Though I joke around a lot I’m actually serious about this. In my intro thread titled “Deconverted by theology” I explained how after a number of years of studying theology and church history I had to acknowledge the facts that I found which, mind you, were not the one’s I had originally set out to find ( I thought that reading theology would bring me closer to God). It was the start of my deconversion. I’m still having a lot of problems dealing with the experiential bit. I’m assuming that there are fully deconverted individuals on this forum who have been where I am now and have had to deal with the experiential shit. Any advice? Let me say again that I am serious about this. I am not trolling or doing any other bullshit. I have better things to do with my time. What follows is something I wrote to someone else somewhere else about the subject, but I thought it might be useful to seek input here on this forum:
The experiential part of belief can be (for some people like me) such a powerful thing that one can have a deep knowing that these supernatural things exist. This deep knowing becomes the foundation for your belief structure. It starts a logical, but provably incorrect, notion that if God is real then this bit of doctrine must also be true. When faced with things that are provably wrong or you don't understand, then begins the process of counting the hits and explaining away the misses.
The counting and explaining away is very easy to generalize. You can use it for questions about the scripture, questions about doctrine, answered and unanswered prayer. The experiential part of Christianity can be so powerful that it glosses over everything else and clouds your vision. The natural conclusion for many is that if something is this powerful then it proves that the god exists. This is not a logical conclusion but one that I have admittedly had for over 30 years. After years of reading church history books and theology books I have had to face the fact that Christian theology (i.e. the interpretation of the Bible) is a horrible mess that has been concocted over the centuries. The Bible, supposedly god's very words, is in fact not the very words of god but something concocted and conglomerated over the centuries. The evidence speaks for itself on these matters.
As for the experiential bit, science and psychology are things that can explain the phenomenas in a manner that uses the scientific method, is provable and is reproducible. People tell you to believe by faith, In the next breath they tell you that the deceiver is out there waiting to deceive you. If both conditions are true, who's to know who is deceiving you? If you stick to what is provable then anyone can review the facts pick them apart and find the same conclusion. faith is a deceptive thing.
For those who never have experienced the experiential part of any religion it is easy for you criticize or mock. Please don’t do this. I look forward to any useful response. I’m sorry my post was so long
The experiential part of belief can be (for some people like me) such a powerful thing that one can have a deep knowing that these supernatural things exist. This deep knowing becomes the foundation for your belief structure. It starts a logical, but provably incorrect, notion that if God is real then this bit of doctrine must also be true. When faced with things that are provably wrong or you don't understand, then begins the process of counting the hits and explaining away the misses.
The counting and explaining away is very easy to generalize. You can use it for questions about the scripture, questions about doctrine, answered and unanswered prayer. The experiential part of Christianity can be so powerful that it glosses over everything else and clouds your vision. The natural conclusion for many is that if something is this powerful then it proves that the god exists. This is not a logical conclusion but one that I have admittedly had for over 30 years. After years of reading church history books and theology books I have had to face the fact that Christian theology (i.e. the interpretation of the Bible) is a horrible mess that has been concocted over the centuries. The Bible, supposedly god's very words, is in fact not the very words of god but something concocted and conglomerated over the centuries. The evidence speaks for itself on these matters.
As for the experiential bit, science and psychology are things that can explain the phenomenas in a manner that uses the scientific method, is provable and is reproducible. People tell you to believe by faith, In the next breath they tell you that the deceiver is out there waiting to deceive you. If both conditions are true, who's to know who is deceiving you? If you stick to what is provable then anyone can review the facts pick them apart and find the same conclusion. faith is a deceptive thing.
For those who never have experienced the experiential part of any religion it is easy for you criticize or mock. Please don’t do this. I look forward to any useful response. I’m sorry my post was so long
