Deconversion Stories

Post by **Alyrium Denryle** » 2002-12-30 05:17pm

I have even considered starting an atheist club on campus. Call it something like..."Secular Nation" Or " Freethinking Now"

Post by **Darth Wong** » 2002-12-30 05:21pm

I've seen a few of those Darwin fish around town on peoples' cars, too. But as WP pointed out, this is Toronto, which is far, far away from the Bible Belt.

Durandal · Post by **Durandal** » 2002-12-30 05:43pm

My atheism is well-known to anyone who walks into my dorm room. I've got a bunch of flyers from Positive Atheism printed out.

Post by **Gandalf** » 2002-12-30 06:47pm

I was never a Fundie, kind of a "child christian", always just accepted God, then when I was 10 I went to a religious school, then we started learning bible stories etc. from the Old Testament. (Censored of course.) After hearing a lot of it I determined that it was a load of crap. Thankfully I was only there for a year. Now I promote atheism to my friends and others.

Perinquus · Post by **Perinquus** » 2002-12-30 06:55pm

Darth Wong wrote:I've seen a few of those Darwin fish around town on peoples' cars, too. But as WP pointed out, this is Toronto, which is far, far away from the Bible Belt.

You should be glad. I have the misfortune to have Pat Robertson and his CBN crowd based in Virginia Beach, our neighboring city. They exert their pernicious influence too. You can't even get the Playboy Channel here unless you get a satellite dish.

Around here I see three kinds of those fish, by the way:

The original ones with "Jesus" written on it.
The ones with the tiny legs on the underside, and "Darwin" written on it.
And a more recent one with the Darwin fish being swallowed by a larger, legless fish with "Truth" written on it.

The said thing is that those people with the "truth" fish on their cars are incapable of understanding what the truth about evolution vs. creationism really is.

I also see lots of personalized, religious license plates like: GOD N IR1, or GOD IZ LV, etc.

This one kind of irks me because not only am I an athiest, but I can't stand sanctimonious assholes who go around trumpeting how pious they are. I'd like to replace those personalized plates with placards that say: "Ignorant, superstitious, and narrow-minded... and PROUD of it!"

There are religious bumper stickers (the most revolting one is "No Jesus, no peace. Know Jesus, know peace." Holy Shit but that makes me want to vomit!)

And finally, there is a chirch on practically every street corner - name your denomination. I look at them as heavily armed, bastions of ignorance.

Sigh... yes, living on the upper edge of the Bible Belt can be a real bother.

SeebianWurm · Post by **SeebianWurm** » 2002-12-30 09:17pm

I remember being six or seven and hearing the first of many boring church sermons...typical segregationist baptist shit for the 50s. I always fell asleep in church and always got in trouble with my mother, who felt I was shaming her public standing by ignoring the preacher. I constantly was punished in childhood for lack of religious feeling, especially in the unconstitutional school system of the day - always had my head down when they led the prayer and went to the Principal's office most of the time for it. Paddled at school and at home simply because I couldn't understand why the fuck people prayed at all.

When I was old enough to think for myself, nearing twelve, I realized I had never had any faith in the whole concept. At no time did I believe it, and it never occured to me that I could confess to disbelief. I spent the rest of my school career trying to remain sane in the heart of the Bible Bitch Belt - in ninth grade I did a project for science (optimal; only one who did anything good) on electricity and made what I called a "charge stick." I asked the teacher to put her hands on it, and plugged it in.

The dumb bitch got electrocuted mildly and set me on another voyage to the Gestapo. I laughed my ass off.

Ahhh, morons.

Orion · Post by **Orion** » 2002-12-30 09:33pm

I live in the very conservitive community of Lake Arrowhead, California

I've been exposed to religous indoctrination all my life. Not from my parents, but from all my teachers and peers. I never believed most of the Bible but I still tried to find that non-existant line between Christianity and the science.

When I was about twelve I had a most serious talk with a fundie. After literally hours of debate, I screwed over all his arguments, but in essence... I had lost. I realised at that moment that science and Christianity could not go hand in hand. I wondered like a lost fart in the wind, not knowing what my beliefs were or what I stood for. Eventually, I found Mike Wong's site and everything seemed to fall into place.

I'm now a full fledged Athiest

The Bible is bullshit

Post by **weemadando** » 2002-12-30 10:03pm

I was brought up a reaaaaally moderate Christian, but never bought into it all. Despite spending 14 years at a Uniting Church school I didn't really like the concept of religion.

Was baptised at age 14 after threats from family. At this point I really fell out with the whole Christian concept.

After a time spent being what could really only be described as "agnostic tending towards atheist" I switched completely to atheism.

Post by **Darth Wong** » 2002-12-30 10:05pm

Unfortunately, I can't post a deconversion story for myself, since I was never Christian in the first place. I gave it a try for Rebecca's sake, but I couldn't buy into any of it, and the more I learned about it, the less convinced I was.

Durandal · Post by **Durandal** » 2002-12-30 10:10pm

Darth Wong wrote:Unfortunately, I can't post a deconversion story for myself, since I was never Christian in the first place. I gave it a try for Rebecca's sake, but I couldn't buy into any of it, and the more I learned about it, the less convinced I was.

"Gave it a try"? Could you expand a bit?

Post by **Darth Wong** » 2002-12-30 10:12pm

Durandal wrote:
Darth Wong wrote:Unfortunately, I can't post a deconversion story for myself, since I was never Christian in the first place. I gave it a try for Rebecca's sake, but I couldn't buy into any of it, and the more I learned about it, the less convinced I was.
"Gave it a try"? Could you expand a bit?

Went to church with her every week for years. At her urging, read the Bible. You can imagine how I reacted to a thorough study of that document

HemlockGrey · Post by **HemlockGrey** » 2002-12-30 10:33pm

This is probing a bit, but has Rebecca 'deconverted'?

Feel free to kick me in the ass if I'm being too intrusive.

Post by **Darth Wong** » 2002-12-30 10:35pm

HemlockGrey wrote:This is probing a bit, but has Rebecca 'deconverted'?

Yes. See the first page of this thread.

Feel free to kick me in the ass if I'm being too intrusive.

*Kick*

(not because it's too intrusive, but just because I feel like it

)

HemlockGrey · Post by **HemlockGrey** » 2002-12-30 10:37pm

I deconverted myself for a brief time, but eventually returned to 'The Faith'(TM)

Post by **Darth Wong** » 2002-12-30 10:42pm

HemlockGrey wrote:I deconverted myself for a brief time, but eventually returned to 'The Faith'(TM)

Once you have been turned to the Dark Side, forever will it dominate your destiny. Consume you it will.

Morning Star · Post by **Morning Star** » 2002-12-30 11:03pm

Darth Wong wrote:
HemlockGrey wrote:I deconverted myself for a brief time, but eventually returned to 'The Faith'(TM)
Once you have been turned to the Dark Side, forever will it dominate your destiny. Consume you it will.

Why do you hate religion so.

Orion · Post by **Orion** » 2002-12-30 11:27pm

Because it hates him. Look in the Bible. Athiests are no good, dirty rotten scoundrals.

Enforcer Talen · Post by **Enforcer Talen** » 2002-12-31 12:29am

christian maltheist. lets me keep my belief in god which has a death grip on me, while not beleiving the bible or god's niceness.

Shinova · Post by **Shinova** » 2002-12-31 12:41am

Agnosticism and skepticism. Went to a few church gatherings during my life but never got into them due to lack of interest. Thus, no deconversion story, but thought I'd share my alignment with you people.

Post by **Darth Wong** » 2002-12-31 12:47am

Morning Star wrote:
Darth Wong wrote:
HemlockGrey wrote:I deconverted myself for a brief time, but eventually returned to 'The Faith'(TM)
Once you have been turned to the Dark Side, forever will it dominate your destiny. Consume you it will.
Why do you hate religion so.

http://www.stardestroyer.net/Mike

Also, my personality type despises dumb things, and religion, whatever else you may think of its benefits and/or detriments, is completely irrational.

And finally, my life is directly impacted by religious assholes trying to shove their sexually repressed ideas down my throat in the form of censorship laws, and there are idiots trying to fuck up the school system so they can teach my boys that evolution theory is a big conspiracy of lies. Their bullshit directly affects me, and has directly affected me in the past. I have the right to be pissed.

I don't mind religion as long as it:

A) does not shove its nose in other peoples' business
B) does not show up on my fucking doorstep trying to convert me
C) does not elevate its beliefs to the point that things which would be immoral without their beliefs become moral with it (eg- Biblical-era genocide). That mentality is dangerous beyond words.

Morning Star · Post by **Morning Star** » 2002-12-31 01:47am

Darth Wong wrote:
Morning Star wrote:
Darth Wong wrote: Once you have been turned to the Dark Side, forever will it dominate your destiny. Consume you it will.
Why do you hate religion so.
http://www.stardestroyer.net/Mike

Also, my personality type despises dumb things, and religion, whatever else you may think of its benefits and/or detriments, is completely irrational.

And finally, my life is directly impacted by religious assholes trying to shove their sexually repressed ideas down my throat in the form of censorship laws, and there are idiots trying to fuck up the school system so they can teach my boys that evolution theory is a big conspiracy of lies. Their bullshit directly affects me, and has directly affected me in the past. I have the right to be pissed.

I don't mind religion as long as it:

A) does not shove its nose in other peoples' business
B) does not show up on my fucking doorstep trying to convert me
C) does not elevate its beliefs to the point that things which would be immoral without their beliefs become moral with it (eg- Biblical-era genocide). That mentality is dangerous beyond words.

So my being a Zen Buddhist...would you find that oppressive?

Raptor 597 · Post by **Raptor 597** » 2002-12-31 03:56am

Wicked Pilot wrote:
Darth Wong wrote:Good point; few of us wear it on our sleeves in public (well, I do, but that's just me).
Just want to point out, you're in Toronto, I'm in the very bottom of the Bible Belt, somewhere near the Bible Crotch Hem. Ah well, on May 24th, I graduate, and on June 22nd, I go active. Hopefully the Air Force will sent be somewhere cool, like Canada.

yeah, I gotta agree. I'm stuck n Fundie Land and I'm the only aheist I think for many, many miles. And nly you all and other select few online know.

Hendrake · Post by **Hendrake** » 2002-12-31 06:30am

Alyrium Denryle wrote:I too wear my atheism on my sleeve

And I on my t-shirt. But it's easier here, there aren't that many fundies.

Tosho · Post by **Tosho** » 2002-12-31 09:39am

Darth Wong wrote:Good point; few of us wear it on our sleeves in public (well, I do, but that's just me).

I do and I'm damn proud of it.

Tosho · Post by **Tosho** » 2002-12-31 10:04am

Darth Wong wrote:Rebecca was a Christian; not sure about "fundie", but she felt her faith was very important when I first met her.

Obviously, that's gone by the wayside now. But when it's your wife, you don't DEBATE with her; arguments with one's spouse can garner, at best, a pyrrhic victory. So I just encouraged her to study the history of religion and the Bible and to think for herself.

Many years later, she knew too much about the history of the Bible to take it seriously any more, and she abandoned it. Game, set, and match

What is she now deist, agnostic, atheist, ect.?

Captain Lennox, did you get your signature from the quote of Napoleon I I quoted, along with the picture of him at the arcola bridge?