How did you find out that Christianity was just bull manure?

trencacloscas · Post by **trencacloscas** » Sat Dec 17, 2005 2:16 pm

This is a question topic applied only to atheists/agnostics in general and former Christians specially.

When and how did you reach the conclusion that Christianity doesn't bear anything sacred or true? I agree with that writer who said "abandoning God and religion was my most priced spiritual adventure". So, how was your personal path to deconversion? What made you suspect it was all fake? How did you cop out with it?

Just for the sake of exchanging vital experiences..

Cathar1950 · Post by **Cathar1950** » Mon Jul 31, 2006 3:32 pm

It seems on one level or definition God would hardly be distinguishable from the universe. On the other hand God is going to be related and limited to our experiences even if revealed. How about A burning bush?

Maybe some day we will find out we were planted here by ancient being we called God.
When we ask them where they came from they will look at us funny and say; “maybe mud puddles”?

George S · Post by **George S** » Tue Aug 01, 2006 7:04 am

See also my intro, but I became apostate upon studying the Bible. I wanted to be a minister and thought I should understand the source of Christianity.

I found it to be so filled with contradiction and truly bad advice that I realized that it was the mythology of a small tribe in the Middle East. Total mythology.

Cephus · Post by **Cephus** » Thu Aug 03, 2006 4:57 pm

George S wrote:See also my intro, but I became apostate upon studying the Bible. I wanted to be a minister and thought I should understand the source of Christianity.

I found it to be so filled with contradiction and truly bad advice that I realized that it was the mythology of a small tribe in the Middle East. Total mythology.

Pretty much. The best way to reject the Bible is to study it. I really think it's funny that most Christians haven't got a clue what it is they supposedly believe. If more people studied the Bible and examined it critically, there wouldn't be nearly as many Christians in the world.

achilles12604 · Post by **achilles12604** » Sun Aug 13, 2006 12:29 am

Cephus wrote:
George S wrote:See also my intro, but I became apostate upon studying the Bible. I wanted to be a minister and thought I should understand the source of Christianity.

I found it to be so filled with contradiction and truly bad advice that I realized that it was the mythology of a small tribe in the Middle East. Total mythology.
Pretty much. The best way to reject the Bible is to study it. I really think it's funny that most Christians haven't got a clue what it is they supposedly believe. If more people studied the Bible and examined it critically, there wouldn't be nearly as many Christians in the world.

I'm not sure that is quite true. Since Christianity is not even claimed by a majority fo the earth, I think that many people who studied the Bible would find great deal of truth in it and convert to Christianity just as many of the Christians would possibly de-convert.

Therefore, I think Christianity would grow. Also, taking this idea a step further, if apologetics were offered in concert to the Bible, then I do not think many Christians would leave and even more would join. My reason for stating this idea is my own personal journey. I was close to writing off Christianity entirely because it was simply stupid (or so I thought). But then I began to try and take it apart and found that every time I tried a new idea to unravel the faith, explainations and new information pushed me right back until now, I am sure of my faith, not because I simply believe and therefore it is true, but because I critically examined Christianity (and other faiths as well) and found that Christianity has the most solid base of all religions and that in my opinion, it takes more faith to deny all the circumstancial evidence that atheists are constantly denying or explaining away, than it did to believe in God.

This is not the preferred method to faith, but I'll take it I guess.

Cephus · Post by **Cephus** » Sun Aug 13, 2006 4:35 pm

achilles12604 wrote:I'm not sure that is quite true. Since Christianity is not even claimed by a majority fo the earth, I think that many people who studied the Bible would find great deal of truth in it and convert to Christianity just as many of the Christians would possibly de-convert.

Most people who join Christianity don't do it because they study it, or even have a clue what it says, it's because they are raised that way and have simply never questioned it. I'd say that the majority of so-called Christians have probably never cracked a Bible in their lives. The ones who are deconverting are the ones who are actually studying what it teaches.

achilles12604 · Post by **achilles12604** » Sun Aug 13, 2006 11:07 pm

Cephus wrote:
achilles12604 wrote:I'm not sure that is quite true. Since Christianity is not even claimed by a majority fo the earth, I think that many people who studied the Bible would find great deal of truth in it and convert to Christianity just as many of the Christians would possibly de-convert.
Most people who join Christianity don't do it because they study it, or even have a clue what it says, it's because they are raised that way and have simply never questioned it. I'd say that the majority of so-called Christians have probably never cracked a Bible in their lives. The ones who are deconverting are the ones who are actually studying what it teaches.

Like I said I do not think this is very accurate. I also stated my reasons for disagreeing. I know a lot of people who have studied and in studing, bolstered, not weakened their faith.

However, without a major poll being done, we really wont ever know for sure so argueing is pointless. You position is that Christians who study the details of Christianity are bound to fall away. My position, bolstered by my own experience as well as many apologetic freinds, is that it strengthens our faith.

Cephus · Post by **Cephus** » Mon Aug 14, 2006 3:22 pm

achilles12604 wrote:Like I said I do not think this is very accurate. I also stated my reasons for disagreeing. I know a lot of people who have studied and in studing, bolstered, not weakened their faith.

But those are not people who are evaluating the truth of the Bible, they are people who are already supremely convinced that the Bible is true and nothing is going to change that. But if you study the Bible with an open mind, trying to verify it's objective truth, then you can be left with no other conclusion but the fact that there isn't much objective truth to be had in the Bible. Anyone who follows the evidence and reason, rather than blind faith, will be unable to support the Bible or Christianity.

achilles12604 · Post by **achilles12604** » Tue Aug 15, 2006 7:51 am

Cephus wrote:
achilles12604 wrote:Like I said I do not think this is very accurate. I also stated my reasons for disagreeing. I know a lot of people who have studied and in studing, bolstered, not weakened their faith.
But those are not people who are evaluating the truth of the Bible, they are people who are already supremely convinced that the Bible is true and nothing is going to change that. But if you study the Bible with an open mind, trying to verify it's objective truth, then you can be left with no other conclusion but the fact that there isn't much objective truth to be had in the Bible. Anyone who follows the evidence and reason, rather than blind faith, will be unable to support the Bible or Christianity.

Well by default then, I must have a closed mind. However, I will simply point out that I have already changed my beliefs in one major way and seen a few good points put forth by atheists as well as 2 cases in this forum where I congradulated the atheist on putting forth an arguement which was hard to refute.

Therefore, if I have a closed mind, then I am curious why you think your mind would be any more open since I can not find any time here when you even considered an arguement valid and you continue to hold to fairly extream views like "Christians are trying to spread the word with modern weapons now." This view, unless you can support it with something, perhaps out of CNN or the like, is aggressive, close minded and flat wrong. Yet you accuse me of close mindedness in approching things. Interesting. . . .

I wonder if the more close minded a person is, the more they accuse everyone else of being close minded, while they feel they are the only one with an open mind.

Whatever the case may be, I have been openminded to the point of changing my view. As far as I have seen, not to many people on this forum even consider the opposing view, much less change theirs.

Evaluate this for what it is worth.