all the reasons for being an atheist but I am not reading the same assumptions into it that you are and don't see it as offensive. The questioner is specifically looking for a certain segment of atheists. "Believers who walked away from the church and their faith." Not all atheists.

Just my thoughts/

David Killens's picture
I did not walk away from

I did not walk away from religion, it failed me.

I was born and raised in a very Christian household. When I left home to strike out for myself, I still went to church and all that jazz. But over the years I heard a lot of noise, but saw zero proof. I still hung on to any form of spiritualism for 40 years, but eventually the one and only conclusion I could reach was that religion was a sham.

My mind is always open. Today, I have no reason to believe in a god. But if one was proven, then I would change my position.

Sheldon's picture
There is no objective

There is no objective evidence for Christianity's deity or any of their supernatural claims.

Sapporo's picture
I was a follower of Christ

I was a follower of Christ until I was about 7 when I decided that a person who carries out genocide and torture is not a good person to follow.

Cognostic's picture
28-million people who died

28-million people who died unjustly at the hand of God, probably agree with you. Imagine if God were around today with 7 billion people on the planet. WOW! He could really have a lot of fun smiting people!
Do you suppose he is waiting for 10 billion just so he can turn the oceans red? The God of the Bible is a complete ASS and totally unworthy of friendship, trust, and certainly unworthy of worship.

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