onelifetolive Posted December 21, 2008 Share Posted December 21, 2008 Thanks for the welcome, DevaLight. Not getting my extestimony together 1st is one of the reasons I haven't posted sooner. It has felt overwhelming much of the time to go through the process of deconversion and trying to recap it even more so. My therapist and other x-xtians keep encouraging me to do it but I'm still stuck. I do hope someday my story brings encouragement to others as all of yours has encouraged me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Neon Genesis Posted December 21, 2008 Share Posted December 21, 2008 I voted for the Garden of Eden story. I can understand why people would believe in prayer and the afterlife, but I can't understand how anyone can believe the Garden Of Eden is actual scientific fact. Even putting aside the whole debate of evolution vs creationism, I don't get how xtians can seriously believe that talking snakes exist. Xtians will mock everybody else who doesn't agree with them but they can't understand why people laugh at them for demanding that a talking snake be taken as science. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Raul Posted December 21, 2008 Share Posted December 21, 2008 1. God personally killing people for bullshit reasons 2. faith healing 3. "Divinity" of stupid OT laws 4. 7 000 year old earth. 5. End times-tribulation/armageddon/antichrist stuff Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WCrystal Posted December 22, 2008 Share Posted December 22, 2008 I had to choose other because there are a lot of things up there (and more) that I consider to be a bunch of controlling and crazy BULLSHIT that basically fills people full of fear and tells them that they shouldn't take responsibility for their actions. Fucken crazy. Now I feel like kicking something... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OpheliaGinger Posted December 22, 2008 Share Posted December 22, 2008 I had a hard time choosing but I went with the trinity since it is so convoluted and clearly polytheistic (much to the chagrin to those who claim Christianity is a monotheistic religion). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tabula Rasa Posted December 22, 2008 Share Posted December 22, 2008 It occurred to me this morning just how foolish some of these Christian doctrines appear now that I am almost ten years deconverted. So in the big fraud/con game of Christianity, which to you is the one now that you say OMG I can't believe that I once believed that? My vote goes to the rapture. Hands down the most ridiculous thing I ever heard. I voted Original Sin. Though it's disgust at the idea of a supposed"loving God" sending people to hell just because they weren't saved that finally made me deconvert, the Fall of Man story pretty much rivals it. The idea, that an all powerful, all knowing, supposedly all good being, set up the first two humans by showing them a tree that had fruit that looked really good to eat, and then telling them that if they eat from it, they'll die. Only a complete asshole does something like that. Adam and Eve were like children, they were completely ignorant.They didn't even know what death was. What Yahweh did was the equivalent of leaving an open jar of cookies on the floor in front of a two year old and telling them."Don't touch!" What compounds the absolute viciousness of this ultimate head game of niggysob(Now I've got you , you son of a bitch) is that Yahweh(I refuse to call that fucker God) being all knowing knew what they would do. So when Adam and Eve did give in and get themselves a big mouthful of some tasty forbidden fruit. Here comes Yahweh raising hell, essentially saying" Did you little shits eat from that tree I fucking told you not to?!!" Then after they're caught in the act, he throws them out into the wild, knowing right from wrong, but totally on their own. Totally screwed because Yahweh likes to fuck with his creations. What he did was the equivalent of catching the two year old eating those cookies and putting him in a knapsack and throwing him out in the middle of the woods, leaving him to survive on his own. It's seriously fucked up that this story is the foundation of all three abrahamic religions, that all say that humans are all inherently evil because the parents of all humanity ate some fruit that "God" practically dangled right in front of them. All the cruelty of old testament law, the insane doctrine of Christianity,that the only way man could be forgiven was for "God" to sacrifice himself to himself in one of the most brutal ways imaginable, the horrors of the Inquisition, and the conquer, convert or kill doctrine of Islam. All of this shit supposedly goes back to two ignorant kids being told by a psychotic god not to eat some fruit or he'll kill them, and them tempting them so badly they can't help but give in. The Fall, only rivaled by the doctrine of Eternal Damnation, is horrible beyond imagining, for it says that man was created and set up by a monstrous god for shits and giggles, that he gets his rocks off tormenting people. (On a side note, now I know why I hate the Star Trek:Next Generation character of Q. Subconsciously, he reminded me of that sadist Yahweh.) Sorry for the long rant, Tabula Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thurisaz Posted December 22, 2008 Share Posted December 22, 2008 "Other" here, meaning "They're all bullshit and my time is too precious for me to pick any particular favorite" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
R. S. Martin Posted December 22, 2008 Share Posted December 22, 2008 Deva, I think you did an excellent job in making this list. There's such a very wide range of beliefs represented by our backgrounds. Not every belief was taught by every church. You covered a lot. With the "other" category people can always add whatever was missed and post about it. At least, that is my opinion. I went with the End Times, but one that really gets me is the whole doctrine of substitution for sins (Christ and all that rot). I don't think even the most devout Christian really sees sense in that, I certainly don't. Though I suppose that can go under original sin. That's what I figure. I voted original sin. My church didn't even believe in the rapture so it never bothered me. My church wasn't strong on original sin per se but it sure preached how evil all of us were and that bothered me Big Time. So I chose it. I figure it covers the whole salvation bit from the Talking Snake to Christ on the Cross to eternal damnation. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deva Posted December 22, 2008 Author Share Posted December 22, 2008 Deva, I think you did an excellent job in making this list. There's such a very wide range of beliefs represented by our backgrounds. Not every belief was taught by every church. You covered a lot. With the "other" category people can always add whatever was missed and post about it. At least, that is my opinion. Thank you for the compliment Ruby. I enjoyed making the list. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ogilvy Posted December 30, 2008 Share Posted December 30, 2008 What makes me cringe the most now, is the idea that I had to stay apart from the 'world', and witness to others. I used to wear a headcovering and long skirt always. I wouldn't have TV in the house, read worldly magazines or books, listen to secular music, lots of things i wouldnt do, or if I did do them, I felt guilty. All those years wasted, where I felt guilty to enjoy normal things, anything which wasn't primarily God focused. I was hardly ever God focused for long. And having to try to witness to others really makes me cringe now, I mean, the memory of it. How earnest I was, but how hard it was for me to do, being of a reserved nature. Now that I''m no longer a Christian, when I see Christians attempting to witness on forums, it brings it all back, how I would TRY to mean it, try to not be ashamed of Jesus. But somehow it never came naturally, and now I know why. Trying to be spirit filled and joyful about Jesus, when actually I wasn't. I have the feeling a lot of Christians might have been the same way, all to be on fire for God, in raptures over Jesus sacrifice and God's love, all using the same phrases to each other, but with a hollow ring, it seemed to me. It reminds me of the story of 'The Emperor's New Clothes" where everybody pretends to see the 'invisible' clothing, too afraid to admit they can't see it. I always found it so disappointing not to be able to feel the presence and power of God. Now it makes me cringe to think of all the, not exactly pretending, but trying to feel something I didn't. It makes me cringe to think of how people must have viewed me when I tried to spread the gospel, now that I view others trying to spread the gospel as 'embarassing'. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robbobrob Posted December 31, 2008 Share Posted December 31, 2008 I choose "other" The one that gets my goat the most is the idea that Christians have tried to raise their nationalistic desert deity into some universal deity in control of everything. Shoot, it can't even control the Middle East, and yet we are supposed to believe it has control of galactic collisions and the creation of life? Plus, how can a universal deity, one here for the entire universe, not even JUST for our planet, be seen as choosing sides....ie I am for these people and against those people. It gets to be so stupid...."God bless America"...."God is a Cowboys fan"....drives me nuts. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brought None Posted January 5, 2009 Share Posted January 5, 2009 The whole aspect that I'm suppsse to burn in hell for eternity for who I am, but God loves me no matter what. That's what gave me personal, emotional, and mental grief for a long time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ShadowWolf Posted January 5, 2009 Share Posted January 5, 2009 Probably the Rapture. But only because once I deconverted, did I realize that it is not mentioned at all in the Bible. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amethyst Posted January 5, 2009 Share Posted January 5, 2009 I chose hell because that is the one that I was browbeaten with as a kid. It's ludicrous to have a kind and loving deity who also happens to send people to be eternally tortured because they weren't perfect enough. Sounds to me like whoever wrote the Bible was OCD, among other things. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PaulQ Posted January 6, 2009 Share Posted January 6, 2009 They are all absurd, but the stories can be believable by a person without a decent grasp on science. That leaves the original sin. Think about it: We're taught that we are all god's creation. Oh, but guess what; there's a problem. The original sin. We're all born with it. Well, what the heck happened to us being made in his image and all that? Then when you dig deeper, you realize that there really was nothing sinful about the original sin anyway. I mean, who got hurt? Fruit that contained knowledge? What's so wrong with knowledge? Why is it a sin, and why should we be punished for it? Why did god create this forbidden fruit that contained knowledge, anyway? What purpose did it serve? Bible doesn't say. Looks like a setup to me, folks. Hey, kids, here's this fruit, but it's forbidden, so don't touch it; I'll just leave it here where you can reach it, then I won't be around for a while, okay? How about I just leave a loaded gun in a playroom with two kids, tell them not to touch it, then walk away? I'm far from having god-like qualities, but even I know that's a bad idea. Does that make me smarter than god? Yeah, I should have caught on to that earlier. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
willybilly30 Posted January 6, 2009 Share Posted January 6, 2009 So many too choose from they are all so stupid. Garden of eden, virgin birth, noahs flood all could never of happened and if you wasn't raised christian you'd laugh your ass off if you read it. I could just see someone saying you believe this? your kidding right lol I chose hell I always hated that belief cause ever church I went too said everyone who isn't going too their church is going too hell. I know good people who don't go too church and god would be a bastard too send them there. I always used too worry if i was going too right one what if i'm wasting my time making god madder and madder Also every christian i meet is so damn scared of hell that's the best reason they can come up with for going to church. If it wasn't for hell and satan that damn religion would die pretty quick I think. The rapture annoys me too I mean every damn year they say it's gonna happen and what ever president we have is the antichrist. What ever wars is going on or problem is supposed too be the end times. It can be funny tho in this town everyone was so damn sure the year 2000 would be it. Look at were we are 2009 lol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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