#ex church

[alloalouette]

Happy Sunday. We’re free.

#ex christian #exvangelical #ex church #deconstruction

[vampyr-tea]

☁️Christian’s be the most verbally abusive people on the planet then neatly tie it up into a pretty little bow☁️

#ex Christian #christianity trauma #ex religion #ex church

[apostate-in-an-alcove]

Oh damn the Catholics have joined in on the war against AI "art".

#anti ai #anti ai art #ex catholic #catholic #game over guys the catholic church is onto your bullshit lol

[grahamobrien13]

Want some more ex Christian content.

No?

Well here you go anyway.

Basically my husband and I went to my grandma and grandpa's Friday night. They offered to take us out to breakfast in the morning and even told us which restaurant they wanted to go to and we accepted.

Well, come morning and apparently, a church group that my mom goes to was having a meeting and my mom was the one speaking. They offered free breakfast there and my husband and I were literally woken up by my grandpa shouting through the house "Change of plans, were going to a church service."

(Which, they are aware that we don't go to church, but my whole family is dead set on trying to get us to go to church)

So my husband and I both kind of went, 'well I guess this is happening' and we went.

We definitely could have said no, and looking back on it I wish I had stood up for my own beliefs and not went, but I was tired and didn't want to cause a fight

Here are some of the highlights:

• the man who has bullied me since I was a child for crying when Zayn left One Direction was there and I wanted to throw up and also cry but I held myself together (and yes, he was a full grown adult with 4 kids when he bullied a 13 year old girl for years)

• the breakfast was alright, but my grandpa was upset because everything was sugary and he is diabetic. I definitely think he was right to be upset. There should be options for everyone.

• they split the men and women into two different services. The men got to stay in the room with the food. I'm not sure if that was on purpose but I was pretty sad.

• at the beginning they made us all say our names and what church we were affiliated with. I said my name and that I don't go to church. It was awkward.

• my mom spoke so of course she called me out during her speaking. It wasn't bad though, just said that she was pregnant with me when she began attending her church and everyone looked at me so I felt awkward.

• my mom said that Joseph (coat of many colors dude) must have had God in his heart because he was able to resist his boss's wife's advances. "Men have urges" was said. I wanted to barf.

• My husband told me that the entire time the man was talking, my grandpa kept whispering things about the people there and continually said he didn't like coming to these things because of the people. He called one man's (the man who bullied me) son the spawn of Satan.

In conclusion, I wish I wouldn't have been subjected to that but I can't go back in time.

Also I do not mean to be rude to any Christians. If you are Christian, that's great. I'm currently deconstructing myself due to a lot of not great stuff that I went through as a kid and I hope you find some humor in this.

#ex christian #ex church #church #religious #deconstruction

[seraphimfall]

i’ve read so much tradcath bullshit the last two years. i can confidently say tradcath men fit into one of two categories:

“protestant-raised and converted to catholicism because of his crippling porn addiction and racist tendencies. reposts crusader and conquistador memes. is hated in his local parish.” tradcath

“catholic-raised band kid who ate his lunches with the religion teacher. smells like mildew. cut off all his friends that came out as gay after high school. now larps as an aquinian scholar and cries after jerking off.” tradcath

#|| the disciple || #ex catholic #ex christian #religious trauma #exvangelical #deconversion #apostate #apostasy #ex fundie #extian #deconstructing christianity #ex religious #ex cult #ex cath #religious deconstruction #deconstruction #catholic guilt #progressive politics #leaving the church #losing my religion

[intheholler]

#appalachian gothic #american gothic #americana #southern gothic #ex christian #small town america #signs #church #abandoned church #abandoned places #abandoned buildings #yall come back now queue hear?

[unbidden-yidden]

In Judaism, one alternative way of referring to converts is "Jews by Choice."

If a parallel term exists in Xtianity I am not aware of it, but I would like to propose that it really should exist, albeit not just in reference to converts but to all Xtians. Every Xtian should get the opportunity to fully understand their faith in context and to make an informed decision to choose it for themselves. As it stands, many Xtians are deeply ignorant about Jewish history (before and after the formation of Xtianity), the original cultural context for the stories in the Old Testament, the cultural Jewish context that Jesus existed and taught in, the critical historical (scholarly) read of these texts, what they probably meant to the Israelites who produced them, and what they mean to Jews today and how we read these same texts differently in our religious context.

This creates a problem, where Xtians are taught only the narrow band of context that their church deems it important for them to know, and even that is frequently inaccurate or so limited in scope as to make it inaccurate by omission.

And this is because the reality is that the Tanakh (that is, the Hebrew and Aramaic scriptures that the Old Testament is based on) does not naturally or inevitably lead to the Jesus narrative. If you are starting from a Xtian perspective, and especially if you read the New Testament first and then and only then dive into the Old Testament, the Jesus narrative is obvious to you because you are looking for it, expect to see it there, and are coming at these texts with that reading lens in mind. And it's not that you or anyone else is nuts to see that narrative there - there are plenty of solid Xtian reads of these texts that make sense if you already believe in Jesus as presented by the New Testament.

But what the vast majority of Xtians aren't taught is how to approach the Tanakh from a Jesus-neutral perspective, which would yield very different results.

Now you might fairly ask, why would they *need* to approach the Tanakh with a Jesus-neutral perspective? They're Xtians! Xtians believe in Jesus, that's what makes them Xtians!

My answer is multi-pronged: First, I believe that G-d wants a relationship with all people, and speaks to us in the voice we are most likely to hear. That's inherently going to look different for everyone. And that's okay! G-d is infinite, and each of our relationships with G-d are going to only capture the tiniest glimpse into that infinite Divine. Therefore, second, when approaching religion, everyone sees what they want to see. If you nothing religion but find your spirituality in nature, you're going to come at these biblical texts with that lens and take away from them similar things that one might take away from other cultural mythologies. If you, like me, are coming at these texts with a Jewish mindset, you are going to come away with a portrait of Hashem and our covenantal relationship as Am Yisrael. And, of course, if you read with a Xtian lens, you're going to see the precursor narratives leading up to Jesus. That reading bias is not only understandable but good or at least deeply human. Everyone sees what they want to see in these texts. There is no objective or flawless way to read them, and to claim that there is, is to claim that not only is there only one answer, but only one kind of relationship that G-d wants to have with people, that you personally happen to know what that is, and that everyone else is wrong. I am sorry, but if you believe that - if you truly think that you in particular (and/or the people you happen to agree with) know the mind of G-d, then you do not worship G-d. You worship yourselves, because to know the entirety of G-d would require you to be G-d. There's a term for that. That doesn't mean there aren't wrong answers too. But it does mean that there is no singular unimpeachable reading of the texts. What you see in these texts then, says far more about you than it does about the texts themselves or G-d.

So the question then becomes: Why do you want to see this? (Whatever your "this" is.) If your read of these texts is something you choose, why do you choose to see what you see? And is it a meaningful choice if you are not taught other ways of knowing, other perspectives on these texts, and to think critically while exploring them?

Judaism inherently teaches a multiplicity of opinions on the texts, and maintains that they can be read to mean different things, even at the same time by the same person. Deep textual knowledge and methods for learning more, asking questions, challenging accepted answers as a way to discover new meaning, and respectful disagreement are baked into our culture and methods. Some Xtians of some denominations have analogous processes, although on the whole still emphasize correct unified belief over correct action with a multiplicity of belief. I am not suggesting here that Xtians stop approaching their own scriptures as Xtians or adopt Jewish methods instead. What I am suggesting is that Xtians should be taught a fuller picture of these texts and learn other perspectives so that they (1) understand their own beliefs and why they believe them (or after further inquiry if they believe them), and (2) understand and respect that this is what they are choosing to believe and that it is not the only thing one could reasonably believe. Because (3) if not, they are more susceptible to having their faith shattered at random by something unexpected, and will connect less to their faith as a relationship with G-d and more as an obligation based on an unchallenged world view.

And, frankly? (4) It will help them to be better neighbors, to love their neighbor as themselves, and to give to others the respect that they would like to receive.

Being taught the historical context, Jewish history before and after Jesus, the differences between the Old Testament and the Tanakh, the timeline of the development of Xtianity in relationship to rabbinic Judaism in the wake of the destruction of the Second Temple, the development of church doctrine and the various splits amongst the denominations, and Jewish readings of the Tanakh would give clarity and desperately needed context to Xtians about their religion. Is there some risk that some people, upon understanding these things would drop out of faith entirely or, like me, discover that they are actually meant to be Jews? Yes, definitely.

But let me let you in on a little secret: you don't want those people to begin with. You really don't. Because the reality is that if a person is not called to relate to G-d through Jesus, eventually that person will learn this about themselves one way or another. If they are given the information and tools to make a meaningful choice, they will part company on good terms. If not, they will likely become disillusioned and leave the church in pain, anger, and even trauma. They will bring that out into the world with them, and spread the bad news about the Good News making it even more likely that other people who were already on the fence will jump ship on bad terms. You cannot trick people into a meaningful relationship with G-d. You can only give them the tools they need in order to explore on their own and the rest is between them and G-d.

And the bottom line is that you don't need to and should not be afraid of knowledge. If your faith cannot stand up to scrutiny, then it deserves that scrutiny tenfold. The people you lose from the flock? You would have lost them anyway, because we aren't in the driver's seat here. G-d is. Hashem called me to be a Jew with just as much love and desire to connect as G-d calls Xtians to the church and to Jesus. A faith examined is a faith deepened or exposed in its weakness. And if it is the latter, don't you want people to know this sooner rather than later in order to fix it?

So my proposition and wish for Xtians is that they become Xtians by Choice. That they delve deeply into the origins and context of their faith so that they can be 100% certain that they understand their Xtian faith and why they choose to relate to G-d through that lens.

#every hour is theology hour around here apparently #interfaith #this is tochecha from an ex-Xtian ger #who desperately wants for my Xtian family friends and neighbors the level of peace and security in their faith that I now enjoy #the church is not doing its congregation any favors by under-educating them on these matters #Xtians deserve better and should demand better from the church #xtianity #anyway if I have any Xtian followers here who would like book suggestions lemme know

[josephsmutt]

i'll put Joseph Smith to shame

#southern gothic #southern alberta #mormon gothic #appalachian gothic #small town #alberta #canada #country bumpkin #gay cowboys! #gay #cowboy #fuck the mormon church #abandoned #midwest gothic #small town america #gay ex mormon #meat talk #transgender #art #cigarette #sinners

[yourlocalabomination]

Ashes to Ashes, Dust to Dust.

#Do you ever think about the fact Ted held the love of his life in his arms while she died? #Do you ever think about the ash covering his hands? The dust stuck inbetween his fingernails? His tears making the ash stain his palms? #Heart in hand - interlocked with all his love between each finger - desperatly trying to not let it fade away? #Thinking about since the Old Testement ashes have been a symbol of repentance and penitence - a token of self-abhorrence and humiliation #Specifically ‘Wherefore I abhor myself and repent in dust and ashes’ (Job 42:6 KJV) and the entire concept of Ash Wednesday #I know that probably wasn’t the langs intention but as a ex-church kid I can’t stop projecting religious imagery into media I like #also is anyone surprised I drew this man with a clock and a halo again? I physically cannot stop myself from doing it #Anyway I’m not sorry for drawing this but I’ll go back to being a silly goofy guy with my fanart and tags….until next time :) #ted spankoffski #theodore spankoffski #JennyBear #Jenny nmt #Jenny starkid #god I feel so evil for tagging Jenny #starkid #starkid fanart #team starkid #starkid productions #time bastard #starkid time bastard #time bastard nightmare time #nightmare time #starkid nightmare time #hatchetfield nightmare time #nmt #hatchetfield #hatchetverse #hatchetfield universe #fanart #my art

[1unpunishable1]

Mother Mary My Beloved

#ethel cain #christianity #queer #ex religious #gay #art #religious art #artwork #ethel muggs #hayden anhedönia #lesbian #they're gay and in love #gay men #gay couple #gay pride #catholic witch #catholic #catholiscism #catholic church #virgin mary #mother mary #the rapture #christ #mary

[tittyinfinity]

#.bdo #i wish i would have seen this back when i worked at my old church so i could have pissed everyone off #ex-christian here🤙🏼

[ardent-apostasy]

people in the comments of posts about religious trauma will be like "what trauma?? from sitting in a pew once a week??" and i'm like, first of all, many of us did a helluva lot more than just sitting in a pew once a week, m-kay? and second of all, sitting in a pew once a week gave me PLENTY to work through as an adult so kindly shut it.

like i'm sorry that you can't understand that sitting in a pew breaking out in hives but not allowed to leave because "I SEE YOU WALKING OUT!! THE TRUTH IS UNCOMFORTABLE!! THE WEAK WILL LEAVE BECAUSE THEY WON'T LET JESUS INTO THEIR HEARTS!!" and other such bullshit, or being told that you are INHERENTLY sinful and going to HELL to be BURNED for all eternity, or being told that NOTHING you do will ever be good enough, or being told that "YOU ARE LIKE THE LUKEWARM CHURCH THAT JESUS WILL VOMIT OUT" because of something like not volunteering often enough (or, of course, for not donating enough to the church), or hearing sermons about how JUSTIFIED genocide is as long as the people you're killing don't believe in the One True God (but then again don't worry about those True Believers because they shall survive with the Power of The Holy Spirit anyways), or being often reminded that you MUST be willing to BURN IN A FURNACE or be EATEN ALIVE BY LIONS over not being EXTREMELY PUBLIC about your faith, or...

you get my drift. you put a child through all that and i think they're allowed to have some fucking trauma.

so yeah. kindly shove your "it's just church once a week!" up your ass.

#i'm just like #i got more than just the church once a week experience #but frankly #church once a week is plenty of bullshit on its own thank you very fucking much #exvangelical #ex christian #ex fundie #apostate #religious deconstruction #religious trauma

[apostate-in-an-alcove]

LGBTQ Christians, like a lot of Christians, value their feelings and comfort over the very real harm caused by Christianity and the people who've been harmed by it. Good for you that your denomination is affirming and you have every right to practice the religion of your choice but how fucking dare you try to dictate how people should feel about a god and religion that has been used as a tool to oppress the very community you're a part of.

#maybe its not my place to say #but it grinds my gears that LGBTQ Christians act more fucking offended by UwU people critiquing their religion or being rightfully angry #than actual violence and stigma that Christians perpetuate against LGBTQ people #sorry babe your fucking religion has been a tool oppression of queerness for fucking centuries #fuck off with your UwU but my church is accepting #i don't give a shit your experience IS NOT UNIVERSAL #ex christian #religious trauma #anti christianity

[biblixphilia]

St. Sava in Belgrade, Serbia.

(photos by me)

#dark academia #slavic culture #architecture #church #serbia #ex yugoslavia #academia aesthetic #dark architecture #church architecture #photoblog #photography #architecture photography

[seraphimfall]

i’m sorry but even if your personal version of mormonism excludes all the “if you’re a good mormon your skin will turn white when you die, no matter your race” and “dark skin is a sign of the devil” bs, your religion is still racist.

the idea that israelites sailed across the atlantic ocean and formed a population in north america that could be attributed to native americans is racist.

the idea that jesus christ appeared to native americans and converted them to christianity pre-colonial times is racist.

the idea that the arrival of christianity to north america with european colonialism was a prophesied “reintroduction” of christianity is racist.

the foundations of your religion are racist.

the foundations of your religion are historical negationism.

the foundations of your religion justify american colonialism as the will of god.

try as hard as you want, it’s impossible to remove racism from mormonism. it’s racist by nature.

#|| the disciple || #ex mormon #exmo #ex lds #exvangelical #ex christian #ex catholic #lamanites #nephites #ex cult #apostate #ex fundie #deconversion #atheist #religious trauma #ex religious #apostasy #deconvert #leaving the church #losing my religion #ex fundamentalist #deconstruction

[intheholler]

#appalachian gothic #appalachia #southern gothic #american gothic #appalachian #americana #small town america #rural america #rural #church #ex religious #ex christian #yall come back now queue hear?