Reading Time: 7 minutes OnlySky · Our biggest mistake: We did as we were told | Neil Carter Those of us who broke up with Jesus (he wouldn’t return our calls) are accustomed to having our motives and our sincerity questioned by those still happy with their faith. We get it all the time. We hear that we weren’t authentic enough, […]
doubt
Posted inLeaving Religion
The two main reasons I left my faith
Reading Time: 5 minutes OnlySky · The two main reasons I left my faith | Neil Carter For us ex-evangelicals, the Christian message was framed as an invitation to a personal relationship with the Creator of the universe. It wasn’t until after we accepted the invitation that they turned around and shamed us for wanting such a thing. It […]
Posted inLeaving Religion
Why I broke up with Jesus
Reading Time: 3 minutes OnlySky · Why I broke up with Jesus | Neil Carter It’s been more than a decade since I broke up with Jesus, and people often ask me why. There were plenty of reasons, but I think the main reason is that he wouldn’t return my calls. Since I couldn’t get in touch with him myself, […]
Posted inSecularism
Christians need their faith to be true
Reading Time: 7 minutes When you leave the Christian faith, people come out of the woodwork to impugn your motives for leaving. First I was informed that I did it so that I could have more sex, then I was told I did it to make money. Someone else said I must have a problem with authority because I […]
Posted inReligion
Churches: No Country for Doubters (Gospelbound)
Reading Time: 9 minutes TGC’s people think that churches need to step up to be safe harbors for Christians struggling with their faith. That’s an impossible demand, but also a very safe one for them to make.
Posted inReligion
Gospelbound Talks (Ineptly) About Deconversion
Reading Time: 10 minutes Hi and welcome back! Recently, we covered a post by Brett McCracken on The Gospel Coalition (TGC) (archive link). In it, he slammed deconversion and ex-Christians in the most hateful and contemptuous ways imaginable. But at least he demonstrated nicely that evangelicals have finally begun to notice the process of deconstruction and the vast number […]
Posted inReligion
Bad Advice: The Worst Part of Cognitive Dissonance
Reading Time: 11 minutes Today, let me show you what happens when a Christian suffering from doubts collides with the tribe’s collective wisdom about dealing with doubters.
Posted inReligion
Unchurched: Talking to the Voices in Their Heads
Reading Time: 8 minutes Hi and welcome back! Of late, we’ve been focusing on Lee Strobel’s 1993 book, Inside the Mind of Unchurched Harry and Mary. Decades after its publication, it remains completely au courant. Evangelicals still use the strategies in this book, and they still believe the many, many lies that its author tells about atheists. But there’s more to the […]
Posted inCartoons, General
What if Being Present is the Distraction?
Reading Time: < 1 minute Blinky settles in for his daily mindfulness meditation time.
Posted inReligion
When Christians Express Serious Doubts To Each Other
Reading Time: 12 minutes A year or so ago, our friend Brad asked Christians what it’d take for them to stop believing in Christianity. I made the point there that Christians become very uncomfortable with this question. However, that doesn’t mean they don’t talk about doubt. Today, let me show you how they talk among themselves about doubt–and why it doesn’t help them at all.