Contemplating my decision to leave Christianity (church, atheism, Holy Spirit, gospel)
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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?
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.
Last edited by Thoreau424; 11-14-2022 at 11:12 AM..
1) "Christianity" as a institution, organization and religious system; ruled and ruined by man
2) Christianity as a spiritual way of life and philosophical system for all, enriched by God and the universe
You have always missed the boat, duped into only seeing the first flawed and jaded way. You don't go any further, and instead resort to bellyaching constantly based on your stopping short. Your one-sided approach is your problem, not ours. You've never had any clue of authentic Christianity, so you will never come across as a subject expert.
All your feeble attempts at damning Christianity fail, because you clearly have no idea what you are talking about.
His points against are as valid as your points in favor of...even though I disagree with his stance that he "proves" anything.
There is, I think, a difference between believing that someone called Jesus did indeed exist and started a new religion - as history affirms - which became very, very popular, right down to this day, and believing that somehow this person is divine or somehow associated with another force called by all sorts of different names - Allah, God, and many others.
If you decide to doubt that events of history actually happened, then you can do research to find out for yourself. If you decide to doubt that these particular historical people were indeed God, sons of God, mothers of God or God's son, then I think the part affirming that will start to unravel.
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.
Thoreau makes another of his annoying appearances to not offer anything of substance, just insults and belittling so I'll have to shoo him off again:
Thoreau:
Do you have any secular proof--just one iota of secular proof to offer us that Jesus was real?
Do you have any secular proof--just one iota of secular proof to offer us that Jesus was real?
I'm not going to waste time trying to prove anything to anyone. This is of personal scope, to be pursued individually and inwardly. I'm not into cheerleading for one side or the other, and have nothing to defend. That's pure childishness that you enjoy, but I abhor; trying to "score" points for one side or the other.
If I was going to offer proof, it wouldn't be "secular" in approach anyway. It could only be spiritually, but even that can only be sensed or understood within oneself, so we're back to that.
I know you can't get these matters because they are advanced and of a level you can't conceive or perceive. So the laugher from others will just have to continue!
Last edited by Thoreau424; 11-14-2022 at 12:02 PM..
Hmm, good for you? I guess your faith was never strong, and you cared more about having a fat wallet.
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