Escaping Christianity

[Picaro]

Atheists don't pursue a life of sin. Sin matters not one whit to them. They don't believe in it.

True, the church has been a tremendous asset to civilization. And by the church, of course, I mean the body, first transformed by the Holy Spirit so as to transform the world. Christians had in their ranks a new and unbridled power of regeneration. The Holy Spirit is freedom (2 Cor 3:17). He is a liberating influence that God unleashed on the earth through His living vessels sculpted for honorable use to do good works (2 Tm 2:21).

In the words of the Master himself, the Holy Spirit is the power of forgiveness and Spirit of truth (Jn 20:22-23; 14:17). He is the power of a divinely-inspired ethical standard that ultimately relegated the apostasy of the Jews and the moral relativism of the pagans to the dustbin of history.

The church on the street corner, on the other hand, is quite different. It is a weekly Sunday school and the same tired message from the pulpit. Naturally, unbelievers would fall away from that.

I agreed with all you said til you got to the end. If the Believers are indwelt by the Holy Spirit how can the "church on the street corner" have the "same old tired message" from the pulpit? Now I DO agree that this message might seem tired to unbelievers. To Believers, however, it's not...at all.

The church on the street corner is losing its congregation. People are not showing up to hear the reruns, which, by the way, are not the gospel.

The church on the street corner has created a dualistic message of heaven and hell, contrary to the message of the Bible. It's a farce, and people are no longer believing it.

If it's not the Gospel, you're in the wrong church

God judges people and sends them to heaven or hell. If that's the gospel, show me where.

I can show you in the Bible exactly what the gospel is. It is not a heaven and hell dichotomy.

The references to heaven and hell in the Bible are excessively vague. Don't worry though. A 19th century religious movement known as evangelical Christianity clearly defined heaven and hell for us. Evangelicals don't need no stinking Bibles to figure out what God wants. They just blindly follow a flawed tradition. There is no need in investigating. Think about it. "I am good and going to heaven. Others are bad and going to hell." Most humans would love to believe that. Why prove the flawed logic wrong when the flawed logic is immensely emotionally rewarding? People usually believe what is fun. Heaven and hell is fun if you know you are one of the heaven bound ones.

lol and claiming to be some sort of minister or other when he clearly knows nothing at all about Christian history, or western history for that matter. What a joke.

 

[presonorek]

What a joke.

Everybody loves a good joke.

 

[presonorek]

Da Ebuls Of Xianity. Xian haters. Ebul religion.

Xians Xian bashers;

Da Ebuls Of Xianity = The Evils of Christianity

Xian haters = Christian haters

Ebul religion = evil religion

Xians = Christian's

Xians bashers = Christian bashers

I don't hate religion. I don't hate Christianity. I don't hate Christian's. I don't bash Christian's. I just don't believe that I am a terrible person because I don't evangelize every waken moment of my life. I believe that no god exists. Just because I don't believe God literally exists doesn't mean I don't see the value the god concept provides for society.

You must have mistaken me for someone else

 

[Carl in Michigan]

I just don't believe that I am a terrible person because I don't evangelize every waken moment of my life

You're a closet evangelist for Atheism.

 

[Votto]

Then what's the issue? .

My relationship with my daughter is more important than what some guy on a message board thinks.

But yet here you are............

 

[presonorek]

Then what's the issue? .

My relationship with my daughter is more important than what some guy on a message board thinks.

But yet here you are............

Just because I am here doesn't mean I have to take the uninformed advice of JoeB131.

He doesn't have the whole picture or even one tenth of the picture.

 

[Votto]

Then what's the issue? .

My relationship with my daughter is more important than what some guy on a message board thinks.

But yet here you are............

Just because I am here doesn't mean I have to take the uninformed advice of JoeB131.

He doesn't have the whole picture or even one tenth of the picture.

Try JoeB131 being completely blind to reality in general.

Finally a point for which we can both agree which is why you should not consult another blind person to see for you when you are blind yourself.

 

[presonorek]

I just don't believe that I am a terrible person because I don't evangelize every waken moment of my life

You're a closet evangelist for Atheism.

Is that good, bad or what? Should I have taken that as an insult or a compliment? I am not sure what point you are trying to make. Evangelical Christian denominations constantly berate their congregation for not doing enough to win souls to Christ. It is an impossible standard to live up to. When people are burning in hell for all eternity and it is all my fault. That makes me feel bad about myself. Do you know how exhausting that mentality is?

Yes. Most people ignore those teachings or write it off as rhetoric to preserve their sanity. I have a hard time believing that the Christian's I know weren't sincere when they say we are mandated to spread the gospel to the entire world. I firmly believe they genuinely believe that it is their duty as a Christian.

I know none of them could possibly follow through with that. If these people are just spewing rhetoric then I can deal with that but it just seems so unlikely. I think these people are serious. It is too exhausting to me. I don't want to hear this garbage for the rest of my life.

The obligation of saving the world is too much for anyone to bear. I am not even sure that it is scripturally accurate. Didn't Christ say, "It is finished."?

 

[presonorek]

I just don't believe that I am a terrible person because I don't evangelize every waken moment of my life

You're a closet evangelist for Atheism.

Didn't Christ say, "My yoke is easy and my burden is light." ?

Being taught to hate myself constantly isn't exactly what I would call a light burden. I am tired of hating myself. I am not a bad guy. It doesn't seem healthy to live with this garbage in my brain.

 

[Carl in Michigan]

Is that good, bad or what? Should I have taken that as an insult or a compliment?

It's just a fact.

You're a coward and a hypocrite. I understand you but dont respect you. Find another job and move on with your life.

You said you were "nauseated" by hurting people asking for prayer. I'm nauseated by your lies.

 

[Votto]

I just don't believe that I am a terrible person because I don't evangelize every waken moment of my life

You're a closet evangelist for Atheism.

Is that good, bad or what? Should I have taken that as an insult or a compliment? I am not sure what point you are trying to make. Evangelical Christian denominations constantly berate their congregation for not doing enough to win souls to Christ. It is an impossible standard to live up to. When people are burning in hell for all eternity and it is all my fault. That makes me feel bad about myself. Do you know how exhausting that mentality is?

Yes. Most people ignore those teachings or write it off as rhetoric to preserve their sanity. I have a hard time believing that the Christian's I know weren't sincere when they say we are mandated to spread the gospel to the entire world. I firmly believe they genuinely believe that it is their duty as a Christian.

I know none of them could possibly follow through with that. If these people are just spewing rhetoric then I can deal with that but it just seems so unlikely. I think these people are serious. It is too exhausting to me. I don't want to hear this garbage for the rest of my life.

The obligation of saving the world is too much for anyone to bear. I am not even sure that it is scripturally accurate. Didn't Christ say, "It is finished."?

But the world does not want to be saved, at least, they did not want that during the time God himself walked the earth in the form of Christ. They all abandoned him on the cross.

Mostly people are just watching you to see if you are different or have something better to offer them.

 

[Carl in Michigan]

I just don't believe that I am a terrible person because I don't evangelize every waken moment of my life

You're a closet evangelist for Atheism.

Didn't Christ say, "My yoke is easy and my burden is light." ?

Being taught to hate myself constantly isn't exactly what I would call a light burden. I am tired of hating myself. I am not a bad guy. It doesn't seem healthy to live with this garbage in my brain.

You hate yourself because you know you're not honest.

Nothing at all wrong with not believing. Theres a great deal wrong with being dishonest.

You seem to feel you need to "talk it out" and you seem to want us to agree with your behaviour. I honestly wish you well, but this is the last I'll post on this in this thread. This isnt productive.

 

[Votto]

I just don't believe that I am a terrible person because I don't evangelize every waken moment of my life

You're a closet evangelist for Atheism.

Didn't Christ say, "My yoke is easy and my burden is light." ?

Being taught to hate myself constantly isn't exactly what I would call a light burden. I am tired of hating myself. I am not a bad guy. It doesn't seem healthy to live with this garbage in my brain.

 

[Grace Is Stoked]

I just don't believe that I am a terrible person because I don't evangelize every waken moment of my life

You're a closet evangelist for Atheism.

Is that good, bad or what? Should I have taken that as an insult or a compliment? I am not sure what point you are trying to make. Evangelical Christian denominations constantly berate their congregation for not doing enough to win souls to Christ. It is an impossible standard to live up to. When people are burning in hell for all eternity and it is all my fault. That makes me feel bad about myself. Do you know how exhausting that mentality is?

Yes. Most people ignore those teachings or write it off as rhetoric to preserve their sanity. I have a hard time believing that the Christian's I know weren't sincere when they say we are mandated to spread the gospel to the entire world. I firmly believe they genuinely believe that it is their duty as a Christian.

I know none of them could possibly follow through with that. If these people are just spewing rhetoric then I can deal with that but it just seems so unlikely. I think these people are serious. It is too exhausting to me. I don't want to hear this garbage for the rest of my life.

The obligation of saving the world is too much for anyone to bear. I am not even sure that it is scripturally accurate. Didn't Christ say, "It is finished."?

I don’t mean to just jump right into this here in the middle but reading your words it seems like you are more upset with the structure and demands of your particular church and theology than you are of God, is that accurate? If so, why turn your back on God and your faith simply because of man-made demands placed on you and their interpretations of various teachings? I couldn’t imagine God keeps a quota of conversions, but I know His inner light is always in us and because of that you don’t need anything other than the recognition of that Light and the embracing of it by living a peaceful and good life in my opinion.

 

[RodISHI]

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.

Hopefully people close to you and around you will respect your choice.

Sometimes when we are not where we should be we are being prepared to go into that spiritual journey/search in the next spiritual step or simply not where we should be our hearts/minds will be hardened against what we abide in so we will start a new search. Who knows you may come out of it all slaying your own Egyptians within and begin leaving your Pharaoh (a great king with a little lantern) portions behind you.

 

[SweetSue92]

Atheists don't pursue a life of sin. Sin matters not one whit to them. They don't believe in it.

True, the church has been a tremendous asset to civilization. And by the church, of course, I mean the body, first transformed by the Holy Spirit so as to transform the world. Christians had in their ranks a new and unbridled power of regeneration. The Holy Spirit is freedom (2 Cor 3:17). He is a liberating influence that God unleashed on the earth through His living vessels sculpted for honorable use to do good works (2 Tm 2:21).

In the words of the Master himself, the Holy Spirit is the power of forgiveness and Spirit of truth (Jn 20:22-23; 14:17). He is the power of a divinely-inspired ethical standard that ultimately relegated the apostasy of the Jews and the moral relativism of the pagans to the dustbin of history.

The church on the street corner, on the other hand, is quite different. It is a weekly Sunday school and the same tired message from the pulpit. Naturally, unbelievers would fall away from that.

I agreed with all you said til you got to the end. If the Believers are indwelt by the Holy Spirit how can the "church on the street corner" have the "same old tired message" from the pulpit? Now I DO agree that this message might seem tired to unbelievers. To Believers, however, it's not...at all.

The church on the street corner is losing its congregation. People are not showing up to hear the reruns, which, by the way, are not the gospel.

The church on the street corner has created a dualistic message of heaven and hell, contrary to the message of the Bible. It's a farce, and people are no longer believing it.

If it's not the Gospel, you're in the wrong church

God judges people and sends them to heaven or hell. If that's the gospel, show me where.

I can show you in the Bible exactly what the gospel is. It is not a heaven and hell dichotomy.

The references to heaven and hell in the Bible are excessively vague. Don't worry though. A 19th century religious movement known as evangelical Christianity clearly defined heaven and hell for us. Evangelicals don't need no stinking Bibles to figure out what God wants. They just blindly follow a flawed tradition. There is no need in investigating. Think about it. "I am good and going to heaven. Others are bad and going to hell." Most humans would love to believe that. Why prove the flawed logic wrong when the flawed logic is immensely emotionally rewarding? People usually believe what is fun. Heaven and hell is fun if you know you are one of the heaven bound ones.

This is the theology of someone who apparently loves the Bible and is a teacher of children. In the Bible.

Yep

 

[SweetSue92]

I just don't believe that I am a terrible person because I don't evangelize every waken moment of my life

You're a closet evangelist for Atheism.

Is that good, bad or what? Should I have taken that as an insult or a compliment? I am not sure what point you are trying to make. Evangelical Christian denominations constantly berate their congregation for not doing enough to win souls to Christ. It is an impossible standard to live up to. When people are burning in hell for all eternity and it is all my fault. That makes me feel bad about myself. Do you know how exhausting that mentality is?

Yes. Most people ignore those teachings or write it off as rhetoric to preserve their sanity. I have a hard time believing that the Christian's I know weren't sincere when they say we are mandated to spread the gospel to the entire world. I firmly believe they genuinely believe that it is their duty as a Christian.

I know none of them could possibly follow through with that. If these people are just spewing rhetoric then I can deal with that but it just seems so unlikely. I think these people are serious. It is too exhausting to me. I don't want to hear this garbage for the rest of my life.

The obligation of saving the world is too much for anyone to bear. I am not even sure that it is scripturally accurate. Didn't Christ say, "It is finished."?

He did indeed.

I don't know how many times I need to tell you that you have learned very bad, very flawed theology and are in the wrong church

 

[Blackrook]

OP says God does nothing for him, he forgets promise of heaven, which is worth more than all other promises anyone could possibly make put together.

 

[JoeB131]

My daughters who are in 8th grade and 11th grade attend a very conservative Christian school. They do not allow Catholics or Mormons to attend the school. The school administration actually does care whether I am an atheist or not. My kids can be removed from the school for having an element in their environment that obstructed their mini theocracy.

Then get them out... you aren't making a good case here.

Sure, you could say, "forget your kids. They don't matter." I just don't feel that way. My oldest daughter is in a fierce race to be valedictorian. I am almost certain she would never forgive me for screwing that up. My relationship with my daughter is more important than what some guy on a message board thinks.

Honestly, that's still kind of a petty reason... but I'm actually finding myself in agreement with SourSue.

 

[presonorek]

My daughters who are in 8th grade and 11th grade attend a very conservative Christian school. They do not allow Catholics or Mormons to attend the school. The school administration actually does care whether I am an atheist or not. My kids can be removed from the school for having an element in their environment that obstructed their mini theocracy.

Then get them out... you aren't making a good case here.

Sure, you could say, "forget your kids. They don't matter." I just don't feel that way. My oldest daughter is in a fierce race to be valedictorian. I am almost certain she would never forgive me for screwing that up. My relationship with my daughter is more important than what some guy on a message board thinks.

Honestly, that's still kind of a petty reason... but I'm actually finding myself in agreement with SourSue.

My oldest daughter and I have a very strong relationship. She gets me and I get her. She knows all about my lack of faith. She understands all the practical reasons for me living a lie. She is in 11th grade. In 9th grade the performance of students starts being compiled to determine class placement. She is in 2nd place and is 1/100th of a point lower than the 1st place kid.

When she gets kicked out of school her whole existence is crushed at a pivotal part of her life. Screw you. This isn't petty at all. Just to help paint this picture. I teach at the same school that she attends. Thus I resign at the end if this year. Keep my mouth shut for an additional year. Let her graduate.

My second daughter isn't going to be valedictorian. lol. (Trust me. That is funny.) I can come out and jeopardize my youngest kid getting kicked out of school without feeling like an evil person.