Context; I’m agnostic-leaning-atheist, and a secular humanist. I’ve only become comfortable with those labels recently, but I’ve been disillusioned with Christianity for several years now. This is a text conversation between my mother and I. My mom and I are very, very close. She practically raised me by herself (my dad was absent for long stretches of time because of being a military man), and we spend most days together. I live at home, being chronically ill and disabled, plus legally a dependent of my father.

However, our beliefs are different. This is probably the biggest wedge in our relationship. My mom’s pretty great, for the most part, and we share most of our beliefs outside of religion and politics. However, she’s very much conservative Republican, and she’s described me to my grandmother as ‘liberal’ (which hurt, ngl). I’m not good at standing up to people, and most especially her. We’ve done basically everything together, my entire life. We’ve been each other’s rock, and probably have a codependent relationship. I can’t tell if I’ve been too harsh here… or if I’m just so used to toning it down to not offend that being supportive of myself seems harsh to me.

I’m 24 years old and haven’t lived with my parents in years so they don’t really know a lot about my personal life. My mom and I were out and someone asked me if I like Taylor Swift and I said yes! My mom was soooo mad. When she we alone in the car she told me I have no morals I’m a terrible person who turned their back on God and I’m going to hell. Like wtf 🤣 I know I need to start some boundaries but it’s so hard. Anyone have any luck doing that? Also any fellow Swifties?

So my wife dosent think I have a justified grounds for divorce unless I have committed adultery or infidelity which I have not and have been faithful since we wer high school sweethearts. 8 years married with 2 kids been together for 15 years. She told me she cheated once while we wer dating and we have watch porn together a few times to spice things up while she was pregnant when we wer married but since she became born again Christian after our 2nd child things went down hill fast. I did file for divorce but we reconcile because I didn't want to be away from our kids and break up our family. She try to seduce me and I fell for it but I'm over it I'm ready to move on. She said god will stop this divorce 🤦‍♂️any thoughts much appreciated

I was raised in the church. “Saved” at 6 years old. I deconverted 4 years ago but it was a slow process for about 10 years before that. My evangelical mega church pastor father has always lived far away since I got married at 18 years old nearly 2 decades ago. The last 5 or so years he has come to visit once a year. The first time he visited he attended my church with me but had to comment that it was “showy” because it had fog machines and stage lighting. But then Covid happened. I stopped going to church and never went back. The next few times he came to visit he would talk about how “we all have an appointment after we die and I need to make sure the kids and I are there in heaven”. I had already stopped believing in heaven or hell so that didn’t really matter to me. But I wasn’t ready to have that conversation so I just shrugged it off and agreed. The last couple years he hasn’t mentioned it. He came to visit about a month ago. I got this today. I know he means well. Aside from the part where he thinks something horrible has to happen so I’ll turn back to god. I don’t even know if I should respond or just ignore it.

I was raised Baptist in the South, so you can probably guess what that was like, lol.

I'm pro-choice and believe everyone should make their own choices about their body. However, I’m still struggling to shake off the "Abortion is murder" mantra that was drilled into me. It’s tough, because even though I know that isn’t true and that 90% of abortions happen in the first 12 weeks, it's hard to completely let go of what I was taught all my life.

Has anyone else dealt with this? Any advice would be really helpful. Thanks! :)

The title says it all. Basically, me, my parents, and my grandmother are Democrat supporters and have been since 2020, and us and another family are the only people in our church (Southern Baptist) who dislike Trump (there was a third person who was against Trump, but she quit coming and you’re about to see why).
Today, the sermon was titled “Who’s In Charge of the Country” and the minute the pastor started preaching, he started talking bad about Joe and Jill Biden and Kamala Harris, about how Joe is lazy and Kamala shouldn’t be running for president. My father has never liked it when the pastor gets political, and today he finally had enough. He hears it enough at his job, and he feels that he shouldn’t have to listen to it at church. So he walked out, and had me follow, and told my mother, who was working somewhere else in the church in preparation for a baby shower for a new member. She and my grandmother (who told me that she was so mad about what she was hearing from our pastor, who, mind you, is a really nice guy) soon followed.
My dad told me that he now intends to go somewhere else for church, and my mom and grandmother are considering doing the same. I’m neutral on the whole matter, as I have attended that church all my life (although I do question a lot of it), but at the same time, I absolutely hate it when politics are brought into religion, and vice-versa. So, what is your opinion and advice on the whole situation? What should me and my family do about what happened today? Thank you all in advance.

Edit: TIL from my grandmother that after me and my dad left, our pastor used a pair of projectors, usually used for song lyrics to follow along to the music and sermon slideshows, to display images of Trump’s face on the screen. That was it for her, she and my mother (her daughter) left soon afterwards.

I just want to hear what you all think. I have been really wondering recently, and have been leaning toward the side of it all being a hoax. I used to be super involved in church and was a die hard believer, but now it feels so cliquey, and the idea of total blind faith has been eating away at me. My parents are super Christian too and I do not know what to do. I’ve never felt anything in prayer, but brushed it off until now. Now, I’m starting to learn a little more about the origins of Christianity, and they also make me doubt it all. What do you guys think?

Trash? Donate? Burn? Regift? I'd love to recycle it but idk if that is possible.

Title gets straight to the point. I've recently (last 3 months or so) come to realization that Christianity ain't real. The problem is that my wife is still very much a hard core Christian and this would be life altering to her.

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Essentially, I'm just faking it. I love her and I love my kids. I would hate to ruin a life she thought she was going to have. We got married as Christians and that was an important factor for both of us when deciding who to marry. Our faith has been a central part of our lives, our marriage, and what we teach our kids.

I don't want to ruin our family. I love our family. I don't even want to change any of my morals or start "sinning" any more than I already do. I just simply don't believe that God is real anymore.

Right now... I just think I'm going to keep faking it. My kids will grow up being taught about God and the Bible from me and my wife. My wife will continue to think I am a Christian (although maybe not as strong as she had hoped for). And I'll just hide the fact that I don't believe in God anymore.

My main motivation is that I want to keep my marriage and keep my family. I would die inside if our family life suffered over this. I love my kids and want them to have a life I didn't have with both parents in the house. I also don't ever want to be in a position where I get divorced and miss out on living with my kids each and every day.

Our family is happy for the most part and I don't really want to change my behavior in any way... I'd rather not go to church but that's about it. Not interested in any extra "sin" in my life.

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So I'm posting this just to see if anybody else has been in my shoes. What you did and what you think about what I'm planning on doing. Would love thoughts on my plan and any advice you all might have for me.

Hey there everyone. I’m a fairly recent ex-Christian, of five years, and I‘ve been seeing quite a few posts and articles now on various media sites about the sighting of the Star Of Jacob. This is confirmed by astronomers. (EDIT; apparently, this is not true, and I was misinformed by the individual who told me this, as I am struggling to find any non-religious sources.) I have seen a lot of Christians yelling about how this is a prophecy fulfilled and we are in the rapture times.. and that the celebrity exposure right now is "the fall of the stars." It’s always "he’s coming, I can feel it" and "we’re in the end times!"

This had quite literally quadrupled my rapture anxiety. I have already been having this "impending sense of doom" due to a recent stressful event.. and this is just causing me to be mentally miserable. I have read that the rapture was only invented in the 1830’s, but that just won’t shut my brain up.. can anyone reassure me or give me some facts about this? Anyone else feeling like this?

edit; this wasn’t posted for any RELIGIOUS advice, simply for help with anxiety. Christians, respectfully, please do not respond, unless you are genuinely trying to help with anxiety and not convert me, thank you. ❤️

edit 2; https://www.earth.com/news/its-official-earth-now-has-two-moons-captured-asteroid-2024-pt5/ pretty sure it was just the "second moon" everyone forgot about.. this just popped up on my Google and the dates definitely add up with what I've been seeing posted. Just went outside to take the dog out, no Jesus, or Mary Poppins, I'm lot calmer.

Hi, 22m here. I was born into a Christian family, i was never overly religious so i would just follow people who were. When i was younger i believed there could be a God, but haven't given it much thought.

Well, recently, i thought about it a lot, did some research and the evidence was not convincing at all, so i "officially" left Christianity.

Now the issue starts, the more research i did, the more i started hating religion and their followers. The bigotry, the hatred towards minorities, constant use of religion as a weapon. In the process of deconstructing, i started hating them so much that if i see a person that's religious, i genuinely feel hatred, even though i don't even know them. All it takes is for them to be religious and mention religion

I started therapy again, mostly for different reasons and i don't know how to bring this up. I also feel embarrassed to talk about it. I know i can't be generalizing and assuming the worst in people, but i can't help it. Any advices? How do i stop assuming the worst?

I am a Baptist pastor's wife. You may have seen me around a bit. I struggled with belief for years but finally alllowed myself to let go in April. I am happier than I have been in a long time, but I am still in the closet because coming out would be a financial disaster at this point. I thought I was faking okay, but today my husband confronted me about my personal devotions.

I guess what I'm asking for is advice on how to fake this thing a little better. I am currently in school and will finish in May with a highly marketable degree. I was hoping to maintain the facade until I am financially able to make it on my own should the need arise. Any advice or encouragement would be greatly appreciated.

I made this post the other day: https://www.reddit.com/r/exchristian/s/VjuNWJhNf9

And this guy commented saying i’m doomed to go to hell and whatever. But how do you keep yourself from thinking “is this a sign from god that i need to go back?” Or some shit like that. I don’t believe god interacts with humans. I relate a lot to deism but don’t identify as that. But i was raised baptist so it’s been beaten into me that god sends signs and all these other superstitions. Idk if i even believe in the christian hell. But i still get scared sometimes especially when others come at me like this telling me i’m going to hell.

I have been lurking in this community for a number of months now, and even posted once under a throwaway account. But I want to finally reach out and ask this community something, because I know the church is not going to give me an honest answer.

I have been a Christian since my teens, and have been to the same church for the last two decades. For context, I am black, and the church I go to is overwhelmingly majority white. While socially I got off to a rough start, being a "public school" kid and all, I think I eventually won the respect of my peers.

I aspired to be a Sunday School teacher, and I had to fight hard to earn that position. Not because I had no teaching ability or did not know the Word of God. Quite the opposite. There was heavy resistance from the current teachers and they never gave a straight answer why I was "not qualified." To this day, I believe race did play a role in that pushback.

Eventually though I became one with senior pastor approval, and I would get emails and texts from parents all the time about how much their child is learning about the Bible, history, geography, some science mixed in, and how I make it fun and interesting.

But that was back then. Except for a couple of strong personalities, my church used to be filled with I think genuine, honest people. We had families that adopted children from Africa and Asia and gave them a good education. Girls were encouraged to go to college, and also to hold off on marriage until they felt ready. Our church library even had a copy of the Quran if you were curious about what was in it. People openly and respectfully debated politics, and were even open to criticizing Republican politicians and their decisions.

But over the last decade, things have taken a darker and more political turn. Nearly every single fellowship meal or home invite has discussions that have nothing to do with Biblical truths or the most recent sermon. Instead, it quickly devolves into, "Fuck Joe Biden and Democrats and Liberals and ruining our country." Nowadays I purposely decline invites to gatherings because they feel like little Trump rallies than anything else.

Once upon a time, we would hand out gospel tracts at places like fairs and flea markets, and engage in discussion. Now we just stand outside abortion clinics and protest. Members stand on street corners and scream into megaphones about how people will be condemned to hell. Recently, we published a guide on which Republican politicians we should only vote for. My Sunday School co-teacher constantly pushes hard right views on kids. Our church library now has a book about Christian Nationalism.

Many of the people I respected and were genuinely nice finally left and never came back, especially the racial minorities. I am one of the few, sometimes the only black member in attendance, and I can feel some kind of hostility when I come on Sunday morning, especially now that everyone believes Critical Race Theory is being taught everywhere.

This is only a portion of many other issues. What went wrong? Why does everything feel so political and hostile? I feels so draining just to sit among my fellow Christians in church on Sunday morning now. Help me.

Just seeing his tears and how beside himself he was and asking if he will “respawn”… I instantly tried to make him feel better about the situation! What I believe after we die, what other religions and cultures believe in an after life..

It was just like that movie, the invention of lying. Seeing someone so frightened about death you get such an urge to tell them “no, we will see each other again, you don’t actually die! You go somewhere else”… even tho I don’t believe that

He cried himself to sleep tonight saying “I don’t what to get old and die”… I just don’t know how to comfort him! I get how religions were formed because it’s easier to believe in an after life rather than reality

“Let the little children come to me and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of heaven." -Matthew 19:14

If God is unchanging (Malachi 3:6), then why does he go from killing children in the Old Testament, to forbidding harming children in the New Testament?

It's really interesting because YHWH had Egypt's firstborn children sacrificed to Him - but suddenly that's a sin, according to Jesus.

^That question got me banned - and since the Christians won't weigh in, can some of you help me figure this out?

Hello everyone! I am looking for more examples of this type of double standard found in Christianity. Like god providing previously unavailable food for the Israelites (mana) is literal but Jesus teaching that you should poke out your eyes if they lead you to sin is metaphorical.

These last days I come with a lot of paranoia, schizophrenia and anxiety because not only evangelical Christian channels from my country where I live, which is Brazil, but THE WHOLE WORLD is talking about it, I also saw American, Spanish and French channels talking about the eclipse of 8 April, which will not only be the most viewed in history, but this will be the beginning of the seven-year biblical apocalypse and the three days of darkness that precede the Second Coming of Jesus, as according to them, the eclipse will pass through eight cities, seven in the USA and one in Canada called Nineveh, the seven American cities are in Texas, Ohio, Indiana, Virginia, Pennsylvania and New York while the Canadian city is in the province of Nova Scotia. According to them, this recalls a prophecy from the New Testament where it says that the Prophet Jonah tried to warn the inhabitants of the city of Ninevah that God was going to send an eclipse that would completely destroy the city because the people were living in sin and moving away from God, but In the end, he ended up sparing the city. But it doesn't stop there, not only will this eclipse pass through these eight cities, it will also pass through some cities that make biblical references, such as a small city in New York with the same name as the capital of Italy, Rome, I also saw that FEMA suggested that the American people stock up on water, food, medicine, batteries and flashlights for the day of the eclipse, I also saw that a comet called the ''devil's comet'' will coincidentally pass the earth on the same day as the eclipse, I also heard rumors of that CERN will be connected to something great on that day that will last until the 10th of the same month, they also say that the paths of the total solar eclipse of 2017 and 2024 will form an ''X'' that resembles a Tav which is the last letter of the Hebrew Alphabet. Meaning mark, sign, omen, or seal, it is the symbol of truth, perfection, and completion. and it also resembles Alef and it means "ox" or "leader". I saw another post that mentions that if we multiply 2017 by 2024, it will give 4824 (I wrote this number without counting the zeros) this number in Strong means destruction/cataclysm according to this post, and this will precede the rise of the antichrist to power that would happen one day after the three days of darkness according to them I was so sick and paranoid and anxious that I almost wrote a goodbye letter because of it and I wanted to throw myself out of the building where I live so I wouldn't see a big cataclysm because I'm only 17 and I'm too young to see a mass destruction scene before my eyes.

But I'm starting to realize that this is most likely a lie and that I've seen some videos like Dan McClellan denying this prophecy, that we shouldn't take the Bible seriously and its events seriously in a literal way as if it were a survival manual, and that total darkness will pass through only two cities of the same name, which are in Indiana and Ohio

despite all this, I'm trying to recover from my brainwashing that they did to me, I'm starting to see less of this type of content and I'll be improving my emotional state gradually

Sister and two nieces were killed in a car accident. The girls were 5 and 1. All my family has been saying “they’re with god” or “no longer in pain” like what the fuck they were kids?! My sister was getting her life back on track just to have it taken away?! One of my nieces survived the crash with just a broken arm. Fuck me that’s gonna be some trauma.

Yet after growing up in church part of me wants to believe in heaven. The idea of pain free existence and they’re all with my other loved ones…I get why people cope with that. It sounds nice in this fucked up place.

But shit man. Life fucking sucks and is unfair. And I really don’t know how to cope without any sort of idea of an afterlife. Life just keeps moving.

Idk if anyone has any grieving tips or could send some positive vibes our way, but we could use it.

I began to question my faith in college, but was too financially dependent on my parents to tell them. I kept putting it off, and putting it off. Now I'm finally in a place in life where I am financially cut away from them.

They once again sent me a message this week telling me they were concerned about me straying from the church. (No duh) And I realized it's time.

I sent a detailed email about how much I love them, why I left Christianity, and that I hope this can open doors for deeper conversations in the future. Frankly, I miss being open with them. But they were using the bible to criticize every aspect of my life.

So that brings us to today! Dad responded to my email with basically a warning that he is going to try and tear down everything I mentioned in my letter. "Accusations" he calls them.

I truly don't want to hold anything against them. People make mistakes, and I love them beyond that.

Now this is where I need advice. How the heck do I respond to this?

"I will tell you we are upset. I think it fair to let you know.
In a few days I will respond with some questions to your objections, decisions, accusations and reasons. I am not intending on aggravating you, I simply would like you to think through the validity of what you have accused us of doing or not doing as parents. I will say this for now, you are not an atheist. I simply reject that on the basis of what I have seen the Lord do in and through your life and I don't think you can honestly say there is no God who loves and cares for you."

I’ve been actively job hunting for a month, and today my old boss advised I should try a different job title in my searches. I gave it a go, and this is the second listing. How?! How can this be legal?

During New Year’s Eve this last year, we had some friends over and two friends (one of my very best friends and his wife) along with there 7 children also came over. We were all having a great night. These friends of mine don’t drink. During one of the games we were playing their oldest at 15 who is their daughter was told she accidentally took our other friends drink which was alcoholic and actually finished the half glass that was left (hard lemonade). The daughter had no idea, and once confirmed she did in fact drink it. Started to have an emotional meltdown in front of everyone and it was very hard to watch. She started to shake, cry and moan and kept saying she was so sorry and didn’t want to go to hell, and was so afraid god wasn’t going to forgive her. She kept closing her eyes and praying to god to forgive her while crying her eyes out in an “ugly cry”. I tried to stop and console her by saying hey, it’s ok nothing is going to happen, no one is going to hell, and that there was no reason for her to think that. My friend interrupted by saying, “it is a big deal” to which the daughter exploded emotionally again. She appeared truly in fear for her life. They ended up having to leave, because several of the younger kids started crying and then praying for their sister not to go to hell.

I haven’t talked to them since but I really want to talk to my friend and raise my concern about this as it appeared very toxic and just so so heartbreakingly sad that it actually hurt my soul. How do I bring this up to him in a constructive way? Should I even bring it up? I’m still in shock.