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Being retired I have a lot of time to reflect. Lately I have been reflecting on the decision I made 10 years ago to leave Jesus and Christianity. It happened circa 2012 when someone in here challenged me to research Jesus and see if I could find any historical evidence for him outside the Bible. So I spent about 6 months researching Jesus and found that indeed there was no historical evidence for Jesus. That was when the foundations of my faith cracked.
Actually they had cracked earlier back circa 2000 or so. I had gotten ill and requested the church elders to come over and pray over me per James 5:14-16
14 Is any sick among you? let him call for the elders of the church; and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord: 15 And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him. 16 Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.
They did and we followed all the instructions in James. Still the illness persisted. It wasn't until I saw a doctor and took some medicine he prescribed that I was healed. God didn't heal me, the doctor and the medicine he prescribed did. Actually that was when the first cracks in the foundation of my faith started. But I put it away and didn't think about it.
It was around 2012 or so that I began noticing that my prayers NEVER got answered, not just in that instance in 2000 but I mean anytime I prayed there never was a noticeable change in my life. Things always stayed the same. I put two and two together and realized that everything about Christianity was pure hogwash. The only thing Christianity ever did was put a dent in my wallet because of tithing. So I stopped tithing. From there I lost the desire to pray. Previously I was on my knees twice a day in the morning and before going to bed arms lifted up to God to give thanks and to pray for sin to cease in my life--you know, all the things the churchmen tell you to pray about if you want to please God.
I slowly began to come to a realization. I was losing my faith despite praying to God to save me from losing my faith. I still had no desire to continue with him. I slowly came to another realization. God and Jesus simply didn't care if I left them. Nothing changed in my life. There were no visits from the Holy Spirit to save me. There were no extraordinary happenings to give me a sign. It was a complete blank. The only thing extraordinary that did happen was that I came into a lot of money via inheritance a few years ago when a wealthy relative passed away. I now have more money than I can spend in my remaining years.
Gradually I realized that all the balderdash I had been fed by other Christians was completely false. No evidence for Jesus; no prayers getting answered; no manifestations of anything supernatural in my life. I found what millions of other Christians are finding every day: God and Jesus simply do not exist.
It's been ten years since I left Jesus. I have a temper in my old age, not against other people but against myself when I do stupid things like spilling coffee on the floor. I swear up a storm using the names Jesus and God in every conceivable blasphemous combination you can imagine. Nothing happens to me. A bolt of lightning doesn't come down and strike me.
God doesn't touch me. I have no fear of retribution from God anymore because I know Jesus isn't real and never was so he has no power over me. My life continues as it always has. No repercussions from God. No nothing from God.
Those of you who want to leave Christianity but are fearful you'll get smitten by God, don't worry. I assure 10000% nothing will happen to you. Your life will continue uninterrupted and in many ways it will actually get better. Mine did.
Try saying this prayer: "God I want to leave you and Jesus behind but I don't know if I should. Please give me some sort of sign I should stay with Jesus and I will. In Jesus name I ask. Amen"
I can assure you absolutely nothing will happen that is a clear sign you should stay with God. He doesn't care what you do, stay or leave. He simply doesn't care. You'll slowly come to the realization you've been talking to empty air all these years. I did.
That's my story. Any other ex-Christians have a story to tell?
First I'm glad medicine made you well
Second, Why would anyone expect to be smitten by God at this point in time? If you believe in him or not he does not deprive one of life or the benefits of what he has created from anyone.
"...he makes his sun rise on both the wicked and the good and makes it rain on both the righteous and the unrighteous."-Matthew 5:45
Third, Praying to be made well is about being made well spiritually. We are also invited to pray for the strength to face what can touch all of us, illness, death of a loved one, war, a natural catastrophe.
The Bible invites Christians to press on to maturity and understand why bad things happen to good people and why the wicked seemingly prosper where the righteous falter. Whether we have faith or not The Bible makes it clear we are all subject to the same things... bad government, bad religions, wicked people, natural catastrophes, imperfect lives subject to disease and death.
A mature Christian will not ask "Why God why?" A mature Christian will understand that faith transcends the seasons of change that inevitably happen and affect all of us. We aren't Christians for just one season or one reason.
A Christian's hope doesnt lie in this current way of life that we live. Why should it? we live a few years, years that are a web of good times and difficulties and then die. No, but our hope lies when this current corrupt system ends and the Biblical earth (the earth that was meant to be) begins.
...our hope lies when this current corrupt system ends and the Biblical earth (the earth that was meant to be) begins.
So let me get this straight: god MEANT for the earth to not be corrupt but it didn't go as he intended / wanted / willed it to somehow, despite being all-powerful and all-knowing and all-good.
So this inept clown whose best-laid plans were accidentally "corrupted" is supposed to be able to get it together someday and finally make a world where we aren't obliged to suffer or grieve or worry but finally live as his good intentions meant us to?
So let me get this straight: god MEANT for the earth to not be corrupt but it didn't go as he intended / wanted / willed it to somehow, despite being all-powerful and all-knowing and all-good.
So this inept clown whose best-laid plans were accidentally "corrupted" is supposed to be able to get it together someday and finally make a world where we aren't obliged to suffer or grieve or worry but finally live as his good intentions meant us to?
All-righty then. Good to know.
Perhaps applying the principles behind Willie Wonka and the Chocolate Factory might best fit here. Maybe we're all holders of a Golden Ticket and are now part of a super-duper test to see who wins.
1) "Christianity" as a institution, organization and religious system; ruled and ruined by man
2) Christianity as a spiritual and philosophical system for all, and way of the universe
You have clearly missed the boat, duped into only seeing the first flawed and jaded way. You don't go any further, and resort to bellyaching constantly based on your stopping short. Your one-sided approach is your problem, not ours. All your feeble attempts at damning Christianity fail, because you clearly have no idea what you are talking about.
No one cares if you reject Christianity - even the real deal. Whoopdy doo. You're just a dot on the earth, and blip in time, just like all the rest of us. You can be a cheerleader for atheism as well, and that won't impress anyone either.
So let me get this straight: god MEANT for the earth to not be corrupt but it didn't go as he intended / wanted / willed it to somehow, despite being all-powerful and all-knowing and all-good.
So this inept clown whose best-laid plans were accidentally "corrupted" is supposed to be able to get it together someday and finally make a world where we aren't obliged to suffer or grieve or worry but finally live as his good intentions meant us to?
All-righty then. Good to know.
Way off base... but whatever. God allows you the freedom to reject Him.
Way off base... but whatever. God allows you the freedom to reject Him.
If I understand you correctly, I'm "way off base" in some unspecified fashion and my post constitutes a rejection of "the" god when it was simply a critique of an incoherent claim by another poster regarding their version of god.
All over the world, people embrace god as he has been taught and explained to them, only to experience all sorts of calamity and sorrow anyway. Happens every day. Do you seriously think that can be cavalierly dismissed as you have here? Who is rejecting whom, anyway?
So let me get this straight: god MEANT for the earth to not be corrupt but it didn't go as he intended / wanted / willed it to somehow, despite being all-powerful and all-knowing and all-good.
So this inept clown whose best-laid plans were accidentally "corrupted" is supposed to be able to get it together someday and finally make a world where we aren't obliged to suffer or grieve or worry but finally live as his good intentions meant us to?
All-righty then. Good to know.
Quote:
Originally Posted by mordant
If I understand you correctly, I'm "way off base" in some unspecified fashion and my post constitutes a rejection of "the" god when it was simply a critique of an incoherent claim by another poster regarding their version of god.
All over the world, people embrace god as he has been taught and explained to them, only to experience all sorts of calamity and sorrow anyway. Happens every day. Do you seriously think that can be cavalierly dismissed as you have here? Who is rejecting whom, anyway?
Quote:
Originally Posted by DRob4JC
Way off base... but whatever. God allows you the freedom to reject Him.
This is the illogical, as well as biased & disrespectful mindset of those that are prejudice against the Religious.
They propose, as a premise, a "all-powerful and all-knowing and all-good" Entity...that created the entire Universe (very particle, every system, and every process/theory/law that controls/maintains/sustains it)...but then present the argument that this Entity is a "inept clown" because they didn't create the kind of Universe they thought they should have.
Now THAT is the argument of a "inept clown".
I have the solution for them: If the Universe that the God Entity you criticize doesn't suit you, create one that's better...or remove yourself from the one that you think is so bad.
Imagine calling the sacred, divine, Deity of the Abrahamic Religions embraced by over half the world's people, a "inept clown"!
I submit...that's rude & pathetic.
So let me get this straight: god MEANT for the earth to not be corrupt but it didn't go as he intended / wanted / willed it to somehow, despite being all-powerful and all-knowing and all-good.
So this inept clown whose best-laid plans were accidentally "corrupted" is supposed to be able to get it together someday and finally make a world where we aren't obliged to suffer or grieve or worry but finally live as his good intentions meant us to?
All-righty then. Good to know.
Right I wouldn't count on such a god to know what in the hell he's actually doing. Let's all recall what Epicurus said about this "inept clown":
Perhaps applying the principles behind Willie Wonka and the Chocolate Factory might best fit here. Maybe we're all holders of a Golden Ticket and are now part of a super-duper test to see who wins.
Sadly, there are no winners in this life. We're all losers in the end.
Way off base... but whatever. God allows you the freedom to reject Him.
Very nice of him, since he was the first to reject us.
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