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encouraging de-converting and former Christians
The ExChristian.Net blog exists for the express purpose of encouraging those who have decided to leave religion behind. It is not an open challenge for Christians to avenge what they perceive as an offense against their religious beliefs.
Leaving the Church


Posted Thursday, February 04, 2010. —
By Kenneth S. (via Carl S.)

Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary Catholic C...Image by sarowen via Flickr

I was raised in a Catholic family, and went to a Catholic school for almost eight years. In my last year I had an older nun, Sister Raymond, around 65 years-old, who did not like me because I used to ask her things that she could not explain. At the time I was following the crowd and dressed and acted the way I thought was popular (wrong). The nuns used to pull my hair and punish me because I had a DA (duck’s ass) haircut and wore pegged pants.

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Worshipping Convictions


Posted Sunday, January 24, 2010. —
By Carl S

A co-worker used to watch Saturday morning cartoons with his grandson, and would repeat some of the incidents on them to me. One of his favorites was of an older dog teaching a pup “dog traditions.” The adult dog says, “We fetch sticks, chase cats, and bury bones. I don’t know WHY we do it, but we do.” I think many believers are that way. For example, they keep praying as if prayers actually worked. Reminds me of that old joke about the man waving a blanket around on Times Square, to “Keep the elephants away.” When informed that there weren’t any elephants for hundreds of miles around, he said, “See, its working!” These things are funny and harmless, but how do people get into them in the first place?

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Holymen/Madmen


Posted Tuesday, January 12, 2010. —
by Carl S

"The divel will make bats out of all of y...Image by Fiver13 via Flickr

One summer, about three years ago, my wife’s brother, his wife, and a couple they knew with their son and daughter, came up to stay at our place for their vacation. The parents, all in their 60’s, and the kids, son 30’s, daughter 20’s, were all fundies. On the first full day, the women tuned into one of those Christian TV stations, and for the next two hours watched Nazi rally type praise and sermons, during which time I thought I’d lose my mind, even though I couldn’t make out the words, only the emotional intensity that came out loud like that of an attacking mob coming at you. They were totally involved.

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THE JUDGES


Posted Wednesday, December 23, 2009. —
by Carl S

Gideon is a judge appearing in the Book of Jud...Image via Wikipedia

What are the universal criteria for judging the judges? We could probably all agree the criteria should include fairness, impartiality, knowledge, experience, and an insistence on weighing all of the evidence on both sides in all disputes and claims. In short, we should demand a dedication to, respect for, and a rigid pursuit of the truth. In addition, the judge should, under mitigating circumstances, administer justice with mercy.

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Uncluttering


Posted Tuesday, November 24, 2009. —
by Carl S

buy junkImage by bondidwhat via Flickr

First off, for any Christian reading this, what do the words “Lead us not into temptation” mean? I know that’s from the Lord’s Prayer, the Perfect prayer, of which there are two versions. It means that, out of all those fruits in Eden, the lord deliberately pointed out that you shouldn’t eat those of that particular tree he deliberately planted there, according to your beliefs. It also means that the hands placed so close to certain organs are not allowed to touch and play with them. In fact, there are many examples of the lord’s tempting. You can blame Eve and the serpent all you want, but guess who put the boiling pot of water just where the child would tip it over onto himself?

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Round & Round


Posted Friday, October 30, 2009. —
by Carl S.

I thought some ExChristian.net readers might enjoy my poem, Round and Round, which appeared in the July/August issue of American Atheist magazine.

Round & Round

There are many kinds of dances
In the land of Limerick Zoo
And the town of Verse-Take-A-Pick,
Where the poems and the jokes
Doe-see-doe with the folks;
It’s the same old/new ballyhoo.

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The Eternal Life Oxymoron


Posted Sunday, October 25, 2009. —
by Carl S

Let’s start with a joke that really isn’t. A little boy asks, “What’s the difference between an accident and an explosion?” His answer, “In an accident, there you are, but in an explosion, where are you?” This was used in my letter to the editor in reference to the Islamic terrorists of 9/11, who expected to have intercourse with virgins in paradise after their bodies had been blown to pieces. It was published just before Easter!

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The Judge


Posted Saturday, October 17, 2009. —
by Carl S

You are about to enter the court...

Every section of the courtroom is filled beyond capacity with murderers, kidnappers, rapists, and thieves, both petty and those accused of grand larceny. Also, there are child molesters, wife abusers, sadistic torturers, and all of their children.

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The Second Coming


Posted Thursday, October 08, 2009. —
by Carl S

The EvangelistImage by sean_hickin via Flickr

I can hardly wait for Jesus to come back. With the TV cameras rolling, will he come floating down through the clouds the same way he went up? Will he walk across the Sea of Galilee, Lake Michigan, the Pacific Ocean? Will he stop in Africa first, since so many there seem to need miracles the most, as they pray that their children not die from starvation and preventable diseases? Will he cure AIDS and malaria there?

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My Unique Experience


Posted Sunday, September 06, 2009. —
By Carl S

{{de}} Trappistennovize beim Gebet in seiner Z...Image via Wikipedia

Recently I came across an article in the New Yorker magazine that mentioned an ex-nun who spoke of her convent’s prohibition against “particular friendships.” Since the last time I heard that phrase was nearly sixty years ago, it ignited memories of when I was a Catholic monk. It also brought to mind a comment made to me by a women I met on a singles date. After three hours of talking, she said, “This has been a unique experience.” Here is one of my unique experiences...

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Look Out For Those Lookouts


Posted Monday, August 24, 2009. —
By Carl S

On lookout dutyImage by Gary Henderson via Flickr

My wife tells me that I think too much, to which I might point out that I’m just compensating for all those who refuse to think. For example, she watches those TV nature shows with animals in their native habitats. These shows aggravate me. I want to watch animals, but they keep interrupting by showing the faces of narrators or cameramen. Also, some insist on giving the animals names. I’ve watched gatherings of geese, ducks, turkeys, etc, and notice how at least one of them is assigned as lookout. So, I have my own commentary that ties into thinking too much, and here’s how it goes.

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So, what is a cult?


Posted Sunday, May 17, 2009. —
By Carl S

In the news, a cult is generally described as an “extremist religious sect.” With that in mind, along with the dictionary definition, “obsessive devotion to a person or principle,” let’s consider if Christianity can qualify as a cult.

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