joyfulexchristian

[joyfulexchristian]

Can Christianity be redeemed?

As much as I want to believe that moderate Christians have humanity's best interest at heart, I don't know if they can transform Christianity into something harmless.

I know that they are some of the best, most effective allies that I have in resisting fundamentalism. But I'm afraid that there is an inextricable hatred of humanity at the core of this religion.

I want to be wrong. I want people to be able to find comfort and community without losing their humanity. But I'm just not sure.

Please consider becoming a patron or making a one-time donation to support my work.

[joyfulexchristian]

[joyfulexchristian]

Why did I hold Him to such a low standard?

I ask this about the Christian god when I think back on my time as a believer. As my faith matured, I began to have more questions. Some were easily dealt with. Sure answers set me back on the path.

Some questions were harder and took study. I buried myself in apologetics and hoped to rise again enlightened. (This is a joke I would not have made as a believer. The blasphemy!!!)

I did get my answers, but they weren't so sure anymore. Apologetics begged the question and left me begging for something else: an answer to a new question. Why was I making so many excuses for Him?

patreon | merch | twitch

[joyfulexchristian]

GOD'S NOT BREAD

[joyfulexchristian]

We love because he first loved us.

We loved first.

We love with empathy instead of authority.

We love with compassion instead of anger.

We love with trust instead of coercion.

Yes, our love can fail.

But our love was better to begin with.

Yes, our love can have limits.

But those limits can change because we can change.

I would take our love over god's every time.

Because his love is unchangeable and conditional.

We love better than he ever could.

patreon | merch | twitch

[joyfulexchristian]

Undevotional - Ephesians 2:1-2 (Patreon post)

"Death is not a curse that you caused. It’s something that happens to all living things eventually. It is not caused by a fallen nature or a forbidden fruit. But the power of being alive is the power to choose how you spend your life."

patreon | merch | twitch

[joyfulexchristian]

And you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked

You're ALIVE!!!

You were not dead before believing in Christ! Your life is not dependent on a belief in one person or another. Maybe this is obvious to you now, but it wasn't to me when I was a Christian.

We are alive and capable of growth and change! Sin is just one god's opinion! Thank dog!!!

patreon | merch | twitch

[joyfulexchristian]

For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes.

We are so much more than mist.

patreon | merch | twitch

[joyfulexchristian]

Undevotional Chapter Draft on Patreon

If you can, please consider becoming my patron to:

Get access to exclusive content, works in progress, and drafts of upcoming published works

Suggest verses, songs, Chick Tracts, and other Christian content for me to write about

Support my work to help make the journey out of Christianity less painful and more joyful

Excerpt:

Philippians 4:6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.

“Letting go and letting god” teaches us to think of ourselves as people who can’t rise to challenges.

[joyfulexchristian]

I think in all churches where homilies are a thing they should also have Speech and Debate judges evaluating them

[joyfulexchristian]

Forgiveness is too important to leave in the hands of god.

In my fundamentalist Christian past, I was taught that we must forgive each other because we are forgiven by god. I was supposed to train forgiveness into myself as an automatic response. Anything else was prideful. What, did I think someone could harm me more than my sins harmed god?

It sounds so hollow and petty to me now. Why should we seek forgiveness by proxy through god? How could we possibly hurt god more than we hurt each other?

Forgiveness is so much more than an imitation of a divine transaction. Forgiveness can be earned through trust and change. Forgiveness can heal harm and repair relationships.

Because forgiveness is so powerful, it should not be automatic or done through a divine proxy. It's a deeply personal process that depends on honest effort.

patreon | merch | twitch

[joyfulexchristian]

there is more than one way, one truth, and one life

thank god, lol

[joyfulexchristian]

Suffering never made me stronger.

Whatever doesn't kill you still tried to. Or however that saying goes.

Suffering never surprised me as a Christian. It was expected. Suffering confirmed what I already thought about the world. The world was irredeemable, fallen, and miserable and that's why we needed salvation.

It wasn't enough to just accept it, though. I glorified my own suffering. I wanted to show my god how resilient of a tool I could be for him. I believed that the more I endured, the stronger I would be. And I thought that the more stoic I was, the less suffering would affect me.

But now I see how I was not facing the challenges in front of me. I was dissociating from them. Accepting and glorifying suffering did not make me stronger. It disconnected me from my own ability to reduce suffering in my life and in the world.

patreon | merch | twitch

[joyfulexchristian]

We rejoice in our sufferings.

We rejoice in our joy!

patreon | merch | twitch

[joyfulexchristian]

We are not just a stack of sins in a trench coat. (Patreon)

[joyfulexchristian]

breakup songs for apostates pt 1/? my linktree ♡

[joyfulexchristian]

Filling up the cup I emptied for Christ

I took the whole "He must increase, I must decrease" thing very seriously as a Christian.

I prayed for guidance, renewal, and purification. I thought that the best I could be was an instrument of Christ Jesus. And the less of my sinful self there was, the better instrument I could be when I was called to use.

I thought my emptiness was blessed.

The only problem was it made me deeply depressed.

The first time I heard a therapist say "What fills up your cup?" a wave of fear shot through me. But after years of depression, I was willing to try if it could help me live a better life.

Taking care of myself felt... selfish at first. But my mental health improved and I was capable of so much more than I had been before. And I was finally able to recognized that the love promised in Christianity is not love at all because it requires self-annihilation.

We all deserve love in our lives that supports us in becoming the best version of ourselves-- full enough to overflow and share the love with others!

Please consider becoming a patron or making a one-time donation to support my work.