Forum for former christians

[charitra]

Namaste all, I came across this weblink, which looked somewhat decent and might prove to be useful to all the exchristians. I explored superficially and didnt find anything offensive. I see here many westerners struggling with the vasanas they carried in their earlier years.

http://www.ex-christian.net/

I thought I should bring this up here. Shanti.

[shantiseeker]

I saw that referenced on another thread somewhere but thanks for making it its own thread for those of us in the recovering from Christianity type deal. I have been meaning to check it out, but I just started a new job so am rather occupied assimilating information and tired when I get home. But I will be heading over there soon.

[adevotee108]

Namaste all, I came across this weblink, which looked somewhat decent and might prove to be useful to all the exchristians. I explored superficially and didnt find anything offensive. I see here many westerners struggling with the vasanas they carried in their earlier years.

http://www.ex-christian.net/

I thought I should bring this up here. Shanti.

Namaste,

I am from Hungary, EU with a Christian (Cultural) background. But I have been following the saiva path for a while. I am gonna check that link soon.

[Tāṇḍava]

Namaste all, I came across this weblink, which looked somewhat decent and might prove to be useful to all the exchristians. I explored superficially and didnt find anything offensive. I see here many westerners struggling with the vasanas they carried in their earlier years.

http://www.ex-christian.net/

I thought I should bring this up here. Shanti.

I saw that site before, and I think it is probably very useful to people at a certain stage of leaving Christianity. However I get the feeling that most people there are really defining themselves as "ex Christian". As soon as you define yourself as a Hindu (or something else) rather than what you once were I think that it will be of limited use.

[Eastern Mind]

As soon as you define yourself as a Hindu (or something else) rather than what you once were I think that it will be of limited use.

Vannakkam Tandava: I think this says so much. Something about always wording affirmations in the positive. 'I am a vegetarian' versus 'I do not eat meat.' It's subtle, but when its worded in the negative, it brings up the thought of eating meat. Otherwise the thought doesn't arise at all.

Aum Namasivaya

[sanjaya]

Despite not being a Christian, ex or otherwise, I've poked around this website. What can I say, I spend all my free time looking at religion on the Internet.

Anyway, the problem I see with this site is that it has a strong atheist bias. Most people who leave Christianity just become atheists. Don't get me wrong, I think atheism is better than Christianity, but it's still not all that great of a place to be. So while I'm all for reducing the number of missionaries headed for India, I'd recommend using resources for "ex-Christians" with caution.

[Tāṇḍava]

Despite not being a Christian, ex or otherwise, I've poked around this website. What can I say, I spend all my free time looking at religion on the Internet.

Anyway, the problem I see with this site is that it has a strong atheist bias. Most people who leave Christianity just become atheists. Don't get me wrong, I think atheism is better than Christianity, but it's still not all that great of a place to be. So while I'm all for reducing the number of missionaries headed for India, I'd recommend using resources for "ex-Christians" with caution.

I agree with caution, but for many people it may still provide a useful stage. There is an "ex Christian spirituality" forum, and many people do go through a stage of agnosticism. As the blogger "myownashram" writes:

I had absorbed the idea that if not the Christian god, then nothing.

The danger is hanging on to this concept for too long.

[Caltha]

I spent quite a while reading on that site for a long time before I came here. I had just started going to yoga (i.e. asana) classes and our classes start with three Oms and then a chant that begins "Om namah Shivaya". While it had been a long time since I had been a practicing Christian, I was afraid of the chant because 1) I was strongly drawn to it and 2) according to Christian principles, chanting it would mean that I was going to Hell. So I wanted to spent some time with others who had left Christianity but still feared the Christian Hell.

I, too, noticed the strong atheist bent. I think that it's because if you still acknowledge any sort of spirituality, you have that fear of Hell rushing right back in at you, but Christianity no longer makes sense. When you grow up Christian, or when you become a Christian (usually in your teens) the religion makes you a lot of promises about what your spiritual, emotional, and worldly life will be like (i.e. really good) now that you believe. (And that's not even talking about the promise of heaven after you die!) If anything isn't good, it's all your fault because God is perfect and he has a perfect plan for your life. So obviously, you must be doing something wrong if things aren't good! The pat answers stop making sense to you but if you leave (or even if you openly question), you lose your friends and your social support system. At least that's how it works in the United States.

If any suffering former Christians are reading this, I recommend the books of Bart Ehrman. He has written a number of books explaining what we can actually know about Jesus, his followers, and the history of the early Christian church, given the documents that we have. Valery Tarico and Robert Price have also written very helpful books for anyone trying to come out of the "born again" churches of Christianity.

[Eastern Mind]

If anything isn't good, it's all your fault because God is perfect and he has a perfect plan for your life. So obviously, you must be doing something wrong if things aren't good! The pat answers stop making sense to you but if you leave (or even if you openly question), you lose your friends and your social support system. At least that's how it works in the United States.

Vannakkam: My heart just goes out to the souls who have to go through this mental anguish. Talk about a hellish state of mind.

Aum Namasivaya