Excellent deconversion story on youtube

[Turbo SS]

I havent seen one so detailed.  Its really long and I didnt watch all the videos (22) but I made it through the first several which include right after his post deconversion.  If you want to watch them in order the easy way is click play all. 

I think this is a great response when someone gives the whole "but you werent a TRUE Christian!"  I dont think they have something that this guy is missing and it reminds me alot of my believer days as well.

[kymer]

It would be interesting to hear a deconversion story where the former theist wasn't a christian, or a member of an organised religion. I wonder how likely it is that a non religious theist could become an atheist.

[Traveler]

...I wonder how likely it is that a non religious theist could become an atheist.

I'm not sure I understand exactly what you mean by non religious theist, but we had a lovely man named Vynn on here. He believed in god, but interpreted everything in his own way. Over time he did de-convert, and it was beautiful to watch his process. He had always been interesting to talk with, and very reasonable about spiritual matters. A lot of us liked him very much, and it was an honor to watch his process as his views changed.

[kymer]

Possibly Vynn could be an example of what I'm referring to. Yes, someone like that. Someone who believes in god but doesn't follow a religion and, as you say, interprets things in their own, original way (original to them at least). What was Vynn like in your opinion, both before he deconverted and after?

[jynnan tonnix]

Just got done watching almost the whole thing. I'd love to direct some people to this, but it is very long. Luckily I had a project to do where I was able to listen to it in the background, but I'd imagine it would be hard to get most people to sit down and listen to it for that length of time.

[Turbo SS]

Just got done watching almost the whole thing. I'd love to direct some people to this, but it is very long. Luckily I had a project to do where I was able to listen to it in the background, but I'd imagine it would be hard to get most people to sit down and listen to it for that length of time.

Exactly.  I didnt think many people would sit through much of it eventhough it is so good.  I can do some of the work at my job and just have this playing in my earpiece.  That way at least one part of my brain is working. 

[jetson]

Follow it like a series, as opposed to running it as a marathon. 

[jynnan tonnix]

Follow it like a series, as opposed to running it as a marathon.

But if they are theists, that gives them plenty of time to lose interest (or courage) or simply put it on the back burner and forget about it. I do think he makes enough good points, speaking their language, that some might be drawn back to hear the rest of the story. It's just a pity it was not just a little bit more concise.

For that matter, while listening to it, I tried to put myself in the theist's shoes, and the pace of the thing does give one a chance to ponder whether his claims of prior Christianity are true --he does hit all the typical Christian rhetoric with almost scriptlike precision. I would tend toward believing him because I agree with the ultimate conclusions, but mightn't a theist decide that this is the time to actually implement whatever skepticism they are capable of?

[qwan_lee]

Thanks for directing me to youtube. These videos are very interesting about people with NDE(yep it happens) and see where they end up.

[velkyn]

Thanks for directing me to youtube. These videos are very interesting about people with NDE(yep it happens) and see where they end up.

about this particular lie: http://www.near-death.com/storm.html   the usual stories of how an "atheist" changed.

there is a phenomena that is called NDE.  And it has nothing to do with magical gods and demons.  Sad that so many religions must rely on fear and greed to keep their hooks into people.

[HalusN8er]

I thought these videos were fantastic.  Thank you for posting this.

[lomolo]

Thanks for directing me to youtube. These videos are very interesting about people with NDE(yep it happens) and see where they end up.

I think these are heavily-influenced by the person's own fears and beliefs rather than some kind of divine insight.

Using myself as an example, before I became an atheist, I would frequently have dreams about going to hell, or dying and 'not making it' into heaven - even as a Christian - because I wasn't out evangelizing or even doing much in the way of reading the bible or all of those other Christian-y things. I was so afraid of it despite being told that I was 'saved' from it all by asking Jesus to save me (multiple times).

I haven't had a single one since I decided to do away with it all.

[velkyn]

welcome to the forum, lomolo.  Chucking religion does allievate a lot of useless fear. 

[jynnan tonnix]

I think these are heavily-influenced by the person's own fears and beliefs rather than some kind of divine insight.

Using myself as an example, before I became an atheist, I would frequently have dreams about going to hell, or dying and 'not making it' into heaven - even as a Christian - because I wasn't out evangelizing or even doing much in the way of reading the bible or all of those other Christian-y things. I was so afraid of it despite being told that I was 'saved' from it all by asking Jesus to save me (multiple times).

Yes. He talks (toward the last few minutes) about his days as a little boy singing "Jesus Loves Me", and how idyllic his life, in retrospect, was back in the days when he believed in God, Jesus, and his own special snowflake status. So how surprising is it that the thoughts of losing that would come flooding back in a near-death scenario? He had been roundly indoctrinated in childhood, and just because the skepticism and rebelliousness kicked in in adulthood doesn't mean he had managed to shed the vestiges of woo.

How would he explain the fact that the "bright light and complete peace" near death experience seems to be the one most often experienced, and not only by Christians, but those of other or no religious persuasion? Or the fact that those of other faiths will also sometimes experience something in line with their own religion's version of "heaven" while having spent their lives convinced that Jesus is NOT their lord and savior?

[velkyn]

^^^^^ since I didnt' bother with the video, I didn't see the reference to his childhood.  This reminds me when someone, I believe Jon Stewart, made the observation that the reason that we have a cohort of people who are sure that the 50's were some idyllic time all was right with the world since we had school prayer is because they were around 5 years old at the time.  Unless they had a horrible childhood, of course that's what they think.  Their parents did all they could to keep them happy and safe.   

[Poseidon]

My medical opinion: Reverend Storm had a perforated duodenum, which is the first part of the small intestine just below the stomach. He did not tell us but he also had a perforated colon, which is farther down the line. The perforated colon leaked and some of the colonic product made its way to his brain,............ if you get my drift.

[Omen]

What's with tv evangelicals and having psychotic looking big haired wives?

[Turbo SS]

What's with tv evangelicals and having psychotic looking big haired wives?

the hair makes them taller, therefore closer to god.  Also makes a good lightning rod in a storm

[rickymooston]

Possibly Vynn could be an example of what I'm referring to. Yes, someone like that. Someone who believes in god but doesn't follow a religion and, as you say, interprets things in their own, original way (original to them at least). What was Vynn like in your opinion, both before he deconverted and after?

Hi.

Vynn oringinally believed in God and was a pastor or youth pastor. As i unserstand, he was protestant.

Right now, as i undrstand it he firmly disbelieves in God.

Now, he had a bit of a crusade against dogmatic thinking among humans and he didn't exclude atheists from said crusade.

He is slso very spirirual and very interested in the experiential. He may also be interested in pantheistic metaphors but that does not mean that he believe he believes in anything beyond the material.

Politically speaking, he didn't like being put into a box. He may have some libertarian tendencies but in either case, he was neither well defined as conservative or as a liberal, democrat or republican. I had some arguments with bim about the importance of voting, lol.

On isgodimsginary.com, he has a nice thread on Judis*anse, i cant remember the term but that is a thread I frequently have raised from the dead. That thread focuses on common experiences people have and ignores the explanation for those experiences.

I loved said thread because it touched both on severalTaoist themes and a theme of Michael Shermer. Said thinking could partially explain why many Taoists don't care about questions of theology per se. They rather focus on the universal things that cannot be pinned down. One can also look into non_supernatural attempts to deal with the subjective asoects of conscencious or qualia.

I miss vynn and was sad when he left these forums in a bit of a huff. I suppose its ironic that hiz thinking was a bit dogmatic on the issues he was angry about. It would be invalid to see him as a theist or as a deist.

[Tero]

Thanks for directing me to youtube. These videos are very interesting about people with NDE(yep it happens) and see where they end up.
LINK

Why are discussing the professor's out of body experience in hell in this topic?

[The Gawd]

Great story. I tried to get a Christian to watch it, they refused.