Kicked Jesus to the curb

By John Botha

Hi there, my name is John and my story is a long and arduous one so I'll just hit on some highlights rather than risk boring you to death.

I grew up Roman Catholic thanks to my Mum and attended Catholic School run by Marist Brothers (poor me). From there I turned into a fundamentalist Christian when some friends of mine coerced me into attending Pentecostal services.

As an 18 year old I was vulnerable at the time (that's why the Christians target the young as most convert before this age) and soon found myself speaking in tongues and singing Jesus' praises! Oh Hallelujah.

From then, yada yada, found out about Ray Comfort's Way of the master and was turned into a hell fire and brimstone preacher! I bugged people on the street, in movies, hospitals, wherever I could find victims, I mean sinners. I became a worship leader/evangelist for a church over this way. I recorded worship song that I wrote (some pretty damn good apart from the stupid lyrics).

A year or so ago I really started to question my faith, not because of the rampant hypocrisy, sex scandals, or any of the usual reasons. I was not disappointed by god, the church or other Christians (even though they treated me like shit) but rather came to a realisation that the whole belief system was dumb. I mean, c'mon folks, believing in talking snakes, worldwide floods and dead people coming back to life and flying off to heaven is pretty dumb. Not to mention all the bigotry and cruelty done by the god taught in the Bible is a little off-putting to say the least!

I now see Christianity as a sham, and a dangerous one at that. The hate mongering god of the bible who created the eternal oven called hell to throw people into is not worthy of worship - even if he existed (which of course he does not).

I now prefer rational thought and am really enjoying the new-found ablility I now have to think for myself.

I don't hate god or sonny Jesus. It would be ridiculous to do so, but I like to provoke these Christians to stop and think - just for a moment.

So if you are Christian or any other religion, know that what you believe is farcical and unprovable and that there are other options to living rather than being brainwashed and living in fear or in servitude to an invisible deity who does not even exist.

I hope some day you'll "see the light" and that you open your brains and receive intelligence into your life!

Comments

Telmi said…
Welcome, John, to the club of rational thinkers.

You seem to have made an early discovery. Congrats!

Several others have taken a much longer time before the awakening.

Stay tuned to this site and you will find there are lots of others like you.

rgds
Anonymous said…
Yep, that's how I feel about religion. Nothing to bitch about (except for those fundies who try to impose it on the rest of us, often as a nation). It's just dumb. Dumb as believing in the tooth fairy when you're twenty. Mind-numbingly stupid. I too felt liberated when I decided there was no sky-daddy god. I wish I had done it 30 years earlier.
Anonymous said…
Amen to that, Carl K. I wish I had "seen the light" earlier myself. Oh well, no use crying over a wasted life. I am making up for it now!

Cheers to you John. Welcome to the wonderful world of reality. Jim Earl
Gabe said…
John if you were a fan of Ray Comfort, then there is no question that you were a fundamentalist! I was a huge fan of Ray Comfort before I deconverted nearly two years ago. His sermon, "Hell's Best Kept Secret" was one of my all-time favorite sermons, and I can still recite his evangelism outline by heart. Oh how loved to "use God's law to drive sinners to the foot of the blood-stained cross." Good to have you here, I'm sure you have a lot of great insights to share with us all.
Anonymous said…
I wish other preachers/ministers had the guts you had to face your doubts, John.
John Botha said…
Thanks all for your kind words and encouragement. Gabe, you should go on Ray Comfort's blog - it's a laugh. They tried to say I was just another "product of the modern gospel" but when I told them I was an ex-WOTM man they freaked a bit.

Would be good if you could post on there as well, you never know someone might listen.

Please google "thunder from down under mp3" and listen to what a ranter I was!

Thanks all.
Gabe said…
Thanks John, I'll definitely do that. I'll have some fun on that site! I'll google that as well and tell you what I think, sounds interesting.
Matt Long said…
@carl k. and others.

How would it have helped your life if you had "kicked Jesus to the curb" 30 years earlier?

Did you lose sleep over it? Would you have been better equipped to care for your fellow man? What benefit would you have had if you had always been an atheist?

How is your life so much better now that you have "seen the light"?

-Matt
Dave Van Allen said…
Matt, let's suppose for a minute that instead of Christianity the OP was referencing, it was Islam, or Buddhism, or even atheism that was being kicked to the curb. Would you still feel compelled to comment, or would you agree with the OP? After all, kicking a false delusional, mind-controlling religion or worldview to the curb would definitely be the right thing to do, don't you agree?

Or do you think it is better for people to refrain from questioning their beliefs and simply continue dogmatically marching onward as good religious soldiers, regardless of the religion one is tangled up with?
Cousin Ricky said…
John Botha wrote: “A year or so ago I really started to question my faith, not because of the rampant hypocrisy, sex scandals, or any of the usual reasons. I was not disappointed by god, the church or other Christians (even though they treated me like shit) but rather came to a realisation that the whole belief system was dumb. [...]

“I don't hate god or sonny Jesus. It would be ridiculous to do so, but I like to provoke these Christians to stop and think - just for a moment.”


You’ve just recited a bunch of the reasons why Christians think we left the faith! I take it that you’ve already run across Christians who made up these reasons because they couldn’t see outside their little bubble.

It just cracks me up when someone writes, “I’m sorry for whatever some so-called ‘Christian’ did to hurt you…” How does a person who never met me think that they know my life history, or what’s in my mind? But be prepared for more insulting inventions such as, “You never really were a True Christian™,” “You just want to live an immoral life,” and other such slanders.
Anonymous said…
you guys need prayer, and think about what you are all saying. It takes more faith to believe there is no God. I mean really, look it up on-line, all the evidence is there from when moses crossed the red sea for example, to when we were trying to send man to the moon they could not hit the lunar window, until someone calculated in the fact of when the sun stood still and the moon stayed in the book of Joshua 10:12-14. Do your homework and beware, FOR EVERY IDLE WORD MEN SPEAK, THEY WILL GIVE ACCOUNT FOR IT ON THE DAY OF JUDGEMENT!!!!!!

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