Escaping Christianity

[DOTR]

I was raised in church, married a Christian, raised my kids in church and currently teach Bible at a Christian school. At the end of this school year (May 2020) I plan to resign as a teacher and stop attending church for one full year. At the end of that year I plan to have my name removed from the church role and afterwards make my atheism public. I love the philosphy, ethics and the culture surrounding Christianity. I just can't live a lie any more. It just can't be healthy. This invisible and silent God dude offers me nothing. I love the Bible and learn a lot from it but the God dude in that book either doesn't exist or has no interest in me. Church attendance is more burdensome than it used to be. I learn more from the Bible studying independently. Kindergarten might be fun for a 6 year old but is painfully boring to a 40 year old.

Any questions? I have lots more to say but I already feel like the post was too long.

You aren’t leaving Christianity. I suspect you are leaving mega-church Puritanism.

 

[Compost]

When you "come out" as atheist, you will have to change your linguistical habits.

What does this mean? I do not follow. Where will I receive pressure to eliminate Christian lingo from my vocabulary? You may say I am not a Christian by the definition you use for the word but I have been heavily influenced for 40 years. I have no desire to destroy the person I am. I am simply eliminating burdensome traditions that I do not need and have no obligation to follow.

You declare Christianity a burden that you want to shed. Yet you don't want to destroy the person you are- trouble is, the person you are -according to you- is pretending to be a Christian. Why would you want to be a pretender?

You say you want to escape Christianity. What are you waiting for?

 

[SweetSue92]

There is great value in meditating on the words and actions of Jesus.
There has been immense horror inflicted when people would impose their conclusions concerning Jesus on others.
As for "God", any use for this term has been destroyed. It was never well thought out and today is evidently beyond human comprehension.
The universe is more than our limited brains/minds can comprehend. We can only open ourselves as much as possible to "That Which Is", for want of a better way to put it.

I am going to be blunt. In the pursuit of being deep and, I suppose, deeply philosophical, you have apparently overinflated your mind to such a degree that what actually comes out resembles the ridiculous whine of a helium balloon.

Seriously. This is abject nonsense. For just one. If Jesus is not true, there is absolutely zero value on meditating on his words and actions. His is an absolutely unattainable standard by any human being save Himself. So then, since that is true, the "horror" comes when humans, unable to achieve his standards and knowing it, project their unworthiness on other also unworthy humans.

Those of us who truly believe in Him and love Him, knowing ourselves unworthy and yet gratefully saved by grace, dare not look at other sinful humans and condemn them. For we know ourselves condemned.

 

[presonorek]

I was raised in church, married a Christian, raised my kids in church and currently teach Bible at a Christian school. At the end of this school year (May 2020) I plan to resign as a teacher and stop attending church for one full year. At the end of that year I plan to have my name removed from the church role and afterwards make my atheism public. I love the philosphy, ethics and the culture surrounding Christianity. I just can't live a lie any more. It just can't be healthy. This invisible and silent God dude offers me nothing. I love the Bible and learn a lot from it but the God dude in that book either doesn't exist or has no interest in me. Church attendance is more burdensome than it used to be. I learn more from the Bible studying independently. Kindergarten might be fun for a 6 year old but is painfully boring to a 40 year old.

Any questions? I have lots more to say but I already feel like the post was too long.

You aren’t leaving Christianity. I suspect you are leaving mega-church Puritanism.

I don't believe in any of the supernatural stuff but do love the Bible more than anybody I know. I will probably read the Bible at least ten more times in my lifetime. My ethical behavior will mirror mainstream Christians around me. I just won't attend church, I won't pray or engaging in any other supernatural nonsense.

You could be right. You could be wrong. The definition of Christian has millions of meanings.

 

[SweetSue92]

I was raised in church, married a Christian, raised my kids in church and currently teach Bible at a Christian school. At the end of this school year (May 2020) I plan to resign as a teacher and stop attending church for one full year. At the end of that year I plan to have my name removed from the church role and afterwards make my atheism public. I love the philosphy, ethics and the culture surrounding Christianity. I just can't live a lie any more. It just can't be healthy. This invisible and silent God dude offers me nothing. I love the Bible and learn a lot from it but the God dude in that book either doesn't exist or has no interest in me. Church attendance is more burdensome than it used to be. I learn more from the Bible studying independently. Kindergarten might be fun for a 6 year old but is painfully boring to a 40 year old.

Any questions? I have lots more to say but I already feel like the post was too long.

You aren’t leaving Christianity. I suspect you are leaving mega-church Puritanism.

Honestly I would guess more along the line of a "Prophetic-Word" smallish-church. Either way, he needs to find a new church stat.

 

[presonorek]

When you "come out" as atheist, you will have to change your linguistical habits.

What does this mean? I do not follow. Where will I receive pressure to eliminate Christian lingo from my vocabulary? You may say I am not a Christian by the definition you use for the word but I have been heavily influenced for 40 years. I have no desire to destroy the person I am. I am simply eliminating burdensome traditions that I do not need and have no obligation to follow.

You declare Christianity a burden that you want to shed. Yet you don't want to destroy the person you are- trouble is, the person you are -according to you- is pretending to be a Christian. Why would you want to be a pretender?

You say you want to escape Christianity. What are you waiting for?

Good point. I guess I left years ago. I will just make it public in a way that doesn't hurt anybody.

 

[SweetSue92]

I was raised in church, married a Christian, raised my kids in church and currently teach Bible at a Christian school. At the end of this school year (May 2020) I plan to resign as a teacher and stop attending church for one full year. At the end of that year I plan to have my name removed from the church role and afterwards make my atheism public. I love the philosphy, ethics and the culture surrounding Christianity. I just can't live a lie any more. It just can't be healthy. This invisible and silent God dude offers me nothing. I love the Bible and learn a lot from it but the God dude in that book either doesn't exist or has no interest in me. Church attendance is more burdensome than it used to be. I learn more from the Bible studying independently. Kindergarten might be fun for a 6 year old but is painfully boring to a 40 year old.

Any questions? I have lots more to say but I already feel like the post was too long.

You aren’t leaving Christianity. I suspect you are leaving mega-church Puritanism.

I don't believe in any of the supernatural stuff but do love the Bible more than anybody I know. I will probably read the Bible at least ten more times in my lifetime. My ethical behavior will mirror mainstream Christians around me. I just won't attend church, I won't pray or engaging in any other supernatural nonsense.

You could be right. You could be wrong. The definition of Christian has millions of meanings.

Question for you.

Who, ultimately, should get to define who is a Christian?

 

[SweetSue92]

you need to get out of this church.

It is on my list of things to do. See opening post.

To be clear: finding a new church does not equal leaving Christianity.

 

[SweetSue92]

I have way too many questions to get to the bottom of your concerns. I am not necessarily doing what is in my own my best interest. There are other people involved in my situation. You have to remember. I don't believe in the invisible and silent God that lives in the cave where only the holy men are allowed to go. When the holy men come back from the cave to tell me stuff with a serious, convincing and sincere face it appears suspicious to me. Why can't I go in the cave too?

If God has nothing to say to me then I am under no obligation to play by His rules. Just because He tells you the rules doesn't men He shares that information with everyone. Most of us are left relying on faith or guesswork. That just isn't for me anymore. If God wants something from me then I will give Him anything He asks.

Okay so do you go to one of those churches where they always have a "word" about this and a "vision" about that?

Maybe. Why?

Is this also a King James Only church?

 

[presonorek]

If Jesus is not true, there is absolutely zero value on meditating on his words and actions. His is an absolutely unattainable standard by any human being save Himself. So then, since that is true, the "horror" comes when humans, unable to achieve his standards and knowing it, project their unworthiness on other also unworthy humans.

This is hillarious.

 

[JoeB131]

So you're going to "keep pretending just to make things easier".

that makes you a coward. From my perspective, it makes you the wolf among sheep. You know that, right?

It WILL get sussed out. And THAT will make you lose your friends.

If you are the kind of person who would shun a friend because they stopped believing in fairy tales, that tells me that you are kind of awful, if we hadn't already established that.

 

[JoeB131]

I am going to be blunt. In the pursuit of being deep and, I suppose, deeply philosophical, you have apparently overinflated your mind to such a degree that what actually comes out resembles the ridiculous whine of a helium balloon.

Seriously. This is abject nonsense. For just one. If Jesus is not true, there is absolutely zero value on meditating on his words and actions. His is an absolutely unattainable standard by any human being save Himself. So then, since that is true, the "horror" comes when humans, unable to achieve his standards and knowing it, project their unworthiness on other also unworthy humans.

Those of us who truly believe in Him and love Him, knowing ourselves unworthy and yet gratefully saved by grace, dare not look at other sinful humans and condemn them. For we know ourselves condemned.

So what if Jesus was just a dude, who was kind of a nice guy who had some interesting ideas on how to treat each other, but his followers just got a little carried away?

Would that make his philosophical message any less meaningful? Do you really need a magical God-man-zombie to tell you that you should treat other people decently?

 

[SweetSue92]

If Jesus is not true, there is absolutely zero value on meditating on his words and actions. His is an absolutely unattainable standard by any human being save Himself. So then, since that is true, the "horror" comes when humans, unable to achieve his standards and knowing it, project their unworthiness on other also unworthy humans.

This is hillarious.

Your church didn't teach grace? They expected people to actually live out the Sermon on the Mount?

 

[presonorek]

I have way too many questions to get to the bottom of your concerns. I am not necessarily doing what is in my own my best interest. There are other people involved in my situation. You have to remember. I don't believe in the invisible and silent God that lives in the cave where only the holy men are allowed to go. When the holy men come back from the cave to tell me stuff with a serious, convincing and sincere face it appears suspicious to me. Why can't I go in the cave too?

If God has nothing to say to me then I am under no obligation to play by His rules. Just because He tells you the rules doesn't men He shares that information with everyone. Most of us are left relying on faith or guesswork. That just isn't for me anymore. If God wants something from me then I will give Him anything He asks.

Okay so do you go to one of those churches where they always have a "word" about this and a "vision" about that?

Maybe. Why?

Is this also a King James Only church?

I never answered your first question. I won't answer this one either. I don't believe God exists. I don't know why the type of church I attend is relevant. The Bible says what the Bible says. God doesn't say what God doesn't say.

If God has never in my life told me anything then why I am obligated to live by the standards of SweetSue92 aka God? I don't get it.

 

[presonorek]

I was raised in church, married a Christian, raised my kids in church and currently teach Bible at a Christian school. At the end of this school year (May 2020) I plan to resign as a teacher and stop attending church for one full year. At the end of that year I plan to have my name removed from the church role and afterwards make my atheism public. I love the philosphy, ethics and the culture surrounding Christianity. I just can't live a lie any more. It just can't be healthy. This invisible and silent God dude offers me nothing. I love the Bible and learn a lot from it but the God dude in that book either doesn't exist or has no interest in me. Church attendance is more burdensome than it used to be. I learn more from the Bible studying independently. Kindergarten might be fun for a 6 year old but is painfully boring to a 40 year old.

Any questions? I have lots more to say but I already feel like the post was too long.

You aren’t leaving Christianity. I suspect you are leaving mega-church Puritanism.

I don't believe in any of the supernatural stuff but do love the Bible more than anybody I know. I will probably read the Bible at least ten more times in my lifetime. My ethical behavior will mirror mainstream Christians around me. I just won't attend church, I won't pray or engaging in any other supernatural nonsense.

You could be right. You could be wrong. The definition of Christian has millions of meanings.

Question for you.

Who, ultimately, should get to define who is a Christian?

James Stanton III

 

[sparky]

If God has never in my life told me anything then why I am obligated to live by the standards of SweetSue92 aka God? I don't get it.

Religion and Faith are two distinctions , two doctrines, two separate references in the dictionary that those in power have tried to paint synonymous for a millennia Vas.

~S~

 

[SweetSue92]

I have way too many questions to get to the bottom of your concerns. I am not necessarily doing what is in my own my best interest. There are other people involved in my situation. You have to remember. I don't believe in the invisible and silent God that lives in the cave where only the holy men are allowed to go. When the holy men come back from the cave to tell me stuff with a serious, convincing and sincere face it appears suspicious to me. Why can't I go in the cave too?

If God has nothing to say to me then I am under no obligation to play by His rules. Just because He tells you the rules doesn't men He shares that information with everyone. Most of us are left relying on faith or guesswork. That just isn't for me anymore. If God wants something from me then I will give Him anything He asks.

Okay so do you go to one of those churches where they always have a "word" about this and a "vision" about that?

Maybe. Why?

Is this also a King James Only church?

I never answered your first question. I won't answer this one either. I don't believe God exists. I don't know why the type of church I attend is relevant. The Bible says what the Bible says. God doesn't say what God doesn't say.

If God has never in my life told me anything then why I am obligated to live by the standards of SweetSue92 aka God? I don't get it.

1. Then back to the beginning: you need to resign. Today. If you believe God does not exist and you are teaching CHILDREN the Bible that is fundamentally dishonest. I'm going to begin praying that you either do the right thing or you are found out, soon.

2. If the reason you believe God does not exist is because you have never had a "word" from Him, believe me, this is because you are in the wrong church. The Bible IS God's revealed Word. If you love God's Word as much as you say you do, then you need to be in a church and a denomination that loves it as much as you do. Please believe me. The "prophetic word" denominations typically rely a lot more on those "prophetic words", visions and the like than the do the revealed word of God, Scripture. And you are exactly right. Not a lot of those are valid AND it becomes a big source of PRIDE. I'm a better Christian than you because God gave me a "word" about this, that and the other. And I know--then if you don't get these "words" you feel like God is shutting you out.

There were 400 years of silence between the Old and New Testament, before Jesus was born. Was God not working then? Did He not love the people living then? Of course not! Be very cautious of these "prophetic word" type churches. I'm giving you the best most honest advice I know how. Find a Reformed church, we love the Scriptures, we are very knowledge- and learning-based, we are not big on "prophetic words" and we check and re-check different translations.

 

[SweetSue92]

I was raised in church, married a Christian, raised my kids in church and currently teach Bible at a Christian school. At the end of this school year (May 2020) I plan to resign as a teacher and stop attending church for one full year. At the end of that year I plan to have my name removed from the church role and afterwards make my atheism public. I love the philosphy, ethics and the culture surrounding Christianity. I just can't live a lie any more. It just can't be healthy. This invisible and silent God dude offers me nothing. I love the Bible and learn a lot from it but the God dude in that book either doesn't exist or has no interest in me. Church attendance is more burdensome than it used to be. I learn more from the Bible studying independently. Kindergarten might be fun for a 6 year old but is painfully boring to a 40 year old.

Any questions? I have lots more to say but I already feel like the post was too long.

You aren’t leaving Christianity. I suspect you are leaving mega-church Puritanism.

I don't believe in any of the supernatural stuff but do love the Bible more than anybody I know. I will probably read the Bible at least ten more times in my lifetime. My ethical behavior will mirror mainstream Christians around me. I just won't attend church, I won't pray or engaging in any other supernatural nonsense.

You could be right. You could be wrong. The definition of Christian has millions of meanings.

Question for you.

Who, ultimately, should get to define who is a Christian?

James Stanton III

Correct answer:

Christ/ian

Christ. Christ defines.

 

[sparky]

and.....

~S~

 

[presonorek]

If Jesus is not true, there is absolutely zero value on meditating on his words and actions. His is an absolutely unattainable standard by any human being save Himself. So then, since that is true, the "horror" comes when humans, unable to achieve his standards and knowing it, project their unworthiness on other also unworthy humans.

This is hillarious.

Your church didn't teach grace? They expected people to actually live out the Sermon on the Mount?

What is grace? Just kidding. As a kid I attended church Sunday morning, Sunday night and Wednesday night. In my early adulthood I was a bit lax for about 5 years. After that I still attended church more than regularly and was even Chairman of Deacons for a medium sized church that averaged 300 ish in attendance. I have read the entire Bible 3 times. Do you want to quiz me on Biblical concepts or common Christian practices? I am no idiot. I am leaving Christianity because it is retarded that people pray for God to heal them and He never does. Doctors always end up doing it or not doing it. Either that or the body ends up healing itself. Some people die that receive pray and some don't. That is the same odds as any other event in life. Sometimes things go your way and sometimes they don't. It is retarded that Jonah lived in a whale for 3 days. It is retarded that Joshua walked around a building and it fell down. There is a lot of retarded things that Christian's believe from the Bible. That gullabilty affects other areas of life. That superstitious stuff is totally retarded and you know it too but continually lie to yourself. You know that nobody believes in that mess. They just pretend or systematically lie to themselves so they will not notice that they do not believe it. It is just dumb and has nothing at all to do with the kind of church I attend. Talking to an invisible man is stupid no matter what kind of church I go to.