i finally managed to ditch my last bit of faith for Atheism, not lightly but with great consideration and reason. I can assure you that the damage is very real and am currently searching for help recovering from this trauma. Thankfully i have some experience with trauma recovery but outside support would be really helpful. Thank you for raising awareness about this awful reality.
What also amazed me was, I was taught from a very young age that we have to step out and make that choice to serve God, yet I was also told that we didn't choose Him but He chose us! Both those statements seemed to contradict each other. Ironically, in many of today's Churches, they don't even seem to really believe anymore that a Christians actions matter. It's like salvation is just a big insurance policy and it doesn't really matter if people in the Church mistreat others, as long as they don't do the major sins like drinking, smoking, cussing, immorality, gambling, lying, stealing, murder etc. But gossiping, not keeping your word with someone, talking behind someone's back, mistreating or snubbing someone who is different or someone you think is below you or a little behind the game mentally is okay because all that really counts is being insured, being covered under the blood, and converting lost souls. So what if some people in the Church get mistreated, snubbed, not accepted, and slipped through the cracks just because they're a little different. Another 1 of many things that turned me off about the Church.
I totally agree as an ex Christian, one thing I've never got over is when we had the feeling of the holy spirit and speaking in tongues, was this feeling our own raw emotion?💜
I was always taught in Church that God gave us a choice and wanted us to come to Him from out own free will and choose to serve Him from our hearts My big question is, and has been for years is, HOW can it really be a free will or healthy choice when it is hinged on the threat of Hell if a person chooses not to do it??? Even when I believed all that stuff or tried to make myself believe it & stick with it, the fear & threats of Hell and judgment always bothered me deep down and had me wondering about the whole ordeal.....
I never bought it (even at a very young age) there was a forever punishment place. Not even for very mean people. I wanted to be liked by total strangers so all I knew was that saying I'm Christian was an easy shortcut on first impressions. I finally dropped that self label while struggling to stay sober 30 days. AA meetings helped me live with far less fear of disapproval I learned to sing harmony in church though I'm not naturally a group joiner. AA saved me from myself. I was not court ordered.
i finally managed to ditch my last bit of faith for Atheism, not lightly but with great consideration and reason. I can assure you that the damage is very real and am currently searching for help recovering from this trauma. Thankfully i have some experience with trauma recovery but outside support would be really helpful. Thank you for raising awareness about this awful reality.
What also amazed me was, I was taught from a very young age that we have to step out and make that choice to serve God, yet I was also told that we didn't choose Him but He chose us! Both those statements seemed to contradict each other.
Ironically, in many of today's Churches, they don't even seem to really believe anymore that a Christians actions matter. It's like salvation is just a big insurance policy and it doesn't really matter if people in the Church mistreat others, as long as they don't do the major sins like drinking, smoking, cussing, immorality, gambling, lying, stealing, murder etc. But gossiping, not keeping your word with someone, talking behind someone's back, mistreating or snubbing someone who is different or someone you think is below you or a little behind the game mentally is okay because all that really counts is being insured, being covered under the blood, and converting lost souls.
So what if some people in the Church get mistreated, snubbed, not accepted, and slipped through the cracks just because they're a little different. Another 1 of many things that turned me off about the Church.
I totally agree as an ex Christian, one thing I've never got over is when we had the feeling of the holy spirit and speaking in tongues, was this feeling our own raw emotion?💜
Yes, and people from other religions also have ecstatic utterances. It works best in a crowd and with music!
I was always taught in Church that God gave us a choice and wanted us to come to Him from out own free will and choose to serve Him from our hearts
My big question is, and has been for years is, HOW can it really be a free will or healthy choice when it is hinged on the threat of Hell if a person chooses not to do it???
Even when I believed all that stuff or tried to make myself believe it & stick with it, the fear & threats of Hell and judgment always bothered me deep down and had me wondering about the whole ordeal.....
I grew up on the Thief In The Night film series made in the 70s and early 80s. Those movies did scare me as a kid....
Me too! The theme song, was also scary.. However, I watched Thief In The Night when I was older.
I never bought it (even at a very young age) there was a forever punishment place. Not even for very mean people. I wanted to be liked by total strangers so all I knew was that saying I'm Christian was an easy shortcut on first impressions. I finally dropped that self label while struggling to stay sober 30 days. AA meetings helped me live with far less fear of disapproval I learned to sing harmony in church though I'm not naturally a group joiner. AA saved me from myself. I was not court ordered.
Damn..can't hear a word she's saying.
It is damaging ti me
bad theology...she's messed up. UGH, wouldn't want to listen to her.