Pretty much reading The Book of Revelation. It just seemed unbelievable.

I have posted this before.

My parents brought me up as a Christian. When I was about eight I was out playing with a friend. His father was in prison for something and my parents had told me to avoid him – LOL. Anyway I said something religious to him, can't remember what, but he replied

“You don't want to believe that nonsense its just one big fairy tale.”

This was the first time someone had expressed an atheist view to me. Something just clicked

“Of course, that’s right ”

I thought - a fairy tale.
I have not had any religious belief since that moment.

Wait, you mean you don't believe in seven headed dragons?

Revelation 12:3
And there appeared another sign in heaven; and behold a great red dragon, having seven heads and ten horns, and seven crowns upon his heads.

Experts claim Revelation was written in code to escape Roman persecution sort of like political cartoons are written today.

iMonk Classic: A Young Person’s Guide To The Book Of Revelation
http://www.internetmonk.com/archive/...-of-revelation

Splendour, no one is talking to you....go away. You would never see me trolling a thread on how people came to their faith (especially if I've been asked to leave), and frankly, it's quite embarrassing that you continue to do so.

You're the one trolling. Your posts are earlier than mine.

You're inserting off topic material into the thread which causes them to derail.

I'm just correcting the people in the thread who have a subpar bible education.

I find photoshopping has a juvenile delinquent brainwashing quality to it. People posting images that they don't even know are coded images.

Why don't you try to understand something before you critique it authoritatively.

How is it off topic? Someone posted they didn't believe the absurd stories in Revelations, so I posted one of these absurdities. Seems pretty on topic to me.

As far as subpar bible education, afraid not. You can rationalize the bible anyway you please. While reading up for the "bashing babies on rocks" discussion I came across a Christian site where they were interpreting the 'rock' as Jesus, and the babies were only being taught of the messiah. Jesus Christ! You can do that with anything.

Hitler killed millions of Jews.
Well, by Hitler, the author meant love. And by killed, they meant...love again.

You're the one who believes in bringing people back from the dead, walking on water, and turning water into wine....and I'm the brainwashed one.

Your dragons are missing their crowns, and are too horned. I am disappointed.

I would of painted them on but Splendour considers photoshopping juvenile.

Well I'd say I'm about as real as it gets on the book of Revelation. I'm not the one taking religious advice from an 8 year old seriously.

And I happen to know for a fact that the Christians went through 10 Roman persecutions. Most people are aware something happened...throwing Christians to lions, the Catacombs built under Rome to hide the Christian population for a couple of centuries...

The history was real and it's well documented.

But you take care....I think this forum's had about all it can take of my snarkiness and I have some projects to attend to so I won't be starting any threads any time soon...

At least you admitted you're being snarky. That's the first step. Take care.

Someone should make a gimmick account called "I count the number of times Splendour threatens to leave the forum."

It's too long, I know. But it would be pretty funny.

I think, off the top of my head, I can recall 5 times.

Yes I know. Lying makes Baby Jesus cry Splendour, why do you hate Baby Jesus?

I figure I'll give this a shot.

I was raised in a rather non-religious family. My mother was a Christian (and still is), but rejects many ideas of the Bible and isn't terribly serious about her faith, although, to be fair, as she is getting older I've noticed her paying more attention to it. Perhaps this was inevitable.

This may be biased, but my Dad (an atheist) is genuinely the smartest person I've met. Got into Harvard / went to UNC, etc., and I've always respected my Dad's word on things, he's incredibly perceptive and knowledgable.

I was disenchanted with religion from an early age (10-11?), but the prospect of Hell scared the living **** out of me, as it does for most youths. I always heard my grandfather (mom's dad, an atheist) and uncle (mom's brother, an atheist) joke and be sarcastic regarding the Bible, and while I played along, inside I was frightened at the prospect of laughing at god. Soon, though, at about 13, I began taking up the philosophy of Pascal's Wager, better to believe than go experience torment for eternity should I be wrong, right?

I have two older brothers; one is 4 years older than me, the other 6. At around this time, both of them were openly atheist. I distinctly recall my younger older brother (lol) asking my Dad what he thought happens when we die. My dad just casually responded "I think we just die." which was incredibly disheartening for me, because he had just voiced my inner suspicion (and fear). I rejected this initially, but soon realized that this was the only logical position to take.

At around 14, after watching literally hundreds of videos with Hitchens, Harris, Dawkins and the like, I finally cemented to myself that I am an atheist. There was never really an "aha"! moment for me, rather, it just happened over time. I'm 16 now, proudly atheist, etc. etc. tl;dr

I'm lucky because I get to discuss religion and it's effects with my brothers and dad (sometimes even my Mom, who has an open mind) in the comfort of our home, not many people have that luxury.

Fun to read some other stories. Thanks for sharing, cheers!

My story is about as vanilla as it gets. I just accepted there was a god and a heaven and hell until about 15-16. That's when I first really thought about it all. It was around 3am and I had a 3 mile walk home from a party. The streets were quiet and the stars were out. I was an atheist before I reached my front door. -The end.

I really don't get people who say they're on the fence. Either you're the type to believe fantastic stories without sufficient proof, or you're not.

Not TL;DR...very good stuff. I'm glad to know I had a part in it. I think our stories are very similar, so I felt like your struggle would resonate with what I had been through, and that you would be impacted simlarly by the arguments which impacted me.

I especially resonate when you expressed the bitterness you experienced. I still struggle with this still. I think it's harder if you were indoctrinated in a fundamentalist culture.

I'll put something together later and try to keep it short. I think my deconversion took longer that a lot of folks because I was a believer until I was 36. I'm alost 38 now.

I can't wait for this. And don't keep it too short. I want the full story!

I was raised Catholic. By the time I was 11, I was starting to get really devout (my parents weren't devout but I was). Had I not lost my religion, I'd most likely be living in a monastery by now. But some time when I was 12, I started thinking more about metaphysics and the philosophical issues of religion, and that's when I realized my philosophies were different from the teachings of Christianity and the idea of such a human-like god. So I became atheist when I was 12.

It was depressing, my life lost all meaning. I had to find a new meaning. I did find one-- the pursuit of understanding. I want to understand existence.

Hey jokerthief, I couldn't help but think of you while I was reading this Q&A from Dr. William Lane Craig. I just wanted to point out that atheist also "bend" the truth when they are desperate to make their point. Seriously, it is mind blowing what these two well respected atheistic physicists did in their debates against Dr. Craig. Please read this and get back to me, I am very much looking forward to reading your response. Thank you my friend.
http://www.reasonablefaith.org/athei...ability-theory

safe to say that most people attempting to make a career out of their theories would be willing to bend the truth to fit their needs regardless of what side of the debate they are on

By the time I was 12, I was having problems in Sunday school. I asked my teacher why there are only 10 commandments when the Bible is full of rules.
They are the most important. she replied. I asked her to explain adultery. She said the class was too young for that one. She then sent me to speak with the youth minister.

me: "Do you believe in the virgin birth?"
minister: "Yes. It's an important doctrine."
me: "Then why isn't it mentioned in all the Gospels?"
I also told him that's it's embarassing that our church was founded because Henry the Eighth wanted to divorce or murder his wives.
The minister suggested that I should consider studying theology. I told him I was more interested in ham radio.

I was excused from Sunday school.

The most troubling post I've ever seen on this forum.

A young man turned from God because Michael Behe told a lie, Joe Rogan did a comedy bit on a completely unbiblical version of Noah's ark, and a guy whose moniker is "kb coolman."

I've not lost faith. I've lost faith in today's young men.

Lord, come!

And Splendour ruins yet another thread with her insanity

One day you will wake up. And it won't have anything to do with bible contradictions or the theory of evolution. I don't know what that spark will be for you. I don't know what event, trial or tribulation will unmask the hidden truth.

It may be when your child is sick, and in the hospital, and your one close friend shows up and tells you it will be okay, and you don't believe him. And you stand there shelled, numb, defeated and overwhelmed. You think of what it would have been like 5 years earlier. Pastor is on his way. Prayer meetings are scheduled and people are canceling dinner plans. Surrounded by people who hug you and linger around to embrace you again and tell you that you will get through this, and that it will be okay, and you are doubtful, but there is that small mustard-seed of faith inside of you...

And you realize right then that you have gone wrong somewhere. You are on the on the wrong side of things. How did I get here?

Maybe it is when your child is born. Maybe it is on the way home from the hospital with your wife and newborn. Maybe it's when someone close to you dies a violent, senseless death. I don't know. But eventually you will wake up. And You will realize that love without hope is meaningless; That works without faith is as dead as faith without works. You will realize that the message of Jesus Christ confirms itself in your heart, and that is all there is to it. You are a christian. You always were a Christian. You just didn't know why you were.

It was predestined, and life is only full if you have faith to withstand every and any attack of the devil. You didn't realize when you were 21 what kind of faith you were going to need. You didn't know that one day, your faith would be a choice, a conscious decision that you willingly signed up for. You didn't see this moment coming. It's when you realized that you were outside of God's grace, and really didn't want to be there in the first place.

Evolutions, you said. Contradictions, you screamed. Spong and Erhman and Dawkins!

And despite all that, the sudden freedom from recognizing the truth-- that if Jesus isn't the way, then there is no way, and there has to be a way, because I can't escape it. I have been sealed. Delivered. Redeemed.

There will come a day when your sinuous justifications collapse at the feet of the cross and its message of love and redemption. If it wasn't Jesus that drew you to worship in the first place, it just may be a revelation of Christianity that draws you to the pews again. One day you will get it, as I did. That you are on the wrong side of things. That there is great power in faith. That you are out far in the country spoiling your inheritance, and your father is waiting to slay the fatted calf when you return. That Jesus really is the way, the truth, and the life.

And when that familial, genetic recognition occurs, you will understand that God is truly a good God. You will understand what Jesus meant when he spoke about his mother and brothers really being the ones sitting around him on the grass.

You will lose loved ones, pets, friends... and still thank God every day for existence, for his grace and mercy. And you will love your enemies, and pray for those who persecute you, not because you are commanded to, because you want to, because it is what your Father did, and what your brothers do, and because it feels right. It is who you are. You are sealed, baptized, redeemed, and covered by the blood of the savior.

One day you will realize that being right, and righteous-- means more than anything else.