20 questions, because I'm a nosy old bugger.
EDITED TO ADD: A lot of these questions were based on my experience as a Christian and I made a lot of incorrect, narrow-minded, and short-sighted assumptions. Feel free to correct those assumptions, or tweak the questions to make it more relevant (or not answer them at all) if you do want to reply. My apologies if I made anyone feel excluded or slighted with this post.
General Questions
1. Were you raised in a Christian household? If not, how were you exposed to Christianity?
2. How long did you identify yourself as a Christian, and if you're like me who lapsed twice, how many times did you identify yourself as a Christian?
3. How fundamental was your church?
Your Christian career
4. Were you involved in serving within your church? Where or how?
5. How close were you to your church?
6. What was your favorite thing about being a Christian?
7. What was your least favorite thing about being a Christian?
8. What was it that, to use an incredibly flippant phrase, "tripped you up" and made you struggle?
(because I'm such a geek, especially when it comes to the Bible)
9. Did you like reading the Bible?
10. Did you have a favourite Bible story or book? A least favorite?
11. Did you have a favourite Bible character? A least favorite?
12. Did you have a favourite hymn or praise song? A least favorite?
13. Did you have a favorite ritual?
ExChristian questions
14. How long has it been since you left Christianity?
15. What are your beliefs now?
16. How you find a relative measure of peace yet? If so, how long did that take?
17. What was the hardest thing about leaving?
18. What is the best thing about leaving?
19. What struggles do you still have today?
10. Feel free to be vague if it's particularly personal - why did you leave?
General Questions
1. Were you raised in a Christian household? If not, how were you exposed to Christianity?
Christian household.
2. How long did you identify yourself as a Christian, and if you're like me who lapsed twice, how many times did you identify yourself as a Christian?
I'd say about 20 years. Lapsed twice.
3. How fundamental was your church?
Fundamental enough to believe the planet is 6000 years old.
Your Christian career
4. Were you involved in serving within your church? Where or how?
Very involved during my early to mid twenties. Youth groups, A/V, teaching, cleaning, helping set up special events, opening my house to care gorups and prayer meetings.
5. How close were you to your church?
Very close, especially back then. There wasn't much about myself I didn't hide from them.
6. What was your favorite thing about being a Christian?
The sense of community and support, and if you could believe it, finding out about mesopotamian and Roman history through the Bible
7. What was your least favorite thing about being a Christian?
Having to evangelize.
8. What was it that, to use an incredibly flippant phrase, "tripped you up" and made you struggle?
Ha, could you believe it was the X-Files? 1. I got way more joy out of that show than I did with God which I thought was wicked of me and 2. Scully was so pretty and the femcrush I developed on her scared the crap out of me
(because I'm such a geek, especially when it comes to the Bible)
9. Did you like reading the Bible?
I loved reading the Bible, actually (minus the Prophets - they were a pain to get through, though Ezekiel and Hosea and their moments.) Especially from a historical point of view, it's a rich text that has much to say about life back then. I still get a jolt when I watch the news and see the names of places I read about in the Bible.
Plus there was some racy stuff in there. I think the reason why I'm so ho-hum when it comes to incest is because reading Genesis when I was eight de-sensitive me to it.
10. Did you have a favourite Bible story or book? A least favorite?
I'd have to say Genesis is probably my favorite book ;) I've always been a sucker for creation stories (Watership Down, FTW.) Least favorite is probably one of those prophet books. Or Job for the morality of it (hey, the new children I'll give you will replace your old ones!) though I'm partial to the poetic language and the idea of God making a bet with the devil. THe older I get, the more I dislike Poverbs.
11. Did you have a favourite Bible character? A least favorite?
Peter's my favorite :) He's such an impulsive big-hearted little sucker. Loved him for jumping off the boat and swimming because he was so excited to see his Rabbi again. His relationship with Jesus was my favorite out of all the disciples. Least favorite is without a doubt King David. He rubbed me the wrong way each and every time.
12. Did you have a favourite hymn or praise song? A least favorite?
"Crown him with many crowns," "It is well with my soul" and "Be still for the presence of the Lord" still make my heart stir. Least favorite, I hate that stupid Onwards Christian Soldier song.
13. Did you have a favorite ritual?
No actually, I didn't. That's kind of sad considering how romantic I find ritual magic.
ExChristian questions
14. How long has it been since you left Christianity?
3 years
15. What are your beliefs now?
Probably agnostic. I doubt I'll ever be religious again.
16. How you find a relative measure of peace yet? If so, how long did that take?
Still searching, though writing out the last few posts I put here has helped a lot. Thanks guys for being awesome!
17. What was the hardest thing about leaving?
Having to figure out life all over again while losing the community and support I had with the church. The continual lies so certain people don't find out.
18. What is the best thing about leaving?
HAVING MY MIND BACK. To be able to not censor and police my thoughts, to allow myself to think whatever I'm thinking, to have this space back to myself where I can be me - I can't tell you how amazing this is.
19. What struggles do you still have today?
Trying to figure out the balance of being able to appreciate certain aspects and people of Christianity (it should be obvious I did like their hymns and the Bible as a literary piece of work and the Christians that I'm friends with) with the fact that there's so much I disagree with it, dislike, and still feel hurt by.
20. Feel free to be vague if it's particularly personal - why did you leave?
I disagreed with God on homosexuality (and the views of sex in general) and hell. There is no such thing as compromise with God and I couldn't make myself agree with those things. Even if God come down in corporate form and showed that He existed and this is the right and true religion, I still can't make myself believe certain sexual practices are wrong and hell is right. I know there are forms of Christianity that don't believe in hell and believe that God accepts homosexuality, but I wouldn't need Christ in the former so the religion is pointless and the latter wouldn't make up for the fear I've lived in for almost 20 years.
General Questions
1. Were you raised in a Christian household? If not, how were you exposed to Christianity?
2. How long did you identify yourself as a Christian, and if you're like me who lapsed twice, how many times did you identify yourself as a Christian?
3. How fundamental was your church?
Your Christian career
4. Were you involved in serving within your church? Where or how?
5. How close were you to your church?
6. What was your favorite thing about being a Christian?
7. What was your least favorite thing about being a Christian?
8. What was it that, to use an incredibly flippant phrase, "tripped you up" and made you struggle?
(because I'm such a geek, especially when it comes to the Bible)
9. Did you like reading the Bible?
10. Did you have a favourite Bible story or book? A least favorite?
11. Did you have a favourite Bible character? A least favorite?
12. Did you have a favourite hymn or praise song? A least favorite?
13. Did you have a favorite ritual?
ExChristian questions
14. How long has it been since you left Christianity?
15. What are your beliefs now?
16. How you find a relative measure of peace yet? If so, how long did that take?
17. What was the hardest thing about leaving?
18. What is the best thing about leaving?
19. What struggles do you still have today?
10. Feel free to be vague if it's particularly personal - why did you leave?
General Questions
1. Were you raised in a Christian household? If not, how were you exposed to Christianity?
Christian household.
2. How long did you identify yourself as a Christian, and if you're like me who lapsed twice, how many times did you identify yourself as a Christian?
I'd say about 20 years. Lapsed twice.
3. How fundamental was your church?
Fundamental enough to believe the planet is 6000 years old.
Your Christian career
4. Were you involved in serving within your church? Where or how?
Very involved during my early to mid twenties. Youth groups, A/V, teaching, cleaning, helping set up special events, opening my house to care gorups and prayer meetings.
5. How close were you to your church?
Very close, especially back then. There wasn't much about myself I didn't hide from them.
6. What was your favorite thing about being a Christian?
The sense of community and support, and if you could believe it, finding out about mesopotamian and Roman history through the Bible
7. What was your least favorite thing about being a Christian?
Having to evangelize.
8. What was it that, to use an incredibly flippant phrase, "tripped you up" and made you struggle?
Ha, could you believe it was the X-Files? 1. I got way more joy out of that show than I did with God which I thought was wicked of me and 2. Scully was so pretty and the femcrush I developed on her scared the crap out of me
(because I'm such a geek, especially when it comes to the Bible)
9. Did you like reading the Bible?
I loved reading the Bible, actually (minus the Prophets - they were a pain to get through, though Ezekiel and Hosea and their moments.) Especially from a historical point of view, it's a rich text that has much to say about life back then. I still get a jolt when I watch the news and see the names of places I read about in the Bible.
Plus there was some racy stuff in there. I think the reason why I'm so ho-hum when it comes to incest is because reading Genesis when I was eight de-sensitive me to it.
10. Did you have a favourite Bible story or book? A least favorite?
I'd have to say Genesis is probably my favorite book ;) I've always been a sucker for creation stories (Watership Down, FTW.) Least favorite is probably one of those prophet books. Or Job for the morality of it (hey, the new children I'll give you will replace your old ones!) though I'm partial to the poetic language and the idea of God making a bet with the devil. THe older I get, the more I dislike Poverbs.
11. Did you have a favourite Bible character? A least favorite?
Peter's my favorite :) He's such an impulsive big-hearted little sucker. Loved him for jumping off the boat and swimming because he was so excited to see his Rabbi again. His relationship with Jesus was my favorite out of all the disciples. Least favorite is without a doubt King David. He rubbed me the wrong way each and every time.
12. Did you have a favourite hymn or praise song? A least favorite?
"Crown him with many crowns," "It is well with my soul" and "Be still for the presence of the Lord" still make my heart stir. Least favorite, I hate that stupid Onwards Christian Soldier song.
13. Did you have a favorite ritual?
No actually, I didn't. That's kind of sad considering how romantic I find ritual magic.
ExChristian questions
14. How long has it been since you left Christianity?
3 years
15. What are your beliefs now?
Probably agnostic. I doubt I'll ever be religious again.
16. How you find a relative measure of peace yet? If so, how long did that take?
Still searching, though writing out the last few posts I put here has helped a lot. Thanks guys for being awesome!
17. What was the hardest thing about leaving?
Having to figure out life all over again while losing the community and support I had with the church. The continual lies so certain people don't find out.
18. What is the best thing about leaving?
HAVING MY MIND BACK. To be able to not censor and police my thoughts, to allow myself to think whatever I'm thinking, to have this space back to myself where I can be me - I can't tell you how amazing this is.
19. What struggles do you still have today?
Trying to figure out the balance of being able to appreciate certain aspects and people of Christianity (it should be obvious I did like their hymns and the Bible as a literary piece of work and the Christians that I'm friends with) with the fact that there's so much I disagree with it, dislike, and still feel hurt by.
20. Feel free to be vague if it's particularly personal - why did you leave?
I disagreed with God on homosexuality (and the views of sex in general) and hell. There is no such thing as compromise with God and I couldn't make myself agree with those things. Even if God come down in corporate form and showed that He existed and this is the right and true religion, I still can't make myself believe certain sexual practices are wrong and hell is right. I know there are forms of Christianity that don't believe in hell and believe that God accepts homosexuality, but I wouldn't need Christ in the former so the religion is pointless and the latter wouldn't make up for the fear I've lived in for almost 20 years.