Why Read Me?
Are you my Target Audience?
Why read about faith from someone who deconverted? Because I’m the insider who became an outsider. Deconversion means I re-examined my faith and changed my mind. There’s lots of reasons why and I’ll share mine. It might be what you need.
If you’re a Christian apologist, I’m not here for you. They often mob me on atheist forums, and it never ends well. Some recite talking points with no in-depth knowledge. Others think they have all the answers and assume I’ve never studied the Bible, church history, or apologetics. I’ve done all three for decades. That makes me a nightmare for them. It often ends when they claim I quit so I could sin, or they smugly tell me I’m going to hell. We retire to our corners, no one wins.
Other Christians are dismayed at what Christianity is today. They’re suspicious of the false dismissal of ExChristians (you were never one to begin with!) and genuinely want to know why Christians deconvert. If that’s you, I’m a case study in how not to lose the faithful forever. I still have Christian friends, and I’m not here to disprove Christianity or deconvert them, although I accidentally may do so.
Why am I here? I’ve always lived in Christian circles, so deconversion was socially isolating, traumatic, like I ceased to exist. When I shared my story in Christian circles, reactions were mostly hostile or condescending. Christians often describe people like me in abusive terms like heretic, apostate, outcast, even demonic. Why do Christians have hateful language like that in their religion? It never ends well.
Speaking of ending well. I’m here for the heretics, apostates and outcasts. I write for the traumatised, to heal myself and others. For those who left or need to leave the faith, to move on from religion to reality. I once wrote on faith topics, I now write from the other side. My old content is revealing, so I’ll use it to illustrate my deconstruction. I didn’t know it at the time, but there were always signs.
Ironically, my values haven’t changed. I’m still me, sans horns, but I no longer believe in God, sin, an afterlife, spirits, souls or blood-soaked substitutionary atonement. I’m not interested in salvation or afraid of damnation. Religious ideas enslaved me, and it's liberating to throw them in the trash. It’s easy too, since reality is the totality of real things and events, and religion isn’t real. It never was.
A word about my style. Aussies are famously blunt, direct and honest. We love authentic and hate pretence. I’m nearly seventy, living with cancer, so I fear little, pull no punches, and take no prisoners. I’m not afraid to say what I think and do it often. My writing is described as perspicacious, often insightful, but not for everyone. I try not to editorialise, but I do sound fiercely anti-theist at times. Some find that challenging, others love it. There’s no chance I’ll mellow with age.
The choice is yours. Read or not, there is no try. Pick your tribe, follow, subscribe, or skedaddle. #HaveAGoodWeekend.
