Religion – Why do Christians deconvert? How can we support or encourage them to do so? This has been the subject of some debate in the Atheist community. To answer these questions I've sat down and considered one of the largest archives of deconversion stories on the internet.
I may be giving away the punchline, but those who read the comments before reading the article deserve it. I wholeheartedly agree with the conclusion: "Ultimately a person has to liberate themselves from religion, it is not for us to assume the role of atheist proselytes."
I've found that for a person raised in a religion it is an individual and hard process to become an atheist, and it has to come from within. As I was growing up, I questioned many things about religion, but what put the last nail into God's coffin for me was the suffering of the innocents. I had no desire to believe in a god that would allow the Holocaust, the famine in Ukraine, the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the burning of Dresden, the killing of the Armenians, and all the other atrocities throughout history.
(BTW, the biggest surprise for me in this essay was that there is an "Atheist community.")
I was a skeptic since a child, but it took meeting and talking with other atheists to solidify my understanding.
Yes there is an atheist community out there, you can suscribe to American Atheist magazine, and go to their conventions.
Suprisingly, a huge Indian (In India) Atheist community exists, funding their own hospitals and schools.
Candida. God agrees with you. He sent His only Son to us and we killed him in one of the most brutal ways we could have.
But in His death. We find the victory of victories.
We can have our sins forgiven and enter heaven.
God allows evil to create the greater good.
In suffering we grow and mature in ways that couldn't any other way.
We're only here for a few years. We can be with Him for eternity.
Unitarian-Universalism welcomes people of all (or no) faith, and they've been around for quite a while. A couple of years ago I read that was the fastest growing religion in Ireland. Another great group of atheists is the Brights--a very active and growing group. The most well-known are probably the Secular Humanists and Ethical Culture Society.
The atheist community is growing. That's a good thing,IMO.
There is a 400 year old Unitarian Church in Charleston SC.
Yes, a unitarian church is a good place to experience the sanity of people who realize there is no invisible god floating up there.
"Yes, a unitarian church is a good place to experience the sanity of people who realize there is no invisible god floating up there."
This doesn't tend to reflect the understanding of the majority of UU members or churches I've visited with. But they do embrace people following their own beliefs. Including atheism.
Hell and all these years I had assumed that there were very few of us, I don't join groups but it's good to know I am not alone.........
American Atheists http://www.atheists.org/
International Humanist and Ethical Union http://www.iheu.org/
Atheist Alliance International http://www.atheistalliance.org/
Freedom from Religion Foundation http://www.ffrf.org/
American Ethical Union http://www.aeu.org/
The Brights http://www.the-brights.net/
Council for Secular Humanism http://www.secularhumanism.org/
Unitarian-Universalism http://www.uua.org/
Atheism is perhaps too simple a conclusion...I definitely prefer the term agnostic. There is surely some greater intelligence out there. Likely nothing we could recognize or understand because we as humans are on such a relatively low plane of intelligence.
As for converting Christians. It is really up to them. They must shed the shackles they acquired from past generations. Learn that what they believe is myth - the fear and superstition of ancient man. That we created God to explain the unexplainable. And created heaven and hell as symbols of glorification and condemnation.
We live on a planet with a cooling molten core surrounded by a magnetic field and with a highly erratic weather pattern. That explains a lot right there. To believe in the Bible is to believe that we are all products of incest. That explains the rest.
"To believe in the Bible is to believe that we are all products of incest. "
To believe this is to embrace the most literal, narrow view possible of a rich text whether or not you believe it is holy.
Hate to tell you, but there *are* literalists out there who believe the Bible is 100% true, as written, and that when Cain moved out there were 3 people on the planet, and 8 people after the Flood. A literal read of the Bible leaves you with several family trees that don't fork much.
Literalism is the most dangerous thought form to humanity. If you build up your whole entire life sticking the "the story", usually as someone else has interpreted for you already, on your last breath you may finally learn that you were wrong then entire duration of your life. What a kick in the pants that will be!
I'm keeping all possibilities open just in case ;-)
"I'm keeping all possibilities open just in case"
So you've made the customary offerings to Shiva today?
I don't need to offer anything to any entity. Yet, I do not doubt that Shiva is real to those who follow that myth. The message of Shiva, however, is all encompassing once decompressed in a practical way. Therefore, by acknowledging the wisdom of the message of Shiva, I acknowledge the Truth that transcends all paths.
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Now Christians are going to get all upset about atheist trying to get people to come over to our way of thinking, while they have no problem whatsoever trying to bring people to the feet of Jesus.
It's about educating people. Once people have a basic understanding of atheism, it's not a scary or bad thing.
Yes, I think education is absolutely key. The cultural indoctrination people receive early that is strongly reinforced by powerful others (parents, teachers, ministers, the community, etc.) is difficult to change once it has become reified.
Framing a perceived "force" using the metaphor of a benevolent father by the ancients evolved into fixed beliefs based on patriarchy. For example, it evolved from a tool used to draw analogies and share ideas, into a fixed belief that the priesthood be from the house of David and have male genitalia in Catholicism.
That in turn was reinforced due to the printing press being used initially only to print books of indoctrination, like the Bible, and those books being used to teach literacy.
Some personalities tend to fixate on positions rather than be open to new ideas. That's useful for holding institutions together, protecting writings and traditional ideas so they survive, and maintaining a stable culture over time.
Other personalities tend to fixate on a more ideal future rather than preservation, and thus (oversimplified) value change over the status quo to some extent.
Southern Baptist leaders recently decided they'd gotten away from the ancient teachings of Paul. They suddenly regressed, and embraced the past, which resulted in a "regression to the mean," and cataclysmic change to an earlier state of belief. Women lost professorships in their colleges because of a single statement by Paul. We also saw this occur in Iran with Khomenei's rise to power and subsequent regression to ancient Islamic beliefs.
Recent studies suggest certain areas of the brain are activated in religious fervor that are similarly activated by non-religious situations. Also, deconversion may not be just a choice made based on questioning underlying assumptions, identifying inconsistencies, etc. Individual personality may predispose one to even be open to the idea that a choice exists.
"Recent studies suggest certain areas of the brain are activated in religious fervor that are similarly activated by non-religious situations."
Mystic experiences tend to share the same are of the brain as music.
However the fact that certain areas of the brain that show activity during religious and non-religious situations doesn't prove that religious experience is invalid.
The ONLY way athiests can win converts from Christianity is to recruit those that do not know their faith. Period.
Clearly, that is not the only way. Atheists don't necessarily need to do anything. Often times Christians deconvert because of the actions or statements of other Christians.
Ampersand.
Christians who KNOW their faith-- as in the doctrine do not let others that do not know their faith influence them.
When you have true faith and knowledge in the Almighty through the Catechism, you would never give anybody that kind of power to sway you from that which is pure love, light and truth.
And others deconvert because they know their faith too well and start noticing contradictions within the doctrine, which requires no influence from other people.
Again, they do not know their faith if they convert. Simply because we have the teaching magisterium of the Church that tells us how to read the Bible (Dei Verbum). We also have Apostolic Succession and we learn there may be contradiction when taken out of context, but there is no contradiction in the entire message.
"Again, they do not know their faith if they convert."
Again, you don't know WTH you're talking about. Some are apostates BECAUSE they know their faith.
Then they never believed in the first place. And were more than happy to assume a religion of atheism where "I" am God and there is nobody above "me".
I don't believe you're qualified to judge what or whether they believed.
But you are?
I never said I was.
I happen to know a few atheists/deists whose deconversion began only after they learned more about thier religion.
As far as their *faith* goes - I know only what they've told me. *If* there is a god, their faith is a matter between them and it.
"Often times Christians deconvert because of the actions or statements of other Christians."
Not to agree with Locky here, but Locky's twisted view of Christianity and Catholicism has strengthened my own understanding of the Gospels and Christ's actions. Especially towards the poor and marginalized. So the hateful statements of other Christians (or other religious fanatics) doesn't necessarily mean one will embrace the faith of atheism.
"Now Christians are going to get all upset about atheist trying to get people to come over to our way of thinking, while they have no problem whatsoever trying to bring people to the feet of Jesus."
It seems somewhat hypocritical for those who always bitch and moan about Christians trying to convert to try and embrace conversion.
V for Vendetta =P