Christians who became atheists/ agnostic/ non religious/

[RedEmbers]

Hello :) this is more of a curiosity thread. I grew up as a Christian who later became an atheist, the shift happened over the course of a few years until one day I realised that Christianity or religion in general was no longer serving me and my path. I've been an atheist now for a number of years and my Christian father seems to entertain the idea that I'll one day come back to god so to speak. I personally don't see that ever happening because for me it is like realising that Santa isn't real, I'm hardly going to go back to believing in Santa.
I guess I am just interested in other people's experiances of this sort of thing, I am just interested really.

[wstein]

I grew up a Catholic. As happens starting in the late teens on the way to adulthood, one reviews what they were given and decides what to keep and what to discard. Religion was one of the last things I got around to. By that time in my early 20s I realized that 'worship' was not serving me. The whole fear based thing of God giving us free will then punishing us for making the 'wrong' choice just doesn't work for me. On the off chance there is such a God who just wants to be judgmental, there is not much I can do about it. I was OK with that being a possibility. While I did toss out the the obvious religious 'God' (man in the sky), I did not discount that there are beings way more 'powerful' than those on Earth. That one of them 'made' this universe seems entirely likely. I don't feel any need to appease that being. I've come to a very different understanding of the nature of 'Divine' and it bears little resemblance to what religions teach. I can't see any possibility that I will join a religion in the future.

I was raised a Christian but coming into adulthood I started to become much more interested in what has/is happening in the world. It became obvious that the world was the way it was by no accident. One of the causes, it became apparent was organised religion. I decided I didn't want any part of it. Not long after I knew, despite my interests in the bible, the teachings of Yashu'a/Jesus etc. that I didn't want to be called a Christian either.

Similar to Wstein, I have never discounted the possibility of "God", so to speak, and I have no doubts that Intelligence is inherent in Nature. In what capacity exactly I am open to.

~Naddread~

[Seawolf]

I was a Christian, then Atheist, now I just go with whatever works. Spiritual practice works, and I could care less if the beliefs behind it that I hold are true or not, I don't think anyone knows. I don't care how crazy my beliefs are if they work. If they stop working, I'll change to some other beliefs and practice.

When a family member wants you to believe like them, it's because they care about you and they think it will protect you from harm. Even if you don't agree, you can think about it and see that love of a parent for a child is what's behind it despite the surface noise.

I went from Catholic to atheist.

This was a gradual process of reflection that took place over several years which was much like taking down a wall, brick by brick. On the other side of the wall is the light of reason. I consider my atheism a form of enlightenment.

My atheism wasn't truly a choice. I did choose to think about the philosophical issues, for how long, how often, and with what diligence, but my lack of belief was something that had snuck up on me and that I had realized only in hindsight. I did make the choice to identify in my own mind as an atheist, and I did make the choice to move forward and not to look back, because I chose to be honest with myself and to take advantage of the amazing opportunity before me to discover truths and to construct my worldview.

I did not leave the Catholic Church out of any dissatisfaction with the Church itself. It really was a matter of intellectual integrity. However, in hindsight I'm glad I did leave, because I might have ended up believing that homosexuality and masturbation are immoral, as my uber-Catholic brother currently believes.


eudaimonia,

Mark

I grew up in a Catholic/Christian tradition. I would describe it more as a social identity though than much to do with religion or spirituality. In my teens as I rejected things like this, I thought of myself as atheist for a while. I felt this didn't fit though as I had some spiritual inclinations, although at the time just didn't use this word for it. I moved on then to 'agnostic'. I felt there was some meaning to things but just that I wasn't in the know what it was, or else that it was not possible to know (until after death).

I'm not sure how I would describe myself today then. I've had some experiences in the past few years and also with new learning and contemplation I know there is reality beyond the physical. I believe in God, but am not aligned with a religion.

[renewe]

I grew up as a Christian too, and started doubting my beliefs during high school. It also took me a couple of years to move away from it, following my own path, seeking answers and finding my own truth. I've never seen myself as an atheist, as I strongly believe that there is something amazing that gives structure to the chaos, that has been bringing everything we see into being. I have been drawn to omniphasism (if I remember the term correctly) which is based on the idea that all religions have a shared core truth, and also the pagan religions and ancient nature or Gaia worshipping traditions. Shamanism and hedge-witchery also appeals strongly to me. However, none of these on their own fits right for me, and in a sense I am building my own personal religion or 'relationship with the Divine'.

Let me get to my point... part of this personal religion involves Jesus! I never thought I would return to my family's religion, or what I have been raised to be believe. However, lately I had some very vivid (but normal, not astral travel) dreams in which I was attacked by dark beings and when I had to protect myself and/or my loved ones, I used white light or energy and invoked or used or asked the Name of God and Jesus Christ. When I needed protection in these dreams, my belief in God was my salvation and I could protect my sister and my friends. I think as humans we have been misrepresenting the essence and character of God in our religions. So while I don't go to church again, God and Jesus are real to me now, more than when I was younger. Because now I am not told by other people how I can grow my spiritual relationship or development, but I feel and decide for myself what feels right. My heart is my guide, and my God is real and amazing no matter what I call her or him.

[Amilius777]

What is sad is the the fact that Catholicism is made of so many mystics and papal elites. Imperialism still infiltrates the church creating outrageous dogmas on hell sin control and flesh

[RedEmbers]

Thankyou everyone for satisfying my curiousity :)

My family religion was sort of in line with 7th Day Adventist. I guess my story isn't really very unfamiliar, I started to turn away because I didn't like the fear and guilt factor, I didn't like how leaders encouraged superiority complex, that we should take pity and pray for those we perceived of weak morales or lost sinners (this included different races, sexualitities as well as those not affiliated with our religion).
Intuitively from a very young age I knew that the fear was all **, I come into the world feeling love, not hate and fear.
Although I'd now say that I have no religion if asked, I am still very interested in learning about the different religions, and fascinated by what brought us to specific doctrines.
Renewe, I too have had a particular attraction and interest in paganisim and early religions, after I started to pull away from modern religions I became quite interested in the roots of the religions we know today.
I too had a change of perspective regarding Jesus, and it has become a much more rounded and obtainable ideal. Where as in the church, Jesus, son of God seems to be such an unreachable ideal, but after I left the church he started to became an ordinary human (wise and enlightened but very human) which was quite empowering for me.
It meant that I could start taking responsibility for my own life rather than waiting for an external force to shape my life.

I am just wondering if any of you have experianced confusion from religious people in your life, for example people who may wonder how one can be spiritual with no religion?
What does spirituality mean for you now as opposed to when you were religious?
For me it means nothing at all and everything at the same time, nothing as in I'm not seeking anything 'out there' anymore and everything in that it's life, everything I see and everything I experiance and it's all just very ordinary :)

[blackraven]

Originally Posted by RedEmbers

Hello :) this is more of a curiosity thread. I grew up as a Christian who later became an atheist, the shift happened over the course of a few years until one day I realised that Christianity or religion in general was no longer serving me and my path. I've been an atheist now for a number of years and my Christian father seems to entertain the idea that I'll one day come back to god so to speak. I personally don't see that ever happening because for me it is like realising that Santa isn't real, I'm hardly going to go back to believing in Santa.
I guess I am just interested in other people's experiances of this sort of thing, I am just interested really.

RedEmbers - I don’t know. For me it’s hard to be a Christian and then become an atheist. Like many of the other forum members I was raised Catholic, but half way through my life I found doctrines that conflicted with my personal belief system. My beliefs evolved over time and although I stopped going to church twenty years ago, I still cannot shake my belief in many of the Christianity teachings. I just don’t like how the church hierarchy operates, as I prefer a more linear way of worship. But I’m not anti-Christian; I’m an anti churchgoer. I prefer to worship privately through meditation and prayer. I don’t think the fact that I don’t go to church makes me non-religious. I actually get a little peeved when churchgoers think they have stronger morals and ethics than me. I don’t believe anyone is infallible whether religious or not.

I’m interested in learning, however, how others evolved to atheism after being a Christian. It’s quite a transformational process.

Blackraven