We wanna hear it. Tell us what first made you question your beliefs, how you detached from your faith, and what life has been like for you since. What do you struggle with? What gives you meaning and peace?
Forum
We all come from different backgrounds. Many of us have the same story. We want to know yours.
Not ready to share yet? That's okay. Maybe you're still trying to figure out how you feel about your changing beliefs. Or maybe you live in a place where apostasy is punishable by death. Whether you just want to read, contribute anonymously, or engage in respectful debate, we hope you find comfort connecting with the growing community of others who dared to doubt.
Search
For safety's sake, log-in is required to post in the forum. You may remain anonymous and you are not required to participate. Only to respect your fellow doubters. We’re all in varying stages of questioning and withdrawal. Those who faith-shame or fear-monger may be asked to leave. Help keep our community supportive and safe!
It is a scary thing to be that vulnerable., yet through the the stories of others I was and am encouraged.
I am on a soul-searching truth ever since I blurted out on FB(staunch Mormon) post whining about the end of America. GOD FIRED TRUMP. And then I lost my upbringing best friend after my post....Fools voted a master of his dogs. No regret at all and I got few raving comments but my son pled me to remove the post as we are living in Trump’s dog pound. I finally soared out of the Bible nest but I am magnetically stuck flying at the Bible Belt. Cannot wait to launch my retirement date-June 2022 depending on the weather.
Oh, I forgot to add...I am a former Trump voter. Boy I was a blind dog at that time. I felt so better after finding out the truth.
My "Coming out story" I find pretty hilarious. Here it goes: My father is second only to the Pope, seriously. One visit to our home in Branson, Missouri he and my mother planned a trip to Tennessee to see a friend. Before departing he called his priest in Nevada to explain that his friend was an Episcopalian and would it be alright to attend his church. The response was a flat out, "negative". Using the Google map machine, he discovered that the nearest Catholic church was an hour away from his friend's home in Tennessee. He made the drive.
Coming out to him happened on that same trip. Each morning we'd sit on the porch and enjoy our coffee and chat. Well, a Jehovah's Witness made the trek up the stairs and gave her opening speech to the three of us. I let her finish and said, "Well, you're here with two insanely devout Catholics and an Atheist, give it your best shot." I gathered the courage to slowly turn my head toward my father and nearly spit out my coffee at his expression! He sat there, mind whirring in who knows how many different directions and simply gave me a look somewhere between astonishment and incredulity. LOL It's a moment I'll cherish forever.
well, I grew up in a pretty well established working class neighborhood. Mostly white, mostly protestant. I was the born in last year of the Baby Boomers (1964). I don't feel like a boomer, or gen x, but there it is.
In High school I developed a huge crush on a girl. She invited me to a youth group her friends had established. Any excuse to hang around her was all I needed. It was a Christian group, we met Fridays with songs, praise, and a message.
A few months later, she rejected my advance. Heartbroken, but I had made other friends. so I kept going to church. Then to slightly more ecstatic church and then finally fully committed to a foursquare church.
Met a girl and got married. Had kids, had a home. Going to church every week =, kids going to youth on Wednesdays. Managed to do that for years.
Then, in 91,, I found Nirvana. I wont bother all yall with the lifechanging experience that grunge at the time did for me. All I knew is I felt the pain they were expressing.
I started doing more science, reading, etc. And the magics of god got smaller and smaller. Eventually I realized that god don't make sense.
So, about 5 years ago, it's all over. I am embarrassed at the things I said and the way I treated some people. Now I've got this life to live my best.
I was raised in a mainstream protestant church accompanied by the sanitized Sunday School versions of Noah, Sampson and Moses. It all seemed nice but my young neurotic mind was not calmed with the fear of hell; suffering and injustice; or why evil exists. These topics were never addressed.
After high school my concerns were calmed after being introduced to biblical fundamentalism. That was the answer. Standing firm on every word and promise in scripture would establish my confidence and rightful place as a Christian. That would take a twist once I started listening to word-faith charismatics preachers on TV. My young male ego loved Kenneth Copeland's teaching on the authority of the believer. Once I bring my faith level up a notch and remove some sin and I'll soon be moving mountains! Praise God!
It was at my word-faith church where a visiting prophet pastor told me that I'm called to the ministry. Without questioning it I finished out my second year at a state college that I was plenty happy with and moved 500 miles away to attend an accredited pentecostal school. I harbored unrealistic expectations that I'd walk into a utopia of enlightened staff and student environment. That didn't happen. Compared to the state college I left, there was a lot disingenuousness, pettiness and role-playing. This school did, however, steer me away from hyper-charismatic teachings as they considered it heresy. Also, they addressed some questions from my childhood - hell, suffering, injustice, and discrepancies in the bible. Problem was, none of it stood up under the light of skepticism. I now assumed my questions had no answers.
Feeling less enthusiastic about my faith by graduation, I pursued work in HHS instead of church ministry. Still called myself a Christian but didn't want to deal with the unresolved issues so mentally shelved it for years. Then I happened upon a YouTube deconversion story where the person asked, 'how would the outcome of my prayers have changed if I'd been praying to a jug of milk instead of God?' This sparked me to pursue broader questions. It took time, but am now I'm fine with saying I don't see evidence of a God; don't need to claim knowledge of the origins of the universe; don't need divine appointment to find purpose; and don't need an immortal soul to appreciate this life I have.