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Deconversion: Letting go of one's religious belief and accepting reality on its own terms.


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I just finished quickly reading through a prophecy given by an old poster on this forum.  I am sharing his website if anyone is interested in reading it.  On it, there is also a link for his YouTube channel where he reads the prophecy.

https://www.eyesupandopen.org/index.php/prophecies-from-jesus-christ/sinners-come-to-me-in-this-last-time

Why am I sharing it?  Because it shows how two Christians, who became close online friends over the past year and a half ago, went in two extreme opposite directions within the past two months - me deciding to walk away from Christianity and him starting to share his fundamentalist prophecies online. 

I'm pretty sure most on this thread will reject this all-or-nothing way of thinking.  So what is left?  How does one decide for themselves which parts are allegories, fiction, myths, hyperboles, etc. and still believe the Bible is God's word? 

As it was pointed out to me in Revelation 3:15-22, being lukewarm is not pleasing unto the Lord. 


 

 

 

 

 

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  On 5/12/2024 at 8:48 PM, cman said:

naturalist would know that which dies will be born again

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Um.

No.

Not without a clear definition of what you mean by born again.

No naturalist would say this meaningless drivel

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One person in this conversation is actually a naturalist by definition. The one bloviating about what naturalists would know, while saying something no naturalist would say, is not that person.

Edited by Raf
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Well in the context of this conversation that is not the meaning.

A naturalist in philosophy is someone who believes the natural world is all that is. It is incompatible with spirit or the supernatural.

All these words have histories and overlapping definitions. Best bet is to allow people to label themselves and articulate what they mean by these labels.

 

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  On 5/13/2024 at 3:04 AM, Raf said:

A naturalist in philosophy is someone who believes the natural world is all that is. It is incompatible with spirit or the supernatural.

All these words have histories and overlapping definitions. Best bet is to allow people to label themselves and articulate what they mean by these labels.

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yeah, the definition of a cult for sure, nothing to do with nature naturism or humanism

you can label it anything you want, but I will use the terms as they were correctly intended

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  On 5/12/2024 at 11:01 PM, Nathan_Jr said:

Says who? Pleasing unto which lord?

Plus, to/for. ThIs was written TO the angel of the ekklesia in Laodicea. It was not written TO you. 

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The fact that Jesus would say to any believer, at any time or any place, that he would spit them out of his mouth for being lukewarm is sick stuff.  

Besides, there are plenty of other verses in the gospels where Jesus lays out what it takes to be a follower of his and being lukewarm is nowhere in the mix.

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  On 5/13/2024 at 10:15 AM, Charity said:

 

The fact that Jesus would say to any believer, at any time or any place, that he would spit them out of his mouth for being lukewarm is sick stuff.  

Besides, there are plenty of other verses in the gospels where Jesus lays out what it takes to be a follower of his and being lukewarm is nowhere in the mix.

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This carries with it a couple of interesting thoughts at least:

(1)  The Douay Rheims version says "vomit".   This to me conveys the idea that Jesus' reaction to an unconcerned or disinterested churchgoer is one of nausea and disgust.    

(2)  Preterists believe all this already happened, sometime around 70 A.D. and/or shortly thereafter, and the whole bible already has been fulfilled (full preterism); Jesus REALLY meant "I come quickly" he didn't mean 2000+ years later; and talk of "end times" today is BS.   "Gathering together" is BS.   Preterists also believe the 'millenial kingdom' already happened, but don't ask me how.  (Catholics, who have been described as "partial preterists" also think the "rapture" is BS.)

Preterism - Wikipedia
 added for reference purposes

 

Edited by oldiesman
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  On 5/13/2024 at 4:17 AM, cman said:

yeah, the definition of a cult for sure, nothing to do with nature naturism or humanism

you can label it anything you want, but I will use the terms as they were correctly intended

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Then you will be intentionally derailing the conversation and it will be handled accordingly.

Edited by Raf
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  On 5/13/2024 at 11:08 AM, oldiesman said:

This carries with it a couple of interesting thoughts at least:

(1)  The Douay Rheims version says "vomit".   This to me conveys the idea that Jesus' reaction to an unconcerned or disinterested churchgoer is one of nausea and disgust.    

(2)  Preterists believe all this already happened, sometime around 70 A.D. and/or shortly thereafter, and the whole bible already has been fulfilled (full preterism); Jesus REALLY meant "I come quickly" he didn't mean 2000+ years later; and talk of "end times" today is BS.   "Gathering together" is BS.   Preterists also believe the 'millenial kingdom' already happened, but don't ask me how.  (Catholics, who have been described as "partial preterists" also think the "rapture" is BS.)

Preterism - Wikipedia
 added for reference purposes

 

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Thank you for the education.

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  On 5/13/2024 at 10:15 AM, Charity said:

 

The fact that Jesus would say to any believer, at any time or any place, that he would spit them out of his mouth for being lukewarm is sick stuff.  

Besides, there are plenty of other verses in the gospels where Jesus lays out what it takes to be a follower of his and being lukewarm is nowhere in the mix.

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Oh, those words are attributed to Jesus? (I admit to not reading The Apocalypse of John of Patmos carefully enough.) Who says the Nazarene said? John of Patmos? Let me guess, he had a vision. Riiiiight…

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Build-A-Bear Workshop is a fun-filled store where you will make a new best friend. Choose from more than 25 different animals priced from $12 to $27. Stuff your furry friend, make a wish and give it a heart. Dress it in over 250 outfits and accessories. Name it and make a personalized birth certificate or storybook.

What is the difference between an atheist (who believes neither in a god or in the bible) and a non-fundamentalist (who "builds" a god through a subjective selection of which scriptures they interpret favorably)? 

IOW, what is the difference between a non-existent god and a made-up god?

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  On 5/11/2024 at 2:21 AM, Raf said:

This has always been my favorite deconversion story. 

This is Julia Sweeney, who played the Androgynous "Pat" on Saturday Night Live. 

 

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The video is a great example of the deconstruction that leads to deconversion.  And although the emotions she displays are part of her comedic monologue, they are nonetheless a real part of the process of letting go of God.

Ex: @ 51:30 - 53:40

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  On 5/13/2024 at 3:42 PM, Charity said:

Build-A-Bear Workshop is a fun-filled store where you will make a new best friend. Choose from more than 25 different animals priced from $12 to $27. Stuff your furry friend, make a wish and give it a heart. Dress it in over 250 outfits and accessories. Name it and make a personalized birth certificate or storybook.

 

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This reminds me of one of my favorite exchanges between Hitch and a zealot…

 

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The question is: What is the difference between a duck?

Most people say, between a duck and what? Those people don’t understand the question.

Waysider understands perfectly. He answered with a mathematical accuracy and a scientific precision not know since…

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  • modcat5 changed the title to Deconversion: Letting go of one's religious belief and accepting reality on its own terms.
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