Recovering Christians

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Cathar1950
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Recovering Christians

Post #1

Post by Cathar1950 »

Recovering Christians.
I don’t know where I am going with this but I thought I would run it by my fellow former Christians and see what you think and what if any might be a good topic along these lines.

Former Christians or recovering Christians, do you really ever get over it?

It is like a recovering addict or alcoholic, it is a lifetime battle. It has affected you and shaped your mind. Even after you break the habit it still haunts you with patterns of thought and behaviors that can act as triggers any time. If you are an alcoholic, can you control it or do you have to avoid it? The medical establishment as loosely defines an alcoholic; “you are an alcoholic if you have problems and you drink”. I think it has something to do with insurance. It seems that might be true of a Christian “if you have problems and are a Christian you’re an addict”(concept and wording needs work). You would think that with the claims Christians often make about God, the world and redemption they should not have problems otherwise what would make their existence any different that non-Christians with no claims? If Christ defeated the powers then what is going on? Is this just imaginary?

I remember as I was working on a therapy license that many of the addicts had issues and problems that were not being addressed by “just say no” or quitting.
Like many believers they keep their problems even after they quit their substance addiction.
Only they seem to be in denial about it or so disassociated that they can’t see them.

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amortalman
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Re: Recovering Christians

Post #31

Post by amortalman »

[Replying to post 1 by Cathar1950]

I think there is definitely some parallels between a former Christian who is trying to redefine his life and an alcoholic in recovery. The success of each depends on how well he or she adjusts to the emotional and psychological tumult. The differences, of course, is that an alcoholic is emotionally and chemically dependent and the Christian is emotionally, socially, and god dependent.

My experience when I de-converted from evangelical fundamental Christianity was not so difficult, and I'm just a nine-month-old non-Christian. It was mostly a relief which makes me think it's the direction I needed to take for a long time. But there are occasional doubts about my decision with a few fears thrown in as a result of the continuous indoctrination I received in church and through Christian books.

But the key to a smoother transition for me was finding DC&R and one other site where I can get reinforcement, encouragement, and the opportunity to flesh out my beliefs and opinions. Of course, books by Dan Barker, Richard Dawson, Seth Andrews, Kenneth Daniels, and others helped set my course securely and assured me that I had made the right decision.

My next step will be to visit a like-minded group and make some new friends. I liken it to AA for ex-Christians. In the meantime, maybe I can encourage other ex-Christians on their road to recovery.

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Neatras
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Post #32

Post by Neatras »

An unfortunate consequence of growing up in a "Bible Quiz" organization is that the indoctrination by rote memorization is rooted firmly in a child's mind. I doubt I'll ever be able to completely excise the poorly concocted jingles from my mind about specific verses. While amortalman's analogy for alcoholism is apt, I wouldn't consider my dilemma to be "withdrawal symptoms" at first thought. But mantras are a special breed of mind pollutant.

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Re: Recovering Christians

Post #33

Post by steveb1 »

Cathar1950 wrote: Recovering Christians.
I don�t know where I am going with this but I thought I would run it by my fellow former Christians and see what you think and what if any might be a good topic along these lines.

Former Christians or recovering Christians, do you really ever get over it?

It is like a recovering addict or alcoholic, it is a lifetime battle. It has affected you and shaped your mind. Even after you break the habit it still haunts you with patterns of thought and behaviors that can act as triggers any time. If you are an alcoholic, can you control it or do you have to avoid it? The medical establishment as loosely defines an alcoholic; �you are an alcoholic if you have problems and you drink�. I think it has something to do with insurance. It seems that might be true of a Christian �if you have problems and are a Christian you�re an addict�(concept and wording needs work). You would think that with the claims Christians often make about God, the world and redemption they should not have problems otherwise what would make their existence any different that non-Christians with no claims? If Christ defeated the powers then what is going on? Is this just imaginary?

I remember as I was working on a therapy license that many of the addicts had issues and problems that were not being addressed by �just say no� or quitting.
Like many believers they keep their problems even after they quit their substance addiction.
Only they seem to be in denial about it or so disassociated that they can�t see them.
...Arriving rather late here, but only to briefly comment that I never had a feeling of needing to get over Christianity, or drop it like some kind of hot-potato addiction. On the contrary, as I discovered Jungian psychology, comparative religion, mysticism East and West, and ultimately converted to Buddhism, I saw how universal and archetypal many of Christianity's main features are. In a way, I can now appreciate them not only for what they are within Christianity, but also for their "counterparts" in other religions and forms of spirituality.

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Re: Recovering Christians

Post #34

Post by amortalman »

[Replying to post 33 by steveb1]

I can partly identify with your take on it. However, the transition you made is quite different than the one I made a little over two years ago. What you did is trade one spiritual belief system for another. When I left Christianity I had a "hangover" from it that was fairly intense and still hasn't completely gone away. I have no desire to enslave my mind by committing to any other belief system. One Bible verse has come to mind often since I walked away, and for me, it holds a powerful truth. Jesus' own words: "If you continue in My word you shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free." I had been a Christian for over 15 years and heavy into evangelical Christianity and studying the Bible for several hours a day. You might say I was "continuing in (His) word." It was during this intense time of study and devotion that I began to question the things I was reading in the Bible. Eventually, that lead me to the realization that the Bible, for the most part, is a collection of myths and legends. This was the real "truth" that finally set me free.

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