Jokes aside though it’s a big step. I rejected my Christianity a while ago but do still carry a lot of things I learned from people in the church. Welcome to a new life and hope it treats ya well.
Deacon essentially means servant, so to me, my name has more meaning now than what my young earth creationist parents intended when they gave it to me.
It’s all about people. Down here. I want to be a helper.
It makes my aspirations more christlike than those of many Christians, especially evangelical/christian nationalists. Those folks largely do not follow the actual teachings of Jesus as recorded in the bible.
It also makes my failures to live up to those aspirations my failures, and I know I need all my forgiveness from the people I’ve hurt and none from a god that doesn’t exist.
I am not sure I am following you, but it seems like you are saying there were good things that came out of my Christianity - apologies if I’ve misunderstood.
The bible has the kernel for the perfect humanist morality in Mark 12:31
You shall love your neighbor as yourself
Simple, perfect, scales well, and totally non-dependent on any of the trappings of Christianity, most of which are actually inimical to practicing that commandment as a way of life.
Unlike Christians, I don’t have to reconcile that simple beautiful idea against any of the shit in Leviticus et al.
I have two simple aspirations for how I want to live the rest of this one and only life I have.
Really and truly, love my neighbor as myself
Work to continually expand my personal definition of “neighbor”
This is my dawning realization as I age and leave behind Christianity.
Is named Deacon 🧐
Jokes aside though it’s a big step. I rejected my Christianity a while ago but do still carry a lot of things I learned from people in the church. Welcome to a new life and hope it treats ya well.
Deacon essentially means servant, so to me, my name has more meaning now than what my young earth creationist parents intended when they gave it to me.
It’s all about people. Down here. I want to be a helper.
What if I told you that makes you more Christian than most nowadays
I would say I agree with you with some caveats.
It makes my aspirations more christlike than those of many Christians, especially evangelical/christian nationalists. Those folks largely do not follow the actual teachings of Jesus as recorded in the bible.
It also makes my failures to live up to those aspirations my failures, and I know I need all my forgiveness from the people I’ve hurt and none from a god that doesn’t exist.
Hell yeah, brother. You’re leaving Christianity, not vice versa — you can take whatever you want with you on the way out.
You want to hear a really funny story, my country went through a slow secularisation 250 years ago, so nowadays everyone is pretty much atheist.
But the Christian puritanism and guilt is still deeply in our culture.
We literally have the worst parts of Christianity with none of the reassuring religious elements.
We just feel shitty and guilty all the time, with no one to absolve us or pray to.
All I can is that sucks. Fingers crossed y’all go through another revolution and shake that.
So you mean there were still good times in it?
I am not sure I am following you, but it seems like you are saying there were good things that came out of my Christianity - apologies if I’ve misunderstood.
The bible has the kernel for the perfect humanist morality in Mark 12:31
You shall love your neighbor as yourself
Simple, perfect, scales well, and totally non-dependent on any of the trappings of Christianity, most of which are actually inimical to practicing that commandment as a way of life.
Unlike Christians, I don’t have to reconcile that simple beautiful idea against any of the shit in Leviticus et al. I have two simple aspirations for how I want to live the rest of this one and only life I have.