What was the one thing that put you over the edge to deconvert to nonbelief?
Contradictions galore; first, within the CofE denomination, then christianity in general, then religion in general. I won't go into deails, you've probably all heard them over and over.
Hypocrisy. Seeing the constant hypocrisy of Christianity in particular, but in all religions generally.
What about Buddhism?
@TuyTran888 i actually like Buddhism but there is no 'God' in Buddhism so i see it differently. However it can be used and manipulated to hurt people like that so-called Buddhist group who is killing Muslims.
@cmontes You like Buddism. How much do you even know about them to like them? How much do you know about Buddha and the difference between what Buddha do and Buddism do? Do you know that majority of the things to most Buddhism do is insulting Buddha because they doing the opposite of what Buddha did?
@cmontes Buddha is a person. While Buddism is a religion. It is an ism, and all ism are quite to be doing.
@TuyTran888 sounds like you are assuming that i don't know what I am speaking about. You sound a bit hostile about it too.
@cmontes In any subject we talk about, there are amount of knowledge we have about it, and there are amount of lack of knowledge in it which is our ignorance. Thus I am trying to figure out the level of knowledge you have in the subject, I do not mean any hostile at all, If there is hostile, point it out, what did I said is hostile. then we can analyze it out.
@TuyTran888 i live 5 minutes away from Deer Park Monastery which is one of Thich Nhat Hanh's monasteries. I have studied there and been on many retreats over the years. I was also involved with other local buddhist centers. I got lots of help from Pema Chodron with my PTSD. I saw the Dalai Lama speak in person. So yes, I am quite familiar with what I speak.
I should start keeping stats on how many times I have answer this question.....
Can not count this one because you did not answer it.
@TuyTran888 gotta give it to you, good point.... Here it goes, read Bertrand Russell "Why am I not Christian" as a teen..... Now I can count it, number ONE.
That in order for my "god" to be all-powerful and all-knowing, this means that this god creates people that he knows he will send to hell. It's fucking maniacal.
Yes, I know. At the same time he doesn't want even one to perish. WTF? They have to know that they are just making this shit up. What can I say? This is what happens when you put 66 individual books together as one.
Returning to business as usual after a suicide attempt and psych center stay, and going off all psych meds. Poof--mysticism gone.
What no OOBE? You got screwed...
I was devout as a teen, raised on sheer fear-indoctrination so integral to evangelical Christianity. I abandoned the crazy fable over 3 years, from age 17 to 20. When your whole identity is wrapped around an ideology, mere logic is not enough to rescue one from religion; not, at least, overnight.
I first left the church for all its blatant hypocrisy. Then I learned some of the many factual errors and contradictions of scripture.
My "final straw," however, was the realization that the fear of damnation was, itself, an oxymoron, a logical impossibility. That is this: If the creative force of the universe is all-knowing, all-powerful, AND the epitome of love, no such being could both create humans with all our limitations, confusion and ignorance, knowing with absolute certainty that billions will end up failing to believe "the right" version of religious teachings, and "he" then ends up condemning these billions and billions to eternal torment, all for the "rebellious crime" of honest doubt that said creator made them with. And this outcome, naturally, is the result of his LOVE for his creations. How absurd. Not just absurd, but impossible. That realization allowed me to stop looking over my shoulder and fearing punishment. No God of love would ever punish for honest doubt.