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Deconversion process help me
#11
RE: Deconversion process help me
(April 25, 2013 at 12:21 pm)Bohook24 Wrote: My question is how do I go about this decinversion process? How do get rid of these morals and fear of hell that have been branded upon me? What do I do?

I'm not sure which morals you refer to, but I wouldn't rush to get rid of them. Think about what you believe and why, then reason it out. Ask questions, find answers, then investigate the answers. Don't expect it to be a journey with an end-- that kind of thinking is what religion tries to burn into your skull. It's okay to acknowledge that you don't know something for sure, or that you don't have an answer to a particular question or dilemma.

Fear of hell? I find that we each have a fairly large core of beliefs that our subconscious mind accepts uncritically, which affects our thoughts and our behavior. Religious beliefs are often part of this core of unquestioned claims, which can make it very difficult to get past them. You may think that you are questioning those beliefs, but you aren't, and you'll have to force yourself to in order to understand why they make you afraid.

Take careful note of many of the arguments that theists make, and you may eventually come to recognize the core beliefs that they think they question but which they accept uncritically. Find those beliefs in your own mind and work to get rid of them; unquestioned beliefs are useless and tend to work against us.
"Well, evolution is a theory. It is also a fact. And facts and theories are different things, not rungs in a hierarchy of increasing certainty. Facts are the world's data. Theories are structures of ideas that explain and interpret facts. Facts don't go away when scientists debate rival theories to explain them. Einstein's theory of gravitation replaced Newton's in this century, but apples didn't suspend themselves in midair, pending the outcome. And humans evolved from ape- like ancestors whether they did so by Darwin's proposed mechanism or by some other yet to be discovered."

-Stephen Jay Gould
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#12
RE: Deconversion process help me
I'll make it easy on you seeing as how I was a recent deconvert as well. Here is some logic to shoot at you.

1. If evolution is true, creationism is false.
2. If creationism is false, then there was no original sin.
3. If there was no original sin, there was no need to be forgiven.
4. If there is no need to be forgiven, then the resurrection is a myth.
5. If the resurrection is a myth, then Christianity is false.
6. Evolution is true, therefore Christianity is false.

Simple and true and that is a logical argument that is based upon my knowledge and previous indoctrination. Cool Shades Hope this helps the process oh and btw.[Image: 27222814.jpg]

Also If you would like some good reasons to continue in your deconversion just hit up Nonstampcollector on youtube. His videos are funny, easy to understand, and aren't biased towards an "atheistic agenda." They're just simply rational.
I used to pray... but then I realized I could talk to myself and save 10% too. Who wouldn't go for that?ROFLOL
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#13
RE: Deconversion process help me
Welcome
"The Universe is run by the complex interweaving of three elements: energy, matter, and enlightened self-interest." G'Kar-B5
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#14
RE: Deconversion process help me
(April 25, 2013 at 12:21 pm)Bohook24 Wrote: Here I am. Just like almost every ex-Christian coming to atheism, I have a similar story. Although, I was brought up as a Christian, It wasnt extreme, it was just what I knew, it was fact. Jesus died for me and that was that. About 1 year ago the doubts started. Of course I tried to strengthen my faith 2 months ago, it worked for about 3 weeks and my faith went down the shitter again lol. I always questioned the existence of Jesus. I remember saying something to my dad when I was like 13 about how do I KNOW he is real? He just told me to have faith. About 2 weeks ago I looked in to atheism and it was like holy crap this is how I've felt for a very long time. It clicked. So now I'm leaving christianity. My question is how do I go about this decinversion process? How do get rid of these morals and fear of hell that have been branded upon me? What do I do?

First off, my conversion was a slow process and I never experienced this myself. I think you need to ask WHY, if you don't belief in god why would you fear hell.

And don't you dare get rid of your morals, they're what make us human. You do not throw the morals and principles your parents taught you aside when you deconverent.

Posted this to explain why I suggest you ask WHY

http://atheistforums.org/thread-18980.html
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#15
RE: Deconversion process help me
(April 25, 2013 at 12:21 pm)Bohook24 Wrote: Here I am. Just like almost every ex-Christian coming to atheism, I have a similar story. Although, I was brought up as a Christian, It wasnt extreme, it was just what I knew, it was fact. Jesus died for me and that was that. About 1 year ago the doubts started. Of course I tried to strengthen my faith 2 months ago, it worked for about 3 weeks and my faith went down the shitter again lol. I always questioned the existence of Jesus. I remember saying something to my dad when I was like 13 about how do I KNOW he is real? He just told me to have faith. About 2 weeks ago I looked in to atheism and it was like holy crap this is how I've felt for a very long time. It clicked. So now I'm leaving christianity. My question is how do I go about this decinversion process? How do get rid of these morals and fear of hell that have been branded upon me? What do I do?

The first thing you need to realize is that your morals do not come from Christianity at all. Christianity wrote down some pre-existing morals, but they also wrote down a heck of a lot that we, in the 21st century, consider highly immoral.

You're a good person, Bohook. Actually a lot better person than that Bible tells you to be.

Paraphrasing a quote. And it speaks a LOT of truth. Ruminate on this. "No matter what happens there will always be evil people doing evil things and good people doing good things. But for a good person to do evil, that takes religion."

That's brutal fact. And you're going to start noticing it all the time now.
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#16
RE: Deconversion process help me
(April 25, 2013 at 12:21 pm)Bohook24 Wrote: Here I am. Just like almost every ex-Christian coming to atheism, I have a similar story. Although, I was brought up as a Christian, It wasnt extreme, it was just what I knew, it was fact. Jesus died for me and that was that. About 1 year ago the doubts started. Of course I tried to strengthen my faith 2 months ago, it worked for about 3 weeks and my faith went down the shitter again lol. I always questioned the existence of Jesus. I remember saying something to my dad when I was like 13 about how do I KNOW he is real? He just told me to have faith. About 2 weeks ago I looked in to atheism and it was like holy crap this is how I've felt for a very long time. It clicked. So now I'm leaving christianity. My question is how do I go about this decinversion process?

Life is a learning process and the questions you will be facing cannot be answered before they have even been asked.
If you face a dilema concerning a certain aspekt, I am certain members of this forum will help you find the answeres should you decide to post about it here.

Quote:How do get rid of these morals and fear of hell that have been branded upon me? What do I do?

By deconstucting the claim that you are going to hell.
What gives someone the authority to sentence you to infinite pain?
What crime did you supposedly commit to deserve this judgement?

To me personaly, hell is a unproven cleim by theists to keep followers in check, decending from a time in which many things were unknown.
We may still not know what comes after death, but neighter do those who claim that there is a hell.
And like every messure of fear designed to keep people in check, I uterly reject the concept of hell.
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#17
RE: Deconversion process help me
(June 4, 2013 at 12:23 am)The Germans are coming Wrote: And like every messure of fear designed to keep people in check, I uterly reject the concept of hell.

I'm positive that hell doesn't exist. With me, my fear of hell dissipated before I realized I couldn't believe in god any longer. I'm not sure I could have been brave enough to admit to myself god was bs if I still had a fear of hell.

The idea of still believing in the possibility of hell while deconverting at the same time sounds horrifying. It's fucking child abuse that is lasting way beyond childhood.

I mean really if I died and found myself in hell I'd be like, "What? Are you fucking shitting me?" I mean I'd be horrified but at the same time, "no fucking way, dude."

But really, even if hell does somehow exist, which I give it around a 0.000000001% of really existing, we ain't going there.
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#18
RE: Deconversion process help me
(June 4, 2013 at 12:30 am)Rahul Wrote: I'm positive that hell doesn't exist. With me, my fear of hell dissipated before I realized I couldn't believe in god any longer. I'm not sure I could have been brave enough to admit to myself god was bs if I still had a fear of hell. The idea of still believing in the possibility of hell while deconverting at the same time sounds horrifying. It's fucking child abuse that is lasting way beyond childhood.

If you were brought up from your early childhood on with a fear of hell, it is very likely that this will remain for you for a very long time.

Ever heared of the "Little Albert experiment"?

That was conducted in 1920 with the goal of achieving more knowlege over how our fears come to be.
A infant child was shown various differen animals to observe an play arround with. But a certain animal was always given to him whilest a very loud and disturbing sound was played in the background. This resulted in the child being affraid of the animal even when the noise which was usualy played when the animal was given to him was not played.

Childhood fears can be created through things which are sometimes not even harmfull. Or a person can as a result of havingbhad expierences which created created phobias react very overexaturated towards situations which to that personresemble that situation.

Holocaust survivers are often affraid of dogs, barbwire ,uniforms and sometimes even people who speak german.
Bullying victims are affraid of situations resemble a bullying situation, like being verbaly or physicaly assaulted repeatedly by the same individual or group.
My vertigo was caused through an accident I had as a child - yet the heights I fear are mostly not even dangerous.

As horrible as it may sound, you will probably have to get use to flashbacks in which you suddently feel the fear of hell again. You will unfortunatly have to find a way to deal with it.
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#19
RE: Deconversion process help me
(June 4, 2013 at 12:46 am)The Germans are coming Wrote: As horrible as it may sound, you will probably have to get use to flashbacks in which you suddently feel the fear of hell again. You will unfortunatly have to find a way to deal with it.

Well he may. I've been a self-admitted atheist for at least 8 years and I've never had a flashback about hell.

I fear hell on earth like going to jail for the rest of my life (even though I've never been arrested and don't really do anything much illegal that would even cause a week long jail term if that). Those things, the things that could happen in this life, scare the crap out of me. The afterlife?

Not so much. The afterlife, my death, I see as inevitable, a part of life, not something to be avoided but to be carefully planned as well as possible, and possibily exciting. Not the act of dieing itself but what happens afterwards.

I don't fear much of anything that could possibly happen after I die. Most likely, I just cease to exist. But just maybe, there's something else there.

But hell? Pbhtt. Neh. It's either going to be exciting or just nothing at all. Most likely it'll be just as interesting as the year before I was born. Of which to me, well there was no me. It was less than nothing. I wasn't even there to experience nothing.
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#20
RE: Deconversion process help me
(June 4, 2013 at 1:06 am)Rahul Wrote: Well he may. I've been a self-admitted atheist for at least 8 years and I've never had a flashback about hell.

I fear hell on earth like going to jail for the rest of my life (even though I've never been arrested and don't really do anything much illegal that would even cause a week long jail term if that). Those things, the things that could happen in this life, scare the crap out of me. The afterlife?

Not so much. The afterlife, my death, I see as inevitable, a part of life, not something to be avoided but to be carefully planned as well as possible, and possibily exciting.

I don't fear much of anything that could possibly happen after I die. Most likely, I just cease to exist. But just maybe, there's something else there.

But hell? Pbhtt. Neh. It's either be exciting or just nothing at all. Most likely it'll be just as interesting as the year before I was born. Of which to me, well there was no me. It was less than nothing. I wasn't even there to experience nothing.

Oh. Then I misunderstood your post. I thought the concept of hell was still bothering you on occasions.

Are there things from your previous faith which continue to pop up and bother you?
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