#why i left christianity

[surroundedbytheworld]

Why I Left Christianity

by ezekiel gentle (2020)

#english #christianity deconstructed video #why i left christianity #deconversion #deconversion testimony #deconstruction testimony #deconstruction #deconstruction story #dangers of christianity #ezekiel gentle #Youtube

[gaymingintrovert]

You know I know my parents didn’t intend to upset me but the whole “AFAB people have periods because Eve ate the apple” thing added like three levels to my religious trauma at 10-12 years old

#I didn’t know why all of us had to be punished for something that wasn’t our fault #I thought god hated us honestly #in other news I left christianity when I was 12 #like my thought process was why should the women be punished but not the men #ex methodist #religious trauma #ex christian #periods

[ah0yh0y]

this may be a silly question

but i dont really understand the whole The church is Bad thing in fantasy high?

like about megachurches?

as a muslim i feel like theres a lot of cultural baggage im not understanding , especially around the evangalising stuff

can someone explain?

#ITS HARD BC I CANT PINPOINT WHAT I DONT KNOW #i just know im not gettign stuff #islam doesnt have the same strucutre as christianity so i am missing things left and right #ahoys thoughts #the sol and helio stuff is confusing cause i still dont even know what a televangelist is and why is ti bad specifically #honestly maybe i should just rewatch s1 #fantasy high #kristen applebees #buddy dawn #bobby dawn #why si the The Church an entity? i dont understanddd

[fictionadventurer]

It sounds like Joe and Ken focused on telling stories, stories that being stories focused on the world and characters they knew. While Pete's were more focused on delivering a message with story flavored wrapping.

This is very much the case, but the difference seems to go even deeper than that, to a fundamental difference in worldviews that affect how they approach story.

Episodes written by Joe Fallon and Ken Scarborough respect children as people. Children have been shaped by their experiences and have unique personalities. Children are curious and have brains--they are driven to explore new things and can draw conclusions from what they see and do. Children are already people who deserve respect, and like all of us, they're growing into different people as they learn new things and have more experiences. The child characters can thus be the drivers of their own stories and come to learn lessons for themselves. The child audience can relate to those characters, be drawn into the story, and learn what it's trying to teach without having every detail explicitly spelled out.

Episodes written by Peter Hirsch seem to approach children as people-in-training. They might have one or two personality traits, but instead of coming from and interacting with other elements of their background, they're just pasted on, like a sticker you can put on your Generic Child Prototype. These blank-slate children need to have knowledge poured into them so they can become Properly Educated Adults. So in his episodes, these child characters will go through their story with a question, and the adults--the real people--will tell them the information in great detail so these characters--and the watching audience--can go off into the world knowing what the writer has decided they need to know.

In Joe and Ken's episodes, flaws are funny, and can create funny conflicts that will teach the children better ways to approach problems. In Pete's episodes, flaws are horrible things that need to be pointed out, labeled, and sanded away, so these children can grow up into the perfect model of what a Good Adult should be. The first approach is engaging, and celebrates diversity of personality in a community, while the other becomes bland in the interests of shaping all the members of a community into the desired mold.

Comparing the two approaches provides a shockingly thorough lesson in how one should and should not approach writing and education. Story and character and message are all intertwined. Trying to force the message onto the story and characters makes for something bland and generic and unrealistic. Letting the characters shape the story and letting the story bring out the message makes for something much more unique, organic, engaging, and real. And yes, maybe I've come to this conclusion by spending far too much time thinking way too deeply about a bunch of shows for elementary-aged chlidren, but that doesn't mean it's not fascinating to see how, even within the same show, an writer's personality and approach to the audience can make such a vast difference in the quality of a story.

#answered asks #arthur #curious george #it has gotten to the point that i inspired the brother i usually talk to about these things #to google peter hirsch's biography #he couldn't find it #but we thought there has to be *some* explanation for why his work is the way it is #has he ever been outside a city? #has he ever left the east coast? #i didn't even get into the different approaches to class between the writers #joe and ken write episodes that happen in a world with working-class people #francine's family can't afford things the other kids can for instance #whereas in later arthur those real-world concerns are erased in favor of upper-middle-class discourse #i don't think i would have descended to this level of analysis except seeing all these people write for multiple shows #is really making it clear which elements come from the writer's personality regardless of the show #oh also the main post wasn't the place to mention this #but it's fascinating to see this message vs story thing applied to completely secular issues #because it drives home that it's not just the religion that makes some christian fiction so awkward #but how they approach it #message needs to come from story no matter what the message is #and you can have cringy preachy content even in completely secular works

[butterflybloodbarf]

i get that most people ~liked~ the righteous gemstones, but do you listen to “misbehavin’” and “there will come a payday” at least once a week … or are you normal?

#words #the righteous gemstones #look i left the church at like 13 or so but i still feel this weird soul connection to this show #i can’t put into words why i enjoy it so much #but those songs give me warm fuzzies #couldn’t be interested in christianity any less #but i grew up in mega churches and wealthy white churches and i just feel somewhat vindicated and validated by that whole show

[clearancecreedwatersurvival]

People will leave the fundamentalist religious cult they grew up in and then fall for white supremacist grifters who offer the scapegoat of blaming the harm caused by patriarchy on trans people and get suckered into another high control cult with an ideology driven by despair, and call that feminism.

#terf shit #the terf pipeline #it’s so plainly obvious that people who fall for these kinda mindsets are people raised in religious Christian enviros #who have left it enough to even have some level of awareness that patriarchy exists and Is Bad #and then just keep spouting the same bioessentialist bs that falls exactly in line with the religious right #‘why are white aupremacist gangs guarding this terf speaker event’ gee I wonder #Caitie speaks

[spurgie-cousin]

Just saw the video and commentary you posted around the poverty cosplaying and I just want to add that there used to be a different place in Arkansas that did a similar thing, sorta. It was through a charity organization that shifted focus so they no longer run the program, but they used to have a "global village" where people would get assigned different regions of the world to live in by lottery with a couple key differences. First, they used actual names of actual countries and provided actual information about the country/culture. Secondly, it wasn't for mission training but instead was meant to be an educational tool to help middle school and high school students to consider how existing in different global and socio-economic circumstances change your decision making etc. and in depth discussion and educational activities were facilitated frequently. I went there as part of an overnight high school trip and while in retrospect the "poverty cosplaying" does give me the ick I still feel like that particular program was informative. Mostly I'm shook that two distinct programs like this exist in AR? I've literally never heard of the Harding one from the video until now and went on a Google deep dive to see if they were connected in some way, but not that I can tell. Anyway, no deep thoughts really, just thought it was super interesting/weird.

There is something in the water over there in Arkansas man lol. I can never learn just some normal fact about AR, it's always something weird.

I totally understand wanting to create more empathy for those who live in poverty, especially in teenagers who are in a really formative years of their lives. And it's one thing to replicate conditions in your immediate area which you are intimately familiar with, but I just can't get on board with play-acting poverty in different areas of the world. I just think about how I'd feel if some religious group in another country tried to replicate my life experience for shock value.

Even replicating the conditions semi-well can't replicate the actual stakes faced by the people they're cosplaying. You can't replicate the stress of a single mother working 2 jobs and supporting 3 kids in a one-room house, you can't replicate the stress of food insecurity and legitimately being worried about when your next meal will be, etc etc. And something about pretending to do them when you can just go back to normal life at any time just feels disrespectful in a way I can't really articulate.

Idk if people get something from it that's great and I do get the thinking behind the one you described at least, I'm mostly still ranting about the first camp lol. I don't have any doubt that some of the people running the camp you went to had good intentions (the other one though I'm really not sure based on the town names) I just have a lot of mixed experience in Christian missionary culture where poverty is treated voyeuristically which is just definitely the vibe I got from the first camp.

#idk my dad grew up really really poor and i live in an area with a lot of poverty and so maybe i'm just overly touchy about it #but so much of the “philanthropic” culture i experienced in Christianity was making an other out of poor people #it's hard for me to really articulate well i feel but it was just this disconnect like we are different. we are the saviors. #we're on a different level. when in reality i mean everyone is an arm's length away from being in a bad situation in the right circumstance #i think the fact that a lot of the missionary work we did too was just classic surface level stuff like putting a bandaid on a gaping wound #kind of stuff that never addresses the root issues of poverty left a bad taste in my mouth for the community too #my church in particular has had this fundraising event every year for 80 years for the same area in africa building infrastructure and its #like....it's been damn near a century. how has this goal not been accomplished yet like where is this money going too?? #why have the missionaries in question seemed to make so little progress #idk ok im done lol i havent ranted in the tags in so long

[skyward-floored]

WAIT ARE YOU A NINJAGO FAN

I keep up with it! I've written a few fics for it too, though they were all from a while ago so they aren't the best. I used to be more active in the fandom actually, but there were some jerks and I kinda drifted away. Still watch the show though :)

#answers from the floor #anon #you'll never guess what the biggest reason was for why I left!!! It's because I'm Christian and I got hate for it!!! #isn't it funny how this happens in every internet space I end up in? isn't that interesting. #...sorry. that's a sore spot. #anyways DR has been interesting #kinda weird... but interesting #it's always fun seeing where they take the show every season #and how different it is lol

[idiosyncraticrednebula]

Radfems and Alt-right'ers aligning with each other is one of the most incredible things to come out of the 21st century lmao

#txt #the only reason they even pay attention to them is because radfems hate transgenders particularly the mtf's with a burning passion #you got radfems involved in right-wing circles and they actually get along with them #even the damn men and i don't know how the f*ck that can possible when radfems want all men to die #this is truly amazing #honestly though they still shouldn't associate with radfems because they don't get that their terf mentality doesn't come from anything els #but their insatiable hatred for men. it doesn't have anything to do with transgenderism itself #“you can be friends with somebody you don't agree with” there is that and there's being friends with somebody that wants you gone from this #damn planet man #but oh well #they are suddenly fine because they tell mft's that they will never be women or whatever #the fact that y'all have reached this level is all sorts of amazing to me #it's gotten to the point where the rw is really associating with a group of people that f*cking hate them and would personally kill them if #they had the chance to actually do it #i'm saying all of this as someone who isn't either left-leaning or right-leaning. screw both sides #on the radfems i don't get it don't you hate all men and think all of them are inherently evil? so why the F*CK are you aligning yourself #with a whole group that you explicitly hate distrust and can't even look in the eye without feeling disgust??? you are a part of something #that they created and that you have explicitly stated on numerous occasions that you find it to be patriarchal misogynistic and sexist #i don't get it???? specially if you are christian you should DEFINITELY not even align with them #if you have that mindset with the jews you should have it with them too. they have a hatred for god jesus christ and christianity because to #them christianity is at the core of women's “oppression” (i mean they direct that at religion as a concept but christianity has been their #scapegoat for over a hundred years at this point #i mean you can still have love for them but they reject jesus. all we can do is pray for them and hope that they embrace jesus christ as #their lord and savior. that's the only legitimate way they can be saved. there is no other way

[wayward-wren]

.

#Sometimes I think about how once years ago #A lady at bible study said she didn't want Jesus to come back because she wasn't ready and there was too much in this life she loved #And the older I get the more I see that attitude around #But how can you NOT be so excited for Christ's return? #Yes it's unknown but heaven and the next life is GOING TO BE BETTER #How can you look at this life and want to cling to it? #And I see people say that you can't be a Christian and commit suicide #But sometimes I feel like it makes so much sense to be Christian and suicidal #Because how can you look at the brokenness of this world #And then the promises of the next life #And NOT want to move on to the next life? #These are connect in my mind #Probably something worrying #I dunno man I just... sometimes I wonder why God has left me here #And I feel like maybe there should be more enjoyment in this world? #But we're not promised that so maybe I'm just weak and prone to grumbling #Who knows #Wren rambles #Vent post #And I would never say I am suicidal myself #I just can fully understand why a Christian would be #And people who say someone can't be a Christian if they commit suicide make me so angry

[betty-bourgeoisie]

I have tried so so hard at multiple points through out my life to understand just like... the basic facts of the Israel Palestine conflict, but every time I feel like I'm getting close someone will bring up some religious belief that's influencing it, that I, as someone who was raised very much outside of any Abrahamic religion, have absolutely no understanding or context for and I feel like I have to start all over again.

Like I can not be the only one who feels this way. Isn't there a 101 primer out there for those of us who simply didn't grow up in these communities?

#what do you mean the rapture is part of why the Christian right supports the Isreali government???? #I'm still not entirely clear on what the rapture even IS #and now you're telling me it's influencing U.S. military policy on Israel-Palestine? #like I swear to god sometimes growing up in a non Abrahamic religion #feels the same as being the one kid in middle school who got actively and intentionally left out of gossip circles #only to be shamed and ridiculed for not knowing Stacy and Ryan had broken up #like what is this?? #and I know people don't always like it when Abrahamic is used as an umbrella term #but I am using it here because communities and beliefs from all three Abrahamic religion very much ARE involved in this conflict #like I try to be thoughtful when it comes to what language I use around these religions #but I think Abrahamic is the most accurate term to use here

[fiachrastudios]

Aelar spread in my sketchbook...I only brought a handful of my Tombows along with me for vacation so it was a fun challenge working with such limited values (and figuring out how to stylize the half-illithid face stuff).

#bg3 #bg3 fanart #tav #baldurs gate 3 #baldurs gate 3 fanart #aelar melianme #my art #my o #bg3 spoilers #baldurs gate 3 spoilers #pls dont ask me why the bottom left one looks like christian bale i swear it was unintentional

[buck-yyyy]

by far my weirdest era was that one summer where i spent hours and hours messaging conservative christians on pinterest to gain an understand of why they believed what they did, how religion tied into that, etc etc

i’ll never forget, one girl messaged me back a few months later and asked me to fill out a google form on abortion for her school project because she wanted a diverse data set 😭

#i was 14 LMAO #it actually was a lot of fun and really interesting #like yeah. it was really weird and really hard to deal with the fact that they only showed me any ounce of respect because they considered #me ‘one of the good ones’ since i was respectful and honest about my intentions #(in that i opened with the fact that i wasn’t trying to change their beliefs and wouldn’t be posting it anywhere) #but nonetheless it was informative and rather fascinating #i’ll never forget this one 50 year old dude named greg #i left lunch with family and friends to hide in the bathroom so that i could message him back in a timely manner 😭 #he was super super christian and was explaining a whole buncha stuff about the bible and what it means to them #anyways. if i were to do that again i might handle certain things slightly different #but it was kinda neat. a lot of them also wanted to know why i believed and supported the things i did #i dunno. despite the fact that i wholeheartedly disagreed with everything they said and believed? it was a really cool experience to have #rational and honestly rather intelligent conversations about why they thought the way they did

[onlyfangz]

hitting the 'low calorie' and 'slimming' recipie blogs with a hard side eye as someone who genuinely loves 'health' food. you're not associated with me just bc i make veggie dishes for the love of greens, i will eat a deep-fried chocolate bar just to make a point.

#charlie.txt #no but fr this annoys me to no end #why cant food just be food #why is my veggie curry Better because it's low fat? cant it just be a veggie curry? #i honestly think for some ppl at least some of their aversion to vegetables and low fat protein and fruits etc is the obsession with them #being healthy -- and also that that must mean they taste bad #try my veggie curry. not because it's Good For You but because tasting greens in a banging sauce is like blowing a god #sometimes things taste good bc that combination of ingredients Just Tastes Good not bc theyre making you skinny and isnt Bad For You #'bad for you'. such a fkn christian concept. maybe its changed since i left the church but i dont remember a weight limit to get into heaven #sry fr going off its late im ill n recipie blogs were sent from hell to moralise food instead of just DOING WHAT TASTES GOOD. AS FOOD SHOULD

[muninnhuginn]

trigun (talking original anime not stampede/manga here as I can’t comment on those yet) is actually genuinely really solid in terms of themes and repeating imagery. the way the very setting of a desert with the associated resource scarcity plays into it all. you get monopolies over water where one family holds everything whilst the surrounding areas are left to rot. but then you have small patches of greenery that could have amounted to nothing but due to years of nurturing they’ve grown up into forests. it’s about what you do with what you’re given and what you choose to pass on to others.

#trigun #trigun spoilers #<- is it spoilers if the series came out over two decades ago. eh. let's play it safe #keep thinking about rem -> vash -> wolfwood and rem/vash vs knives in the whole debate about sacrificing one to save the many #because honestly both rem and knives' opposing philosophies are extremes and the only reason vash survived by rem's philosophy for so long #was because he wasn't human. rem and wolfwood don't have that and so the price they pay for moral purity is steep #(and honestly sometimes you do get scenarios where by choosing not to interfere it means more people suffer and vash is called out on this) #there's a reason why vash decides to carve his own path in the end and that's because both of the extremes are untenable #but he can still hold what he's been taught dear and move forward. people make mistakes and all they can do is try to be better #and that's all humanity as a whole can do. water and resources can be taken advantage of. but they can also be shared communally #and so in the series there is the hope that with water and nurturing eden will return and this desert planet will turn green #(also the christian imagery cracks me up but unlike with death note and eva I can't really call it faux symbolism because it kinda fits) #(and the gunpoint dilemma + cross scenes (rem -> wolfwood -> meryl) are so lovely if painful to watch #because the only time we know the 'right' choice was made is the last instance. the others are left to speculation)

[anarcho-smarmyism]

Egyptian neopagan/occult books talk about religion in AE without being antisemitic or racist challenge. difficulty: impossible

#if adapting Set to your Left Hand Path shit requires claiming that both judaisim+ christianity are actually just a bastardized osirian myth #dont do it then. simply do not do it. #also i hate aleister crowley i dont care!!!!! why do i have to absorb all this information though the assumed lens of thelema or wicca