sent in response to: Why the Interest? I think there are Christians who believe foolish things, I also find flawed logic among atheists. After visiting your site weekly for the last five months I find that your beliefs consistently strengthen my own because what inspires you is objectively true. I glean valuable insight from those inspirations. Worldview is simply how we understand the nature of true things. Reality itself will accommodate neither my understanding of it or yours. Personal worldview is literally the keystone that shapes every other belief we hold by faith throughout our lives, yet most people will die defending someone else’s. Theism is not what brings havoc to one’s mind, an inconsistency in our worldview ultimately will. Awareness of this changed my mindset. As a fundamentalist I once grounded my beliefs in the knowledge of other people. My point of view was unyielding because it relied on clear, fixed boundaries to protect my faith. Clarence Darrow was correct; ...

I was surfing the web, and I came across your Ex-Christian web site and read your testimony and stuff. I read some of the comments too, people can be so rude sometimes. Anyways, I didn't e-mail you to argue with you or anything, or to give you $10 (unfortunately I was just asking for the same thing a couple of minutes ago), I just wanted to see how you're doing. You seem really interesting. I know what you mean about not being able to carry on an intelligentellegent conversation with anyone about doctrine. Although my very close friends can, most people I come across aren't studying much, and certainly cannot defend their faith. I did want you to know, though, that reading your testimony, did convict me to know more answers and try harder to have them available for my recall. I'm studying predestination as of now and it's kicking my butt so far, but luckily I'm working through it slowly. I was just curious about you and what you believe right now, or wh...

"God does not work salvation for fictitious sinners. Be a sinner and sin vigorously.... Do not for a moment imagine that this life is the abiding place of justice; sin must be committed." You took this out of context... Here is the complete saying of the above quote... "If you are a preacher of mercy, do not preach an imaginary but the true mercy. if the mercy is true, you must therefore bear the true, not an imaginary sin. God does not save those who are only imaginary sinners. Be a sinner, and let your sins be strong, but let your trust in Christ be stronger, and rejoice in Christ who is the victor over sin, death, and the world. We will commit sins while we are here, for this life is not a place where justice resides. We, however, says Peter (2. Peter 3:13) are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth where justice will reign. It suffices that through God's glory we have recognized the Lamb who takes away the sin of the world. No sin can separate us ...

Dear Dave, My name is Jason and I am a Youth Pastor. I read your testimony and must say that your honesty is refreshing. Although I disagree with your conclusions (so far) with agnosticism, I can respect your "throughing in the towel" on your christian religious jouney. I went to Bible college and am about to complete my masters in Theology and can understand your theological dismay, I too have vasilated back and forth between how I view scripture and election, thinking that my eternal salvation was at stake. My current status is that of a more Barthian view of scripture (seeing the Bible as more a witness to the Word of God) and of predestinarian universalism ( I see hell as redemptive rather than punitive). Although we have come to different places, I think we both are finally being honest with God (and/or ourselves). This is the place that I think God wants us, since I do believe that God is infinitely more interested in us rather than our behavior ...

I am not an ex christian if you are wondering, but I was researching Charles Templeton to see if he became a Christian at the end of his life. I understand that you have doubts about the Christian faith- I have had many in the past. But I was not willing to give up my faith just because of those questions. I have buried myself in research and I have found the answers to the questions. Such questions are about the trinity, evolution proving Christianity wrong, and why is there suffering if God is so loving. I found all those answers and many more. If you are willing to actually research the Christain Faith I will recomend you books. The two I started out with was the Case For Faith and The Case For Christ by Lee Stobel. Please write me if you want any information. I will also answer any questions and I am willing to listen to your side of things. Hope to hear from you. jana smith

Dave, I found your testimony very well written, carefully thought out and genuinely persuasive. Not knowing the best way to communicate with you or your site I have attached a pdf document. The first page is a response to your testimony, the second page an essay inspired by one of your contributing members. Taking the time to respond to you has been well worth the effort to me personally, and I hope you find my thoughts worth your while to read. I will continue to enjoy your site - your articles reflect a mind I truly respect. Best Regards. David Hooten below is the pdf file's text reproduced without editing Your testimony resonates with those who, like you and I, have sorted through their own faith fallacies. Those of us who have actually wrestled with the problems you’ve described so well have no difficulty authenticating what you have written. Your transparency gives you credibility, but your capacity to articulate true experience is what gives your message i...

Dear Sir, i just happened to stumbble onto your site via your livejournal. you see, im in a band called nihilist and i was just looking to see who all had "nihilist" as a intrest. well... your beliefs are interesting. i dont agree with them, i mean, im a messiah jew, meaning that i think that Yeshua is the Messiah, but i was just wondering.... what could you say was the big turning point for you in your faith? im just wondering cause everyone in my band doesn't know why they dont have it anymore (faith in the lord), im the only one that does have it, but id like to know from someone who is as educated as you are. im not trying to pick a fight or anything, id just like to have a nice chat via email. thanks man! deric Hello there Deric, While I have no problem chatting with people about nearly anything, I did spend some time to write out my whole testimony from conversion to deconversion. If you are interested you can read it HERE BTW I too am a former professional musicia...

I was raised in a fundamentalist baptist home in which there was room for the love of god but not for the love of anybody else, including the children. I never heard the phrase "I love you" in the house I grew up in, but there were 3 services a week filled with "God loves us and we love him". There was money for the missionaries but not for better food, or shoes, or college. They did not speak to us, hug us, or spend any time with us. Their only social life was through the church. My father is a deacon in the church. My mother was the church secretary until she retired (she was also the church pianist). My parents held services in the local "mission" and at the various convalescent home. They have no idea what it did to me to grow up in an atmosphere centered on "sin, guilt and death", and they would never understand it. Their world view is centered on their cult. I do not know what hurt them with they were children, but I wish that t...

Great site, Just found it on the net, I can relate to your story in spirit although I never became as immersed in Christianity as you did. But the guilt and fear of a Catholic upbringing still haunts me to this day. I can remember growing up I was depressed about life. I think I saw life a lot different than most of my friends. While I would party with them and all, all they wanted to do was drink and get high. Meanwhile I was contemplating things like what happens when we die, almost obsessively (this probably stemmed from my father dying when I was 12). I would see Christians on T.V. and decided I wanted that ‘peace and harmony’, I gave my life to Christ. Nothing happened! Years of reading, praying, worshipping, and nothing, I would hear people talking about the power of the Holy Spirit and I wondered why I didn’t have it. I was consistently told there’s something I’m doing wrong, and that’s why I didn’t have the spirit, or hear God talking to me. One day it w...

Man, do you have to be so insecure that you have to write a webpage listing the "cliches" that Christians will say to you, hoping that it'll influence what they'll write to you? Your website is pretty vulgar, to say the least. The only reason why "atheist" ideas seem more unique is because they blurt static. YES YES YES, YOU NEVER WERE A REAL CHRISTIAN. EX-CHRISTIAN IS A NON-WORD. Honestly, I am feeling insecure and hateful towards others right now, but that's why I know I need God.

I just wanted to say THANK YOU for taking the time and effort to create and maintain this web site!! I visit it almost daily and it has helped me quite immensely. Here's my story if you care to read it. After 9-11 I was in a total state of panic. With all the talk about it being the beginning of the end of the world and such I didn't know what to do. I started to talk to a co-worker who is a devout Christian and out of fear he convinced me to accept Jesus. I'm sure with no malice intended he saw an opportunity to convert another lost soul. He told me I needed to read the Bible daily and that God's word would be revealed to me. I started reading everyday and attending weekly Bible classes, but the problem was that none of it made sense to me and I couldn't understand it. There was so much contradiction it didn't make any sense. When I asked why I couldn't make sense out of it I was assured that I would understand when God decided to reveal himself to me. ...

Hello, I just had to tell you how much I appreciate your site. I'm an ex-Christian also, and might just take you up on your offer to send along my own "testimony" in the near future. One thing stood out when I read your story, and I just wanted to mention it because my experience was similar. When I was in 15 or so I attended one of these Billy Graham movie things too. There was an altar call at the end, and instead of responding to it, like you, I memorized the prayer to say at home later. And now I'm 41, and wonder why I did that - what made me delay my response? The only conclusion I can offer is that somehow I knew - deep down - that it was wrong for me. I had doubts, too many doubts, to commit in such a public way. Yeah, I did the whole youth group, street evangelism, Bible study thing too. But no one ever saw me make the commitment. Oh, don't get me wrong, my response in making the private repentance/conversion was just as real as yours. I ...

I found your websites. I was wondering if you had any information on charitable work by atheists. I am trying to research this. Second, I would send you $10, but it is also written not to throw pearls to pigs and whatnot. In balance, I would do it, but just curious where the money is going. Richard Hutnik Well, to date I have received two donations of $10.00 - a whole $20.00! The whole point of my plea is not really to make money, the point is to show that Christians refuse to obey the actual words of Jesus, if it involves money and contradicts their common sense. Jesus does not ask his followers to use their brains, he asks them to OBEY. That is the whole point of that rant. However to answer your question, my sites cost money to keep running. Server space and bandwidth cost money. My time is not even part of the equation, so any donations are to keep the site up, and alive. Atheistic Charities to give to? Atheism is not an organized sect of some ...

Chad says: I was 16 when I became a Christian. I became a Christian because I needed forgiveness and the Lord drawed me to Him. I will always serve the Lord even unto death if necessary I am from Olathe KS USA He wrote: If you say you used to be a Chrsitian, you simply are mistaken. Those who truly turn to the Lord became a new person. John 14:6- Jesus said unto him, " I am the way the truth and the life, no man comes to the Father except through me. IF you say you used to be a CHristian, you need to turn to the Lord because you are sadly mistaken. You may have had a interest in Christianity at one time. You may have faithfully attended a church one time. You may have done a lot of good things in your life. WIthout Jesus your hopeless, your good works can't get you to heaven. Ephesians 2:8,9 - For it is by grace that you have been saved through faith and that not of yourselves 9 It is the gift of God not of works lest any man should boast. You can ...

Hi Dave, I am interested in the atheist / christian debate and have therefore spent some time in your website. I am initially shocked at the personal attacks made on christians themselves as distinct from their beliefs. I read your testimony and was interested to see that you counted yourself among them once. From what I gather (please correct me if I'm wrong) it would seem that, in time, you were intellectually unable come to terms with much of the teachings of christianity. Your own sense of reason overcame the 'bondages of faith' if I can put it that way. Now, I can see where this can become a very emotive issue (as indicated by the letter to you from Janine), but what I fail to understand is why no one FROM EITHER SIDE seems to be willing or capable of entering into a mature debate that doesn't degenerate into a name-calling debacle. I can understand that both atheists and christians believe themselves to be right. I can also understand that they both can...