[net.religion] An Ex-Christian Speaks

pso@utastro.UUCP (P Samuel Odoms) (04/12/84)

This is sort of a reply to the Ex-Atheist:

I used to be a confirmed hard-core christian.  Was fairly active in witnessing,
working on and in christian plays and musicals and was a member of a college
ministry group in my freshman year which did a lot of traveling.

I am now a confirmed hard-core atheist.

Why the change?  I attributed the christianity part to peer/family pressure
while growing up.  After going off to college, I continued because I didn't
know anything else.  But by the second year (I had also changed colleges
then because I was changing my major and the first college didn't have a
good enough corricula) the peer/family pressure was gone and I started to
question my beliefs in new lights.  I found that I could not believe in the
possible existence of a super-being any longer.

I am and have been since about 14 years of age a homosexual.  I thought that
the god I had believed in at that time would not care.  But after getting out
in the world (and out of my closet), I found that the christian religions
(all of them) would not and could not condone homosexuality because god was
against it.  That I could not understand - I have a very high moral standard
am a caring, helping, loving person.  I could not stop my homosexual
tendencies (and I did try).  I could not believe that a god would just
write me off because of my inclinations.

That's all I have to say for now.  Don't try to preach and witness to me
about re-converting or whatever.  I accept any discussion on why religion
in general does not/can not condone homosexuality.  I have spent many years
in analyizing myself and my religion and world around me and I know that
I can never go back to a belief in a god.

Thanks to everyone out there who make the net an interesting place to be (?).
Well, you know what I mean.

Sam