To the Atheists who were "Christian" before you became Atheist, what did you say to God when you left?

To answer that question logically, they probably wouldn't say anything as they don't believe, I find it interesting how they make fun of the FACT that they were never Christians to begin with thinking that is a Valid defense, Baloney, Even after years in Seminary and all that and even after 30 years I have heard of some who left the faith, This is Because They had religion, but never a salvation experience with Jesus, a Person can go to church all his or her life, and never be saved, They may truly be sincere about it, But they are sincerely wrong, They simply traded 1 religion for another the religion of atheism and yes it is a religion, just google 1st church of atheism and see how many hits you get, It is obvious it is religion because here they are in The Religion and Spirituality section proselytizing their religion, making lame excuse about Ohh we are just trying to educate you or Ohh we are just trying to enlighten you" Bull, a person who had any sense would realize that We Christians take their so-called education and ridiculous enlightenment and slap it back in their faces, but alas, they don't have that kind of sense, they are too blinded by their own brainwashing to see past anything but the fabrications they have made for themselves.

I really hate seeing christians saying things like this. It makes me angry and sad at the same time. While I was a new born christian I had an elder in the church question my salvation and say pretty much the same thing you're saying now.

I really don't see the positive value in christians doing that to each other or to someone who was formerly following Jesus and christianity.

You should realize that man can't see what is in the heart of another, but God can. And God should be the only one that would question where another persons heart is at.

I like and respect you NCWJ but lately some of your questions have really been scraping the bottom of the barrel.

I'm beginning to wonder if I had the wrong idea about you and is this the real you?

I openly admit I was never truly Christian. I was raised Catholic and made to go to church until I was 15. But I never understood anything about God. How can he be everywhere? Why does he let bad things happen? How do I know he's there if neither I nor anyone else can sense him with our 5 senses? When I'd pray, I felt like I was thinking into nothingness. So, no. Even though I identified as Catholic and knew about my religion, I probably didn't believe it at any point in time. However, that doesn't negate the fact that there was still a point in time when I identified as Catholic. There was still a point in time where I thought there might be a god, even if that thought wasn't very strong. So I may or may not have been a theist up until the age of 10. But the upbringing that I had was Catholic. I was baptized and confirmed. That is what's in my past. It can't just be rewritten because of who I am now.

No I actually had a stint with a fundie Church when I was about 18 and I heard all about the relationship with God thing and I had the feeling of God in my bosom too.

It was gradual. I never had that conversation. One of the thing the Church insisted on (it was a Pentecostal Church) was on reading the Bible every day. I started reading the Old Testament. The problem is the literalist approach made absolutely no sense. Doubt grew gradually and eventually, I at least figured that narrow interpretation couldn't possibly be right.

After that, I had a period of flirtation with Judaism. I saw that the Old and New Testament had completely different messages. I was seriously considering becoming a proselyte. But eventually, that idea of God as well, this feudal lord of war became distasteful to me as well. Today I'm an atheist simply because I see all of these as cultural constructs, Christianity, Islam, Judaism, the whole gang.

It can work for some people and I don't begrudge it to them, but blind faith is not something I see as a positive thing: In today's world I see it as a dangerous abdication of reason.

Nothing, of course. It was the realization that this claimed god didn't exist that got me to leave, and you can't say anything to things that don't exist.

"...play acting does grow old and stale..."

Yes, it did, which is why I left. As soon as I started rationally looking at evidence and the universe, that's when I realized I had been "play acting."

"...there is something you missed in your 'church' experience.' No, there isn't. I was fully and deeply into it, and *believed* I had this 'personal relationship' you're going on about. Facts and evidence, however, showed that I actually had never had any such thing, and that it was indeed play acting. It's shame you haven't figured that out yet, but it's something that YOU are missing, not the other way around.

Peace.

Why would I say anything to something that doesn't exist?? I never had a meaningful relationship with any god.

I was raised to think there was a god, I had to go to church (which I always hated), and I had to go sunday school. Once I was old enough to actually think I stopped believing...this was when I was around 6 years old.

I guess I just have a brain that is capable of critical thinking and logic.

Well gosh, since you know everything about me, why do you even bother asking?

I know you have supreme all-knowledge what with that sky fairy whispering secrets in your ear and all. But just in case you're vaguely serious, I'll share my imperfect understanding of my own experience.

Yes, I "had a relationship with God, knew God and talked to God."

Or at least that was how I interpreted my experience at the time.

My path from evangelical Christianity to atheism was a long and circuitous one, through mainstream & liberal Christianity to agnosticism to atheism, with brief flirtations with new-agey woo in between.

As my understanding of the Bible became less literal, my "communications" with "God" became less frequent. As I became an agnostic, I started to question the nature of what I had been doing all those years. Eventually I came to understand that there was in fact nobody on the other end of those conversations.

Of course I have only lived my life -- which obviously can't compare with your complete knowledge of all things Stevie M. But there you go. Please correct me further.

We have different ideas of what exactly constitutes a personal relationship with God. At the time, I had been under the impression that explicit communication was one way from me and that God communicated implicitly in the way life played out.

So when I became agnostic, it was basically realizing I had been talking to the wall and that life simply happens the way it happens.

If God speaks directly to you, then I can't discern you from a crazy person. Sorry.

EDIT: Let me put it to you this way. If you believed that a person existed that nobody else could perceive- that is, you saw and spoke and interacted with a person that nobody else could see, hear, or interact with, then one day started taking meds and this person ceased to exist, what COULD you say to that person? "Sorry, I don't believe you exist anymore?" There is no person to talk to anymore. It's basically the same thing.

First off i'm not a complete athiest but agnostic, so i'm sot sure. I got confused because of fact and things happening in my life. Anyway when you stop believeing something you don't say goodbye, you believe that you had made up these conversations in your head. when you relize the tooth fairy is fake I doubt that you wee like " Well now that i don't elieve her she won't come bac k but she was real before this. And btw i was a christian, and alter boy, youth group, washed the priests hands.

After years of having my heart directed to, open to, and in active communication with "God" I realized it was merely play acting. And not just me, everyone is play acting a personal relationship with "God". I didn't bother play acting a final communication with "God" after I stopped believing "God" exists.