Nope. I was glad to be rid of the church and to stop having to justify an obviously misogynistic, blood-thirsty Hebrew god who told us to love and obey him or burn forever. Even Jesus said that.

As for Christians, they are miserable, filled with fear of hell, only coming to church and going through the motions to keep up peer approval.

My transformation experience was gradual: from "Christianity isn't working for me; I'll find another system that works"--through of a couple of intermediate steps--ultimately arriving at "I don't need another 'system' like that; I can get my needs for those kinds of things (e.g. meaning, purpose, connectedness, etc.) met from other quarters of my life."

I have the advantage of having never been particularly hung up on conventions, so it's pretty easy for me to make sustitutions and translations across domains like this.

i feel for you, but no, i did not go through it. i didn't have to leave any church, for example. i was raised in a secular jewish family and i came to the realization, age 15, that there were no gods. this was a surprise but not a shock. it didn't even seem worthy of announcing -- i mean,to whom? who would care whether or not i believed in a god? my life didn't change on account of that.

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Religions are set up to play on your fears to keep you in line. If you don't do this, that will happen. Be good or pay the consequences. Be good or go to hell when you die. It's bunk. When you die, you'll go where everything else goes, wherever that is. Your parents have your best interest at heart. They don't think they're lying to you, even if they're mistaken. What I'm saying is, don't worry. Relax. Life is for living and enjoying. Not everything in religion is wrong. The Golden Rule is not a bad thing or a bad way to go. Just don't let the religious stress you out. All just my opinion. Not to be confused with fact.

Yes! I was raised in church and it still seems so odd to have Sundays "to myself" (I work weekends and have an 8yo, no day is to myself). But more than that is the community. The UU (Unitarian universalist church) accepts all fairths, or lack thereof, and provides that sense of community. I personally found it in our home school co-op.

For me as a agnostic/humanist I think the question you really need to ask is what do you need to fill that hole? Ask this without considering our opinions here on this site or the opinions of your Christian friends. Everyone has an opinion. But at the end of the day we are all alone with our own thoughts. If you have a non judgmental Christian friend who is willing to meet you with an open mind cool. If you have an Atheist or agnostic friend willing to do the same cool. For me its all about the non judgment. I have little patience with people who think they know. What makes you happy? What do you need or want for a meaningful life? Their are people of all stripes who will not play the passive/aggressive game. One thing I realized at a very young age is it is not what you believe or know so much as what you do. Ask yourself honestly what you need to do to move forward. Forgot the social aspect of your former Christianity and adapt what you need from it to maintain peace let it go as you evolve into something better. Always take labels with a grain of salt. Absolutes when it comes to human interactions are I think a poison often as they set you in a static place were your identity is contingent on others being wrong. Others will always be wrong but so will you. It is the human condition we live in a cold void and connections are what warm it up. Not just with other humans but nature, animals, even imaginary things like a good story, myth, idea, poem, song. Hold onto these things. Another aspect is the purely rational and mundane. Is what you want somewhere else? Another city, another state? Going back to school? Many times a goal that seems impossible is a good beginning for growth. Save money, look for a new job. Evolution is painful but vital for real progress and change.

I never had that many feelings for religion to let it bother me when I quit it. However I didn’t come out as an open atheist until my parents were dead as my mom was very religous and I didn’t want to fight with her. I still don’t mention my atheism to my religous friends as I like to avoid confrontations. I’d do have a couple of friends who are also atheist who I can discuss my lack of religous beliefs with but where I live openly atheist people are extremely rare.

You are going through the classical existential crisis. You are realizing that there is no external force to provide you meaning and answers. You feel alone in the universe and realize that on other person will ever really understand you. But, that is okay. You are free to define yourself and to create your own meaning and understanding. You are free to choose and forge your own path by your choices and actions. Bu,t you are also responsible for your own choices and actions and their consequences, for in each case, you could have chosen otherwise.

It is time to celebrate your freedom and to simply move ahead -- not to be puzzled and overwhelmed. It is up to you -- and no one else.

Its natural to feel an emptiness after leaving the Church. It will get better.

These may help...(also see many of the posts here, as many have & are going through the same things)

You may have already been asked this and answered it, so if you did I apologize, but why did you leave your faith, was it a realization that came to you that there are no good reasons to believe or was it something else and do you still kinda believe a little?

Yes and no. I never felt cut off from my friends - because my friends were never particularly religious. And those that were - were tolerant.

I did have to figure out what there being no god(s) meant to me. And it was a process. (And I feel into the woo pile for a while - as some do. Some go sort of "religion lighter".).

My parents were always concerned how I would "make do" without god.

Turns out I did fine.

I just didn't like the illogic of "Because god says so". That was way more distracting that anything I've done to compensate.

Hang in there!

If you need new friends I'm sure you could post about that too. All sorts of non-religious places to do that. Especially at your age.

When I first acknowledged that the god I'd been taught to believe in couldn't possibly exist, my first feelings were that God had betrayed me. Which was super weird because I was feeling like a being that I knew didn't exist had betrayed me....

Religion messes with your head. You will work through these things over time.

I would never have this problem because religious beliefs are illogical. If it doesn't make sense it is easy to discount. For me anyway.

Yes, I went through this process you are going through. Including the intrusive thoughts. That was a rough period but from my experience, it was worth it because of where I am now.

Examine those feelings and identify the thoughts you are having that bring on the feelings. Analyze the thoughts and determine if they are true. Write it all out so that the truth will be keyed into all levels of your consciousness. In some cases the truth might be that the answer is not known, but that in any event there is nothing to fear. In truth, there is absolutely NOTHING to fear.

Read “The Church’s development of the Hell Myth” by Denker, just below your post. Consider reading “Help Yourself to Happiness” by Dr Maxie Maultsby Jr. Find other social outlets.

Good luck in your journey. Stick it out and you’ll be in for a joyous life of deep awareness, awe and appreciation. Remember, THERE IS NOTHING TO FEAR!

The God myth can be difficult to get over.

Some people's Canmore live with out religion, others cannot live with it, just try to not lose the friend s even if you don't want to mess with the church now