Stopped going 5 months ago and crickets...

[Ivy]

kneedeep, who knows where your journey will take you. I am (at 60+) currently exploring ideas and I never dreamed I would. I love the research and learning / experiencing new things without so much fear.

[Cootie Brown]

Its a process that's for sure. I've been feeling this way for a while but didn't tell anyone. De-converting has been strictly solo for me. It also produced much anxiety. Its a fear of diminishing important relationships, isolation, and possibly being wrong about the whole thing. I have some mixed feeling about telling my mom. She's been very understanding so far. There are more people in my circle I need to tell and will do it when ready. Also, I have a therapist to discuss these things with. Despite the emotional trauma it may cause, I can't just willy-nilly go back to believing in Christianity right now. Who knows, perhaps with more research, I'll be singing a different tune in 5 years. If I do, it will NOT be with the COC.

What you’re experiencing is normal. My deconversion involved sampling a liberal c of C that transitioned into a Community church with conservative, but not fundamentalist, teaching and beliefs. That led to Deism and that led to me acknowledging that I was no longer a believer. That process took 7 years to complete. It took another couple of years before I could acknowledge I was an atheists.

Once I crossed that last hurdle everything fell in place. I am genuinely much happier as an atheists. I do not miss any aspect of religion and I have no lingering doubts about cutting that out of my life. Now I wish I did it sooner. I look at my years in the c of C as wasted time now, but a lesson learned.

[Walkingfreely]

Don't feel bad, I was a leader in the congregation and was shunned by all and family when I left. They are an isolated group that needs coercion to sustain themselves.

Christianity is true - COC version is not. Do not give up on your Lord. Let this be the next step in your growth toward Jesus.

[trabucco]

This is strange. To be honest, I don't think I have ever heard of a situation where someone stopped attending a cOC and didn't hear a peep from anyone. Shit, I got hounded day and night even when I was still attending. If I missed a service here or there (and I rarely ever missed) my phone blew up something fierce.

</bump> Sorry, got caught up with some things that took up far more time than expected.

As for not being contacted, let me be that one. Missed services for about 6 months for the last congregation I was a member of. Went through a lot of stuff, not even s facebook message. Dropped my letter withdrawing and walked out. No one questioned it or cared to.

Attended on and off at my parent's congregation, but never placed membership as they knew I was moving. So there wasn't any pressure. The only times there have been were my ex-gf who was a preacher's daughter and needed me to declare so we could get married (didn't happen, led to the break up) and at least in name keep her parents quiet and then my parents when they found out I was no longer coC. No one has ever said a word or cared to.

[Ivy]

No one has ever said a word or cared to.

Trabucco, to me this is the ideal scenario. Leave the leavers alone!! They are adults and able to make their own decisions about religion.

You may well have dodged a bullet with that ex-gf!! Better to find out how it's gonna be BEFORE the wedding ceremony.

[ena]

Don't feel bad, I was a leader in the congregation and was shunned by all and family when I left. They are an isolated group that needs coercion to sustain themselves.

Christianity is true - COC version is not. Do not give up on your Lord. Let this be the next step in your growth toward Jesus.

I second that. I was taught many lies in the CoC.

1. All other Churches are evil. God has Christians in places where the CoC thinks not. I have not been to church that trashes other churches outside of the CoC.
2. Baptism has a spiritual component. This is important and under emphasized.
3. You must be baptized to be saved. This is fear mongering. The Thief on the cross that believed Jesus was saved. He died after Jesus. What covenant did he die under? Was he saved yes. Does it matter. No. This is because Jesus decides who is saved or not.
4. The Bible was written by humans who were not told what to write. There are late additions to the Bible text that were not written by the original author. When God wrote the ten commandments they were dashed to the ground. When God led his people out of Egypt they later wanted a human king. The Kings of Israel contain many examples of human failures. They would have been better off with God. The problem was there was an idol under current in Israel because of the exposure to Idols in Egypt and otherwise.
5. Was the CoC there on The Day of Penticost. No! They do not show up anywhere in the early Church. There was no agreed on Bible for over 300 years after Jesus. It isn't in fact agreed on everywhere today. Constantine unified the Church into a single group. The first time the books of the Bible were listed was 367 AD. Who in the CoC knows that. It is not rocket science but you will not find it in the Bible.
6. There was no new wine in Bible times. When you crush grapes yeast growing the skin will infect the grape juice and ferment it. This was proven by Louis Pasteur in the 1800's. Yeast is microscopic. To see it you need a microscope. Grape juice is made by killing the yeast.

CoC theology is a pretzel. If you swallow it you will go around in circles forever.