Should we feel bad for rejecting Christ?

[PREEST]

I was a christian but could never shake the feelings of doubt I had about it all. After deciding to no longer ignore these feelings and to think for myself, I left my faith. I am now an atheist and have been for several years.

My question is this;

Should those who have rejected Christ have to feel bad for doing so?

I can imagine for some, this decision creates a lot of anxiety as it can be a big decision to walk away from your beliefs whether taught to you as a child or found for yourself.
I was raised christian but never full hearted accepted it, it just never felt real. The evidence points away from god also. But, and this is the part I hate, I would be lying if I said no part of me feels anxious about it all, because I was taught if I don't believe I will go to hell.

I am curious as to both the Christian perspective and the atheist or non-belief point of view.

[alive]

I never felt bad...For me it really was a chain breaking event...Its like my friends had some dog colar that zapped them even if they talked about it...Have some fun with friends and say even though you do't mean it , yell out I don't believe in God..They almost puke and go into this weird stare...

Was kind of weird that the family treated like it was no big deal...

Now 20 years later the act suprised that I still don't believe?

[neptune1bond]

I think that the answer you are searching for is within you and isn't anywhere else. Start asking yourself what you believe and what seems right to you. I personally believe that spirituality (or lack thereof) is intensely personal and that everyone needs to come to their own conclusions instead of buying in to all the crap out there. I think that this applies to listening to other atheists besides yourself as well as religion.

I found that after I started asking myself what I really believe, that I didn't really agree with any of them. All the beliefs of the theists as well as the agnostics and atheists (to an equal measure) seemed just as illogical to me and so I formed a belief system of my own based on what seems to make the most sense to me personally. You don't have to follow any religion to respect the teachings of Christ. You don't have to believe in the bible, word for word, to learn a thing or two from it. And you most certainly do not have to be part of any religion to believe in God and have a personal relationship with him. Or you can do none of these things. Find what YOU believe and don't let anyone belittle you or make you feel like you're going to burn in hell (theists) or make you feel like you're stupid and illogical (atheists) because you don't agree with their version of "why and how it all works."

[alive]

I think to many are concerned with the questions and answers...The journey is all that matters...

[PREEST]

So what I am hearing is that you used to be a Christian but you had some doubts about it. Now you are an atheist but have some doubts about it. It really sounds like a personal problem.

I should explain myself a little better. I do not mean that I have doubts about my atheism or non-belief, I am asking what kind of anxiety or emotion does rejecting faith cause? Now, I am strong in my convictions and don't have the burden of doubt I had when I was a christian, but the indoctrination I received as a child troubles me because first, it upsets my parents I rejected what they believe is truth, and second, my parents believe I am going to perish.

Of course, one should be true to oneself and follow the convictions of his/her own heart. But, what do christians say we should feel for rejecting christ and what is the atheist response?

[Nickman]

I was a christian but could never shake the feelings of doubt I had about it all. After deciding to no longer ignore these feelings and to think for myself, I left my faith. I am now an atheist and have been for several years.

My question is this;

Should those who have rejected Christ have to feel bad for doing so?

I can imagine for some, this decision creates a lot of anxiety as it can be a big decision to walk away from your beliefs whether taught to you as a child or found for yourself.
I was raised christian but never full hearted accepted it, it just never felt real. The evidence points away from god also. But, and this is the part I hate, I would be lying if I said no part of me feels anxious about it all, because I was taught if I don't believe I will go to hell.

I am curious as to both the Christian perspective and the atheist or non-belief point of view.

I felt guilt when I first came out of christianity but that subsided over time. I think it has to do with a habitual feeling we have when we are christians. Anything against Jesus is taboo. We pray and ask forgiveness for sins because we are scared of judgement. Every move we make feels like weare being watched. So going from that lifestyle to one without the need for those feelings is not an easy transition. Indoctrination is a bitch. It works even if you are not born into christianity. Keep your head up and realize it is all in your head because of habit.

[PREEST]

I was a christian but could never shake the feelings of doubt I had about it all. After deciding to no longer ignore these feelings and to think for myself, I left my faith. I am now an atheist and have been for several years.

My question is this;

Should those who have rejected Christ have to feel bad for doing so?

I can imagine for some, this decision creates a lot of anxiety as it can be a big decision to walk away from your beliefs whether taught to you as a child or found for yourself.
I was raised christian but never full hearted accepted it, it just never felt real. The evidence points away from god also. But, and this is the part I hate, I would be lying if I said no part of me feels anxious about it all, because I was taught if I don't believe I will go to hell.

I am curious as to both the Christian perspective and the atheist or non-belief point of view.

I felt guilt when I first came out of christianity but that subsided over time. I think it has to do with a habitual feeling we have when we are christians. Anything against Jesus is taboo. We pray and ask forgiveness for sins because we are scared of judgement. Every move we make feels like weare being watched. So going from that lifestyle to one without the need for those feelings is not an easy transition. Indoctrination is a bitch. It works even if you are not born into christianity. Keep your head up and realize it is all in your head because of habit.

This I can very much relate to. As a christian, you are made to feel bad for harmless acts, things like what you think, indulging in worldly pleasures, not seeking forgiveness from a creator who created you full of sin and in need of redemption.

Leaving childish religious beliefs behind is both enlightening and freeing but also makes you feel that you are doing something wrong because it is not in accordance with what your old christian peers believe and what you yourself once believed.

[kayky]

I should explain myself a little better. I do not mean that I have doubts about my atheism or non-belief, I am asking what kind of anxiety or emotion does rejecting faith cause? Now, I am strong in my convictions and don't have the burden of doubt I had when I was a christian, but the indoctrination I received as a child troubles me because first, it upsets my parents I rejected what they believe is truth, and second, my parents believe I am going to perish.

Of course, one should be true to oneself and follow the convictions of his/her own heart. But, what do christians say we should feel for rejecting christ and what is the atheist response?

I had the same issues with my family. It subsides over time. You just have to keep reminding yourself that you are not responsible for other people's feelings. You have to be true to yourself. Even though I joined the Episcopalian church, my extended family still think I'm going to hell simply because I no longer believe the Bible is literally true. I think they've finally given up on me because it is rarely brought up anymore.

[JoeyKnothead]

I had the same issues with my family. It subsides over time. You just have to keep reminding yourself that you are not responsible for other people's feelings. You have to be true to yourself. Even though I joined the Episcopalian church, my extended family still think I'm going to hell simply because I no longer believe the Bible is literally true. I think they've finally given up on me because it is rarely brought up anymore.

This atheist'll never give up tryin' to get ya over here to our side, whether you're blood kin or not !

[kayky]

This atheist'll never give up tryin' to get ya over here to our side, whether you're blood kin or not !

I appreciate that, Joey. But I'm good.

[scourge99]

I toyed with atheism for a while but found it very unsatisfying. It did not ring true for me. So I began to look into various religious traditions. I was especially attracted to Buddhism.

After reading the work of John Shelby Spong and other progressive Christian theologians, I found an intellectually satisfying way to return to Christianity and joined the Espicopalian church. I've been a member for around 12 years now.

Your description perfectly characterizes the difference in thought between many atheists and theists. Theists are concerned with finding satisfying beliefs that ring true. Atheists are concerned with having true beliefs regardless of how unsettling, uncomfortable, or unsatisfying they may or may not be.