How many ex-Christians are there here on CF and reason for leaving Christianity?

Did you leave Christianity? And did you return?


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ananda

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... There are 2 reasons for me to keep faith. One is personal experience with God. The other is the Bible which gives us strong reasons to believe that God exists. The Scriptures made it less subjective, so to speak. The following, adapted from the book, "Understanding Prayer Faith and God's Will" tries to demonstrate that the Bible is more than just hearsay. It can be proven beyond a reasonable doubt if people do not just say that it is unprovable. ...
My personal standard on this subject is "proven with no doubt", not "proven beyond a reasonable doubt".

Accurate scientific statements

The Bible is not a book of science but when it made scientific statements on several occasions, it is surprisingly accurate. ...
There are many surprisingly accurate scientific statements found in other religions too, Buddhism included.

Biblical Prophecies Fulfilled The Scriptures contain prophesies about the future that have come true.....
There are many religions with prophetic statements. Pointing to prophecy as support for your preferred religion is not convincing to me, first: because I neither witnessed their origins, nor their alleged fulfillment; second: even if those prophecies are actually genuine & were actually and genuinely fulfilled, it still does not prove that their origin came from someone omniscient or omnipotent.

Bible is supported by History
Events found in the early Buddhist scriptures are also supported by the historical method.

Some people assert that if the Bible is God’s Word, then there should be no mistakes at all. Should we apply such a standard towards the Scriptures? When scientists, mathematicians, scholars and historians conduct experiments for verification, they do not insist that the results must be totally free from mistakes. Some kinds of technical variations are accepted within certain margin of error. It does not mean that should absolutely be no glitches in God’s Word.
That doesn't speak well of the alleged author - if he is truly omnipotent & omniscient, could he not ensure that his message be preserved infallibly?

Dead Sea Scrolls
Old writings are found in every religion.

The Roman Calendar

Could Abraham Lincoln or Napoleon be cleverly fabricated myths that somehow became accepted as the truths? Could historical records attribute the Great Wall of China to the work of a fictitious emperor? Surely these people were not just stories or folklores. Likewise, our calendar today, dated according to the birth of Jesus, indicates that He once lived on earth.

The Roman Empire persecuted Christians for about three hundred years. In 312 AD, however, the emperor Constantine converted to Christianity. Just before a decisive battle with his arch enemy, Maxentius (who was a co-ruler of the empire), Constantine had a dream, where God told him that under the cross, he would have victory, upon which he ordered that the sign of the cross be painted on his soldiers’ shields. His army prevailed, he believed, and passed a decree to stop all persecutions against the church, and also declared Christianity to be the official religion of the empire.

Later, the existing Roman calendar at that time was modified to be marked according to the year that Jesus was born, which became 1 A.D. Anno Domino means “the year of the Lord”. The years before His birth were marked BC (Before Christ).
I haven't witnessed these events for myself.
 
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dlamberth

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Hi Ananda

Regarding the Bible, you were saying that "I haven't observed any of these things for myself, therefore I consider them hearsay and unprovable".
No matter the quality or quantity of what someone calls "proof", it will always come down to each individual spiritual understanding.

For instance, I'm very much a Lover of God. But not the Christian God. And no matter how much "proof" is presented I do not accept that the Bible the Word of God. For that I go directly to Nature and the Life Force that is within.
 
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Chris V++

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Chris V++

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I wouldn't be a bit surprised if he's a member of God's staff,
or a tool in his toolbox.
I 'd vote more like a tool than a staffer. The crucifixion was foretold way back in Genesis. Satan may have had a hand it it, but apparently didn't understand the ramifications. He may have though he was foiling God's plan but was working to fulfill it.
 
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Robban

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Tehillim/Psalms Ohel Yosef Yitchak,
Published and copyright by Kehot Publication Society.

There is a sale just now, 17:05 dollar, 5.5"x 8.5"
Hebrew/English.

The version you use says the same thing, but in another way, really. when comparing.


Reciting Psalms, there is no better.

"If one would only know the power of verses in Tehillim,
and their effect on high, one would recite them continuously.

The verses of Tehillim transcend all barriers and ascend higher and higher, imploring the Master of the Universe
until they achieve results of kindness and mercy."

(The Tzemach Tzedek.)
 
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Robban

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Tehillim/Psalms Ohel Yosef Yitchak,
Published and copyright by Kehot Publication Society.

There is a sale just now, 17:05 dollar, 5.5"x 8.5"
Hebrew/English.

The version you use says the same thing, but in another way, really. when comparing.


Reciting Psalms, there is no better.

"If one would only know the power of verses in Tehillim,
and their effect on high, one would recite them continuously.

The verses of Tehillim transcend all barriers and ascend higher and higher, imploring the Master of the Universe
until they achieve results of kindness and mercy."

(The Tzemach Tzedek.)

Forgot,
Translators,
Y B Marcus, Nissen Mangel, Eliyahu Touger.

There are pocket editions too,

but they are out of stock. :-(
 
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Rajni

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Well the Bible refute anything about rebirth in Hebrews 9:27: Just as people are destined to die once, and after that to face judgment.
Actually, there are cases where people have died more
than once, just in a single lifetime. Such is implied in the
bible, too, where some were raised from the dead. It's
assumed that they died (again) later in life, meaning that
they would have died more than once. So, perhaps it's
more accurate to say that people are destined to die at
least
once.

Also, the bible suggests that John the Baptist was Elijah
reincarnated (Mark 9:13, Matthew 11:13-14,
Matthew 17:12-13).


-
 
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roman2819

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Actually, there are cases where people have died more
than once, just in a single lifetime. Such is implied in the
bible, too, where some were raised from the dead. It's
assumed that they died (again) later in life, meaning that
they would have died more than once. So, perhaps it's
more accurate to say that people are destined to die at
least
once.

Also, the bible suggests that John the Baptist was Elijah
reincarnated (Mark 9:13, Matthew 11:13-14,
Matthew 17:12-13).


-

'It is appointed for men to die once' means that every one has one life. There are a few occasions where people are revived again but ultimately they have only one life. Everyone live once.

Many ancient cultures, whether Jews, chinese, egyptians etc spoke about possiblity of rebirth, one of these includes Elijah returning. as John the baptist, but such beliefs never materialize. People are free to believe anything but truth has to be based on sufficient and reasonable evidence. Any claims of rebirth are too random, too little, or insufficiently supported.
 
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Robban

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'It is appointed for men to die once' means that every one has one life. There are a few occasions where people are revived again but they died later. Everyone live once.

Many ancient cultures, whether Jews, chinese, egyptians etc spoke about possiblity of rebirth, one of these includes Elijah returning. as John the baptist, but such beliefs never materialize. People are free to believe anything but truth has to be based on sufficient and reasonable evidence.

Like saying,
"No one is going to get out of this place alive."

What then is the point of faith?


Faith is the root, trust is the trunk and the branches give fruit.

Man is like a tree.
 
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Rajni

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'It is appointed for men to die once' means that every one has one life. There are a few occasions where people are revived again but ultimately they have only one life. Everyone live once.

Many ancient cultures, whether Jews, chinese, egyptians etc spoke about possiblity of rebirth, one of these includes Elijah returning. as John the baptist, but such beliefs never materialize. People are free to believe anything but truth has to be based on sufficient and reasonable evidence. Any claims of rebirth are too random, too little, or insufficiently supported.
Truth be told, there's no more evidence that you only
live once than there is that you live more than once.
And when you have small children recounting life situations
that they couldn't otherwise have known about, it's not the
sort of thing that can be easily dismissed with a wave of
the hand.
 
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FireDragon76

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No matter the quality or quantity of what someone calls "proof", it will always come down to each individual spiritual understanding.

Yup... I no longer accept the idea there is "one true religion". That's a category error. People have different predispositions, how could one religion be true for everyone?
 
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Noxot

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Truth be told, there's no more evidence that you only
live once than there is that you live more than once.
And when you have small children recounting life situations
that they couldn't otherwise have known about, it's not the
sort of thing that can be easily dismissed with a wave of
the hand.
There are alternative explanations as well. Those children could be hanging around such and such person in the spiritual world.

Of course it's not like the answer only has to be only either A or B. I know that some angels sometimes forget who they are but in this forgetting I do not know what they are doing or where they are at.

Also of special note is the experience Philip K dick went through when he had a car wreck and became a completely other person for a while. In some ways it seems obvious that it is a coping mechanism or malfunction of the brain but it also seems mysterious to me.
 
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Noxot

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People like Origen say that there is no transmigration of the soul and I tend to stand with him on this, but one of the main things Christianity set out to do is protect the individual soul.

You die and then comes the Judgment but then what? :)
 
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bèlla

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Reciting Psalms, there is no better.

"If one would only know the power of verses in Tehillim,
and their effect on high, one would recite them continuously.

This is true. They’ve brought me great comfort and peace. Do you cover them in one week or 30 day cycles?
 
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Robban

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This is true. They’ve brought me great comfort and peace. Do you cover them in one week or 30 day cycles?

Cannot really say, have not given it much thought.

I have them delivered by e-mail each day.

1st Sept started new cycle, today is Psalms 83-87,

so little over halfway in 17 days.

So could well be 30 day cycle.

It is good to have order in one,s prayerlife I think.
 
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Robban

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Cannot really say, have not given it much thought.

I have them delivered by e-mail each day.

1st Sept started new cycle, today is Psalms 83-87,

so little over halfway in 17 days.

So could well be 30 day cycle.

It is good to have order in one,s prayerlife I think.

Just a little personal btw,

on going out into the big wide world, I was given Psalms 121, as a companion one could say.
 
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roman2819

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Like saying,
"No one is going to get out of this place alive."

What then is the point of faith?


Faith is the root, trust is the trunk and the branches give fruit.

Man is like a tree.

'No one is getting out of here alive,' thats an interesting way of saying it. :)
 
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roman2819

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Truth be told, there's no more evidence that you only
live once than there is that you live more than once.
And when you have small children recounting life situations
that they couldn't otherwise have known about, it's not the
sort of thing that can be easily dismissed with a wave of
the hand.

Can you give credible evidence that people have more than one life?
 
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