Salutations, all!
Hi! I'm Alyson, former Apostolic Pentecostal Sunday School teacher, youth leader, and all-around Bible thumper.
The story of my deconversion is a long one, but suffice it to say about three years ago I found myself without a church to go to. I decided to be a good Christian in the meanwhile and keep studying and praying on my own, until I could find a new church.
Nothing will deconvert a Fundie faster than actually reading the Bible.
Within those onionskin pages I found not the "God of Love and Forgiveness" I had been told for 15 years I was worshiping. I found a douchebag who tortures his most devoted followers, then tells them to torture other people. In Jesus, well, he had a pretty good sense of humor and a few good stories. I blame all the deity stuff on, well, the Christians who wrote the stories down a hundred years later, and rewrote them over the next 1500.
And then I had to come to a decision. If Biblegod wasn't working for me, I'd have to find a god that did.
It took an embarrassing amount of study in everything from neopaganism to Baha'i before I decided that if there really is a god, I'd have found it by now. It was a short jump from there to "Yeah, there's probably no god, and here are a lot of good reasons why."
Anyway, it's been about four years, and now I'm just looking to replace the one major loss felt when renouncing religion - that is the loss of a closeknit community of people with like interests.
So, here I am! Nice to see you, nice to be seen, and hope to have lots of fun!
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Alyson Mitchell on -
Thanks!
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Permalink Reply by Dustin WIdmann on -
Unfortunately, the dark side has all the cookies, but welcome none-the-less.
P.S.: Interesting conversion story.
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Permalink Reply by Boatman on -
It is possible top sneak over to the dark side on ocassion, but mind you stay only long enough to steal cookies!!
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Permalink Reply by Robert Karp on -
Alyson thanks for the story. You'll find so many similar stories here. Also, when you ask people who essentially don't go to church or synagog on a regular basis or even don't know if they believe in god why do they not leave their faith, the I will lose my community response is common. That is why sites like this are so important to; provide the community you have lost. My story is similar. I looked into everything from buddism to bahai as well as I lost my feel for the jewish religion. I ended up hear as well and have found a true community of friends and teachers. I hope you will find the same and if you have some members near you, try to meet up with them!
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Permalink Reply by Alyson Mitchell on
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Thanks for all, and I look forward to talking with you more!
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Permalink Reply by Cara Coleen on -
Hi Alyson! Welcome to Think Atheist :) I really appreciate you sharing your story. Mine is very similar to yours; trying to learn more about God and Christianity via other sources than Christian literature (ie the Bible lol), or actually trying to find out from the Jews, rather than the Christians, why Jews don't believe Jesus is their Messiah. Basically, if you ask too many questions, you end up on this side of faith.
I was 25 when I sloughed off the last remainders of my faith, so it's been 3 years for me as well... not including the actual deconversion process (which would add a year or so). I miss community as well. Hopefully we'll all be able to create a network of people we can rely on and befriend :)
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Permalink Reply by Alyson Mitchell on
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Thank you! Wow, that really is similar, down to the timeline. ^_^ So good to meet you!
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Permalink Reply by Cara Coleen on
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Yeah, and I had some APS friends back in the day, too... they tried to help me speak in tongues. That was fun. Which is why I respect your deconversion that much more! I know that denomination is pretty hardcore.
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Permalink Reply by Marc Poulin on -
Great story, I love hearing about Christian teachers or hardcore "bible thumpers" who realize they were wrong the whole time. It's amazing what actually reading the bible can do to a person. It seems so many theists don't realize how much very bad stuff there is inside, and when they do, their eyes open right up. I just wish it happened more often.
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Permalink Reply by Alyson Mitchell on
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My motto is just keep after people.
The more they have to work to defend their deity, the more likely they are to realise the deity isn't worth the effort.
(It's working on my husband. ^_^)
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