Owner: ExChristian.Net -- encouraging ex-Christians URL:http://exchristian.net Join Date: Tue, 29 Jan 2008 13:23:04 -0600 Rating:0 Site Description: Encouraging people who are discovering that Christianity is a false, man-made cult. Site statistics:Click here
What I believe but cannot prove 2008-03-19 05:07:00 By Michael ShermerI believe
, but cannot prove, that reality exists independent of its human and social constructions. Science as a method, and naturalism as a philosophy, together create the best tool we have for understanding that reality. Because science is cumulative, building on itself in progressive fashion, we can achieve an ever-greater understanding of reality. Our knowledge of nature remains provisional because we can never know if we have final Truth. Because science is a human activity and nature is complex and dynamic, fuzzy logic and fractional probabilities best describe both nature and our approximate understanding of it.There is no such thing as the paranormal and the supernatural; there is only the normal and the natural and mysteries we have yet to explain.What separates
We don't exist? 2008-03-18 19:44:00 How can we say we no longer believe in Jesus, after meeting Him and experiencing God?Comments?
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My journey to apostasy 2008-03-18 05:41:33 Sent in by JimmyOkay, maybe "journey" is bit of an overstatement. It's quite simple really. I was born and raised in a Christian household. I went to church every Sunday (though it bored the piss out of me when I was younger). I was taught that the Bible was the inspired Word of God. I was taught that evolution was a big lie perpetrated by the scientific community. (Or was it liberals?) Oh, wait, I know! It was the Devil himself. Eh, I can't remember which one it was; all those things were taught. Every time I would hear the big, bad 'E' word I would loudly and proudly announce to anyone who gave a crap that "I didn't come from no monkey!" I was taught that to be a homosexual was a sin and an abomination against God. Yep, "God made Adam and Eve, not Adam and Steve," was one of my favorite Read more:apostasy
How Can We Protect Our Children from Religious Recruiting and Heartache? 2008-03-17 14:02:00 By Valerie Tarico “Sunday was a day of just so much external restraint as public opinion absolutely demanded. I learned at last, as I came to be about seventeen, that my father was an entire freethinker, as much as I am now. It shocked me much, because he never taught me anything, allowed me to pick up religion from any one around me, and then scolded me because I embraced beliefs which he knew must condemn him. I think this neglect to be honest with children is a terrible evil. I have lost years of thought, and wandered wide and done such unwise conceited things, and encountered risks for soul and body, all of which might have been obviated by his frank teaching.”-- Moncure Daniel Conway, Autobiography (1904)" I did what I thought was the right thing so my children would not have to u Read more:Protect
, Children
Long, hard road to disbelief 2008-03-21 09:48:12 Sent in by MelenieI realized at an early age that something was very wrong with the Baptist church I went to. It was pretty bad when a eight year old child can tell a place is corrupt.My first of many churches was in north Alabama, a very horrid and dim place where half the population cannot read or write. At the early age of four I was taught that homosexuality was wrong, and if you were you would go straight to hell. In fact, you would go straight to hell for lots of things it seemed.If you read anything by Darwin, you were doomed.If you talked back to your husband, then I hope you enjoy fire.If you think about sex you are a dirty whore and you will go to hell.The place was really more like a cult then anything. The people were brainwashed into believing that everything they did was ev
Words of wisdom 2008-03-20 21:49:00 A few quotes from some famous un-believers.
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Why I am NOT respectful 2008-03-20 21:38:00 One atheist's opinion about respecting Christianity.
Scientific Breakthroughs from the Bible (Part II) 2008-03-20 10:01:00 The book of Revelation includes so many ridiculous and horrible prophesies, it's obvious that "St. John" was either consciously trying to scare people into submission or he was on some kind of psychedelic substance; or both.To me, one of his most revealing claims is that the stars will fall to the earth. Of course at the time of his writing, people didn't know just how big and far away the stars really are. To them, they were just little lights in the sky. But if his "visions" where really coming from an omniscient god, wouldn't he have known?Here are the verses in question:Revelation 6:13 And the stars of heaven fell unto the earth, even as a fig tree casteth her untimely figs, when she is shaken of a mighty wind.Revelation 8:10 And the third angel sounded, and there fell a great star f Read more:Scientific
Youth pastor faces charges for sex with underage girl 2008-03-25 22:49:00 A youth pastor had sex with a teenage girl in his offices at the Berea Baptist Church over a span of two years, police said today.Jeremy Workman, 32, was charged last week with unlawful sexual contact with a minor and possession of criminal tools. He is being held on $250,000 bond. Workman resigned from the church in January. The girl was 15 and in the youth group when the two began their sexual relationship. She is now 19 and pregnant with his child, police said.Workman served as the church's youth pastor since 2000."This kind of evil behavior takes place frequently in secular venues, but when it occurs in a holy setting like God's House, it is especially grevious," Pastor Kenneth Spink said in a statement.Workman also worked part time in the weight room of the Berea Recreation Center, sa Read more:faces
Christianity: blaming the victim 2008-03-25 15:07:00 By Dave, the WMChristianity
lauds itself as the panacea for the world’s woes, but Christianity’s approach to rescuing poor humanity is riddled with degradation. Before offering its “so great a salvation” Christianity first condemns, denigrates, and belittles people into believing they are vile creatures, wearing the filthy rags of a pointless existence. Self-confident non-Christians are redefined as “haughty and arrogant.” Sincere human compassion that is bereft of evangelical rhetoric is labeled as “selfishly motivated” and incapable of real or lasting good. Difficult circumstances and obstacles in a person’s life is seen as part of primordial curses put on creation by an unconditionally loving god. What can you, a pathetic sinner, do to overcome the problems in your li Read more:victim
I was paralyzed by the fear of hell 2008-03-24 05:09:00 Sent in by JacolynI'm a 29-year-old female who has been an ex-Christian for about six months now after being a very devoted Christian for at least 20 years! I was brought up in a Christian family (Baptist), and when I was 18, I started going to a Hillsong style church, and never looked back until six months ago. The short story is that I could never understand why a good and loving God would send people to hell, no matter what the reason. Not long after I changed denominations (when I was 18) I was forced to think about hell in a more pragmatic way, as the church spoke quite openly about hell. I went through a period of depression, as all I could think about was, "Most people around me are going to hell.” Every day, with every person I encountered, I looked at them thinking, "They're pro
Pastor charged with attempted sex assault 2008-03-23 19:43:00 Scott Martin Weisser, who is listed as pastor of First Baptist Church of Salt Lake on its Web site, has been charged with trying to sexually assault a woman in his Midvale home despite her repeated refusals.Weisser reportedly resigned as pastor of the church. A message left with the church office's voice mail was not returned Friday.Weisser, 52, is facing charges of first-degree felony attempted rape and class B misdemeanor assault in connection with the March 16 incident.Third District Judge Royal Hansen on Friday deemed Weisser indigent, appointed a legal defender to represent him and issued a no-contact order for any victims, witnesses and/or co-defendants in the case.The judge also asked for an evaluation from pretrial services before Weisser is released from jail. Bail has been set at Read more:Pastor
Why I cannot honestly call myself a Christian 2008-03-22 13:17:00 By IanIntroductory remarksThis document sets out some arguments that question the truth of contemporary evangelical Christian
ity. It has been written largely for the benefit of the author but also to communicate to friends and family in a dispassionate and non confrontational way some of the rationale for no longer adhering to fundamentalist Christianity. It is almost all my own words but I have used material from the Internet in some places.I want to start with a challenge to the Christian who may read this. The challenge is as follows:Think of all the people and belief systems residing outside your church.Try, against all the odds, to read this as a “juror” and not a “defendant”Remember the story of the Emperor’s New Clothes.If you personally know our Creator, genuinely engagin Read more:honestly
, myself
Living with and without religion 2008-03-22 09:16:00 Reposted from the Freethought Café by J.C. SamuelsonEvery day I work with people who have an invisible friend. But being fond of many of them, talking about that is something I like to avoid. After all, it's not really relevant to what we do, and if their faith helps them to be more productive or feel better about what they're doing, it's no skin off my nose. That being so, I've been thinking lately about why religious (and more broadly, supernatural) ideas bother me, and whether it's important to speak up.The truth is that it's not too hard to avoid awkward moments where I work, because religious and supernatural topics hardly ever come up. Most such dialogues I've had a part in have occurred online, and even those have become infrequent. Perhaps this is because I no longer find it worth Read more:Living
The worst thing about religion is... 2008-03-21 09:52:00 By Geoff I am frequently told by a myriad of individuals that atheism is irrational, stupid, uncool and just plain negative, I am told that our worldview is asinine, that we are running from god and that we believe that we are descended from monkeysHard to believe that two years ago this was essentially the same belief I held about atheism! I already submitted my testimony, I believe "We are one with the cosmos" was its title. Since then I have told one of my parents about my newfound (lack of) beliefs, argued with my fundie father, tried in vain to get out of church, and still continue to suffer through a Christian schoolBUT! That's just the bad. I can say with 100% certainty that despite my situation I have grown as a person in the past two years more then I could ever have imagined. The
I am a Satanist? 2008-03-21 09:26:00 By SandraFor years my son has put up with the fundy ways of his step mom. She calls him a Satan worshiper. He finally set her straight in this letter. I was so proud I wanted to share it.Devil Worshiper. Seriously? Ha. That's pretty funny.So I guess that in your mind, you picture me sitting around my house in a black cloak, sitting in a circle of candles on a pentagram in the floor and sipping the blood of some animal sacrifice, all while reading from some ancient spell book....and there I am, all spooky looking and chanting, giving praise to this little red guy with horns that has a pitchfork, which he uses of course to poke evil doers in the tushy.That's hilarious.I hate to spoil the fun, but no, I am not a devil worshiper. Before you label me, let's clear up a couple of misconcepti
They prayed to cast Satan from my body 2008-03-17 05:09:00 Here is an article that is currently in the news in Australia. I attended one of these "Mercy Houses" when I was a Christian and was told prior to talking to the girls all the rules that they had to follow. The rules were quite severe. One girl I met there was in purely because she was a lesbian -- something her parents felt warranted "counselling". I have to say that many of the girls seemed listless and unhappy. I know of a number of girls who "relapsed" soon after "graduation", most likely because all the care they had received was bullshit.-- KorrineTHEY call themselves the Mercy Girls. And after years of searching they have found each other.Bound by separate, damaging experiences at the hands of an American-style ministry operating in Sydney and the Sunshine Coast, these young women Read more:Satan
Poll finds growing number of believers eschew church 2008-03-16 09:59:00 Dennis Christner was raised in a Lutheran home so devout he was not permitted to join the secular Boy Scouts. As an adult tennis pro, he left Michigan for California and began exploring."I really got disenchanted with being told what to do and what to believe," the American Canyon resident said. He eventually discovered the Church of Religious Science.He does not attend services but said he believes the teachings."It just felt so comfortable," said Christner, 55. "It makes sense, it fits. It's like a manual on how it is, not how you should be."Christner belongs to one of the largest and fastest growing groups identified in a February survey of the American religious life.This multifaceted band includes lapsed believers, nonbelievers, those who believe but don't belong to a congregation and
How the Grinch stole Jesus: Or, how the left helped turn Christians mean 2008-03-16 09:03:00 By Jesse BCOn November 9, 1987, I became a Christian. That is to say, in the parlance of the Evangelical subculture to which I was committing myself, I "asked Jesus
into my heart and became born again." It was very important in those days to remember the date you did it. I was 16 years old. I had no idea that I was pledging myself to a sociopolitical movement that had elected the last two American presidents and would elect the next three.Two years later I left home to attend a Bible college that was politically and theologically moderate -- and, in 1989, this wasn't a contradiction in terms. Feminism was the hottest topic on campus, neatly dividing the student body between those who believed that wives should submit to their husbands and women should not teach men versus those who be Read more:Grinch
, Christians
I am terribly CONFUSED and afraid 2008-03-27 05:17:00 A letter from KimI am 51 years old, and was raised as a Protestant. I "converted" to Catholicism when I got married for the second time 22 years ago. I always felt guilty because I didn't get much out of going to mass. A lot of it seemed very redundant. Very recently, I have been questioning my faith. Not a very comfortable feeling. I am terrified to admit that if I don't believe in a higher being, I will for sure be thrown into the fires of Hell!I am terribly CONFUSED and afraid
. I consider myself a kind and compassionate person (I work as a patient care technician in a Catholic hospital!), and just because I am questioning whether or not God exists doesn't mean I should be condemned for eternity! I don't dare to talk to my husband about these feelings because his faith in God is v
Why does God care if we love and worship him or not? Is he really that insecure? 2008-03-27 05:11:00 Sent in by JohnnyBeing brought up by evangelical parents in a very strong Christian community it was only natural that I was indoctrinated with falsehoods from as far back as I can remember. I even spent the first 14 years of my life living in a church house for the first seven and then in flat above a church for the following seven. I was taught the same stories and morals as many of you on here; the doctrine of the trinity, heaven and hell, the resurrection and countless other miracles. My parents were unwavering in their faith, and most of our family and family friends were Christians of some sort too.Despite this, my parents were not overly strict, openly admitted they could not answer all of my questions about God, and wholly accepted the fact I was to ‘experiment’ with other reli Read more:worship
, insecure
My de-conversion letter to friends and family 2008-03-27 05:05:00 Sent in by AndrewIt's been about a year since I've stopped considering myself a Christian. I want to put together a 'coming out' letter to give friends and family some idea as to why I have given it up. Please let me know if you think I should add something, or leave something else out. Is it even a good idea to do something like this? I sent this letter to a close friend who is pretty devout, and she seemed to appreciate it.Here goes:Dear Christian Friend, Because you mean so much to me, I wanted to give you at least some sort of idea as to the ‘why’ of my deconversion. I want to let you know, at least at a surface level, why I’ve chosen to ‘leave the fold’, to share a bit of my story. To begin, I want to let you know that this is not something that has just come
Parents attribute daughter's death to lack of faith 2008-03-27 04:41:00 Madeline Kara Neumann is shown working on chalk art last summer during downtown Wausau's Chalk Fest.WESTON, Wis. — An 11-year-old girl died after her parents prayed for healing rather than seek medical help for a treatable form of diabetes, police said Tuesday.Everest Metro Police Chief Dan Vergin said Madeline Neumann died Sunday."She got sicker and sicker until she was dead," he said.Vergin said an autopsy determined the girl died from diabetic ketoacidosis, an ailment that left her with too little insulin in her body, and she had probably been ill for about 30 days, suffering symptoms like nausea, vomiting, excessive thirst, loss of appetite and weakness.The girl's parents, Dale and Leilani Neumann, attributed the death
to "apparently they didn't have enough faith," the police chief Read more:Parents
A Woman's Place... 2008-03-26 10:35:00 By DocMikeOne of my employees, who happens to be a young Christian woman, said today that she would never vote for Hillary Clinton because she is a woman and the Bible says that women should not be leaders."That's a man's job," she said.I asked her where it says that in the Bible and she didn't know. She just knows that it's in there and she knows that God intended women to be submissive to men.I wanted to rant and rave and fire her ass for being so fucking stupid! But I realized that it's not her fault. I pity her because she is a young, attractive, intelligent woman who has been indoctrinated all of her life and accepts that she could never be equal to a man. It's really sad!And the fact is she's right about the Bible. It does say that:1 Timothy 2:12 But I suffer not a woman to teach, Read more:Place
Pastor charged with forgery 2008-03-26 08:06:00 Randy Baldridge is the pastor of a church in Galena, Kansas, and is charged with forging a $100,000 check.Authorities say the name he put on the check is Nancy Sarduck. Sarduck was at one time one of Baldridge's parishioners.He also presided over her husband's funeral in July.Baldridge is the pastor of 6th Street Baptist Church in Galena, Kansas.He allegedly made a check out to Assembly of God Financial Solutions for an investment program based in Springfield, Missouri.Sarduck says she received a letter in the mail thanking her for the investment. She told the company she never wrote the check.Court documents say the check was from a closed Commerce Bank account originally opened by Baldridge.The sheriff's department says they do not know what the motive was behind this alleged act.But S Read more:Pastor
, forgery
GOD SAID IT; I BELIEVE IT; END OF STORY 2008-03-30 15:47:00 Hi from Ontario Canada:I am an atheist with a capital A. I belong or attend several free-thought type groups including FFRF and attend their conventions.My wife's attitude is "GOD SAID IT; I BELIEVE IT; END OF STORY".I find it very frustrating to live with someone who will not even consider your views or will not engage in honest conversation.How do others in my position deal with the above situation when parting is not an option because of grandchildren.ThanksSnabag
Website pulls anti-Islam film after threats 2008-03-30 02:20:00 The anti-Islam
film ‘Fitna' by far-right Dutch MP Geert Wilders has been pulled from the internet after the website company which posted it received threats
. British-based Liveleak.com said it pulled down the video, which can still be seen on other websites, including youtube.com. The film was posted to the internet on Friday. “Following threats to our staff of a very serious nature, and some ill informed reports from certain corners of the British media that could directly lead to the harm of some of our staff, Liveleak.com has been left with no other choice but to remove ‘Fitna’ from our servers,” the site said in a statement. Fitna — Part 1/2 “This is a sad day for freedom of speech on the net but we have to place the safety and well being of our staff above all else,”
Parents indicted in faith-healing case 2008-03-30 02:11:00 Oregon City couple are charged with second-degree manslaughter in the death of their daughterAn Oregon City couple whose 15-month-old daughter died this month of medically treatable conditions surrendered to police Friday night hours after a Clackamas County grand jury indicted
them.They are at the heart of a case testing a state law that bars faith healing when it could endanger a child's life.Based on the jury's findings, arrest warrants were issued for Carl Brent Worthington, 28, and Raylene Worthington, 25, on charges of second-degree manslaughter and second-degree criminal mistreatment in the March 2 death of their daughter, Ava.At 8:30 p.m., the pair voluntarily surrendered at the Clackamas County Jail, said Detective Jim Strovink, a sheriff's office spokesman. They were held on $250 Read more:Parents
Seeking a spiritual foundation 2008-03-30 01:46:00 From KevinI left Christianity approximately a year ago. I came to Christianity after having a conversion experience that was very powerful when I was 18. I initially participated in a Pentecostal church and then ended up leading an emergent church. I was a Christian for 16 years and I was the main leader of a church when I left. At the time of my de-conversion I could no longer intellectually sustain many of the core assertions of Christianity. I have had numerous supernatural type experiences in my life and as a Christian I found the presence of the Holy Spirit very powerful and reassuring.Since I have left the church I have sought for a suitable spiritual foundation. I have found perennial philosophy very appealing intellectually. However, I have encountered nothing that seems to compa Read more:Seeking
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