Beliefnet
Today's conversion story isn't a conversion from one faith to another, but rather a "de-conversion" from confident teenage Christianity to atheism. It comes from Ryan Hadley, a tech ninja from Colorado.
"The biggest factor in me losing faith in the Christian God was a specific incident with a very good friend of mine. I believe that the Bible teaches that homosexuality is wrong -- that it is a sin and so should be avoided. I never approved of all the anti-homosexuality hate speech coming from my friends/other Christians... but I did view [homosexuality] the same as lying. It's clearly something the Bible doesn't want you to do.
Because of this, my faith in an ancient holy book caused me to do the one thing in my life that I regret.
My good friend, who was also a Christian, was in a horrible state. He was torn. He came to me for advice. He liked guys more than girls. But he'd always say he was bisexual. So one day, he asked me my opinion, as a good friend. I basically told him that if he thinks he can make it work with a woman, then that is the direction he should go, according to the Bible.
Against all that was in me, I said those words. If what I was suggesting was so "right" then why did it feel so wrong? And the rejected look I got in return from him felt so sad. It shocked me to the core... that my own morality conflicted so much with the biblical morality.
This made me start reading the Bible in a different way. Not as "this is right" but as "is this right?" God's actions shocked and saddened me, time after time. It completely changed the way I thought... I became a very skeptical person, looking at everything in my life so much closer than I ever had before."
A very good example of the doctrinal dilemma of loving one's friend for who they are and, yet, trying to hold a cutout of what a "christian" is suppose to look like up to them for comparison.
ReplyDeleteHe should have followed his heart instead of the dualistic teachings in his head. I feel sorry for this both of these cats.
Compassion is a giant eraser that eliminates labels. Use it frequently...