I grew up Methodist. From a tiny kid thru high school, I spent almost every Sunday in Sunday School followed by Church services. I lit the candles and sat behind the reverend as he gave his service. Baptized as a baby, went through catechism in my youth, attended Bible school in the summers, read the Bible and studied all the stories, yet even as a kid, I did not believe or accept any aspect of religion. Of course in the 50s and 60s, you'd be crazy to say that you didn't believe in Jesus or God. Back then, not being a Christian was similar to being gay...you would be shunned and belittled if word got out! Only in college did I start to feel comfortable expressing my thoughts about religion and only with close friends. My philosophy is. "Each to their own." I have friends who are very religious and they're always saying how their faith gets them through every day life and that's fine with me. But it's funny how well adjusted, content and happy I am in life with zero interest in any aspect of religion. And I don't need religion to be a good person or good friend to others On those rare occasions where people push their religion on me, I will then ask a few questions. Like how is it that the Jesus story was plagiarized from numerous pagan gods decades or centuries before Jesus lived? How could 600 year old Noah (who lived to be 950) gather two of EVERY animal on earth and put them all on one boat almost 4000 years ago! And how could the entire planet be covered by water? Poppycock! And don't get me going on how old the world is...6000 years old?? Come on! So to me, the choice is "faith in religion" versus the "reality of science and common sense." I get how people desperately want to believe in life after death and they will struggle through life praying, trying to be good and offering their mind, body and soul to Jesus. I’ve chosen to be happy, have fun and enjoy every day while I’m alive! Most of my Christian friends agree that all Hindus, Buddhists, Muslims, atheists, etc. will go to hell because they have not asked Jesus to save them, and I could never accept that! If there was a God, how could he/she/it be so vindictive and uncaring? “Love me, pray to me and ask me to come into your heart and be forgiven for your sins or…you go to hell.” In ending, our earth would be a much better place for all humans and animals if my made-up God was real!!
My churchianity exodus circled around things Yeshua said like "the ONLY separation from you and your creator is in your mind, because there is NO SEPARATION" or "God commands you to forgive your enemies as Yeshua did when they were nailing Him up." BUT god is going to cook in the vilest, most brutal, and vicious way, all of his enemies/non-believers??? HARD PASS on that BS! I have learned so much MORE TRUTH and especially about the lies of religion. I honestly believe that escaping religion is part of the spiritual journey, its like milk to meat. We were NEVER meant to STAY in the schoolhouse/church, but to GROW out of it, but religion stifles that, teaching you that you cant live without their BS guilt-based systems of control, that even YESHUA CONDEMNED, hmmm starting to make more sense why they had to murder him, as fast and as illegally as they did.
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I grew up Methodist. From a tiny kid thru high school, I spent almost every Sunday in Sunday School followed by Church services. I lit the candles and sat behind the reverend as he gave his service. Baptized as a baby, went through catechism in my youth, attended Bible school in the summers, read the Bible and studied all the stories, yet even as a kid, I did not believe or accept any aspect of religion. Of course in the 50s and 60s, you'd be crazy to say that you didn't believe in Jesus or God. Back then, not being a Christian was similar to being gay...you would be shunned and belittled if word got out! Only in college did I start to feel comfortable expressing my thoughts about religion and only with close friends. My philosophy is. "Each to their own." I have friends who are very religious and they're always saying how their faith gets them through every day life and that's fine with me. But it's funny how well adjusted, content and happy I am in life with zero interest in any aspect of religion. And I don't need religion to be a good person or good friend to others On those rare occasions where people push their religion on me, I will then ask a few questions. Like how is it that the Jesus story was plagiarized from numerous pagan gods decades or centuries before Jesus lived? How could 600 year old Noah (who lived to be 950) gather two of EVERY animal on earth and put them all on one boat almost 4000 years ago! And how could the entire planet be covered by water? Poppycock! And don't get me going on how old the world is...6000 years old?? Come on! So to me, the choice is "faith in religion" versus the "reality of science and common sense." I get how people desperately want to believe in life after death and they will struggle through life praying, trying to be good and offering their mind, body and soul to Jesus. I’ve chosen to be happy, have fun and enjoy every day while I’m alive! Most of my Christian friends agree that all Hindus, Buddhists, Muslims, atheists, etc. will go to hell because they have not asked Jesus to save them, and I could never accept that! If there was a God, how could he/she/it be so vindictive and uncaring? “Love me, pray to me and ask me to come into your heart and be forgiven for your sins or…you go to hell.” In ending, our earth would be a much better place for all humans and animals if my made-up God was real!!
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My churchianity exodus circled around things Yeshua said like "the ONLY separation from you and your creator is in your mind, because there is NO SEPARATION" or "God commands you to forgive your enemies as Yeshua did when they were nailing Him up." BUT god is going to cook in the vilest, most brutal, and vicious way, all of his enemies/non-believers??? HARD PASS on that BS! I have learned so much MORE TRUTH and especially about the lies of religion. I honestly believe that escaping religion is part of the spiritual journey, its like milk to meat. We were NEVER meant to STAY in the schoolhouse/church, but to GROW out of it, but religion stifles that, teaching you that you cant live without their BS guilt-based systems of control, that even YESHUA CONDEMNED, hmmm starting to make more sense why they had to murder him, as fast and as illegally as they did.