Hello, my name is Falconjudge. I was raised as a young earth Creationist, and have been a strong Christian sice I was old enough to think.

However, I recently made the grave error of keeping an open mind while reading my study Bible. I started noticing... inconsistancies, logical problems and the like. I internalized them and kept believing. But in the last few weeks, I started researching the Bible on secular websites.

Everything I learned meshed perfectly with doubts I was already having just reading the Bible. It all made perfect sense. The Bible is no different than other scriptures and myths... Oh, how it hurts to say this.

But what if my conclusion is wrong? What if non-belief and being an Agnostic will land me in eternal hellfire? I'm scared. I'm confused. I don't want to think that everything I knew is wrong. But I also feel free... My mother says it's just a faze, that everyone goes through this. But I don't want to believe in a lie just out of fear. And, again, rational thinking is kind of freeing.

Even so, I am afraid. So I keep joining Skeptics forums I find, to have good discussions with intelligent people. I need advice. I need help and conversation.

Also, I really do love science. YEC was the first part of my belief I rejected, back when I was 15. I am now 20, btw.

Welcome mate! You'll find heaps of good advice and people to share your story with here. There'll be a subset of people here who have had very similar (de)conversions to you, so you'll hopefully feel comfortable and safe here.

Aloha Falcon! Welcome to RatSkep.

#1 Don't Panic!
#2 There's dozens of us here who were born into & indoctrinated into various religious superstitions, quit & lived to tell the tale.

What flavor of Christianity were you force-fed? I might be able to point you towards a couple of members who had similar experiences to your own.

It is a little scary realizing there's only little men behind the curtain of the great & powerful OZ.

I mean...Welcome Falconjudge

Welcome.

I think you will find there are many people on this forum that used to be in the same boat as you (scared of eternal fire after they die). It is certainly not an easy thing to shake off, so don't worry if all the "skepticism" doesn't shake off your belief straight away. Maybe head over to the nontheism forum and participate or start a thread.

Welcome to the monkey house. Well, the evolved ape house. Anyway, welcome aboard!

Welcome!


Sent from my iPhone using Magic, or somesuch.

Welcome! I'm in a similar boat.

I've been looking for answers to some questions I have about foundational aspects of Christianity for 2 years without success. Naturally this has left me drifting further from it, even if ever so slowly.

"Unthinking faith is a curious offering to be made to the creator of the human mind."


Welcome to the forum and cold, hard, beautiful reality.

Hi guys, welcome.

You are not alone- I was about 11 years old when great lumpy rashes about my midriff broke out, from horrible worry about hell and all that. Nightmares every night... gruesome. Eventually you realize that you have been told crazy stories, and the layers of lies start peeling off.

Don't worry: if there really were a God, it would not do such things to you, unless it were Evil. If it is Evil, give it the finger and move on. Think about it- we have something that can make the universe but needs to terrify children to keep its flock in order? It is our moral obligation to reject that.

Ironically, the first step is easy for sincere theists. Reject Evil and Lies. Suddenly you are free of a great deal of Christianity (or other religions).

falconjudge wrote:Hello, my name is Falconjudge. I was raised as a young earth Creationist, and have been a strong Christian sice I was old enough to think.

Hi and welcome, I hope you find what you are seeking here. Asking questions about the doubts you have may be a good start.

falconjudge wrote:But what if my conclusion is wrong? What if non-belief and being an Agnostic will land me in eternal hellfire? I'm scared. I'm confused. I don't want to think that everything I knew is wrong. But I also feel free... My mother says it's just a faze, that everyone goes through this. But I don't want to believe in a lie just out of fear. And, again, rational thinking is kind of freeing.

Trouble is it isn't just about non-belief and agnosticism, what if it's Allah? If you are not a Muslim you will still have the fun of experiencing Hellfire for all of eternity. It appears that a few Billion people will be going to Hell whichever one it is.

Good luck.

John

A big warm welcome from South America

Falconjudge, I've been a non-believer my entire life so I have no real insight into what you're feeling here. All I can tell you is that beliefs are malleable and the best kinds of beliefs, the kinds we should hold, are ones that track with the evidence. You might call yourself an agnostic now. Perhaps in the light of evidence (there are a number of theists on the forum presenting theirs) you may go back to you faith, perhaps you might reach the position that no gods exist. Who knows?

The important thing is to think critically and to not be swayed by bullshit like the threat of hell.

Welcome!

Welcome Falcon! I've been through a similar journey as you are going through now it seems. It might seem awkward or 'dangerous' to your own perceptions if you think outside of the christian box (I've been there) but once you manage to let go of the what-ifs*, man what a liberation! Really it felt like fresh air to me, everything just clicking into place.

*) these 'what-ifs' are an essential part of the christian autopilot if you will, they're designed so to keep the christian from thinking too freely. They're non-rational so it takes time for them to wear off. Enjoy the ride mate!

PS: 'The truth shall set you free', oh how I love that one, it defeats them at their own game.

Can't say I understand your plight, I have never been religious by any standard.

Just hope this place helps you to find some peace of mind.

Hi!

rEvolutionist wrote:Welcome mate! You'll find heaps of good advice and people to share your story with here. There'll be a subset of people here who have had very similar (de)conversions to you, so you'll hopefully feel comfortable and safe here.

I've never been a believer but I've read lots of testimonies on here from people going though exactly what you're feeling right now. Believe me when I tell you it will get better, hopefully you can have lots of discussions with others who have been through it and you'll know you're not on your own.

Hopefully too you'll see that your freeing yourself from a lifetime of lies and misconceptions, that WILL feel good, even if it takes a long time to feel that way.

Welcome

falconjudge wrote:I was raised as a young earth Creationist, and have been a strong Christian sice until I was old enough to think.

Fixed it for you!

Seriously though, just embark on an attempt to be an objective outsider, studying religion as if you had never heard of it. What god who values the truth could object to a fresh approach like this? If you succeed to find convincing evidence that would lead an objective outsider to realise your religion represents the truth, then it may just be a world first. If you fail, you can take that any way you want, as a wake-up call to the need for faith, or as a wake-up call to the futility of faith.

Just reassure yourself that a search for truth cannot offend a god of truth, and since the doubts are already there, what more can he expect from you than an honest search for truth? What is revealed about a religion that would discourage you from that?

Wow... such a warm welcome! Thank you. This is the most active skeptic forum I've seen so far.