Ex Christians, what has brought you into your new faith?

Hi Francais,

"Just wondering.. so why did you leave chrisitanity? and what religion are you now?"

I stopped going to (Catholic) church--secretly--when I was about 11 years old. It just didn't make sense to me, even at that age (it makes less sense now at my advanced age). Since then I have explored other religions to learn what their messages are, and to discover what I believe in.

My beliefs are still evolving, as I do not believe we can identify who or what God might be, if there is one, or if God is life itself, or if God is all there is and we are just an illusion, and I've yet to find anything that really could be true. I think there may be truths in all religions, like the blind men and the elephant, but no one can grasp the totality at all.

ummuIsa said:

Hmm, very interesting, thanks for sharing that. I also thank you for showing respect I greatly appreciate that. I don't know why a few more people can't learn to follow such a noble characteristic. BTW, nice to meet you!



I just came out and told them. Their reaction wasn't great but it wasn't as bad as some stories I've heard.

My family all thought it was a phase that I would pass through since I was still rather young and in the prime of my youth. My friends didn't care, they said they were happy for me but they missed us hanging out together.

I have been a Muslim for a few yrs now and although my family has mellowed to the idea...well lets just say they would jump for joy if I ever left Islaam. *smile*

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I admit i have a bone of contempt for islam compaired to other religions

Because it is a specific Crucifiction of Christ denying belief, which oddly seems to fufill every biblical warning of false prophets, false teachers and brings the truth into disrepute.

Amazing how so many people can read the Bible and simple dismiss all them pointers.

Then again, Islam is just doing what it was designed to do.

I went to a Christian school when i was young and was taught the Christian religion. I however decided to leave it not because I felt there was anything wrong with it at the time but because Islam was in my opinion superior in teachings and what it offered me.

It was my opinion at the time and I feel it was the right decision, compared to how happy I am with the decision i made.

Regards

français;28865535 said:

Just wondering.. so why did you leave chrisitanity? and what rleigion are you now?

please tell us your little conversion story.

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Would I be able to broaden the OP to say why I left fundamentalism? I'm still a believer in Jesus but have departed from fundamentalism for so many reasons.

1. The denounciation of all other faiths and peoples. In particular one conversation with my best friend from university really drove this home to me. When I asked him about how God could put people into Hell who've never heard the Gospel (eg, tribal people) he got enraged!! Seriously. And then said this classic line which caused me to drop fundamentalism big time:

"If God chooses to raise people up on this earth knowing full well they won't have the opportunity to hear the Gospel and then send them to Hell, that's his right!!!! He can do as he pleases".

I wonder what the reaction of my friend would have been if God decided to raise HIM up and put HIM into Hell, with no chance of hearing the Gospel? Do you think on his judgement day he would have taken it quietly? Or protested to God himself saying:

"I never heard of any Gospel, that's not fair".

Oh yeah, and a couple of disgusting posts that I read in Baptist section of CF, where some posters said that babies who died would go to Heaven if the parents where Christian. And babies that died whose parents were non believers would end up in..........I think you can guess where.

Absolutely appalling and disgusting. That is not the God and saviour I worship.


2.. The absurd literal reading of the Bible as fundamentalism demands and all the hypocrisy associated with it. So called "fundamentalists" that go to churches where women are speaking in churches and are even preachers and ministers. I have no problem with it, but it's clearly against the literal words of the Bible. And if you disciplined your children like it says in Proverbs, you'd end up in jail. And the Bible only allows divorce on one condition, yet there is so much divorce in the church. I began to see it for what it is. Every man and his dog reading and interpreting the Bible to suit himself.

And let's be honest here. I don't trust all the translators of the Bible. I have put up this challenge to fundmentalists before and no one can meet it.

Jesus said plainly that anyone with a mustard seed of faith can speak to a tree and cause it to wither. How can you be a devout and conservative fundamentalist without claiming not even a "mustard seed" (tiny) amount of faith? Yet no one can actually do this Am I saying I don't believe in Jesus? No. I believe with all my heart he's the saviour of mankind. I don't believe however in every jot and tittle of every sentence in the "Bible". If anyone wants to show me how they are a "fundamentalist", I challenge them to speak to a tree and make it wither-like the Bible clearly claims. If you can't, then be honest and admit that you don't apply every sentence of the Bible literally. But fundamentalist want to have their cake and eat it too. Make every extravagant claim and allow an escape route when it fails.


3..More than anything else, the lovelessness, unkindness, harshness, rudeneess etc of fundamentalists. The more religious and fundamentalist people are, I have observed, the worse they actually are. Something didn't add up.


I don't classify myself as a liberal or moderate or anything. I'm not into labels. I am what I am, I believe what I believe. On some things, I'm conservative, on other things liberal.

I'm a Hare Krishna, or a Vaishnava, simply because it is tried, tested and true. And I believe in developing a relationship with Krishna, the Supreme Father of all living entities.

I first became a Christian because it "felt right" if that makes any sense. I went to an evangelical church with my friend for youth group and everyone was very loving and kind. The message of love that is considered the most important commandment in the Christian faith really spoke to me and felt fundamentally "right". So I prayed and was "saved" and felt very complete for a time. After the Iraq war started and so many Christians began to openly support violence, torture, bigotry and lies I suppose my faith was rocked quite a bit. Also pretty much any form of "fundamentalism" I've seen have been religion filtered through each groups cultural trappings, and often further twisted benefit a specific person or group (whether it's men, a political party, a family, a particular ethnic group, etc.). Looking at other religions I haven't found any in particular that feel right to me at first glance whether it's a fundamental teaching I could never accept (like treating women as property) or historical claims without evidence.

I don't have any new belief system and I haven't labeled myself and atheist or anything like that. The fact is that my level of knowledge is not at a level where I could say for sure that there is no "God" or supreme being/consciousness. You can't exactly do double blind testing for an omnipotent being, if it existed, as such a being would have knowledge of the test and could affect the outcome in any way it pleases So it's impossible to completely rule out a "God" by rational means, as it still comes down to an opinion based on personal experience and whatever knowledge about the world you've gained.

So I guess now I'm just going to try to get a more fundamental feel of spirituality and different religious teachings without being overwhelmed by too many outside opinions and interpretations. I know my judgment is not perfect of course... there are more variables in the universe than any one human mind can comprehend... but I think it's the best way to be honest with myself in my research.

servantofJehovah said:

I'm a Hare Krishna, or a Vaishnava, simply because it is tried, tested and true. And I believe in developing a relationship with Krishna, the Supreme Father of all living entities.

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I was wondering what you mean when you say that Vaishnava is "tried, tested and true?" I ask that because in the end, all religions require a large amount of faith. No religion can be scientifically proven, otherwise you wouldn't need faith.

Do you believe that your religion has more evidence than other religions?