Ex-Christians

Posted by Helen on: 02.11.2008 /

“I once was a born again Christian… …but I’m not anymore” writes Donna, aka “writerdd”.

Donna begins

Every once in a while I get an email or a comment accusing me of being a liar, saying it’s impossible for me to once have been a “real” Christian and now to be an atheist. Of course, the people who are so sure of my history have never met me and certainly didn’t know me in my past life as a Christian.

She goes on to share her story and her thoughts about why some Christians have trouble with the reality that she was a Christian and now no longer is.

I found Donna’s story and comments interesting. I was also interested to read this article she linked to in Psychology Today about professional clergy losing their faith: An Atheist in the Pulpit

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4 Responses to "Ex-Christians"

  • Comment by: benjamin ady

    1 02/11/08 11:25 AM | Comment Link |

    Helen

    Thank you *so* much for posting this. I can *so* identify with Donna and some of the people in the story. I get that sort of thing all the time from Christians I know–even ones that I really like–a sort of “Well, it’s great for you to struggle, and I know you’ll come back to the faith at the end of it”, sometimes with a lot of emotional involvement, like I get that sense that I *really* don’t want to disappoint this person, and so I sort of half-hope that this will happen as well.

    But authenticity always comes up top two for me on Seligman’s signature strengths survery. I can’t do that fake thing at all. I always find myself telling even very close friends “Well, actually, NO, I’m not a Christian, and I don’t envision myself ever being one again. And I think I’m a better expert on that than you. =)”

    From the article

    I was starving and didn’t know it, like when you work hard on a project and forget to eat and don’t know you are hungry until you are really hungry.”

    He began reading widely outside the Christian canon: science magazines, psychology, philosophy. It was the liberal-arts education he never had, and what followed was “a slow but steady migration across the theological spectrum” that took about five years. (Among the deeply faithful, doubt is often first stoked with exposure to the “outside world.”)

    Wow can I identify with that starving feeling from back when I was growing up in a fundamentalist sect. *So* glad I am to finally be eating =)

  • Comment by: karen

    2 02/11/08 11:44 AM | Comment Link |

    Thanks for posting this, Helen, and thanks for writing it, Donna! I always appreciate and relate to Donna’s essays.

    The Psychology Today article is fantastic, also. A great read.

  • Comment by: David H

    3 02/11/08 6:38 PM | Comment Link |

    Just a bit of irony, C.S. Lewis claimed that many atheists told him he couldn’t have ever truly not-believed and then become a Christian.

    My experience has been that many “Christians” who speak of eternal assurance also spend an inordinate amount of time judging whether others believe the right stuff (i.e. are “Christians” at all).

  • Comment by: Amy Black

    4 02/13/08 9:18 AM | Comment Link |

    I really appreciated this article. Wow, can I ever relate!
    The first time someone told me “You must never have really believed in the first place” I wanted to strangle him.

    “Among the deeply faithful, doubt is often first stoked with exposure to the “outside world.”

    I totally agree. it’s easy to control people when they are only allowed to read church-approved books and watch church-approved movies.
    Isn’t that what communist countries do? Restrict the flow of information from the outside world?

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