Why I'm not a Christian anymore. What about you?

http://www.evilbible.com/

I always knew the bible contained violent content, but after looking at everything closely, I now know I can no longer consider myself a Christian.

Its not just about the violent content too. I always ask myself questions, like, who are Christians to decide that they're right, and they're the only right religion? Then I realized its the same for other religions, they all say the same thing. I realized its completely arbitrary, most of the time, you preach what you were born into.

So I ask you, why are you religious? If you were and aren't, give me a description like I did.

Wow..

If you had never even read the Old Testament which contains all that violence I'd say you weren't much of a Christian to begin with.

...theres a reason its called the Old Testament... I was under this crazy understanding that Jesus fulfilled all that with the new covenant (New Testament) that Christians are supposed to live by today..

Also, that website is kind of ridiculous... the Bible wasn't written in English, nor was it written in a context that modern-Americans can identify all social norms and laws with... the book is really old and has stuff that seems really crazy b/c it was written in a different setting/time period that we today cannot necessarily relate to... same with other holy texts...

It drives me crazy when people take books written thousands of years ago and treat them like they were written in their native language for use in that present time...

my point is- maybe you should second guess a website and the author's intentions before throwing away your entire religion... that seems a bit drastic.

EDIT: but to answer the title question- I don't really like commenting on my relgious views cuz its kinda complex and it always opens up a big can o' worms :) but religion is something that determines many areas of a person's life... it influences countless numbers of decisions... I just think its kind of ridiculous to throw away your belief system over a website...

Wow..

If you had never even read the Old Testament which contains all that violence I'd say you weren't much of a Christian to begin with.

...theres a reason its called the Old Testament... I was under this crazy understanding that Jesus fulfilled all that with the new covenant (New Testament) that Christians are supposed to live by today..

Also, that website is kind of ridiculous... the Bible wasn't written in English, nor was it written in a context that modern-Americans can identify all social norms and laws with... the book is really old and has stuff that seems really crazy b/c it was written in a different setting/time period that we today cannot necessarily relate to... same with other holy texts...

It drives me crazy when people take books written thousands of years ago and treat them like they were written in their native language for use in that present time...

my point is- maybe you should second guess a website and the author's intentions before throwing away your entire religion... that seems a bit drastic.

Scoob64

Atheist from the moment I was born. :D

There are a few once-upon-a-time christians on this board, though. Maybe they'll add their thoughts.

[QUOTE="Scoob64"]

Wow..

If you had never even read the Old Testament which contains all that violence I'd say you weren't much of a Christian to begin with.

...theres a reason its called the Old Testament... I was under this crazy understanding that Jesus fulfilled all that with the new covenant (New Testament) that Christians are supposed to live by today..

Also, that website is kind of ridiculous... the Bible wasn't written in English, nor was it written in a context that modern-Americans can identify all social norms and laws with... the book is really old and has stuff that seems really crazy b/c it was written in a different setting/time period that we today cannot necessarily relate to... same with other holy texts...

It drives me crazy when people take books written thousands of years ago and treat them like they were written in their native language for use in that present time...

my point is- maybe you should second guess a website and the author's intentions before throwing away your entire religion... that seems a bit drastic.

lonewolf604

Those are all very valid questions- but you just now started asking yourself these though?

[QUOTE="lonewolf604"][QUOTE="Scoob64"]

Wow..

If you had never even read the Old Testament which contains all that violence I'd say you weren't much of a Christian to begin with.

...theres a reason its called the Old Testament... I was under this crazy understanding that Jesus fulfilled all that with the new covenant (New Testament) that Christians are supposed to live by today..

Also, that website is kind of ridiculous... the Bible wasn't written in English, nor was it written in a context that modern-Americans can identify all social norms and laws with... the book is really old and has stuff that seems really crazy b/c it was written in a different setting/time period that we today cannot necessarily relate to... same with other holy texts...

It drives me crazy when people take books written thousands of years ago and treat them like they were written in their native language for use in that present time...

my point is- maybe you should second guess a website and the author's intentions before throwing away your entire religion... that seems a bit drastic.

Scoob64

Those are all very valid questions- but you just now started asking yourself these though?

[QUOTE="Scoob64"]

[QUOTE="lonewolf604"] did you even read the second part of my postlonewolf604

Those are all very valid questions- but you just now started asking yourself these though?

Right- but what you once thought was the true light turned out not to be... but what makes you so sure what you have now chosen- a form of disbelief - is now the true light? All I'm saying is that there are religions out there that perhaps see all as equal and don't reflect a sense of bad and good on others - which apparently kind of turns you off to Christianity...

I guess I'm just not sure where you stand... are you just exploring- or have you ruled out all religion? B/c when you think about it- atheism is a religion in a sense... in the sense that one can define religion as being a firm belief in the existence (or nonexistence in this case) of a higher being- or god- and thus living one's life in regards to that belief system... in the case of religion- you live your life as to how you see best fitting to coincide with the existence of that god- or in the case of atheism- you live your life as if you are certain no god exists... and your morals stem from a desire to good rather than servitude to a deity...

If u could clear that up- thatd rock :) P.S- I'm a religion minor so I love these kinda dicussions!

Wow..

If you had never even read the Old Testament which contains all that violence I'd say you weren't much of a Christian to begin with.

...theres a reason its called the Old Testament... I was under this crazy understanding that Jesus fulfilled all that with the new covenant (New Testament) that Christians are supposed to live by today..

Also, that website is kind of ridiculous... the Bible wasn't written in English, nor was it written in a context that modern-Americans can identify all social norms and laws with... the book is really old and has stuff that seems really crazy b/c it was written in a different setting/time period that we today cannot necessarily relate to... same with other holy texts...

It drives me crazy when people take books written thousands of years ago and treat them like they were written in their native language for use in that present time...

my point is- maybe you should second guess a website and the author's intentions before throwing away your entire religion... that seems a bit drastic.

EDIT: but to answer the title question- I don't really like commenting on my relgious views cuz its kinda complex and it always opens up a big can o' worms :) but religion is something that determines many areas of a person's life... it influences countless numbers of decisions... I just think its kind of ridiculous to throw away your belief system over a website...

Scoob64

welcome to atheism

I don't like religion because of the people that take alot of the stuff in their holy text way too seriously.

[QUOTE="Scoob64"]

Wow..

If you had never even read the Old Testament which contains all that violence I'd say you weren't much of a Christian to begin with.

...theres a reason its called the Old Testament... I was under this crazy understanding that Jesus fulfilled all that with the new covenant (New Testament) that Christians are supposed to live by today..

Also, that website is kind of ridiculous... the Bible wasn't written in English, nor was it written in a context that modern-Americans can identify all social norms and laws with... the book is really old and has stuff that seems really crazy b/c it was written in a different setting/time period that we today cannot necessarily relate to... same with other holy texts...

It drives me crazy when people take books written thousands of years ago and treat them like they were written in their native language for use in that present time...

my point is- maybe you should second guess a website and the author's intentions before throwing away your entire religion... that seems a bit drastic.

EDIT: but to answer the title question- I don't really like commenting on my relgious views cuz its kinda complex and it always opens up a big can o' worms :) but religion is something that determines many areas of a person's life... it influences countless numbers of decisions... I just think its kind of ridiculous to throw away your belief system over a website...

lonewolf604

did u see? I responded again before you posted this quoting me- not sure if u saw it or not.

[QUOTE="lonewolf604"][QUOTE="Scoob64"]

Those are all very valid questions- but you just now started asking yourself these though?

Scoob64

Right- but what you once thought was the true light turned out not to be... but what makes you so sure what you have now chosen- a form of disbelief - is now the true light? All I'm saying is that there are religions out there that perhaps see all as equal and don't reflect a sense of bad and good on others - which apparently kind of turns you off to Christianity...

I guess I'm just not sure where you stand... are you just exploring- or have you ruled out all religion? B/c when you think about it- atheism is a religion in a sense... in the sense that one can define religion as being a firm belief in the existence (or nonexistence in this case) of a higher being- or god- and thus living one's life in regards to that belief system... in the case of religion- you live your life as to how you see best fitting to coincide with the existence of that god- or in the case of atheism- you live your life as if you are certain no god exists... and your morals stem from a desire to good rather than servitude to a deity...

If u could clear that up- thatd rock :) P.S- I'm a religion minor so I love these kinda dicussions!

Eh, I'm somewhat religious. It doesn't consume my life though.

I'm not a Christian because I don't believe in God. Also, even if I did believe in God, I would not worship him, for a reason so brilliantly stated by Epicurus:

The bible says you should stone disobedient children to death, it also says you should be killed if you work on a Sunday. Also (@ christians) if you were born in another part of the world you would definitely believe in another religion... it's pointless, it really is... EVEN IF God exists you're just gambling and hoping you were born in the right part of the world and just happen to believe in the real God so you can go to heaven.Brainkiller05

oh man I'm so tired of hearing this HUGE misinterpretation about Christianity...

Christians don't follow Jewish law from the old testament... they only follow the teachings found in the new testament... learn your stuff before sayin stuff like that. They mostly just study the OT for its inspirational stories, miracles, and the prophecies found in the major and minor prophets which prophecy and lead up to the virgin birth, death, ressurrection, etc etc etc....

They also like to pick and choose which parts to follow.Brainkiller05

again, educate yourself...

I can tell you the reason they only follow the NT instead of the OT law is because the bible teaches that Jesus came to earth to bring a new covenant to man- hence the "old" and "new" testament... get it?? Its really not that hard to understand.... the bible teaches that the whole reason Jesus came was so that all people (not just Jewish people who followed Law- or Torah as you are referring to) could have salvation through a faith system... whereas before, the Jewish people would have salvation through following these works- which if they obeyed would prevent them from getting stoned to death, etc...

Just so you know: it is really annoying when people misinterpret Islam, Judaism, Christianity, etc only for the purpose of bashing it...

Yeah, they totally pick and chose what parts to follow.jointed

lol- I guess religions are just too dam complicated? :)

just one thing though: if you are not going to follow a religion b/c of something u don't like about it, at least let that something actually be part of the religion...

itd be like me saying I'm not going to follow Islam b/c it teaches me to murder all women....

[QUOTE="jointed"]Yeah, they totally pick and chose what parts to follow.Scoob64

lol- I guess religions are just too dam complicated? :)

the Jewish people would have salvation through following these works- which if they obeyed would prevent them from getting stoned to death, etc...

Scoob64

[QUOTE="Scoob64"]

the Jewish people would have salvation through following these works- which if they obeyed would prevent them from getting stoned to death, etc...

-Sun_Tzu-

would it make you feel better if I referred to them as those people in the first few books of the Bible?

[QUOTE="Brainkiller05"]They also like to pick and choose which parts to follow.Scoob64

again, educate yourself...

I can tell you the reason they only follow the NT instead of the OT law is because the bible teaches that Jesus came to earth to bring a new covenant to man- hence the "old" and "new" testament... get it?? Its really not that hard to understand.... the bible teaches that the whole reason Jesus came was so that all people (not just Jewish people who followed Law- or Torah as you are referring to) could have salvation through a faith system... whereas before, the Jewish people would have salvation through following these works- which if they obeyed would prevent them from getting stoned to death, etc...

[QUOTE="Scoob64"]

[QUOTE="jointed"]Yeah, they totally pick and chose what parts to follow.jointed

lol- I guess religions are just too dam complicated? :)

perhaps to some! They didn't seem so simple when I had to write countless research papers about them for college credit... that much is true.

[QUOTE="Scoob64"]

[QUOTE="Brainkiller05"]They also like to pick and choose which parts to follow.Funky_Llama

again, educate yourself...

I can tell you the reason they only follow the NT instead of the OT law is because the bible teaches that Jesus came to earth to bring a new covenant to man- hence the "old" and "new" testament... get it?? Its really not that hard to understand.... the bible teaches that the whole reason Jesus came was so that all people (not just Jewish people who followed Law- or Torah as you are referring to) could have salvation through a faith system... whereas before, the Jewish people would have salvation through following these works- which if they obeyed would prevent them from getting stoned to death, etc...

I don't think it was! I'm not saying what religion I am... all I'm saying is that I don't like it when religions are misrepresented.

[QUOTE="-Sun_Tzu-"]

[QUOTE="Scoob64"]

the Jewish people would have salvation through following these works- which if they obeyed would prevent them from getting stoned to death, etc...

Scoob64

would it make you feel better if I referred to them as those people in the first few books of the Bible?

[QUOTE="Funky_Llama"][QUOTE="Scoob64"]

again, educate yourself...

I can tell you the reason they only follow the NT instead of the OT law is because the bible teaches that Jesus came to earth to bring a new covenant to man- hence the "old" and "new" testament... get it?? Its really not that hard to understand.... the bible teaches that the whole reason Jesus came was so that all people (not just Jewish people who followed Law- or Torah as you are referring to) could have salvation through a faith system... whereas before, the Jewish people would have salvation through following these works- which if they obeyed would prevent them from getting stoned to death, etc...

Scoob64

I don't think it was! I'm not saying what religion I am... all I'm saying is that I don't like it when religions are misrepresented.

[QUOTE="Scoob64"]

[QUOTE="Funky_Llama"]Was the old Covenant morally justified?Funky_Llama

I don't think it was! I'm not saying what religion I am... all I'm saying is that I don't like it when religions are misrepresented.

EDIT: No - that wasn't why they were objecting... THAT would be a good reason... due to the fact that while the "laws" have definitely changed- the God hasn't...

I was telling them the diff b/t OT and NT as they said they didn't like Christianity b/c the Bible (even today) teaches us to stone people, (insert Jewish law here), etc..

phew- okay, enough of my defending the preservation of what different religions teach... lol, bed time for me... nite all :-D

[QUOTE="Brainkiller05"]The bible says you should stone disobedient children to death, it also says you should be killed if you work on a Sunday. Also (@ christians) if you were born in another part of the world you would definitely believe in another religion... it's pointless, it really is... EVEN IF God exists you're just gambling and hoping you were born in the right part of the world and just happen to believe in the real God so you can go to heaven.Scoob64

oh man I'm so tired of hearing this HUGE misinterpretation about Christianity...

Christians don't follow Jewish law from the old testament... they only follow the teachings found in the new testament... learn your stuff before sayin stuff like that. They mostly just study the OT for its inspirational stories, miracles, and the prophecies found in the major and minor prophets which prophecy and lead up to the virgin birth, death, ressurrection, etc etc etc....

Why are Leviticus 18:22 and 20:13 always paraded around to establish the Church's stance on homosexuality?

Why even include the Old Testament in the Bible if it isn't to be followed?

Many Christians I've met (but to be fair, not all) use parts of the Old Testament to justify their positions, but then drop the whole thing like a sack of bricks when the nastier verses are brought up.

"In everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets." (Matthew 7:12)

That right there, to me, is pretty much the essence of what it means to be a Christian. I follow Jesus not because I am afraid of hell or anything like that, but because I know through personal experience that the closer one's life gets to the one that Jesus followed, the happier one becomes. If anything I do on Earth puts me in favor with God, that will be a side benefit, not the ultimate purpose behind such actions.

Jesus said during his Sermon on the Mount that one may know people by their fruit. But, just as a grapevine will only bear grapes and a thistle will only bear thorns, so too will their respective seeds only bear either grapevines or thistles. So, in this respect, one may also know their seeds by their fruit - in other words, their moral grounding in life. It's for this reason that I would find it very hard to criticize a person's beliefs that lead the person to sincere love and generosity for his fellow man, and similarly, that I would find it very hard to accept a person's beliefs that lead the person to hatred and wrath towards his fellow man.

For that reason I can really only shake my head at the arguments over which is the "right" religion. As far as my reading of the Bible tells me, whomever is the one who treats others as he would wish to be treated, and who is generous without any expectation of repayment, and who acts at all times out of love for his fellow man is the one who is acting as God wants him to act. It is, ultimately, not about being right, but about doing right; what one knows is only useful as far as it enables him to better act in life.

And as for the Old Testament, its instructions came at a different point in time, a time at which the very survival of the Israelite people was threatened. Reading it as if it were all instructions for today is a rather anachronistic view of the text - something that many Christians, however, sadly do tend to do (but only when convenient).

[QUOTE="Scoob64"]

[QUOTE="Brainkiller05"]The bible says you should stone disobedient children to death, it also says you should be killed if you work on a Sunday. Also (@ christians) if you were born in another part of the world you would definitely believe in another religion... it's pointless, it really is... EVEN IF God exists you're just gambling and hoping you were born in the right part of the world and just happen to believe in the real God so you can go to heaven.Danm_999

oh man I'm so tired of hearing this HUGE misinterpretation about Christianity...

Christians don't follow Jewish law from the old testament... they only follow the teachings found in the new testament... learn your stuff before sayin stuff like that. They mostly just study the OT for its inspirational stories, miracles, and the prophecies found in the major and minor prophets which prophecy and lead up to the virgin birth, death, ressurrection, etc etc etc....

Why are Leviticus 18:22 and 20:13 always paraded around to establish the Church's stance on homosexuality?

Why even include the Old Testament in the Bible if it isn't to be followed?

Many Christians I've met (but to be fair, not all) use parts of the Old Testament to justify their positions, but then drop the whole thing like a sack of bricks when the nastier verses are brought up.

crap I can't sleep... lol

But anyway, I can't answer that question... there are a lot of clueless people in every religion from what I've discovered...including Christianity... all I know is from what I've studied...

But I find religion to be EXTREMELY interesting... but I don't know if its good to have as a life guide or not... still searching.

so basically you go to an anti-christian site that takes out of context bible verses to try to make Christianity look bad and then fail to talk to anybody like a pastor or someone with any sort of credibility that'll actually know what they're talking about. If you wanted truth, then you should have searched for it, instead you just jumped to conclusions way too quickly. Not knowing what makes Christians right or what makes it way different from all other religions is pretty sad for someone who calls himself a christian. All you did is "ask yourself questions" without putting forth the effort to get credible answers. And all that will do is lead you further away from the truth. Silenthps

"In everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets." (Matthew 7:12)

That right there, to me, is pretty much the essence of what it means to be a Christian. I follow Jesus not because I am afraid of hell or anything like that, but because I know through personal experience that the closer one's life gets to the one that Jesus followed, the happier one becomes. If anything I do on Earth puts me in favor with God, that will be a side benefit, not the ultimate purpose behind such actions.

Jesus said during his Sermon on the Mount that one may know people by their fruit. But, just as a grapevine will only bear grapes and a thistle will only bear thorns, so too will their respective seeds only bear either grapevines or thistles. So, in this respect, one may also know their seeds by their fruit - in other words, their moral grounding in life. It's for this reason that I would find it very hard to criticize a person's beliefs that lead the person to sincere love and generosity for his fellow man, and similarly, that I would find it very hard to accept a person's beliefs that lead the person to hatred and wrath towards his fellow man.

For that reason I can really only shake my head at the arguments over which is the "right" religion. As far as my reading of the Bible tells me, whomever is the one who treats others as he would wish to be treated, and who is generous without any expectation of repayment, and who acts at all times out of love for his fellow man is the one who is acting as God wants him to act. It is, ultimately, not about being right, but about doing right; what one knows is only useful as far as it enables him to better act in life.

And as for the Old Testament, its instructions came at a different point in time, a time at which the very survival of the Israelite people was threatened. Reading it as if it were all instructions for today is a rather anachronistic view of the text - something that many Christians, however, sadly do tend to do (but only when convenient).

GabuEx

I don't buy that following Jesus makes you happy... Jesus promised persecution to his followers- not happiness...

there was a time when I attempted to really follow Christianity- and altho I was happy sometiems, I don't think I was really any happier than I am now.

[QUOTE="Silenthps"]so basically you go to an anti-christian site that takes out of context bible verses to try to make Christianity look bad and then fail to talk to anybody like a pastor or someone with any sort of credibility that'll actually know what they're talking about. If you wanted truth, then you should have searched for it, instead you just jumped to conclusions way too quickly. Not knowing what makes Christians right or what makes it way different from all other religions is pretty sad for someone who calls himself a christian. All you did is "ask yourself questions" without putting forth the effort to get credible answers. And all that will do is lead you further away from the truth. Danm_999

[QUOTE="Danm_999"][QUOTE="Silenthps"]so basically you go to an anti-christian site that takes out of context bible verses to try to make Christianity look bad and then fail to talk to anybody like a pastor or someone with any sort of credibility that'll actually know what they're talking about. If you wanted truth, then you should have searched for it, instead you just jumped to conclusions way too quickly. Not knowing what makes Christians right or what makes it way different from all other religions is pretty sad for someone who calls himself a christian. All you did is "ask yourself questions" without putting forth the effort to get credible answers. And all that will do is lead you further away from the truth. Silenthps

I think some christians need to take the examples of Jesus more seriously than the actual bible. The bible can be hateful and even altered at times, Jesus wasn't.

Also, I'm not a christian because I don't believe in christian values or any religion whatsoever, there is no afterlife, no reward for being "good" after death, so our reward for being good happens whilst we live and if we're "bad" punishment happens on earth, and not in hell. Little Nihilistic, but that's the way I see it.

I agree with most points mentioned here. These made for some rather pathetic defense arguments in my R.E. classes in Year 11 lol! I am not religious and neither is any of my immediate family but people on my dad's side are Hindu and people on my mother's side are or were Catholic and I go to a Catholic school. I don't agree with any of what we were pretty much forced to learn in Religious education classes for all the reasons stated by everybody else, especially the crap about euthanasia (suffering is a good thing, what a load of bull****).

I was a hardcore christian all of my life. I went to church every sunday and wednesday every week. Then when i was about 16 years old I started having doubts. There are TV shows about church, which is a money thing, they take tithes (offerings of 10% of the money you earned) because it is a money thing. My family and I went to our pastors house one day for dinner, and I saw that they lived in a very fancy house with lots of land, compared to our lovely trailer that caused me never-ending illness due to the large amounts of black mold I took in that eventually made the trailer collapse. None of the family children had to get jobs, whilst I have to clean poop and baby pee at Wal-Mart everyday. They were all happy with fancy cars and I cleaned poop and have to ride a scooter around everywhere in ice and rain storms. Their children all got a paid ride through decent colleges and picked up vixens of men and women as they boyfriends and girlfriends. Im still stuck at Walmart cleaning poo, never as much seen a chicks butt-cheek, and talk on these forums. And I'm almost 19. God is real, but I'm not so happy with him anymore.

I was a hardcore christian all of my life. I went to church every sunday and wednesday every week. Then when i was about 16 years old I started having doubts. There are TV shows about church, which is a money thing, they take tithes (offerings of 10% of the money you earned) because it is a money thing. My family and I went to our pastors house one day for dinner, and I saw that they lived in a very fancy house with lots of land, compared to our lovely trailer that caused me never-ending illness due to the large amounts of black mold I took in that eventually made the trailer collapse. None of the family children had to get jobs, whilst I have to clean poop and baby pee at Wal-Mart everyday. They were all happy with fancy cars and I cleaned poop and have to ride a scooter around everywhere in ice and rain storms. Their children all got a paid ride through decent colleges and picked up vixens of men and women as they boyfriends and girlfriends. Im still stuck at Walmart cleaning poo, never as much seen a chicks butt-cheek, and talk on these forums. And I'm almost 19. God is real, but I'm not so happy with him anymore.

lordlunch2