After years of Bible study (not cherry picked devotional, but real world) I decided to leave the bubble of belief a few years ago. I have a religious family that I was raising debates with and thought all was cool for a couple of years.
I am not a lightweight, I have studied world religions throughout the ages, philosophy, textual analysis of holy books, mythology, etc etc. so was becoming problematical with family members. They just had no defense for their belief system. NOTHING! When I would bring up things like the documentary theory of the OT (E, J, P, D sources) and how it possibly accounts for duality in some of the old legends, they would respond that "Gods ways are a mystery" and "He loves you and died for your sins". Stuff I heard in sunday school! What comebacks!
I guess I was getting too close for comfort and my entire family on wife's side went dark over the holidays. What communications I still have are confusing and contradictory.
The Shun seems to have begun. We were aware that this could be a possibility but really though blood was thicker that the "faith".
Opps. seems like the blood aint all that thick. (except the blood of jesus)
But, its for the best. Once you leave the bubble of delusion, you just don't want to go back in. We are now a threat, the enemy!
Just a warning to those coming out!
Cheers!
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Parts of my family are fairly religious. I avoid talking anything religious or politics with them. Instead I take the time to learn, I listen, and maybe ask a few pointed questions. Never challenging.
I was never religious, so I have a lot to learn from these people. I learned a lot here on these forums from other atheist, and even from other theist apologist that visit the debate forums. But most of all I learn from my family interactions.
A few things I have learned:
- Religion is absolutely more important than "blood" for most people deeply involved in it.
- Religion is nothing more than a 2000-3000+ year old campfire stories heavily edited, translated and plagiarized.
- Every religion I ever heard of is just a human idea. No actual evidence that brings religion beyond anything other then one of an infinite possibilities the creative human mind(s) can come up with. All of history on religion just shows me how a campfire folk tale morphs into a powerful tool of control over vast numbers of humans.
- For huge swaths of the population their particular religion idea is all they know, deeply indoctrinated in whatever religion from birth, through all their formative years by a child's most important peers when children are highly suggestible to fantasy tales without any evidence whatsoever.
- 50+ percent of the world still cannot read above a 3rd grade level, let alone, comprehend. A 2000+ year old book to critically read and assess at even a remotely high level is far beyond the capability of these people. Less than 2% of the world can read at a high school senior level. So only 2 percent of the world population has even close, the reading/comprehension skills to properly read and critique their particular holy book. (Not that it really matters after 2000+ years of editing/translating/interpreting. But one would think all the glaring contradictions, falsehoods, reasoning and logic flaws would be glaring to anyone who reads most any religious book, until you consider most people cannot possibly read at that level. And usually are highly distrustful (fearful) of people who can.
-People desperately need/want the comfort of religion. Some sort of unspecified chance at life after death, (immortality!) and a chance to meet up with lost loved ones in exchange for following a few rules and giving up sunday mornings.) And answers - not needed so much anymore as human advancement/scientific discovery has filled all that in nicely.
The religious apologist that can read/write at high level that visit the debate boards are the most interesting to me. Are they trolling? (often times yes,) If not trolling to me it is extreme bias, manifested. The word salad these people come up with, to square their god idea in their heads are sometimes breathtaking to behold in how much they twist themselves up and words to come to their conclusion. You even try to point out to them, and they are unaware and/or get angry.
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It is too bad FreeAtLast, but religion is so divisive, you are now living that sad part of what religion is. One almost every other area of life, be it philosophy, sports, finance, and even politics, if they know your ideas are counter to their own, they will still love and embrace you. But when religion enters the picture, the sole thing that constantly preaches love and tolerance, bang, you get the door slammed in your face.
When theists roll out the "Gods ways are a mystery" it almost makes me want to puke. Theists claim all kinds of attributes to their god, only so long as it makes them feel all warm and fuzzy. But ask the hard questions, such as "why do children die horrible deaths from cancer", and all of a sudden a pall of ignorance falls upon them.
If they play the "Gods ways are a mystery" card, then my response is that since they do not know the nature of their god, then how come they know this god is loving?
Welcome FreeAtLast and thanks for sharing your story. While I am happy you have escaped the tyranny of theism, I also lament the way religions break up families over these unsubstantial mythologies.
My older brother, under the influence of his father-in-law enrolled his own family, wife and two very young kids (poor buggers never stood a chance growing up) into a Christadelphian brethren. My sister and I didn't quite understand the way that insidious church operated but in time, my brother and his family were swallowed up by the quaint fascist method of having each family monitor, spy and report on each other for any backsliding. After an inital period of rejecting his encouragement to join his brethren and assuring us the whole family were much happier than they had ever been, my sister and I only slowly realised we were seeing less and less of them over time and eventually, too late, not at all. The last social engagements with them was like something from the Stepford Wives movies. It was our brother, but he was nothing like the brother we grew up with and the tension within his family was palpable. None of them seemed comfortable at all.
Christadelphians rely heavily on the claim that Jesus declared he would divide families, but I am sure he was thinking the holy spirit would be instrumental and hadn't envisioned the strict totalitarian methods they employ. They have a long record of tearing families apart and engaging in ruthless practices to separate any apostate from the rest of their family, encouraging complete and total separation, be it the father, mother or child. In the states there are support groups for survivors of the Christadelphian cruelties.This sect deserves especial disgust.
Anyway FreeAtLast welcome to this godless haven, look forward to your contributions.
@FreeAtLast: Sorry to hear it but hope you were ready for it. We really can expect no less from out loving Christian friends and family. I would be absolutely amazed to find a person whose religious family was not treating them poorly in the name of belief. Loving Christians, after all, are a closed-minded lot.
Ooohh! Yes, a previous post mentioned Stepford Wife. I remember after a recent visit from a sister-in-law from across the country (which we see rarely) and is married to a failed pastor, now acts like a feaking ROBOT.. I mean this girl has totally lost any character she one had and just says stupid things like "how can you be as nice as you are and not be living for the Lord?". She doesn't get it! Oh my god, I am 62 and have seen everything but this is shocking! Some believers must live in constant cognitive dissonance, like.. really detached from reality. Even at the top of my religious game, I never disconnected from reality. I guess that is why I could get out.