Before you left Christianty, just how serious were you about being a Christian?
Nominal. Christian in name only, attended church for social or family reasons.
Student. Seriously investigated Christianity but never really committed to it.
Committed. Bought it hook, line and sinker.
Professional. Gave up job or career to pursue Christian calling.
Other. Please specify.
Examine everything carefully; hold fast to that which is good. First Epistle to the Church of the Thessalonians The truth will make you free. Gospel of John
Professional. I was THE dedicated fundamentalist. My senior year in high school, I was a Trinitarian Pentecostal, and everyone in my class knew me, but most only knew me as "the preacher". It got to where I only took my Bible to classes, I didn't feel the need for textbooks. A few years back, right before I began to leave Christianity, I was training to be a preacher under my pastor in the IFB church I attended.
I clicked on committed before seeing professional, so that being the case I really should have clicked on "other" as I guess I was a committed professional.
I guess I'm the only one here who left Christianity to join another religion.
I was a Methodist minister for 3-4 years thirty-(mumble) years ago. I guess that's 'professional" enough.
I was never quite comfortable as a Christian, and wben I began to study Judaism in my late 40s, I realized that it was my home and somehow always had been. It taught things I had believed from childhood. I converted at the age of 50 and have never looked back.
i was commited.
but only because christianity was all i was exposed to. all my family and friends said that all non-christians go to hell, so i believed like they did.
it wasn't until i got old enough to think for myself that i really started to question christianity. i just didnt feel comfortable with it, there were too many unanswered and avoided questions for me to accept it purely on faith.
im only 15 years old, but i think im mature enough to make my own decisions now concerning religion and beliefs. im an agnostic now, im not an atheist, i just don't believe in the christian viewpoint of god. i want to find my own answers=)
Well I was one for most of my life. Still a student because I prayed during meals, before going to sleep, and whenever I felt I did some thing wrong. I wasn't a complete Christian though because I didn't devote every thing I had too it. I went to church, I prayed, I followed the 10 commandments. Till the age of 15 then I found my self doubting it so much I became a pagan because I questioned gods existence. And that there was only one true god. I thought there had to be multiple divine forms. But in the end I began to question the proof of such things. And eventually landed in none religion. So by the age of 17 I was told of Atheism and decided with my friends help to follow it. None-religious made me feel as if I was a drone amongst the masses. Now I feel like a individualist and I feel like my life has become right.
I apologize if I slightly rambled on but eh that sums down my train from religion to Atheism.
On a side note I have my parents to thank for supporting me and not hating me for giving up Christianity and allowing me to follow my own path.
I was born into a Catholic family and mildly devout, but never terribly into it up until I left, which was around the age of sixteen. I went to church on Sundays but was tremendously bored with it and went to confession every so often. I knew relatively little about Catholicism, though.
* I'm a grandson of a western PA coal miner turned mainline minister after he had a disagreement and physical confrontation with the founder of the UMWA;
* I'm the son of a mother who aspired to be a Christian missionary, but who was unable to follow that dream because of a heart condition;
* I'm the son of an Episcopal, Mason, WWII Army vet, and mildly dysfunctional yet super father who wasn't completely himself after returning from the South Pacific;
* I'm a three tour Vietnam veteran nominated for the Silver Star who experienced severe PTSD for many years after I returned from SE Asia;
* I'm a trained, credentialed, and former Christian chaplain, pastor, and theologist ordained and licensed in three denominations, but now inactive in all; and,
* I'm also retired and spending the majority of my now very free time in continued theological research, forum discussions and debates, and writing monographs.
I gotta get a life! Anyway, orthodox Churchianity no longer rings as true in my mind which, if I were to try to explain, this website would need to considerably increase its capacity.
Like the majority of the respondents here I chose committed. I technically was a student at one point, but only because I felt I had to be. I never really studied the Bible on my own willingly. I was definitely very committed to the doctrine though. I did not have much of a chance to be different growing up. Both of my parents are church leaders even today and most everyone I knew in the area besides my schoolmates were involved in this particular non-denominational group. Quite a few of my school friends were also Christian, especially my best friends. (I did hang out a lot with a few pagans though in 11th and 12th grades). I got a certificate of completion for completing the entire course the Way Ministry put on and though I did not feel emotionally connected to God, I did feel like most everything that was taught made sense. The worst part? Leaving religion and being true to myself did not fix as much in my life as I thought it would. Oh well.
For me, it is far better to grasp the Universe as it really is than to persist in delusion, however satisfying and reassuring.--Carl Sagan
PlayRadioPlay! wrote:Mix of Nominal and Student. Was forced to attend church all of my life, did plenty of research and was convinced. But, I'm smarter now. (;
I know what you mean. I wish I were as smart now as I though I was when I was eighteen!.
Examine everything carefully; hold fast to that which is good. First Epistle to the Church of the Thessalonians The truth will make you free. Gospel of John