Confessions of a former Christian fundamentalist.

[Delicate]

So you never believed. You were just going to pick up chicks?

Sounds like the thread should have been titled "Confessions of a current atheist sexual predator"

"Yes and No"; I would best describe it as being cognitive dissonance.  On the one hand, I really wanted to be part of that church, for the community, and especially, yes, for the youth group and the chance to meet other adult women who were my age.  I was not a member of any fraternity and the school that I went to did not have a very big Greek system anyway.  Now, as for the "atheist sexual predator" part, again, the answer would be, "Yes and No."  On the on hand, I would never, ever force myself upon another individual (and, as I am heterosexual, that other individual would be an adult woman who was my age), but, yes, I was lonely, and so, yes, I attended church to be around other women who were my age (early 20s), with my goal being to date (and, perhaps, even marry) some (and, one)  of them.  But, on the other hand, I was not a complete hypocrite, say, "An American atheist in the Bible Belt."  I did truly, for a few years, sincerely try to embrace Christian Biblical fundamentalism, but I could no more believe in that than I could hold my hand on a hot stove.  Finally, if I had succeeded and found a lifelong mate, well, it's easy to see how people get involved in Christian fundamentalism in their early 20s and stay in it in order to "please" someone.

Perhaps the problem is that you didn't understand what religion was. You seem to have desired not truth, but membership in a community and relief for loneliness (not to mention coitus with a female). Whether you would be upfront about your lack of belief upon finding a girl to date is an open question. 

But nevermind all that. The real salient point here is that your interest was primarily in socializing, and the question of the truth claims about reality which Christians (yes, even fundamentalists) purport to express hardly arises. So you weren't ever a fundamentalist.

Did you make an effort to grapple with what was being said as a question of reality? Was the inability to touch the hot stove something of an emotional resistance as opposed to a purely rational one? What worldview did you come into the church with, and how did you arrive at the worldview?

[Jehanne]

But nevermind all that. The real salient point here is that your interest was primarily in socializing, and the question of the truth claims about reality which Christians (yes, even fundamentalists) purport to express hardly arises. So you weren't ever a fundamentalist.

That's not a fair assessment of who I was.  I really tried to believe in Christian Biblical literalism; the religion itself did provide me with emotional and mental comforts, but yes, the social aspect was equally compelling.  As I said, I used to read Josh McDowell (the "Evidence which demands a Verdict" series), and later on, Gary Habermas.  I had a New International Version Charles Ryrie study bible and would memorize whole chapters of the Bible for Bible camp.  I should mention that I was raised in Christian fundamentalism, but even as I began to drift away from it in high school and college, it was still very much an emotional and social experience for me, and it was, for a long time, hard to let go out it.  It was almost like I was addicted to a drug, and I went through periods of withdrawal as I was coming off of it; a lot of mental anguish.  Now, if I had married a Christian fundamentalist, I admit that I might still be with it, if only to please a potential wife, and in the process, save a potential marriage.

[Silver]

It is rather ironic that Mr. Desperate is harping on the socialization aspect of religion. For the most part, gathering in church with like-minded individuals is precisely what better keeps their brainwashed minds focused on the unrealistic aspects of their so-called lives.

[Jenny A]

No one who deconverts is ever admitted to be a true Christian by evangelists or apologists. Makes me wonder how many "real" Christians there really are.

[Brian37]

"Yes and No"; I would best describe it as being cognitive dissonance.  On the one hand, I really wanted to be part of that church, for the community, and especially, yes, for the youth group and the chance to meet other adult women who were my age.  I was not a member of any fraternity and the school that I went to did not have a very big Greek system anyway.  Now, as for the "atheist sexual predator" part, again, the answer would be, "Yes and No."  On the on hand, I would never, ever force myself upon another individual (and, as I am heterosexual, that other individual would be an adult woman who was my age), but, yes, I was lonely, and so, yes, I attended church to be around other women who were my age (early 20s), with my goal being to date (and, perhaps, even marry) some (and, one)  of them.  But, on the other hand, I was not a complete hypocrite, say, "An American atheist in the Bible Belt."  I did truly, for a few years, sincerely try to embrace Christian Biblical fundamentalism, but I could no more believe in that than I could hold my hand on a hot stove.  Finally, if I had succeeded and found a lifelong mate, well, it's easy to see how people get involved in Christian fundamentalism in their early 20s and stay in it in order to "please" someone.

Perhaps the problem is that you didn't understand what religion was. You seem to have desired not truth, but membership in a community and relief for loneliness (not to mention coitus with a female). Whether you would be upfront about your lack of belief upon finding a girl to date is an open question. 

But nevermind all that. The real salient point here is that your interest was primarily in socializing, and the question of the truth claims about reality which Christians (yes, even fundamentalists) purport to express hardly arises. So you weren't ever a fundamentalist.

Did you make an effort to grapple with what was being said as a question of reality? Was the inability to touch the hot stove something of an emotional resistance as opposed to a purely rational one? What worldview did you come into the church with, and how did you arrive at the worldview?

Religion teaches you to touch the hot stove that is"faith". Science teaches you why the stove is hot which gives you the education to know why it would be stupid to touch it.

I love your narcissistic self title in your avatar settings, and especially under Religious views "atheism is irrational". Irrational is buying a naked assertion from the get go then using an old book of myth to prop up your naked assertion. You picked the right god and have the right book to prove it, lucky us, but see your problem is there are 7 billion humans and 100s of thousands of religious sects worldwide who also claim they got the right club and right god/s.

But by all means please continue, I am always interested to see the slick new snake oil packaging they put on dead old rusty arguments.

[Delicate]

But nevermind all that. The real salient point here is that your interest was primarily in socializing, and the question of the truth claims about reality which Christians (yes, even fundamentalists) purport to express hardly arises. So you weren't ever a fundamentalist.

That's not a fair assessment of who I was.  I really tried to believe in Christian Biblical literalism; the religion itself did provide me with emotional and mental comforts, but yes, the social aspect was equally compelling.  As I said, I used to read Josh McDowell (the "Evidence which demands a Verdict" series), and later on, Gary Habermas.  I had a New International Version Charles Ryrie study bible and would memorize whole chapters of the Bible for Bible camp.  I should mention that I was raised in Christian fundamentalism, but even as I began to drift away from it in high school and college, it was still very much an emotional and social experience for me, and it was, for a long time, hard to let go out it.  It was almost like I was addicted to a drug, and I went through periods of withdrawal as I was coming off of it; a lot of mental anguish.  Now, if I had married a Christian fundamentalist, I admit that I might still be with it, if only to please a potential wife, and in the process, save a potential marriage.

Trying to be x doesn't make you x though, right?

[brewer]

What are you so ass hurt about Delicate? This is just another person smart enough to escape the programming. Your efforts would be better spent attacking the failure of the programmers and their lack of believe/belief ability.

[Jehanne]

That's not a fair assessment of who I was.  I really tried to believe in Christian Biblical literalism; the religion itself did provide me with emotional and mental comforts, but yes, the social aspect was equally compelling.  As I said, I used to read Josh McDowell (the "Evidence which demands a Verdict" series), and later on, Gary Habermas.  I had a New International Version Charles Ryrie study bible and would memorize whole chapters of the Bible for Bible camp.  I should mention that I was raised in Christian fundamentalism, but even as I began to drift away from it in high school and college, it was still very much an emotional and social experience for me, and it was, for a long time, hard to let go out it.  It was almost like I was addicted to a drug, and I went through periods of withdrawal as I was coming off of it; a lot of mental anguish.  Now, if I had married a Christian fundamentalist, I admit that I might still be with it, if only to please a potential wife, and in the process, save a potential marriage.

Trying to be x doesn't make you x though, right?

Well, I was raised as a Christian fundamentalist evangelical; attended a Biblical literalist church from before age 5 until I quit attending around my junior year in high school.  By then, the doubts were almost insurmountable.  Was drawn back into it during my college years, only to abandon it later on.  While in college, it was like an old drug habit; I had been "clean" for a few years, but loneliness and depression drew me back into it.  Christian fundamentalism is comforting and there are many social supports (including, meeting members of the opposite sex), which, from my experience, is magnetic for a lot of people.  It certainly was for me, but in the end, bullshit is still bullshit.

[Delicate]

Trying to be x doesn't make you x though, right?

Well, I was raised as a Christian fundamentalist evangelical; attended a Biblical literalist church from before age 5 until I quit attending around my junior year in high school.  By then, the doubts were almost insurmountable.  Was drawn back into it during my college years, only to abandon it later on.  While in college, it was like an old drug habit; I had been "clean" for a few years, but loneliness and depression drew me back into it.  Christian fundamentalism is comforting and there are many social supports (including, meeting members of the opposite sex), which, from my experience, is magnetic for a lot of people.  It certainly was for me, but in the end, bullshit is still bullshit.

You're still blurring the distinction between loneliness-driven participation in social fundamentalism and actual fundamentalist beliefs.

The former is not real fundamentalism. So far as the latter, or makes no sense in rejecting fundamentalism to reject all of religion.

That's like one bad theory leading you to reject ask of science

[Silver]

That's like one bad theory leading you to reject ask of science

How is this proper English?