New Member

[Brent Branaman]

Hello, everyone! This is my first post. I may know several of you if you have posted on CARM.

I am an atheist and former Christian. I come here because, although I no longer subscribe to Christian beliefs, the subject still fascinates me. I cannot deny that Christianity has had a big influence on my life over the past 35+ years simply because it is true that everyone's experiences create their present state of being. I enjoy discussing theology and the Christian and Jewish sacred texts. I read/write Greek at the Intermediate level. Hebrew is Greek to me.

My deconversion occurred gradually over a 4 years period. It began after I asked myself the question, "Why do you believe what you believe?" Shortly thereafter, I read N.T. Wright's megavolume works The New Testament and the People of God, Jesus and the Victory of God and The Resurrection of the Son of God. My conclusions about Christianity did not result due to any traumatic life experience or anger toward God. They arose from my studies.

I still go to church with my wife and three kids. I usually hang out in a large meeting area at the church with a few other fellow atheists and agnostics who also deconverted from Christianity within the past 5 years.

I look forward to having discussions here about the Christian faith. I will state my opinions directly about my own perspective on Christianity but I will state them with respect to others here. I will challenge the Christian outlook and give my reasons, understanding that different people come to different conclusions. I do not think that Christians are stupid or naive. I do not think that I have all of the answers - far from it. I hope that I can learn from Christians and vice versa. After all, I hang out with Christians all the time and scores of people within the walls of churches are skeptical.

Thank you for allowing me to come here.

 

[Caroline H]

Welcome to the site

Be sure to pay special attention to the forum descriptions before you post in them, as some of them are not open to everyone.

May God bless your time here

 

[ydoaPs]

Nice. A fellow CARM-ite!

My revolution must be catching on.

 

[Blazin Bones]

Welcome to the site. CARM?

 

[ydoaPs]

Welcome to the site. CARM?

"Christian Apologetics And Research Ministry" http://www.carm.org

Its owner is a 'Christian' who is more an example of the anti-Christ than an example of the Christ. He rules with an iron fist banishing all those who disagree with his narrow theological stance. Entire threads disappear with no reason given. Infractions are handed for any reason they can possibly think of to deter those who disagree. Posts are edited liberally by the staff. With the recent mass-bannings of atheists and the limiting of atheist to the atheism board and the evolution board, there have been polite threads by Christians and non-Christians alike regarding such action. All dissent(even a poll just asking if the userbase wants the atheists to be limited to those two boards or even if the atheists should be banished as a whole) was met with instant bannings along with vanishing threads and all posts edited to say "rule violation."

Many people are fed up with the un-christlike actions, so they leave. There have been a few people coming here from there and I think there may be more to come.

 

[Brent Branaman]

Nice. A fellow CARM-ite!

My revolution must be catching on.

What is your username on the "other" site?

 

[Nick]

Welcome!

 

[ydoaPs]

Nice. A fellow CARM-ite!

My revolution must be catching on.

What is your username on the "other" site?

Zan.

I use ydoaPs everywhere else, so I figured I may as well use it here too.

 

[glorydaz]

My deconversion occurred gradually over a 4 years period. It began after I asked myself the question, "Why do you believe what you believe?" Shortly thereafter, I read N.T. Wright's megavolume works The New Testament and the People of God, Jesus and the Victory of God and The Resurrection of the Son of God. My conclusions about Christianity did not result due to any traumatic life experience or anger toward God. They arose from my studies.

I still go to church with my wife and three kids. I usually hang out in a large meeting area at the church with a few other fellow atheists and agnostics who also deconverted from Christianity within the past 5 years.

I've read your post two or three times, and I'll admit, I'm curious. I don't remember ever hearing the term deconversion before, although you describe what you mean quite clearly. I'd be interested in hearing what your initial conversion was like...but I'm sure that can wait for some future day. This is your welcome thread, after all, so I'll just say HELLO, it's nice to make your acquaintance.

 

[MimilovesBibi]

Hello!

I am new to this board, too.

Hoping to have a nice stay here.

WELCOME.....

I am thankful you are open to discuss...............

 

[ydoaPs]

I don't remember ever hearing the term deconversion before, although you describe what you mean quite clearly.

Really? That's somewhat odd. It's rather common on most boards with apostates.

 

[glorydaz]

I don't remember ever hearing the term deconversion before, although you describe what you mean quite clearly.

Really? That's somewhat odd. It's rather common on most boards with apostates.

Well, I've only been on one other forum, so perhaps that's why.

 

[Brent Branaman]

Nice. A fellow CARM-ite!

My revolution must be catching on.

What is your username on the "other" site?

Zan.

I use ydoaPs everywhere else, so I figured I may as well use it here too.

Ah, Zan! I'm very familiar with your recent activity over there. Glad to find someone familiar here. We'll see how well it goes.

 

[Brent Branaman]

My deconversion occurred gradually over a 4 years period. It began after I asked myself the question, "Why do you believe what you believe?" Shortly thereafter, I read N.T. Wright's megavolume works The New Testament and the People of God, Jesus and the Victory of God and The Resurrection of the Son of God. My conclusions about Christianity did not result due to any traumatic life experience or anger toward God. They arose from my studies.

I still go to church with my wife and three kids. I usually hang out in a large meeting area at the church with a few other fellow atheists and agnostics who also deconverted from Christianity within the past 5 years.

I've read your post two or three times, and I'll admit, I'm curious. I don't remember ever hearing the term deconversion before, although you describe what you mean quite clearly. I'd be interested in hearing what your initial conversion was like...but I'm sure that can wait for some future day. This is your welcome thread, after all, so I'll just say HELLO, it's nice to make your acquaintance.

Thanks for the welcome.

I can answer a few questions here. Maybe I'll start a new thread somewhere once I get settled in. I'll probably lurk for awhile so that I can become familiar with the forum.

You'd like to know about my "initial conversation." Do you mean when I asked myself, "Why do you believe what you believe?" Or the first time I questioned what I believed?

My "deconversion" (notice that spell check always gets this one - it isn't a real word) happened gradually. I can't really pinpoint a moment when I said, "Aha, I'm an atheist!"

 

[glorydaz]

[quote="Brent Branaman":27opmf6l] My deconversion occurred gradually over a 4 years period. It began after I asked myself the question, "Why do you believe what you believe?" Shortly thereafter, I read N.T. Wright's megavolume works The New Testament and the People of God, Jesus and the Victory of God and The Resurrection of the Son of God. My conclusions about Christianity did not result due to any traumatic life experience or anger toward God. They arose from my studies.

I still go to church with my wife and three kids. I usually hang out in a large meeting area at the church with a few other fellow atheists and agnostics who also deconverted from Christianity within the past 5 years.

I've read your post two or three times, and I'll admit, I'm curious. I don't remember ever hearing the term deconversion before, although you describe what you mean quite clearly. I'd be interested in hearing what your initial conversion was like...but I'm sure that can wait for some future day. This is your welcome thread, after all, so I'll just say HELLO, it's nice to make your acquaintance.

Thanks for the welcome.

I can answer a few questions here. Maybe I'll start a new thread somewhere once I get settled in. I'll probably lurk for awhile so that I can become familiar with the forum.

You'd like to know about my "initial conversation." Do you mean when I asked myself, "Why do you believe what you believe?" Or the first time I questioned what I believed?

My "deconversion" (notice that spell check always gets this one - it isn't a real word) happened gradually. I can't really pinpoint a moment when I said, "Aha, I'm an atheist!"[/quote:27opmf6l]

Actually, I was thinking of when you first believed ... before you deconverted (that is a funny word).

You thought you were saved some time in the past, right?

 

[Brent Branaman]

Thanks for the welcome.

I can answer a few questions here. Maybe I'll start a new thread somewhere once I get settled in. I'll probably lurk for awhile so that I can become familiar with the forum.

You'd like to know about my "initial conversation." Do you mean when I asked myself, "Why do you believe what you believe?" Or the first time I questioned what I believed?

My "deconversion" (notice that spell check always gets this one - it isn't a real word) happened gradually. I can't really pinpoint a moment when I said, "Aha, I'm an atheist!"

Actually, I was thinking of when you first believed ... before you deconverted (that is a funny word).

You thought you were saved some time in the past, right?

Oops - I thought you said "conversation" rather than "conversion." My bad.

I have believed in God since I could read. I believed Jesus died for my sins and rose from the dead since elementary age. There isn't a single moment that I could track my original Christian conversion, though my Church of Christ heritage would say that it was at my baptism at age 12. It was then that I dedicated my life to God (at least as much as a 12 year-old can manage). I rededicated myself several times all the way through college.

 

[glorydaz]

[quote="Brent Branaman":nji94hgr]
Thanks for the welcome.

I can answer a few questions here. Maybe I'll start a new thread somewhere once I get settled in. I'll probably lurk for awhile so that I can become familiar with the forum.

You'd like to know about my "initial conversation." Do you mean when I asked myself, "Why do you believe what you believe?" Or the first time I questioned what I believed?

My "deconversion" (notice that spell check always gets this one - it isn't a real word) happened gradually. I can't really pinpoint a moment when I said, "Aha, I'm an atheist!"

Actually, I was thinking of when you first believed ... before you deconverted (that is a funny word).

You thought you were saved some time in the past, right?

Oops - I thought you said "conversation" rather than "conversion." My bad.

I have believed in God since I could read. I believed Jesus died for my sins and rose from the dead since elementary age. There isn't a single moment that I could track my original Christian conversion, though my Church of Christ heritage would say that it was at my baptism at age 12. It was then that I dedicated my life to God (at least as much as a 12 year-old can manage). I rededicated myself several times all the way through college.[/quote:nji94hgr]

Then I say this with all love...perhaps you were never born again and filled with the Holy Spirit.

Knowing God and being born a new creature are not the same thing.

 

[MimilovesBibi]

[quote="Brent Branaman":3rxouw86] My deconversion occurred gradually over a 4 years period. It began after I asked myself the question, "Why do you believe what you believe?" Shortly thereafter, I read N.T. Wright's megavolume works The New Testament and the People of God, Jesus and the Victory of God and The Resurrection of the Son of God. My conclusions about Christianity did not result due to any traumatic life experience or anger toward God. They arose from my studies.

I still go to church with my wife and three kids. I usually hang out in a large meeting area at the church with a few other fellow atheists and agnostics who also deconverted from Christianity within the past 5 years.

I've read your post two or three times, and I'll admit, I'm curious. I don't remember ever hearing the term deconversion before, although you describe what you mean quite clearly. I'd be interested in hearing what your initial conversion was like...but I'm sure that can wait for some future day. This is your welcome thread, after all, so I'll just say HELLO, it's nice to make your acquaintance.

Thanks for the welcome.

I can answer a few questions here. Maybe I'll start a new thread somewhere once I get settled in. I'll probably lurk for awhile so that I can become familiar with the forum.

You'd like to know about my "initial conversation." Do you mean when I asked myself, "Why do you believe what you believe?" Or the first time I questioned what I believed?

My "deconversion" (notice that spell check always gets this one - it isn't a real word) happened gradually. I can't really pinpoint a moment when I said, "Aha, I'm an atheist!"[/quote:3rxouw86]


You know, 'religionist's' would look down on this comment..but, Christ being who He is...understands.
I know He ainta givin' up on ya yet....(just from my perspective)

 

[Brent Branaman]

I have believed in God since I could read. I believed Jesus died for my sins and rose from the dead since elementary age. There isn't a single moment that I could track my original Christian conversion, though my Church of Christ heritage would say that it was at my baptism at age 12. It was then that I dedicated my life to God (at least as much as a 12 year-old can manage). I rededicated myself several times all the way through college.

Then I say this with all love...perhaps you were never born again and filled with the Holy Spirit.

Knowing God and being born a new creature are not the same thing.

Ah, the "no true Scotsman" response. If you want to have a conversation with an ex-Christian, this type of comment usually gets you nowhere. It is a self-sealing argument and gives us no room to talk.

Just for kicks, though, let us try. What would be an indicator to you that I wasn't born a new creature and filled with the Holy Spirit? Was belief not enough? Was my dedication not enough? Would God give a stone to someone who asks for bread?

 

[ydoaPs]

[quote="Brent Branaman":2esx9olc]

I have believed in God since I could read. I believed Jesus died for my sins and rose from the dead since elementary age. There isn't a single moment that I could track my original Christian conversion, though my Church of Christ heritage would say that it was at my baptism at age 12. It was then that I dedicated my life to God (at least as much as a 12 year-old can manage). I rededicated myself several times all the way through college.

Then I say this with all love...perhaps you were never born again and filled with the Holy Spirit.

Knowing God and being born a new creature are not the same thing.

Ah, the "no true Scotsman" response. If you want to have a conversation with an ex-Christian, this type of comment usually gets you nowhere. It is a self-sealing argument and gives us no room to talk.

Just for kicks, though, let us try. What would be an indicator to you that I wasn't born a new creature and filled with the Holy Spirit? Was belief not enough? Was my dedication not enough? Would God give a stone to someone who asks for bread?[/quote:2esx9olc]It's also fun to look at that response the other way. If you were never a Christian, how do they know for certain that they truly are?