#ex protestant

[the-jesus-pill]

You did the right thing by leaving. 

Even if it feels scary or wrong, your life is ultimately going to be better for it. They made you afraid of practicing your free will because they want to keep controlling you. 

But they can't touch you now. 

You're free. You belong only to yourself. You can rest now. 

Your life is only just starting..

#ex religious #deconstruction #exvangelical #apostate #deconverted #deconversion #exvie #exmo #exjw #exmormon #ex fundie #ex fundamentalist #ex methodist #ex orthodox #extian #ex baptist #ex protestant #ex jehovah's witness #religious recovery #reminders #ex muslim #ex jew

[exvangelicalrage]

You Will Be Free Indeed

5/22/23

There's thing thing christians sometimes do, called "testimonies." Most of my memories of testimonies involve dudes with tattoos getting up in front of the congregation and saying something like, "I spent the last ten years in prison, and while I was there, I found jesus!" And then all the people say, "praise be" or "amen" or some such nonsense. Then the dude expounds on his story about how he did all these terrible things, but when he was born again, he felt the chains of sin fall away from him and he became "free indeed." 

(Side note, "Free indeed" is evangelical rhetoric/gaslighting designed to counter the realization that religion actually binds you.)

These testimonies weren't always from dudes with tattoos. Technically, everybody had a testimony. The formula was this: 

All the bad stuff you did —> your encounter with jesus and/or being born again — > how it changed you — > freedom

For example, "I used to be selfish but then I became born again and gave all of my self to christ and now I am free!" 

Or, "I used to be bound by the shackles of lust! Then jesus cleansed me of my sins and I was born again. I no longer feel constrained by my sinful desires. It's like a weight has been lifted from my shoulders!" 

Literally anything that counts as a "sin" works. Even if you were young, like I was, and hadn't experienced much in the way of deliberate sinfulness, you could simply swap out a specific sin with "sinful nature" or "sinful desires." 

"I was born sinful but then learned about jesus, accepted him into my heart, and now I know I don't have to give in to sin and am free in christ."

BAM: Testimony!

The proclamation of freedom at the end of a testimony has stuck with me.

There were tons of ways people described it, always very visceral and visual. Shackles breaking. A weight lifted from their shoulders. As if everything had been in darkness and now they could see the light. As if they had been limited or bound or contained in some way, but now they were released. Imprisoned, trapped, captive. And then freed.

I had this vision in my head of atheists walking around with a ball and chain hooked to each leg. With metaphorical backpacks that weighed hundreds of pounds making it impossible to keep their spines up straight. With black, slimy tendrils of sin licking around their bodies, pulling them into a quicksand of sin.

I could hardly imagine how non-christians slept at night. How did they not see the black cloud that followed them everywhere they went? Did they not imagine life could be better? 

Honestly, this intense visual is one of the reasons I stayed christian as long as I did. I didn't want to become like that. I didn't want life to be heavy. I didn't want to bear the weight of my sins—not when jesus had offered to do it for me. 

But eventually, the weight of my doubt grew heavier than the weight of my sins. After all, I'd spent my entire life trying to be as perfect as possible. Not to mention, jesus had supposedly cleansed me. 

So why did everything feel so heavy?

When I finally had the courage to Exit christianity, officially and for real, something crazy happened. You'll never believe it. 

I felt free.

It was like a metaphorical weight had been lifted. Like I'd been walking around with a ball and chain hooked to each leg—but now they were gone! Like I shed that metaphorical backpack that made it impossible for me to keep my spine straight. Like the black, slimy tendrils of christianity licking around my body and dragging me into the quicksand of religion had been utterly, irrevocably banished. 

The black cloud—gone! Only a blue sky above. 

Never had I ever imagined that life, existence, self could feel so light.

christians imagine that that sense of freedom comes from jesus. That the lightness comes from having your sins "forgiven." From choosing to live your life for god and walk on that dusty road to heaven, instead of the glittery road to hell.

But the truth is, that sense of freedom and lightness comes only in making the choice.  And which choice doesn't really matter. It's just that you made the right one for you.

It's about looking your own darkness in the face and saying, "No. I reject you."

Sometimes that darkness takes the form of the "sins" we've committed or the harm we've caused. Sometimes it's our guilt. Sometimes it might be mental illness. Or the trauma of past experiences. 

And sometimes, it's christianity.

#exchristian #ex christian #free indeed #atheist #agnostic #exvangelica #exvangelical #ex evangelical #religious trauma #religion #indoctrination #cult ideologies #cults #the christian cult #ex protestant

[apostateoverrubies]

You know, every time I think about Moral Orel, I connect with it more and more. That moment in the final episode where Orel gets sent to his dad's office for the last time in the series really hit me.

Usually, Clay is the one in control, beating his son before teaching him a horrible lesson. And Orel used to respect him then.

But now Orel just looks at his father unimpressed, and Clay is at a loss for words because he knows he no longer has power over his son.

And when I think about that moment, I'm reminded of my own relationship with my father.

He's not completely powerless as yet, but I think he knows he's losing his grip, and he's trying too hard to maintain control.

But at the same time, he's getting old, and because he's too prideful to take care of himself, his age is catching up to him.

He is losing his hearing, his sight, and is willfully becoming dependent on us doing things he could easily do on his own. Not to mention, he is acting more immature, probably thanks to being enabled by people who use him or pastors who could've been manosphare podcasters if they weren't involved with the church.

I've lost a lot of respect for him as I get older and realize how toxic he is. And with how he acts up, even people outside of our household are losing respect for him.

If mom ever brings up the possibility of leaving him again, this time, I'll encourage it and leave with her. We'd all be doing much better without him.

Unlike Orel, I chose not to hold onto my faith. Because once you read the Bible, it makes sense why a lot of Christians believe the things they do. And if you have to do apologetics, if not outright reject certain aspects of the faith to make it good, then you need to reconsider following that faith to begin with.

#ex religious #ex christian #ex pentecostal #ex protestant #religious deconstruction #deconstructing christianity #religious trauma #apostate #deconversion #moral orel

[decomposingpoet]

*me in church* wait! This is fucking propaganda isn't it????

#me when the preacher starts describing everyone who is outside the church as depressed #like this is just a straight up lie? #these people fucking lied to me and i believed it #im so mad #ex protestant #ex christian #religious trauma #ex fundie #ex religious #exvangelical

[seraphimfall]

Just wanna say thanks for talking about antisemitism. There's a huge problem with it in the ex cath community and it's a big reason why I stopped posting. Have a good night 😁😁

hello!

honestly, you’re totally right. i feel as if there’s so much antisemitism within catholicism that it bleeds over into the ex-catholic community. lots of ex-caths refuse to fully deconstruct the understanding of judaism they were taught. the same is true for islam and hinduism. a ton of ex-caths only have an understanding of these religions from a catholic perspective.

if the church you were raised in has a long history of antisemitism within its past doctrine, you should probably reevaluate how you view judaism (and what you actually know about judaism) once you leave that church.

i hope you have a lovely day, and thank you for the ask! ✧

#|| personal || #antisemitism #ex cath #ex catholic #ex christian #exvangelical #ex religious #ex cult #ex fundamentalist #religious trauma #ex fundie #deconstruction #deconvert #deconversion #apostate #apostasy #catholic guilt #catholic trauma #ex protestant #losing my religion #leaving the church

[goatbeard-goatbeard]

Oh Lord, you know

I have no friend like you

If heaven’s not my home

Then Lord, what will I do?

- This World Is Not My Home (hymn), Jim Reeves

#to anyone who recognizes this slide format #yes - I too grew up in a megachurch #good omens #good omens 2 spoilers #good omens 2 #good omens spoilers #good omens 2x06 #goodomensedit #good omens edit #exvangelical #exvie #ex christian #ex protestant #ex fundamentalist #ex fundie #gos2spoilers #gos2 spoilers #go2spoilers

[malukeando]

For those who don't know me, I'm a Protestant, but I'm in the process of learning about Catholicism (which I've found to be true) so that when possible for me, I can convert to Catholicism. So to my followers and Protestant brothers, excuse me for the Catholic spam, and to my Catholic brothers, all correction and teaching is welcome.

#p #personal #catholic #catholicism #exvangelical #ex protestant #conversion

[arsonists-oatmeal]

So we've all heard of the term "catholic trauma" thrown around, and are familiar with examples of it and the common thoughts a lot of ex-catholic people get as a result of their catholic upbringing. But what about the protestant side of things? Like there has to be something similar over there right? It's not like they're much better. What are aspects of protestant trauma? I feel like it should be talked about more

#please feel free to give examples #i need to know if anyone else has similar experiences #ex christian #ex protestant

[inhalingducks]

parents tell you that they raise you so you become someone that ‘chooses’ christianity when you’re old enough and then have the audacity to baptise you when you’re a child

#religious trauma #ex protestant #ex evangelical #indoctrination #FUCK THE CHURCH

[citrussunrises]

Ok folks raised or in the church, reblog this with your most insane church lore, drama, or scandal.

I'll go first. My church started out as a New England commune. They all shared one lawnmower.

#church #christian #presbyterian #methodist #baptist #Catholic #Orthodox #Protestant #anglican #episcopal #ex christian #church stories #christianity #christian stories #m #jesus #yes i was inspired by the responses to my hyper specific poll #yes i was more immediately inspired by my sister

[the-jesus-pill]

[Image ID: a tweet by Rachel Myers @rachelsaheretic 

Say no to that coffee invite, don’t respond to that old church friend who is reaching out “concerned” because of your new beliefs, set a boundary with how much of your story you share with those who won’t value it. You don’t owe anyone an explanation for your journey.

End ID]

#ex religious #deconstruction #exvangelical #apostate #deconverted #deconversion #exvie #exmo #exjw #exmormon #ex fundie #ex fundamentalist #ex methodist #ex orthodox #extian #ex baptist #ex protestant #ex jehovah's witness #pomo #setting boundaries #healing #reminders #religious recovery

[singwhenyoucantspeak]

if im ever being overly loud about being catholic i promise that's just the rent control gunshot to remind the protestants in the room that I'm not one of them

#like how my gf goes from being ex catholic to being catholic as soon as a protestant opens their mout #i go from being low key catholic to high key catholic when i feel like certain ppl are getting too comfortable #this goes for current and former protestants btw #especially the former ones who think cultural christianity doesnt exist

[apostateoverrubies]

It's upsetting that people don't see the potential in Protestant aesthetics and get upset that they don't have anything cool to use in their deconstruction art.

Like, don't you think the churches themselves make for great liminal spaces?

And even though I wasn't in that part of Pentecostalism, I used the dress code as inspiration for how my recent OC and the women around her were forced to dress just to be modest.

At this point, I've made my own fictional sect of Christianity.

#ex religious #ex christian #ex pentecostal #ex protestant #religious deconstruction #deconstructing christianity #apostate #deconversion

[decomposingpoet]

How do you, as an ex-Christian, feel around Easter time? Do you still celebrate it? If yes, is there any religious aspects to your celebration or is it unrelated to the resurrection (e.g. looking for eggs, eating chocolate bunnies). Do you enjoy Easter? Is there anything that annoys you about Easter due to it being a religious holiday? What is your experience, i'm really curious

#easter #exvangelical #ex christian #ex religious #ex catholic #ex fundie #ex protestant #religious trauma #religion #religious

[aropride]

it is 12:43 on a saturday im sorting beads on my floor and coming to the realization that i think i was raised fundamentalist???

#text #ive just been saying like evangelical vaguely fundie vaguely protestant #bc no one would tell me what denomination we were it was ljust Oh we dont have one we just follow the bible 🙂 #but im watching a video from an ex fundie rn and a lot of the stuff shes saying shes disclaiing with Ik this sounds crazy if u werent #raised this way and its still somethint i see as somehwst normal ??? #like not having secular friends til ur in public school Like that was just normal for me.is that not normal

[seraphimfall]

Holy Dogs— Catholic Folk Saints

catholicism has an insanely diverse history and culture. with more than 1 billion adherents across the world, there’s bound to be variance in worship and commemoration. one of the best examples of this is catholic folk saints.

simply put, folk saints are saints of the people. they are holy figures who are honored as patrons by a local population, but not officially canonized in the vatican.

some are legends. some were old gods from polytheistic religions. some were real people. and some, believe it or not, were dogs.

that’s right! a good boy can sometimes be so good, they’re saintly.

St. Guinefort of Lyon

feast day— august 22nd

patronage— infants

st. guinefort was a greyhound who was said to live in 13th-century france. according to legend, guinefort was a loyal companion for a knight who lived near the city of lyon. one day, the knight went out to hunt. he left his infant son at his house, under the watchful eye of guinefort. when the knight returned, he found the infant’s room in chaos— the cradle was overturned and blankets were torn. the son was nowhere to be seen, and guinefort was sitting in the corner with bloody jaws.

under the belief that his son was eaten by guinefort, the knight drew his sword and killed the dog. only then did he hear his son crying. turning over the cradle, the knight realized his son was alive and well. lying next to him was the body of a viper, covered in dog bites. guinefort had killed the snake to protect the infant, making a mess of the nursery in the process.

the knight, grieving his mistake, took guinefort’s body and dropped it down a well. he constructed a shrine out of the well to honor him. when the townsfolk heard of the dog’s martyrdom, he was venerated as a patron of infants. mothers would often visit his shrine if their children were sick, praying for his protection.

Negro Matapacos (Black Cop-Killer)

feast day— august 26th

patronage— protestors, street dogs

negro matapacos was a stray dog who lived in the streets of santiago, chile. he would most notably hang around university campuses. he didn’t technically have an owner, but he was cared for by a woman named maría campos. she would feed him and give him a place to sleep. every morning before he left, she would tie a red handkerchief around his neck and bless him.

from 2011 to 2013, nationwide student protests rocked the country. as the demonstrations persisted, police began to turn to violent forms of crowd control. to the student’s surprise, there was soon a stray black dog protesting alongside them. he would lash out aggressively at approaching police, but was kind and protective towards the civilian protestors.

he soon earned the name negro matapacos, which translates to “black cop-killer” in english. it was a title that reflected his job perfectly.

during his participation in the protests, he showed absolute resilience against police violence. he would accompany protestors into tear gas, and even endured getting hit with water cannons. as the protesting continued, matapacos never retreated.

remarkably, he survived the demonstrations. the black dog gained media attention, and was honored as a hero and revolutionary icon. matapacos went on to live a happy life. he died on august 26th, 2017, attended by his caregiver and vet staff. according to various sources, the canine sired 32 pups before his death.

in 2019, protesting once again erupted in chile. although matapacos was not able to be there, he certainly was in spirit. his image was drawn on countless signs, and he was the subject of street art by revolutionary artists. he was a patron saint for the working class of chile, and is honored as such to this day.

#the goodest boy #negro matapacos #exvangelical #ex catholic #ex christian #catholic witch #apostate #catholic guilt #santiago chile #chile protests #religious trauma #catholic paganism #saint guinefort #leftism #french history #lyon france #catholic witchcraft #folk saints #folk catholicism #progressive politics #catholic history #christian spirituality