Atheist Debates - Why are people LEAVING Christianity?

And yes, it's wild that I'd link to baptistnews - but that's where this very LGBTQIA-friendly survey got posted.

If people are leaving church communities because of how those faith communities treat their gay friends - what does that mean? Is religion just a club of conveniently agreeing people and NOT a statement of confidence about the truth of a god?

[conicalreason]

I don't care about stats, I just want to thank Matt for helping me in my journey through reality.

[JordanDCGehl]

I'll never forget the day I was no longer christian.

Was 22 years old, 27 now. So much fucking church and "teachings" forced through.

Was literally just "Do I really believe in this stuff?"

...

"Nah." 😂😂😂

So much wasted time and energy, I'm just glad it happened so early.

[UncleKennysPlace]

The best gift of autism is that most of us aren't religious at all. I'm so happy for that.
Not so happy that I was forced to attend church until I was fifteen.

[warrennz]

If you mention God here in New Zealand you'll most likely get rolling eyes than anything else.

[CabrinaPeer]

Ex-Christian here. The age of information is a gift. The time and place I was born sealed my fate to be a Christian for a couple decades. But the era in which I was born also sealed my fate to eventually leave the faith.😊

[BrianAbbot-pkmf]

No one is born a Christian, or a member of some political party. Life must be horrible when it’s already chosen for you. Imagine never knowing what its like, not to worry about having human emotions they are commanded not to have. I personally think it’s child abuse, and i’m sure it causes all types of mental disorders. I don’t know how it can’t.

[kalewintermute]

Religion has always been a prop for those who are unable to live with the unknown. And the fact that people are leaving religion behind is a sign of maturity.

[uncleanunicorn]

Can't say leaving christianity cost me anything that I care about now, But I gained a sense of intellectual integrity, and empathy for marginalized groups.

[seekerhonest]

Go on with your great work Matt.
Your fight against religious ignorance and pride is irreplaceable.

[rachelfey]

As skeptics, it's extremely difficult but important to keep in mind that reason isn't usually what convinces someone of any given point, and that we are no different. It shouldn't be surprising that most people don't appear to convert or deconvert for strictly logical reasons, many decisions aren't made that way, no matter what we would prefer. People generally think they are more reasonable than they are, and that makes it all the more important to test yourself in perpetuity. That is the challenge of skepticism

[Thaleios]

This is very interesting starting around 12 min mark. This was one of the main reasons I finally stepped away from the church and the Republican party after having grown up in a Christian family, my father being a minister in a protestant denomination.

My wife and I could not understand nor fathom how people, including my parents, would abandon the core tenants of the religion they raised me in and went completely counter to what we always were taught to believe.

I was taught that my integrity was the most important thing I had and no matter what else I lost, this was something that could not be taken away from me so long as I maintained it. I saw all these people throwing this most precious thing away for the sake of a single man and abandon their moral and ethical values.

I do not like to talk politics and I won't get into one side vs the other, but I cannot and will not abandon my integrity for this "cause".

[BenYork-UBY]

Notice that "hates god" and "wanted to sin" isn't anywhere on the list.

For me, personally, my initial reason was the intellectual failures of young earth creationism. And my final straw was divine hiddenness

[UrgoMeister]

Excellent assessment! Thanks for presenting this information in a genuine, intellectually honest, and constructive manor. I think this approach is likely to have the greatest impact in guiding people to seek the truth based on sound reasoning.

[Anderson_LS]

I left Christianity in my 20s because of all the obvious contradictions between religion and reality, science, and the common sense I saw. I grew up in Russia, so going to Church in the 90s wasn't common. The Christian community, music, and human right was not a reason for me to leave or stay back then.
Religion was a way to know oneself and the world. For me personally pros of religion were the certainty that god takes care of you. That you are not alone in this world. And that is what I lost when became an atheist. But with atheism, I have more tools to understand the world.

[albashir]

Much love and appreciation from New Zealand ❤

[dianap]

I would hope it's because there's no logical reason to believe

[OzleyASMR]

Thank you Matt for being such a helpful voice on my journey to becoming a better critical thinker! 💚🙏🏼

[james]

Even though my dad was a pastor, I was never really a believer. My earliest recollections are of skepticism. When I was about ten years old, I concluded that the Bible was just a book written by humans, nothing more, and most of the kids around me agreed. By the time I was thirteen, I realized that about 30% of the congregation were non-believers like me, but were stuck there for whatever reason, like me. Their bodies were still in church, but their brains had left long ago.

[stubbyhawk]

There will always those who scream "No True Scotsman" anytime someone leaves the church.

[hannotn]

They're leaving Christianity because fairytales are for children.