The Impact of Leaving Christianity on My Life

I left Catholicism when I was told that I was not allowed to use contraception. My life has been much better since. For the record, I don’t think Jesus had an opinion on that topic. His ideas were pretty awesome.

I was an educated Christian, but I decided to turn to the dark side of the force – in this context, I abandoned Jesus and the crowd... and nothing else. My life did not change. I learned not to take anything for granted, and that’s a lesson that has served me well.

Q: Has your life changed after leaving Jesus Christ?

A: Sure, but I don’t view it as leaving Jesus Christ. Instead, I see it as leaving Christianity. The religion of my childhood indoctrination was Catholicism. My parents told me that the stories told in this religion were true, and as a young child, I naturally believed them. I attended Mass every Sunday, went to Catechism classes each week, and read the Bible from time to time. I saw no reason to doubt what I was being taught – at first, anyway.

But as I grew up, I found a lot of the tenets of this church and of Christianity in general to be rather illogical. The sense that what I had been indoctrinated into was more likely a relic of ancient mythology than a window into the true nature and will of the creator-god of the universe grew stronger and stronger. By about age 15, I walked away from it all. In the 40 years since, I’ve never had second thoughts about that decision.

At first, it was very troubling as the foundation of what I had built my worldview upon crumbled. But I grew comfortable with a new way of seeing things. I developed a sense of wonder and amazement at our incredible universe and the fact that I should be alive in it.

On the whole, I feel my life has been much improved by throwing off the comforting illusions of superstition and instead appreciating the world for what it truly is.

No, as I still need to pay many bills, work hard, deal with stress, and do house chores. Jesus, for me, does not require people to believe in him. Therefore, if I still believe in him or not, it will not change my life drastically.

Conclusion:

Leaving a religion that you were taught from a young age does not mean you suddenly have a different life. My life changed in that I no longer blindly followed the tenets of a faith that seemed illogical. I still face the same challenges and responsibilities that someone without faith faces. But that does not mean my life has been worse. In fact, I believe it has been much better, as I no longer live in a world constrained by superstition and dogma.

So, have I benefited from leaving Christianity? Absolutely. I don’t know what my life would have been like had I continued to believe in the stories and traditions of this faith. But for me, throwing off those illusions and embracing a worldview based on logic and reason has been tremendously rewarding.

Keywords: Religion, Christianity, Life Changes