Fao Mikey4444 .... And Anyone Else Who Wants To Contribute

[naomi24]

Mikey, you said on another thread that you're an ex-Christian. I didn't want to hi-jack someone else's thread, so I'm asking separately - what prompted you to abandon the religion?

Same question to anyone else who has done similarly.

[pixie373]

I was brought up a Christian at first. My gran especially, was very religious and sent me into Sunday school while she went to the church. I was probably about 5 or 6 when i realised the stories the teachers were telling just didn't sound realistic at all and it scared me that these adults seemed to believe them.

[emmie]

i didn't have much of a faith to start with, but i grew up and away from establishment traditions, including the church. I did go to a church school, however the preaching of the gospels, and i have read the bible doesn't make me feel it has anything to offer, then i learned about the world and how it was created, read Darwin and anything else that gave me some insight, became interested in the cosmos, the universe, and decided that science can and does explain matters, whilst the idea of a world if taken literally being created in a few days rather hard to process.

[Old_Geezer]

Seems folk are tending to reject the ancient explanations that tend to be held by more extreme believers these days, rather than necessarily rejecting the morality/philosophy held by a religion then. Does not accepting all mean one rejects all ?

[emmie]

one can be a good person, not kill, maim, hurt humans beings without having to resort to a book that tells them how to live their lives

[Sycamore3House]

I was brought up to go to church and attended Sunday School. My grandparents were very religious. These and other relatives were held in high esteem by members of the family because of there involvement with the church. But I did not think that these churchgoers were actually nice people even though they were family. As I got older I realised that they were hypocrites and therefore went against them by no longer attending.

[Old_Geezer]

I don't think that's the issue. It's only a book of rules if you interpret it like that. Otherwise is a number of opinions/views you either tend to accept or not and decide if you are broadly in line with or not. No one forces exact adherence to every bit.

[RATTER15]

I was brought up in a family that were totally devoted to the Salvation Army, My Grandfather even played in the band at the funeral of William Booth (Founder)
I also played in the band as did my Father all my brothers and sisters, Aunties and Uncles. I went to their church meeting Sunday mornings, afternoons and evenings, band practice twice a week and Bible study once a week.

It was at Bible study that I first started doubting what I was reading and was asking my Teacher questions that he didnt seem comfortable answering (that Teacher is now my cousin). Then when I was at school my history lesson was directly after my RE. lesson. We they both had different ideas of where we all came from and how the earth was made. Again my teachers were not happy about the me questioning the contradictions in what we were being taught. This really planted the seeds of doubt and at the age of about 12 I decided that was all a lot of silly nonsense and my teachers were not being truthful in what they were teaching me. I was not the most popular lad in town when I dropped out the Salvation Army and the band I can tell you.

[RATTER15]

OG, so how do you decide what bits you want to believe and why? If you disbelieve some bits surely you must question the validity of all of it. Also, what good is in the Bible, I certainly dont need a book of lies and silly stories to tell me what is right and wrong. Its a book of barbaric actions and abuse, slaver and sexual abuse.

My morals tell me that it is a book about a so called God that I want nothing to do with.

[RATTER15]

//It's only a book of rules if you interpret it like that.//

That the problem, people interpret it to mean just what they want it to mean.

[Zacs-Master]

Articles like this?
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/religion/10775722/Justin-Welby-the-anguish-I-face-over-gay-marriage.html

[beso]

@ Ratter

What instrument did you play in the Salvation Army band? Do you still play?

[Peter Pedant]

and the other side - being an Eastery thing

I was digging up documents in Egypt - you know as one does - and we dug up an important poet ('s works) - and identified it with internal evidence. The poet Gallus had addressed his girlie as Lycori - and only he would do that so the lines had to be by him....very very early latin on papyrus. In fac the earliest by a hundred y or so. The opinions of the Latinists on this are now accepted as The Gospel Truth ( erm pun intended )

and we also dug up religious texts - and everyone readling this will say ah yes they were famous forgeries called 'The Gospels'. However they were documents and one can ask questions - what do they say - why do they say it - why were they written, and when were they written.

in fact all the questions that come up when you dig up an amphora-of-olive-oil receipt can be applied to the other pile of documents marked 'religious' Some people will notice that this is a mirror post to those who went to history lessons directly after R E and lost ffaith. The contrast of two states of mind, which I have used in this post is a very old literary gadget.

IN preparation of this post, I goggled Metzger my fave writer on this subject - and in the eastery spirit his famous book
on the NT - where did it come from ?
is here: ( free ! )

http://ixoyc.net/data/Fathers/134.pdf

Not much from the RCs on biblical crit nowadays - presumably they are too afraid of getting burnt if popey doesnt like it.

[beso]

Most people who say they follow the Bible don't really know it very well.

As for morality it does very poorly by modern standards. The deeply embedded sexism clearly shows it was written by a bunch of arrogant misogynist men.

[RATTER15]

beso, I played the cornet, I never touched it again after I left, shame really!

[heathfield]

As someone (I forget who) said about the different Christian churches, it's like shopping for shoes. You have it fixed in your mind what you want, but you can't find the exactly right thing, Also, not one of these churches has found a way to catch up and deal with a huge amount of more recent historical information which contradicts their religious dogmas.

[Old_Geezer]

Of course I can pick & choose Ratter. I use my judgement on everything I read/am told, be it religion, science, whatever. Then decide how much I'm in tune with what has been presented. I don't think there is any better way to filter knowledge and retain control of my beliefs, especially as society will hold me responsible for them.

Folk may interpret what/how they wish, that is why folk discuss things between themselves to come to valid consistent viewpoints.

[RATTER15]

OG, so how do you know what is the truth as the Bible is supposed to be the truth, yet it clearly isnt.

So you think you know what is true and just believe those bits?

its a bit like choosing the nice bits from a fairy tale and choosing to believe in them.

Do you think you need the Bible to help you distinguish between right and wrong?

[Old_Geezer]

How do I ever know what is true ? I weigh up the conjecture put forward, in my mind, and if it seems reasonable I label it as being true until I know differently.

I think I know what I think is true. Don't we all ?

It's not a case of needing one or other thing in order to know right from wrong, it's a case of being willing to consider other points of view and coming to a reasoned conclusion.

[RATTER15]

OG, and that works when reading the Bible, you know what is true and what isnt?

[Old_Geezer]

It works whatever one reads. One may decide what one believes to be true and what not.