Life After Christian Fundamentalism

Comment

Comment by Richard Goscicki on July 4, 2012 at 9:11am

Jason, now that you’re out of a mental cage you can form your own opinions.  I was told in Catholic school that life is meaningless without God.  Rubbish. 

Generally speaking, as we take on a more Darwinian worldview, we see mankind as just another mammal capable of thought.  We’re a step ahead of the chimps, you might say.  The fact that we evolved out of nature gives us plenty reason to live.  It’s been my contention on these boards that once mythology is behind us, humans can continue to evolve.

 

Comment by Franklin Bacon on July 4, 2012 at 8:43am

It is most odd that religions attempt to practice psychology without having pertinent studies at hand.  We are brought up from very early in formative years, or when in a life crisis, given "answers" based on the desires of primitive authority figures or ancient clergypersons.  Every scientific study that confirms a new method of thinking about issues makes us stop and reassess our former beliefs, but religion is immobile and stagnant, adding nothing to the discussion.

Comment by Jason Allen Skelton on July 4, 2012 at 7:50am

I struggled in my Christian faith for many years, with wild swings in both positive and negative directions.  After more than 30 years of faith, last year I decided to make a conscious decision to step away and explore other religions.  Living in such an un-diverse un-inspiring area, finding a new religion ment choosing methodist over southern baptist.  In doing so I was ashamed, embarrassed and the guilt became unbearable.  I wasn't an Atheist, I just put an end to my "relationship".  So for a little more than a year my shame and my guilt grew.  A couple nights ago I found the answer I've been searching for.  An amazing couple hosting the West Alabama Free Thought Association agreed to meet over dinner.  They listened to my troubles.  They LISTENED.  They cared.  These aren't the Atheist I was taught about in Bible School.  This couple let me reach my own conclusions as we discussed some of the major themes of guilt, shame and religion.  Last night after another wonderful dinner I sat at the park contemplating everything that I learned and compared it to everything I know and believe.  If there is no god, there is no sin.  The realization was hard to swallow.  But I felt the shackles loosen their icy grip.  I could finally breath.  An idea dug in.  How can one be happy, in the grip of a religion that centers around fear and guilt.  One can not be free in slavery.  Today truly feels like the first day of the rest of my life.  I expect good days will blend with the bad days.  I expect tragedy will match against wonderment.  But Right now it feels good to be free.  And I am not ashamed.

Comment by Selina Mannion on May 5, 2012 at 10:32am

hey guys I am writing a book on people leaving their religion. I left islam and my story will be included. about 15 pages is deal. I am creating an anthology will on story from each religion will be included. if I have an takers PLEASE message me

Comment by Richard Goscicki on January 14, 2012 at 9:27am

Ruth Anthony-Gardner suggested I post the eminent author, Barbara G. Walker's, latest essay here.  My blog is hereto see other comments.  The work speaks for itself.  I'm amused how weak atheists try to defend the indefensible.  I wouldn’t be surprised if, having finished it, you scratch your head and say to yourself, “How the heck can people believe this stuff?”   

To me, the work is brilliant because first, Barbara is brilliant and second, it brings out in clear inarguable format just how whacky and bizarre (my words) the Holy Scriptures are.   

I’m sure you’ll enjoy this one, as I did.

To wit: 

 

 

BIBLE MORALITY (compiled by Barbara Walker, author of Man Made God.)

Barbara asked me to add that this is from the King James Bible, as modern-day evangelicals have expurgated much of the really stupid and hostile quotations. 

This compilation is incontrovertible, conspicuous proof that the Bible is a book written by idiots for idiots. 

Read on, I couldn't make this stuff up if I tried.  As always, comments are encouraged and welcome. 

Rich

*****

BIBLE MORALITY (compiled by Barbara Walker )

 

1. KILLING.  (As in "Thou shalt not"???)

 

          The biblical god personally kills a total of 371,186 people, not counting his slaughter of every living thing in Genesis 7.   The biblical god also orders the killing of a total of 1,862,265.

 

Gen. 22:2 - God accepts human sacrifices (including that of Jesus, later).

Ex. 12:29 - God kills all the firstborn in the land of Egypt.

Ex. 15:3 - God is a god of war.

Ex. 21:15,17 - Anyone who strikes or curses a parent must be killed.

Ex. 22:18 - Every witch must be killed.

Ex. 22:19,20 - You must kill anyone who "lieth with a beast," or who

          worships any god other than Yahweh.

Ex. 31:15 - Anyone who works on the Sabbath must be killed.

Lev. 20:10,13,27 - You must kill adulterers, homosexuals, wizards, and

          spirit mediums.

Lev. 21:9 - Any priest's daughter who fornicates must be burned alive.

Lev. 24:16 - Blasphemers must be killed.

Deut. 3:4 - God is pleased that his warriors destroyed 60 cities.

Deut. 7:16 - You must kill all the people God delivers into your hands, and

          "thine eye shall have no pity upon them."

Deut. 13:5 - Any prophet or "dreamer of dreams," who serves another

          god, must be killed.

Deut. 13:6-9 - If your brother, son, daughter, wife, or friend tempts you to

          worship other gods, "thou shalt surely kill him."

Deut. 13:15 - If the people of any city worship other gods, you must

          slaughter them all, including their cattle.

Deut. 17:5 - Any man or woman who worships other deities of sun, moon,

           or stars must be stoned to death.

Deut. 18:20 - False prophets must be killed.

Deut. 20:16,17 - God commands complete destruction of all Hittites,

          Amorites, Canaanites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites, and "thou

          shalt save alive nothing that breatheth."

Deut. 22:21 - A bride found not to be a virgin must be stoned to death.

Deut. 22:22 - Adulterers must be killed,

Deut. 22: 23,24 - A girl who is raped within city limits, and fails to cry out,

          must be killed.

Deut. 28:22-27 - If you don't obey God's commandments, he will punish

          you with consumption, fever, extreme burning, blasting, mildew,

          hemorrhoids, the scab, the itch, the botch of Egypt, etc., etc.

Josh. 6:21 - God's warriors destroyed Jericho and killed every man,

          woman, child, and domestic animal.

Josh. 8:25 - God's warriors killed 12,000 people in the city of Ai.

Josh. 19:47 - The children of Dan wanted more room, so they destroyed

          the whole population of Leshen and took their territory.

Judges 1:17,18 - Judah and Simeon utterly destroyed the populations of

          Zephath, Gaza, Askelon and Ekron.

Judges 11:39 - In accord with God's law, Jephthah was forced to burn his         virgin daughter to death as a sacrifice.

Judges 15:15 - God enables Samson to kill 1,000 men with the jawbone

          of an ass.

Judges 20:46 - At Gibeah, Benjamin's men killed 25,000 people and

          burned every town.

1 Sam. 6:19 - God kills 50,070 people for trying to peek into the Ark.

1 Sam. 15:3 - God commands the destruction of Amalek: "Slay both men

          and women, infant and suckling, ox and sheep, camel and ass."

2 Sam. 6:7 - God kills Uzzah for touching the Ark, even though he was

          trying to save it from falling off its oxcart.

1 Kings 18:40 - God commands the slaughter of "prophets of Baal".

1 Kings 20:35 -  Because a man didn't "obey the voice of the Lord," a lion

          was sent to kill him.

2 Kings 2:24 - God sent bears to tear apart 42 children for making fun of

`        Elisha's bald head.

2 Kings 10:25 - God commands the killing of a multitude in the temple of

          Baal.

2 Kings 19:35 - God's angel killed 185,000 Assyrians in a single night.

1 Chron. 21:14 - God kills 70,000 Israelites with a pestilence.

2 Chron. 15:13 - Any man or woman who refuses to "seek the Lord God

          of Israel" must be killed.

Job 1 - God arranges the killing of Job's children, servants, and animals.

Isa. 13:16 - God promises that all the Babylonians' children will be

          "dashed to pieces before their eyes;" their wives will be raped.

Isa. 46:7 - God says "I create evil."

Jer. 48:10 - Killing for God is mandatory; God curses anyone who

          "keepeth back his sword from blood."

Jer. 50:21 - God commands that the people of Merathaim and Pekod be

          "utterly destroyed."

Ezek. 9:5,6,7 - God calls for purging in Jerusalem: "let not your eye spare,

          neither have ye pity: slay utterly old and young, both maids and

          little children, and women... fill the courts with the slain."

Ezek. 35:8 - God promises to fill the mountains, hills, valleys and rivers

          with slain men.

Nahum 1:2 - God is jealous, full of vengeance and wrath.

Zeph. 1:3 - God threatens to destroy everything, man and beast, birds     and fishes.

Zeph. 1:18 - "The whole land shall be devoured by the fire of his

          jealousy."

Zeph. 3:6 - God brags that he has destroyed many nations.

Zech. 13:3 - A false prophet must be killed by his father and mother.

 

2. RAPE

 

Ex. 21:7,8 - A father may sell his daughter to be a "maidservant" (or sex

          slave) who must "please her master."

Num. 31:18 - God orders his warriors to kill every living thing in a

          captured city, except the virgin girls, who are to be raped and

          turned into sex slaves.

Deut. 21:11,12 - If a warrior likes the look of a female war captive, he

          can take her to be one of his "wives."

Deut. 22:28, 29 - A man who rapes a virgin may take her for a wife if he

          pays her father 50 shekels of silver. (Yet a bride found not to be a

          virgin must be killed - Deut. 22).

Judges 5:30 - The spoils of war include "a damsel or two" for every man.

Judges 21:12, 28 -  God's warriors killed all the inhabitants of Jabesh-      gilead except for 400 virgin girls, who were taken as slaves.

          If there are not enough girls to go around, God's warriors may raid

          neighboring towns for more to rape.

 

3. SLAVERY

 

Gen. 9:25 - God cursed Ham, son of Noah, with perpetual slavery for the

          crime of seeing his father naked.  (Ham was formerly considered

          the ancestor of all Negroes.)

Ex. 21:4 - A male slave may marry and have children, and may go free    after six years; but his family remains the property (or hostages?) of     his master.

Ex. 21:7 - A man may sell his daughter as a sex slave.

Ex. 21:20,21 - A man may be punished for beating a male or female slave

          to death, but if the victim survives the beating for a few days, then

          there is no penalty.

Eph. 6:5 - Paul says slaves must obey their masters "with fear and

          trembling."

Titus 2:9 - Paul says slaves must obey and please their masters.

1 Tim. 6:1 - Paul says slaves must "count their masters worthy of all

          honor."

 

4. WAS JESUS ETHICAL?

 

Matt. 5:28-32 - Jesus says marriage to a divorcee is adultery; and a man           who ogles a woman has already committed adultery; and that you           must cut off your hand or pluck out your eye if it offends.

Matt. 6:19,34 - Jesus says don't save any money, and don't plan ahead.

Matt. 8:32 - Having no regard for private property, Jesus destroys a herd

          of someone else's pigs.

Matt. 10:34 - Jesus says he brings not peace on earth, but "a sword."

Matt. 19:12 - Jesus says the best way for a man to be sure of getting into

          heaven is to have himself castrated.

Mark 11:13 - Jesus destroys a fig tree for not bearing figs out of season.

Mark 14:4-7 - Jesus says it is more important to anoint him with precious

          ointment than to give to the poor.

Luke 12:47,48 - Jesus says it is permissible to whip slaves.

Luke 14:26 - Jesus says no man can be his disciple unless he hates his

          parents, siblings, wife, children, and himself as well.

Luke 19:27 - Jesus says anyone who denies his rulership must be killed.

John 15:6 - Jesus says anyone who doesn't believe in him must be

          burned. 

Acts 5:5-10 -  Ananias and his wife Sapphira  were killed for withholding

          money from the church.

2 John 1:10,11 - A Christian is forbidden to offer hospitality to a non-

          Christian, not even to wish him "Godspeed" on parting.

 

5. WOMEN IN THE NEW TESTAMENT

 

1 Cor. 11:3-10 - Women are inferior "because man was not created for    woman, but woman was created for man."  Every woman "while        praying or prophesying" must have her head covered "because of     the angels," meaning the spirits (it used to be believed that women's          hair attracts spirits).

1 Cor. 14:34,35 - Women must not speak in church.  If they want to ask

          questions, they must learn from their husbands at home.

Eph. 5:22 - Wives must submit to their husbands as they would to God.

1 Tim. 2:11-14 - A woman must not teach, or hold authority over a man,

          but must "learn in silence with all subjection," because "Adam was

          not deceived, but the woman being deceived was in the

          transgression."  (So, being gullible is the original sin.)

1 Tim. 5:9 - Paul says the only women acceptable by the council of

          elders are devout, monogamous women over the age of sixty.

 

 

6. SILLINESS

 

Gen. 1:11-12 - God made all green plants on the third day of creation,

          but neglected to supply the sun (on which both plants and "days"

          depend) until the fourth day.

Gen. 6:6,7 - Because a few people displeased him, God "repented"

          having made the world, and decided to destroy all life on earth.

Deut. 25:11,12 - A woman who seizes a man's genitals, even to defend   her husband from an attacker, must have her hand cut off.

James 5:14,15 - Prayer by the elders of the church is the only sure cure

          for sickness.  (Christian Science, anyone?)

 

Which Ten Commandments do you prefer?  Ex. 20, Ex. 34, Deut. 5, or

          Deut. 27?

 

 

 

 

 

Comment by Steph S. on October 9, 2011 at 9:24pm

Thanks for the recommendation Glen - I'll have to get that book.

Comment by Steph S. on October 9, 2011 at 10:24am

Welcome new members! How is everyone doing today?

Comment by Ramon Escamilla on August 21, 2011 at 12:16am

Hi guys,

New member here. I was raised in a hyperconservative Reform church, basically Calvinist. I'm sure my experiences are very similar to those of others here, but just for some context, here are some snippets from my religious education:

In Sunday school, I was taught:
-that gay men should be killed and lesbians "driven from the land";
-that it was okay to kill "abortion doctors" - we might go to jail, but we would be specially rewarded in heaven;
-that women were created only as "help-meets" to men and should not speak in church, preferably not work, never drive a car when their husband is also in the car, etc.

I had to sing at an anti-abortion rally when I was 12.

I was sent to an Institute for Creation Education weeklong workshop when I was about 10, where I was taught that scientists had calculated the date of creation to have been October 23, 4004 BC.

When my father left my mom for his lover (hidden on the side) of 12 years, our church blamed my mom for being "an unsubmissive wife," and EVERY member of the church shunned her. My father was allowed to remain a member.
--

My parents certainly would have disowned me if they'd known I'd broken with religion, so I never talked about it - but the major break happened in college, thanks in part to the demeaning treatment I received at the 'Asian Baptist Student Koinonia' in Berkeley, and early struggles with being gay.

I try not to be bitter, but residual guilt about being created wrong/badly/as an abomination and lingering fear of hell entirely consumed my life from ages 13 to 19. I did a number of things I regret (like alienating LGBT people I could have been friends with) on the basis of my religious brainwashing, and I want to get involved in non-theist activism to try to help younger people avoid similar nonsense.

Very glad to be here!

Comment by James Allison on July 5, 2011 at 10:46am

Hey, I have been involved in fundamentalism christianity on and off since the early seventies. I actually wanted to be a preacher at one point. But the deeper I looked in the faith, and the bible, the more cracks I discovered and the more questions were raised. The New Age caught my interest as well in the eighties, but even that had its problems. Whenever the idea of boxing in god comes into play, thru the formation of religions, something gets lost in the translation. We have two basic ways of discovery god: thru revelation, or thru direct contact. The Bible claims that both of these have happened, but is christianity really the best god has to offer us on this third planet from the sun? More and more people are looking to Buddhism, or even Islam as a better path.

Divine revelation can never be proved, and god still remains invisible and unreachable. The existence of this creative being is up for grabs and still debated by most. If god exists - it would be nice if he/she made an appearance every once in awhile. Otherwise, the debate is kind of pointless. God and Santa Clause may be celebrated by the masses, but we know Santa does not exist. Or does he?

Comment by Andrew Parrot on June 28, 2011 at 3:09pm

Hello.  I was raised in a catholic family.  My parents were not too bad, they just kind of kept up appearances, probably in fear of rejection from a zealot family.  We just did the church thing  when it was most expected: holidays, weddings, funerals etc.. I was indoctrinated, of course, baptism, reconciliation, communion, confirmation.  But again, I think it was just to keep up appearances.  My mother died when I was 10, my dad when I was 18.  I never spoke about faith with either of them. I never had any to begin with, my mother didn't seem to put much stake in it, and my father completely lost any he may have had after his wife of 20 years was "brought home to god".  My father's parents and siblings were/are die-hard, 10% to the church, novenas daily, your going to burn in hell wing-nuts.  My mother's, not so much, mainly non practicing, until something bad happens, then it's on.  I have recently been somewhat chastised by both sides of my family for some things: My wedding ceremony was in a courthouse(very nice, artistic rotunda, class all the way), I had the judge remove any religious speak from the proceedings. Also, I refuse to baptize my son.  I guess I am still in the closet, but I want out!  My wife probably doesn't have the stones to renounce the existence of a deity, she is a pussy I guess, but she has no faith either.  Christian fundamentalism really never had a hold over me, but it certainly holds down many of my family and friends.  I hope I can be a useful, resourceful member of this group given my "inside" knowledge of this nonsense known as religion.  Good luck to all!

• ‹ Previous
• 1
• 2
• 3
• 4
• …
• 14
• Next ›
• Page