JESUS CAMP TURNED ME ATHEIST!! Storytime

My experience attending a Christian summer camp, my thoughts on religion, and how this shaped my life. A lot of you have asked me about being an atheist, so I hope you find this interesting! Please keep your comments respectful, hate comments will be removed and you will be blocked. :)
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[@Makeup-your-mindNet]

As for experiences, my parents are Christian and I grew up going to church. I fought it from the get go. Mostly because as a kid I was so freaking bored by it all. There's nothing fun about church and I hated going every Sunday. As I became older and more self aware, I just started to despise everything the bible stood for. Yes, there are some stories about being good to people, but the bulk of it is based on fearmongering in order to keep you in line. And all of the crap about gay people are bad and women are (in a lot of situations) slaves to men... I was just not having it. I don't need a book to tell me to be good to people, and I definitely DON'T need a book to tell me who to hate. Horrid stuff really.

[@ralucawood2348]

I could not agree more. My family was using God to keep me in line and behaving like a lady! I wanted nothing to do with it and the expectations that were literally set out for me from the getgo. I totally agree with you. I found the Bible confusing and often times unrealistic. Every Christmas we would get children's bibles and I would always be confused by them, because I thought the stories did not depict strong women that I could relate to. I always thought to myself that it didn't make sense that God loves everyone, but only if you fit under certain categories. No, that was not okay with me.

[@Makeup-your-mindNet]

YESSSS!!!! I agree with so much of what you just said! Where are the strong women? It frigging starts out by blaming Eve for screwing up the world for crying out loud. Like come on!

[@LittlePurpleBook]

Couldn’t agree more!

[@littleleda]

Look a little closer. There are some pretty strong women there. Women in battle and in governmental positions. And yah the ways you’re parents used it is pretty messed up; but they’re human. A human can totally misinterpret a concept but it doesn’t make that concept false. Idk. So Sorry that this has been you’re experience :/

[@Stars-ut3cv]

That's not true Jesus loves everyone wether your a sinner or not that s why he died for everyone he said I didn't die for only the righteous but for sinners so that they have life.

[@PforPanthera]

I started going to this religious group called Young Life after the leaders were promoting it at my high school and eventually went to one of YL's camps. I was raised Christian but around 12 I'd just kinda lost interest in the whole thing and didn't really think about religion much since then. The leaders would constantly talk about how the camp was "The best week of your life!" and they offered to pay my way since my family could afford the $700 price tag. During the camp the leaders around me started aggressively proselytizing to me, they tried to use my mental illness, family issues, and just general insecurities I'd shared against me in an effort to convert me. At one point someone said to me "Everything in life will fail you except for the lord" until I started crying because all I could think about is how in the end I'll always be alone. I got to this point where I was freaking out all the time and they put me on suicide watch. That whole experience led to me becoming an atheist, especially after my Christian friends from the group kept acting like it was wrong of me to look into atheist videos on youtube. Honestly, if I'd never gone to that camp I'd probably still be indifferent to religion instead of an atheist that actively tries to poke holes in religious beliefs.

[@PforPanthera]

Random note, it completely fucking disgusts me how religious people will actively seek out people with a troubled past or mental illness to convert. I've gotten in arguments with former Christian friends about it since they think they're helping the person but to me it looks like they're preying on someone at the worst point in their life instead of waiting until the person can consider the religion's claims from a logical standpoint. It seemed like every time I was upset some of my friends would try to convert me despite telling them I didn't want to be prostelatized to during a panic attack.

[@rachelpastors]

OMG- I went to YL too.. I only went because of my friends, and I made the "mistake" of questioning the religion.. The "Leader" very quickly tried to shut me up. I stopped going, period.

[@mgresham424]

Yes so much of this is true. The goal of Young Life is to stifle the questions and doubts so many get about religion in their teenage years. Its practically an indoctrinating cult.

[@shanayenel]

God's real he lets you feel his power and gives abundant of proof only if you humble yourself and read Jesus

[@moonshadow1795]

this was random

[@HollyLiana]

Sounds so much like a cult experience.

[@alyssa7900]

it’s not

[@Katherine-so7ye]

Alyssa the text book definition of a cult is religious devotion directed towards a certain object or figure . The figure being “god” . Cults do 2 things . 1.make people feel special,like their apart of something important(in Christianity’s case this would be making people feel like they have this loving relationship with someone that will allow them into “heaven”) 2. Get people to conform (in Christianity’s case this would be instilling the fear of “god” and “hell” into them to make them submissive and subjecting theirselves and life choices based on the religion) . When you think of cults you think of crazy people that sacrifice animals or pour newborn baby blood onto themselves while their dancing around a fire ,but that’s just how Hollywood and western people (meaning people in the US) view it due to over 65% of the American population being Christian. While their are cults that practice evil things like that , in the Bible their are many many stories of kings sacrificing hundreds of animals to “god”,not to mention the Bible condones sexism,radical oppression,slavery,genocide,fascism etc .. Christiany is a cult no doubt,and it’s a way of getting people to not only conform to having a man made book control their lives but it’s for people that just want a reason as to why we are all here .

[@davidisrael9412]

lol your funny....I am born a Jew taught to reject Jesus....yet you know many that know Jesus...millions do as our best friend-=there is a God. so you are just against Jesus. . repent of sin and let Jesus in ur heart to be your friend and help u amen ight.......Jesus cares he will give u a life and a good person to marry... kids want a dad who is there for them and has morals..'Jesus stuff' father

[@Katherine-so7ye]

David Israel lmao do you hear yourself ? You basically just said that “god” exists bc millions of people *believe* in him. When I took physics in my sophomore year of high school ,that’s when I learned that matter can not be created nor destroyed ,therefore it disproves the belief that a high power being could appear by themselves and create through themselves. This is a fact . This is a basic law of science that people have dedicated their lives to studying,researching and collecting tangible evidence and proof . I don’t have a problem with jesus, I have a problem with faith over facts . Period . Btw, religion does not equal morals and your a degenerate if you think your not capable of being a decent human being without religion lol .

[@chrisb5517]

K T you took physics as a sophomore?

[@mamelvik]

I really appreciate you speaking your mind this way. So many are afraid or unwilling to.

[@gogolometro235]

well, sad to say, im not afraid. i can scream from the top of my lungs that im atheist, and i dont care what anyone thinks about me,that they think less about me because of my lack of belief.

[@zzzzzz...9902]

The reason so many are afraid is because they will get immediately hated on by many Christians and possibly have a had time finding a job. For me, I am an atheist too, I would be ok with letting who ever ask me that I was a Christian, but I don't always do this because of my grandpa. My grandpa is a really strong believer in Christianity. If he found out, he would disown me. My mom knows that he would. I still love my grandpa, but it does suck that I have to keep it a secret from people who are close to my grandpa as well as my grandpa himself. Until the Christian world stops being so racist and discrimination and thinks that all atheist are bad, atheist will have to continue to keep it a secret is some ways like me for example.

[@Brian.001]

Only in the US.

[@jawasstolemydroid4930]

Zzzzzz... the disowning part is really hard. It took me YEARS to admit to being an atheist to my family. At first they think it's a phase, then they realize they have a "problem" on their hands. And the line between "trying to help save you" and "you're a sinner, and you're going to burrrrn!" is really thin. It's strange how Christians started out with the secret for fear of persecution, and now it's so flipped.

[@MasterAydenSmall]

No adult is afraid to admit they are atheist.

[@danm21healy3]

Great video, I just don't understand the American obsession with Christianity - whilst most of the country acts in a very un-Christian way. It also shocks me the amount of people commenting " you're so brave to say this? ".

[@ivi122]

Danm21 Healy obsession? I call it faith

[@IronheadOfScroteus]

I don't understand it either, and I am an American. I have a few theories; Americans have never had to REALLY suffer, like people did all across Europe during the two world wars. I've heard more than a few European people say that the wars turned them into atheists. Meanwhile, over here, our quiet little hometown lives went on as usual. Of course, plenty of American men came back from the wars in caskets, and there was a lot of psychological scars for the ones who lived, but they were always rather tight-lipped about their experiences. As far as we were concerned, GOD had protected dear old USA, which did a lot to keep the pews polished by asses. As far as Canadians' tendency toward atheism, I think they are more in touch with their European neighbors than we are, still being technically a part of it. I believe Canada was settled by the more free-spirited, rugged individualists, and they stayed that way because life was just more brutal up there in the cold wilderness. That mentality has stuck with them and I think that's awesome.

[@jonquist9950]

Actually they are quite Christian in their actions since Christianity teaches hate, fear & intolerance.

[@sharkfinz6]

you can speak for yourself pal

[@starwarfan8342]

Danm21 Healy the first large scale attempts to colonize North America was by a religious extremist group called the who left Europe because they thought it was too "Godless." Regardless of whatever has happened since, that Puritanical ideology has seeped into North American culture.

[@JMERisa]

I grew up going to a Christian camp and have been working at that same camp for 8 summers. When I saw the title of this I knew I had to watch it, especially since, as counsellors, we don't often get to hear from former campers, especially the ones that end up not believing in God. Thank you for sharing your story, because I think it is important for us to remember the pressure that others can feel in a setting where we (Christian counsellors) feel so at home. I'm sorry for the pressure that you felt to convert but I am extremely glad that I know your story now because as I said before, that pressure is something a lot of us are unintentionally blind to. I'm saying 'we' a lot but in all honesty, I can only speak for myself and the other people that I know and have worked with. I plan on being back at camp this summer volunteering and thanks to your video, I want to be more conscious of potential pressure being put on campers. I will not deny that Christians want more people to become Christian, that's the same as any religion, but I will say that if someone is making the choice to follow God, it should be their choice and their's alone. Again, thank you, I hope that this has come across the way I wanted it to, I certainly don't want to step on any toes and respect everyone's opinions and beliefs, even if I don't agree with them. Have a great day!

[@TheThirdShift]

Wow that's amazing! That's the best response I could have hoped for. :D

[@ftbsecret]

Good to hear the other side, it is important to realize the pressure is in most cases unintentional. I feel mixed about it on one side I really don't like the idea of preaching to children under the age of 12 when they simply are more prone to believe stuff elders say, especially in a setting where they don't have their own parents etc to fall back on, they are relying completely on the councelors so will listen to them a lot. But Julia shows the example of it dropping away very quickly after they are out of this setting, makes me curious if this is normal or if it was mostly because she was old enough to resist the peer pressure :-)

[@funknelson87]

Justine Richardson wow hats off to you, ma’am. Such a selfless thing for you to see a video that is certainly opposed to your beliefs and approach it in an open minded, honest way to a point that you can learn from it and apply it to the way you live your life. Sitting on the opposite side of the fence as you, it’s easy to see Christians as over bearing and ignorant to other points of view. So to see someone take such consideration to the accounts of a non-believer to the point that they make positive changes in their own life to accommodate that rather than writing her off as someone that just didn’t “get it” is very commendable to me. Discourse is the best way to gain perspective. If people were more apt for conversing with people with an open mind, society as a whole would be better off for it.

[@thephidias]

no.sorry. it's the worst response! she is just trying to improve her method of indoctrination! it is really, really evil!

[@davidgreen3719]

Justine Richardson I find it disingenuous that these types of things (camps in this case) are “unintentionally” doing what they do. Perhaps you weren’t aware, but I guarantee this camp was set up to effect a very specific purpose... financed in a church somewhere with appeals to a congregation to donate to “save souls”! They knew exactly what they were doing and why!

[@KingQwertzlbrmpf]

The only way religion can still survive. Prey on children and the troubled. PS: Just a minor quibble here, conservative doesn't equal religious. Though admittedly, in the US most conservatives are religous and many of their views are strongly coloured by their religion. But not all conservative talking points are religous and not all religous talking points are conservative.

[@KingQwertzlbrmpf]

I already conceded that in the US most conservatives are religous. And even by your own numbers, 10% of Republicans (or at least republican voters) are non-religous. Also, republican is not the same as conservative. Conservatism is a political ideology, the republicans are a party. I understand that this might be confusing for americans since in america there are basically only two parties, but an ideology is not the same as a party. Parties follow a certain ideology, but the ideology is not the party.

[@KingQwertzlbrmpf]

You seem to be conflating ideology with political parties and religous beliefs. Those subjects are connected to each other, but not neccesarily dependant on each other. Also, why did you jump to communism all of a sudden? All i did was make a point that religous belief is not equal to political ideology. Again, they are often connected but not neccesarily dependant on each other. PS: I know that there are a couple more parties in the US than just republicans and democrats, but i'm pretty sure you'll agree that those other parties play basically no role in US politics. I might've been a little unclear on this point in my previous post. PPS: Your reply comes across as a little salty, so let me just point out that i'm not in any way trying to mock you.

[@KingQwertzlbrmpf]

Let's try and rephrase my point in a way you might understand. Political ideology is not the same thing as religious belief. Are almost all conservatives religous? Yes. But not all religous people are conservatives. Are almost all liberals atheists? Yes. But not all atheists are liberals. It's actually a quite simple concept, you not understanding this is baffling and an indictment for whatever school system educated you. About wether or not third parties or independant politicians play a role in US politics, i don't really care all that much about that. Especially since this is a completly different subject to wether or not political ideologies are the same as religous beliefs. I brought that up only as a sidenote. But if it's that important to you i'll just concede that point. Third parties and independant politicians play a huge role in US politics. Happy now? PS: Yes, I am german. So what? What does this have to do with the subject at hand?

[@universaltopix1712]

KingQwertzlbrmpf I totally agree. I consider myself a conservative for the most part and have nothing against gay people. I am also recently an agnostic.

[@lichotropical3350]

I believe in the US Conservatism is a religion. It is organized around the holy land that is the US and its pantheon of Political leaders. Every generation keeps expanding to those on high. Reagan, I think, is the latest deity to join the group of the anointed. As in any good duallity the religion of the US has its Satan, the liberal wing. The religious must fight to keep the holy land pure and free from the influence of the inmoral liberals. The religious man's burden if you will, to perpetually be on constant alert. Politics in the US has moved so far to the right that there is no conservitivism without religion. And in the US there is no religion (the religion of the US) without conservitism. Begining with the Reagan Bush administration and climaxing with Trump it is the same thing. A sort of symbiotic relationship. The republican party is sedaned on the back of the KJV and no defections are tolerated, cuz you go to hell. You are correct, most consevitives are religious and religion is inheritly conservitive. However, in this country both social movements have fussed into one entity. Sad to say.

[@usagi18]

I'm still a Catholic, but the nuns that ran my middle school almost turned me into an Atheist

[@YoursTrulyThe1Pony]

Funny how that works usually reading the bible from front to back does it

[@punkchic911]

As a survivor of Catholic school my whole life, I can tell you it is the main reason why I do not trust any organized church. Force feeding doctrine to kids is just icky. When I got hurt during a class activity, doing exactly what I was told, and got 3rd degree burns, my parents were told that the school didn't have insurance to cover the students and that they wouldn't pay a cent for my medical bills or physical therapy. The priest/superintendent told my parents that if they wanted the school to pay, they were going to have to sue the Catholic Church. I didn't really understand the whole situation at the time, but now I realize just how screwed up the situation was.

[@lordblazer]

punkchic911 They should've sued. Honestly any good lawyer would have pro-bono that. Catholic Church is loaded.

[@fionafiona1146]

I am Aware of many problems with the catholic church but as a German I can't imagine how a school can have that risk/lack of insurance (let alone both).

[@vlademireast1998]

This sounds more like a cult then a camp

[@chrisyoung5929]

@salvador trejo You mean that this generation recognise the cult nature of religions when the previous one did not? Isn't that wonderful!

[@brextonmarvel9580]

Nerf tracer

[@ckblackwoodmusic]

The only 'difference' between a religion and a cult is in the membership numbers.

[@lunacanela09]

These camps are really horrible, with really medieval and archaic practices, I am Catholic and over time I have learned that going to church on Sundays does not make you a better person. It does not matter if you are a believer or not, what matters is that you are a great human being and the good you bring, All people, regardless of their ideas, deserve respect, we all have the right to think differently and we must be tolerant with those around us, no matter what they believe or if they are gay, nobody must force to be someone who does not want to be, the aricheza of this planet, lies in the difference of thoughts and that should enrich us and learn from others who think differently without attacking them

[@TheThirdShift]

Amen! ;)

[@jayg342]

It is not possible for me to respect a criminal institution that protects child rapists like Catholics do. Where are your morals, stop supporting that institution.

[@kimsland999]

Hi Luna, what are your thoughts on two gay men consummating their marriage in a wild hot sweaty night of physical bliss connected as one? Do you 'love' them? Also are you aware that Catholicism is stated to be worse than Islamics with their religion of peace! And finally do you honestly believe the wafer is actually Jesus's body? I hope these questions don't scare you away? Please note I'm not aware of any good reason or sufficient evidence to believe in your personal God, what's your reason exactly? (Prayed to get out of prison? You cancer went away? The trees?). Be fully aware I'm very knowledgeable of peoples delusions, so obviously don't say something like silly faith, when you could probably look up why faith is not a good reason to believe in anything. You have looked that up I hope?

[@kenkemzura903]

Hello Luna.. Good points made and duly noted. However, according to what I have been told by "Christians" that despite being a good person, unless you accept and believe in Jesus, you are no better than a bloody rag in the eyes of God. Therefore all non believers, Jews, Muslims, Hindu, Buddhist, etc. are all condemned to suffer and burn in the afterlife for eternity. Yet I hear that this god is loving and compassionate? Doesn't look that way to me. I so gate the scare tactics, guilt trips and bullying religion uses to get one to believe. Just my 2 cents worth.

[@kimsland999]

True Ken. Plus if you look at human population that would be about 75% of humans going to Christian Hell for their Jesus sins :) PLUS, if you take it by individual church doctrine, then THAT would be EVERYONE goes to Christian Hell except maybe a few hundred. PLUS if you take it on individual personal experience of believing in a mythical god that perfectly goes along with your personality, that would be the ENTIRE human race going to Christian Hell, except for 1 person! LOL

[@Poorstargazer23]

People in the comments keep saying things like "What did she expect going to a BIBLE camp?" Julia clearly says, MULTIPLE times she didn't know it was a bible camp at first, and when she returned a second time, knowing it was, her own personal growth lead her to have a changed experience than she had previously. To me, it's not necessarily a video on why bible camp is bad, but a story about why you don't have to swallow everything people tell you is right and true, religious or not, without measuring it against your innate internal beliefs....which, belief it or not, don't HAVE to be religious let alone Christian.

[@ArmindaHeart]

Poorstargazer23 - ... how... how did she not know it was a bible camp? And if she was uncomfortable after suddenly realizing it was a religious camp, why didn’t she have her parents come get her? Her parents didn’t communicate to her that it was a religious camp? They just signed her up for a random unnamed summer camp? I seriously doubt she didn’t know it was a bible camp. I mean... did she just drift into the place without her parents paying for it first? I’m sure the pamphlet clearly said Bible Summer Camp or Christian Camp, or something along those lines. I’m sure the check made out to this camp was written out to this camp. It wasn’t just called Summer Camp. Give me a break. These camps are set up by church groups... there ain’t no way on earth she didn’t realize it was a CHRISTIAN CAMP! I think she should have simply summarized her thoughts by saying how she is simply against the philosophy of Christianity because of A, B, and C. I honestly don’t care what people believe in. But bashing Christian summer camps in general and Christianity as a whole to push your final thoughts on why you don’t agree with any of it without any of her own research is setting her up for critique.

[@tatiana.mp3]

It's the christian way, cherry pick everything to fit an agenda, just like they do the Bible.

[@tatiana.mp3]

Christianity is bullshit @ArmindaHeart. get over it Most of us that hate Christianity were raised in it and some of us were raised in the original christian religion, not some bulshit protestant sect like you probably were. I bet you bash on other religions though without knowing much about them, but that's the christian way, the most hypocritical people on the planet.

[@ArmindaHeart]

Amazing.Amy - do you normally fly around bashing people on pure assumption alone? And have you actually read the Bible and other religious texts? I have. Thanks for generalizing me and others. That’s bigotry in its purest form. Good job. And thanks for totally ignoring my first comment. That’s totally cool. You are really good at cherry picking too. How many cherries do ya got in your basket at this point? And how was I cherry picking exactly?

[@ArmindaHeart]

Amazing.Amy - ...and what exactly is the original Christian religion? Do fill me in. Can’t wait to hear this.

[@johnsumner2987]

Yea my parents use to be ultra religious but I wasn't. The biggest reason was that I could see the hypocisy in the bible. But my parents thought they could save my soul by sending me to some of similar bible camps. I tried everything to get kicked out of them, I was 14 when I went to my first one. So the harder I tried to get in trouble the harder they "prayed" for me and made me read scripture after scripture. I never got sent home but when I started to play along my parents finally stopped making me go. They were fun during the day with all the activities but at night we just had the bible beat into us. Now that I have kids I will never send them to something like that. I'll brain wash my own kids, thank you very much. LOL I really hope everyone takes that as a joke.

[@hextrixy322]

John Sumner surprised they didn't try an exorcism (I'm kidding)

[@jawasstolemydroid4930]

Clearly you didn't start enough fires. (Sarcasm!) Actually, the way to get kicked out (without the police being called) is to try convincing the other kids that Jesus isn't real. If you don't stop even after they tell you, they will have NO CHOICE because you're extremely bad for business at that point. It's blasphemy, so it may cost your soul if you're a believer, but you definitely won't have to stay at camp, and they'll never have you back.

[@jamer2010]

Richard Wilson Your imaginary friend isn't real.

[@gilliancampbell7388]

Jamer2010, God is real and it’s sad that you do not believe that.

[@lmelior]

You say that as a joke, but it's a fair representation of child-rearing. Even the most conscientiously rational parents will allow or even instill in their children some irrational beliefs. It's inevitable. We can only choose to "brainwash" them with a healthy dose of skepticism.

[@thisbettieluvsflower]

This is a fantastic video. I'm amazed at how aware you were at such a young age to see what was happening to yourself and others. Thanks for sharing your experience.

[@deviceatt2605]

thisbettieluvsflower At my camp we are an actual camp and do camp things with no Harry Potter bullshit. We also don't care what sex with who you are because we believe people are human.

[@kaiza6467]

Thanks for sharing your story. My sister and I went through something similar as kids, which is why we have a deep, seething hatred for the church. We grew up in Japan with our grandparents who were Shintoists, but they never pushed it on us so we never had an understanding of what religion was. Then we moved back to Australia, to a Primary School that had a Christian principal. The school wasn't a Christian school on paper, but the Principal thought converting the students to Christianity would teach them good morals, so every Wednesday she'd invite volunteers from the local church to try and convert all the non-believers. Even kids who had different faiths were forced to attend the weekly sermons and practice Christianity. And when everyone around you is pressuring/bullying you into converting, there's really not much you can do as a kid who wants to fit in. My sister and I became Christians, prayed to god, confessed our sins to him, thanked him for everything good in the world every day, all that crap. Then my sister started getting panic attacks. When they were brainwashing her, they told her if you do ANYTHING bad, you would go to hell where you would suffer and burn for all eternity, so whenever someone doubted god or said something bad, she would run crying and screaming to her room and pray while begging for forgiveness. Our parents found out, and got REALLY angry with the school, so people who weren't Christian were allowed to skip the sermons. But some teachers who were hardcore Christians still tried to drag us back saying "Your parents are damned to eternal suffering, if you want to save them you need to become Christians again, or you'll burn with them." As I got older, I noticed there was something wrong with my Christian friends. They kept justifying god's existence with BS arguments that made no sense, and abandoning all logic and reason to believe in god. It was like they were ridiculing basic human intelligence. Now we're all atheists, and we don't have any problems with religions EXCEPT Christianity, because we know what kind of sick and twisted institution it is, and what they do to easily influenced children.

[@buildinglifeconfidence2516]

Thanks for sharing, I'm on the other extreme. I grew up in a very strict southern Baptist family. Church was forced upon me from birth and as soon as I got the opportunity to leave I did. I still struggle with religion sometimes because it's been so ingrained into my psyche. I'm grateful for being inquisitive, otherwise I'd still be trapped.

[@Mikri90]

This speaks volumes about how religion managed to survive this long. Get them while them young is their motto. If you were almost on the verge of becoming a Christian at age 12, without being previously fed with Christian dogma, imagine how it is for kids that had to endure indoctrination from their families and church communities from day one. If you get the children to accept faith before the age of reason, when their minds are very impressionable, you are hard-wiring them into such a mindset where everything is explained by god, faith overrides reason and logic, and where gullibility and credulity overrule any critical thinking. You destroy young brains for life as it's very hard to let go of it later on. It's disgusting to what lengths they are ready to go to convert young minds. You'd think that, the supposed "word of God", if true, would be evidently true to everyone and that forced propagation of that truth would in that case be unnecessary. Of course, it's not, therefore they must do it the way they do.

[@TheThirdShift]

Yeah that was kind of the disturbing part.

[@Mikri90]

I'd thumb up this comment like but I can't :(...thanks for the reply!

[@ED-eh6iq]

This is so true. It took me until I was 40 to let go of my Christian belief. And I think it was only because my mum stopped believing that I deep down felt like it was ok to question the truth of it.

[@Kropka308]

I also had similar expirience, but my camp was not very fun. We went to seaside (I'm from Poland by the way) and we had to go to church every day and pray about 10 times a day (before and after any food, for the start and end of a day and during some of our ,,attractions"). When we've been on beach we rarely swimm becouse no one wanted to watch us. Also I had room with 3 Russian girls who didn't know any polish words and every atraction and church speaks weren't translated. They were OK, but we couldn't understant eachother. One time I saw them crying. Becouse of a context and fact that some polish and russian words are similar (but still it's hard to comunicate) I understood something like ,,I hate this place; I want to go home; I don't understand this language". I still feel sorry for them.

[@yura7027]

oo hej kropka :0

[@digital_ferret7263]

No ciebie to się tu nie spodziewałem

[@daughterofgod4927]

Jesus loves you. I'll let you know that the experiences you've had with religion are a reflection of man's faults, not God. God says if you seek Me, you'll find me. I did and found a Christian youth ministry who are holy-spirit led rather than religion-led and man, not only does God MOVE through these youths but its lit living for Jesus.

[@sebastianmelmoth685]

@@daughterofgod4927 The only thing I have ever found in Christianity - without exception - is misogyny, homophobia, superstition, and right-wing gobbledegook. Sorry - I have not yet found an exception to this rule. I do hope that one day I encounter a normal Christian.

[@warren52nz]

@@daughterofgod4927 Have you got any credible evidence that your beliefs are true? If your answer works for *_any_* religion then I'll find it hard to take you seriously.

[@korolr]

Thank you, Julia, for your superb video and your sparkling clear thinking. At my age of 83, it’s taken me maybe 60 years to reach the same stage of mental development that you’ve reached even now. I hope your parents are as hugely proud of you as I myself would be, had I the good fortune to be in their place. 😊

[@animeaddict13]

My mom made me and my siblings go to church since we were babies- we really didn’t have much of a choice. It was when I was a teenager that I became more aware of the church discriminating against the LGBTQ community and having very narrow roles for women that I decided it wasn’t for me.

[@makingadifference4834]

The Church doesn't discriminate against the LGBTQ people. They are obeying God's righteous laws that say that lifestyle is illegal. The endgame of that lifestyle is evil and does not lead to the life God wants from us. If everyone was gay humans would quickly go extinct. God has great reasons for wanting us to avoid that lifestyle. He is omniscient. Let me leave you with this question. I don't know how old you are but have you noticed that the Country has gotten noticeably more tense, strife ridden, and more miserable over the last 15 years. In that same time the LGBTQ group has become more outspoken and more prominent. Is there a correlation there?

[@marianmeletlidiscrap]

@@makingadifference4834 1. People don't choose to be gay, they don't wake up one day and say "From now on I wanna be discriminated and hated by everyone!" Sexuality is extremely complicated, and several factors come into play about it. 2. Not everyone is gay (gays make up 3-4% of the world's population) so humanity doesn't have much of a problem.

[@makingadifference4834]

@@marianmeletlidiscrap You can't speak for EVERYONE. There are people who choose to be gay just as there are those who choose to rob, murder, and do any other act that requires free will. If you thought about it for more than 5 minutes you would realize that EVERYTHING you do comes down to a choice, everything. There are people who are attracted to the same sex but even they are not slaves to their emotions.

[@marianmeletlidiscrap]

@@makingadifference4834 You weren't very specific about it. My point still remains

[@makingadifference4834]

The Church doesn't discriminate against LGBTQ persons in the sense that you think. God is a King. In his Kingdom it is illegal to be a part of that group. Literally, against the law. If you want to be a part of His righteous Kingdom you simply don't support sinful behavior of any kind. They like all men must repent and live the life that God calls us to.

[@MasterOfSparks]

My parents were of mixed faiths. My father was a Romanian Jew who came to the US after WW II. Mom was a Protestant from a small town in Missouri. Since they had different beliefs they opted not to influence my sister or myself in either direction. I had been to a few churches with family friends and such. But I didn't encounter the "good news" until I was 18 attending a trade school. At first I embraced it. But about 2 weeks into it I had a question for my Jesus friends. I said, "If the Only unforgivable sin is blasphemy of the holy spirit (claiming that Jesus got his powers from Satan) that means even Nazi death camp commanders can go to Heaven if they repent right?" They agreed. "But if nobody comes to the father except by the son that means that Jews who do not convert can not get into Heaven right?" They agreed again. "So you're saying that Nazis can go to Heaven but their unconverted victims go to Hell?" I was, and I remain, absolutely STUNNED that they didn't see a problem with that. That was 40 years ago and I still haven't had a reasonable explanation or found a single christian who is even phased by that. I later discovered that there is a clear and distinct line from the antisemitism of Martin Luther, the father of the Protestant Reformation, and the Holocaust. You might want to reflect on the fact that, as an atheist, they are writing you off for eternal torture as well and they can't find a single thing wrong with that. They think you deserve it simply for not believing the sick twisted things that they do. Christianity produces horribly screwed up people.

[@RoastedLocust]

The idea of being tortured forever for not believing in Jesus is the main reason I don't believe in Christianity. You can't tell me every Jew that's lived since Jesus is going to hell simply for following the first commandment which says not to worship any other gods but the One. That, and I don't believe any man can be God or that you need to pray to that man in order to talk to God. Not to mention, I don't see how a loving creator could send 80-90% of mankind to hell for not believing something with no proof.

[@boltingpuppies]

Salvation is for all men everywhere, Jew or Gentile. The Jews know who the most famous Jew is (Jesus). They could/can repent and call on Jesus name, just as the Nazi could. Knowing God is good and doesn't want any man to perish but for all to come to repentance, I believe that at any point before their death, even in those seconds before death, God is able to make Himself known to men and give them a chance to call on Him even at that moment. I have heard many near death experiences, some by atheists, who called on Jesus name, in their final moments. Some were given a chance to come back or to stay with God. Some came back because they didn't want their loved ones to think they had died an atheist and apart from God. Some knew nothing but a few words from a psalm or a song they had heard as a child mentioning Jesus but what little they knew came to mind in the darkest final moments and they called on the Lord and even then He saved them. What I do know is God is good. He doesn't want us to perish. I believe and know He would give those Jews the same opportunity to come to Him as He did the Nazi. Jesus was a Jew. Jews know who Jesus is. They may have an advantage by having that knowledge in their final moments. Ultimately we know God is good and as the judge who knows all things, even the secret things in our hearts, His judgement is good and He will make the best judgement. His mercy triumphs over His justice. He must be just and punish sin but He also shows mercy...He made a way to punish sin while also showing mercy. He became a man and entered into His own creation, was tempted in all things but did not give into sin. Then as a perfect human substitute He laid down His life. God laid the sins of all mankind on Him. One extremely rare innocent man in place of everyone else who has sinned and hurt others. We must admit our guilt, and accept His acceptable substitute He has provided. Then we must turn from sin daily and follow Jesus' example. Corrie Ten Boom was a Christian who hid Jews and was later caught by the Nazis and put into the concentration camps and the only survivor in her family. She later was confronted by one of her former Nazi guards who was particularly cruel (her sister Betsy died next to her in the camp due to the severe treatment). It was gripping to see her response to her former Nazi guard who had killed and tortured so many.

[@PlugInKali]

I also made the first move towards agnosticism/atheism due to the topic of homosexuality. I had gone to a catholic school in a catholic country but my parents aren't practising catholics and we never actually prayed before each meal or went to church unless it was for a wedding, a baptism, a funeral or something like that, so for me catholicism was more cultural than anything else. When I went to university (which was also catholic) it was around the time when gay marrige was about to be legalised. It was my first year and one of the few friends I had asked me to sign a petition against it. I told her I had absolutely no issues with gay marriage but that I thought that they shouldn't use the word matrimony because that was a catholic sacrament, and she said "well then you should definitely sign!". Lo and behold, a few days later our Roman Law teacher told us that the word matrimony was actually used by Romans BEFORE they converted to catholicism. I found awful that a misconception I had do to my catholic background and that the peer pressure I felt made me question my own beliefs and support something I knew deep down I didn't agree with. In time I got to research more and more and thought about the topic of god and it didn't take me long before I reached the conclusion of how absurd, irrational, discriminatory and damaging religions can be.

[@kimsland999]

That would make you atheist, as you do not believe in a personal God. Agnosticism is NOT about belief/non belief. Agnosticism is about knowledge (not beliefs). An agnostic is waiting for the knowledge of a mythical God to be true and then they'll believe, whilst they are agnostic they obviously don't believe. There is however other labels, such as agnostic theist. This is someone who DOES believe in their personal God (theist) but feels the knowledge of one is unknown or unknowable. Which is a real mixed up person actually :) If you do not believe in any god(s) you are an atheist. Just like all people who are born, and ironically the Christian mythical God is also an atheist, he does not believe that an all powerful entity outside of him created him.

[@dekuboidonut4552]

Kim Land So does that mean Jesus didnt view himself as a historical figure?

[@kimsland999]

The most likely reality is that there wasn't any 'Jesus' (although the name Jesus is still common in these Arab lands even today, there certainly wasn't any supernatural Jesus walking around in the iron-age then flying up to mythical heaven!) Jesus is as 'historical' as Harry Potter is in those books (there's a large following of this too, ironically). Your question is similar to asking is Mickey Mouse a historical figure, when I suppose this character does have history, but only in fiction. Thanks for your question. Historical testimony is NOT sufficient evidence or even a good reason to believe in absurd Jesus claims.

[@krishyyfan5153]

if historical testimony is not enough then the whole Academic scholastic Faculty of History will be useless... Most of the historical facts we know today came from historical testimonies too and eyewitnesses.... And oh... Even in court of law, we have such a thing as witnesses...But I guess, for you, witnesses are nothing but Harry Potter boys...

[@aprildannettegosa5381]

PlugInKali Jesus loves us all no church will ever convince me otherwise

[@chamomiletea9562]

Julia, you have described a similar experience I had attending 2 years in a row. The second time I was asked to "go forward" and dedicate my life to "full time Christian service". Well, I was the only one at the end who didn't stand up there and confess my sins and do all that. Some leaders came and sat next to me and tried to talk me into it. I held my ground. I was too young to pledge to anything full-time. It just wasn't me. Even now, I am not much of a follower. The experience actually helped me be a bit more skeptical on my spiritual journey. They also showed a film on the evils of rock and roll music. That was the final blow. No more church camps for me.

[@aprildannettegosa5381]

Chamomile Tea yea that is religion not Jesus Rock is evil LOL Jesus never says that

[@lutemule]

Julia, you are a smart girl. I can bet you can overlook all the naysayers below. The best way to become an Atheist is to read the entire bible word for word and try to deny that there are many contradictions through out. Then say to yourself how can any of it be true?

[@maquillamelily212]

Omg very brave, I can anticipate the comments you'll be getting. I'm not a believer but I cannot say that out loud in the environment I'm in, I simply never talk about religious stuff and faith and such

[@TheThirdShift]

That's so unfortunate that you feel that way about not being able to share your thoughts. But I get it that it depends on the society you live in.

[@Duifjaah]

I feel the same way. Religious people seem to get offended really easily. In Dutch we have a saying that someone has "long toes", because you step on them easily and they become mad. I feel like the more religious they become, the longer their toes grow. Everything you say, even when your just saying you don't believe in God, because you trust on science, becomes an insult to them. So I keep my mouth shut and nod when they talk.

[@maquillamelily212]

Tshaaj Thomas obviously my friends and family are not here so I don't care

[@tatiana.mp3]

Why so you can attack her views? We all see what you're trying to do.

[@maquillamelily212]

Tshaaj Thomas stop pestering me thank you

[@SimplyMayaBeauty]

Interesting to see how atheism develops for someone raised in a predominantly Christian society. I'm an atheist too, but it carries different implications since I'm Jewish and Israeli. It's been 90% drama free, nobody in my immediate environment has ever minded, though I'd imagine the experience varies between areas of the country and different families. Thanks for sharing! Kind of disappointed in some of the preachy comments though. One video isn't going to tell you everything about a person's beliefs, analyzing what Julia is supposedly missing is extremely condescending.

[@buildinglifeconfidence2516]

This!!!!! 🙌

[@LINAKI123]

I've always admired you Julia for being an unconventional youtuber, and this video made me appreciate you even more. Lots of love from Cyprus xx

[@coquine2002]

Giving you a big thumbs up for the courage to adress your experience. I had a similar experience. I come from a catholic family, we used to go to Church, but we didn't talk all the time about Jesus or prayed all day long, and my parents are super liberal. We didn't have much money and one year, my parents were given the opportunity to send my sister and I to camp for free. Turns put it was held by the Salvation army, and we learn a song that is still lodged in my brain (here translate from french to english): I am too young to fight in the army, in the cavalery or artillery. I am too young to fly over the ennemy But I am a soldier of God! Everyday we were singing this...

[@stepheniemcglaughn6988]

I used to be a Christian when I was a teenager... went to youth retreats... went to church religiously ( pun intended) and now I consider myself agnostic. I go back and forth on god... I'm from a very southern state in the U.S. that indoctrinates Christianity from birth basically.... Christianity is the default. But if you look at the big picture... religion is just ridiculous for me. Even if I decided I believed in god... I wouldn't believe in Christ... the Bible.. any religious books ... or organized religion... and the whole discrimination against minorities, other religions, and homosexuality is unbearable... it's a serious political issue in the U.S. because people feel like their religious views should dictate political policy....but it can't benefit everyone if it's based on one groups religious views...it's a frustrating struggle.

[@Jennifer-wc5fs]

I'm from Louisiana and that is EXACTLY how I feel. couldn't agree more

[@stepheniemcglaughn6988]

Jennifer so glad I'm not the only one! ☺

[@ashleyrp2007]

I agree!!!

[@stepheniemcglaughn6988]

ashleyrp2007 💙💙💙

[@CosmicHigh]

This is so me. I'm agnostic myself. This comment.... beautiful :D

[@seanarmstrong1156]

The only good thing about a Christian camp is when there is that one hot girl in your prayer group and you get to hold her hands while in prayer. That's the only good memory i have from my youth years forced to attend those crap.

[@YoursTrulyThe1Pony]

Hahahaha the power of boners is strong with you

[@christinasahlstrom6234]

This video was amazing! I admier you Julia for never hesitate (maybe you do but you never backs away from it) to bring up uncomfortable and controversial topics! I'm an atheist my self but had some hard core christians very near me as a kid, so I totaly understand what you are talking about! Keep up the good work that you are doing here on youtube!😍

[@koolsam80]

🙌🏻best of 2018 Gutsy bold and interesting topic. Loved it

[@marcocappelli2236]

"Mom, I'm christian!" *Three days later* "Mom, what is God?" Just love the quick switching!

[@purduegal1]

I'm not sure if you're talking about Young Life Camp but your experience was very similar to mine, but I went in the early 2000's. And I've also been an atheist ever since! I can't handle that drop of milk homosexuality thing your counselor said. Jesusssss!

[@PforPanthera]

I went to a YL camp a few years ago. It was pretty terrible and I ended up becoming an atheist because of it too. I sprained my ankle the first night so I didn't even get to do the fun parts of the camp!

[@socksumi]

Interesting that such an extremist camp seems to create a lot of atheists. In that sense atheists should be grateful.

[@dustypink4802]

Really great video! Very intelligent and well spoken. Thoroughly enjoyed it. From an Australian Atheist =)

[@samanthap.howard1559]

I've had a bad experience with the church in general but I have shifted my faith into the comforts of my own home so I can mold it to grow with it in a more healthy way than investing so much of my energy on people who attempt to ruin it. It's good you found your belief, I branched more out independently and stopped relying on the church because people will let you down.

[@TheCackles68]

i believe in GOD but i don't believe in the organised religion as i don't agree with a lot of the things taught by them .i don't blame you being put off by there forceful methods of indoctrination .

[@dozog]

phil cowbreath. Why do you spell god with three capitals? Is it to show respect? I was taught as a chi!d to a!ways spell it with a single capital G. Using three capitals makes it look like acronym.

[@TheCackles68]

whats a acronym ,,,its just the way u spell it

[@dozog]

an example of an acronym is NATO which stands for North Atlantic Treaty Organization. So basically one word to replace a series of words. Usually written in all caps to indicate it is an acronym. Hence my question, what is GOD an acronym for?

[@TheCackles68]

I did some very heavy research for hours and hours to find the answer to your question and I found the answer .....its because I used caps it was all me I did it I used caps ...

[@frisianmouve]

I'm fine with that, the question then becomes do you believe in a personal god or a deistic god. Pretty big difference there and worth differentiating between

[@kdandsheela]

My mother is very catholic and really hyped up being confirmed (which happens in the 8th grade) we were all told we'd become adults of the church (at 13). I kinda weakly believed in it as a little kid, just kinda going with the flow, but learning the actual doctrine I felt really conflicted by it and my teachers seemed to see me as a troubled child because I would voice my doubts by asking questions they couldn't answer. Most of my doubts were around the cruetly of hell, btw. However, most of my Mom's family were heavily religious and I knew if I quit, though my teachers all made a point of saying that it was fine and they respected students' choices, that I would be ostracized by my family and it was too much for me to handle at that age, I remember crying alot about how I couldn't get myself to believe but I did not always know which adults were "safe" to bring my concerns to. A part of me will always regret lying in front of everyone and going through it. I really hate lying, but I also know something worse may have happened to me. By 15 I figured out I was bi. By 17 I was an atheist after having progressively changed my worldview from christian to deist to atheist. I told my mother but she would force me to go to church saying I wasn't an adult yet (but I was "an adult of the church" by their standards, hmmm...). By 18 by mother joked with my grandfather about the fact I had voted democrat even though I was purposely being very tight lipped about my politics to my extended family for that reason and my relationship with him has never been the same. I will always despise children indoctrination and I see it as a form of abuse: spiritual/intellectual abuse.

[@MrsRitz89]

You are such a good storyteller! More "storytime" videos please! :)

[@curiousme8]

Hi, Julia! I am new on your channel. Great video, an interesting story and many interesting thoughts. Thanks for that!

[@elisabethak9502]

There are definitely some crazy, whacky "religious" religious groups (not sure what to call them) over here in America. I was born in Germany, also did not grow up in a religious household, came to America in 1998. Religion over here is nuts to put it mildly. However, I m 45 and 3 years ago I became a catholic at my own free will after doing many years of research and searching. Something pulled me that way and I am happy and at complete peace with me decision. It was right for me. Now, do I agree with everything? Of course not and I struggle with it at times. But the basics of my faith are solid and good. Love everyone, be kind and respectful and pray for people who struggle and even the "bad ones". But I completely understand where you're coming from. Best wishes!

[@digitalspecter]

The kiddy-diddling clergymen must be onto something!

[@gogolometro235]

(just to clarify, i dont mean to disrespect or try to make you an atheist) you know, you dont NEED religion to have peace and love or anything like that. that is a misconception that i see in a lot of theist arguments, that for happiness and love you need religion. that is not true.

[@loleki737]

Hi Elizabeth, Catholicism is one of the most religious organizations in Christendom. It's also the anti-christ beast system. Please research Universal Reconciliation or U. Salvation. It's not religionl just an knowledge or what Christ did on the cross for ALL mankind; not just believers. All will eventually be drawn to Christ and His Father, creator of all things. He loves you. There is nothing you do to gain or keep salvation. Your spiritual healing started with Christ's death on the cross. Now that you believe, you can begin to live your life in the Spirit. I love Catholics and Protestants and people from other religions. But these other belief systems are working your way to God. He's already done it all for you! Write [e-mail] for more info.

[@caramel7050]

Pardon for intruding, but uhh _But the basics of my faith are solid and good._ This isn't..quite right at all. Not only is the Catholic church one of the WORST out there (defends pedophile priests, discourages anticonception methods in Africa...yeah. etc) but the basis of Christianity itself is neither solid nor good. The scriptures are full of plot holes, contradictions, ridiculous claims and things that straight up can be debunked by a good amount of scientific fields. It's also a well known fact that the Bible is also a quite discriminating and violent book, similar to the Qu'ran (they both encourage homophobia, sexism, violence, and in some instances murder). As long as you aren't a Bible-thumper and most likely far more ethical than Yahweh is, ur good tho

[@rachelperese777]

I'm sorry to hear about this. I hope one day you'll understand that Jesus loves you more than you could ever imagine.

[@rachelperese777]

@Alice Melody true, I’m not a Christian anymore.

[@beyonderssupreme]

I seriously disgusted by people's like you who constantly telling the lies, even those Satatnist people's telling the truth more than any christians people's in the world , you are definitely christian influencer and you are liar, if you are atheist, you will not try to shove or preach about jesus into people's throat and minds by self claim that jesus love everyone's regardless you have zero knowledge about this jesus guy. Stop faked like you knew jesus very well.

[@beyonderssupreme]

Stop bending the words and claim opportunities situation of someone's doing something good into your jesus. Hypocrisy and thief.

[@sugaCat363]

I've had similar experiences. I was homeschooled in elementary school and part of various homeschool groups. My dad was in the military and we moved fairly often. Most of the other military homeschooler families were extremely fundamentalist, so many of my friends growing up were fundamentalist. I remember being 6 years old and my friend telling me I was going to hell because I wasn't Christian; at another friend's house we watched an animated movie about Jesus's crucifixion and I had a meltdown because it was too scary for me. There are so many other stories like that, but it all served to make me very adverse to organized religion.

[@fredichini3]

Great video!!! Thanks for being brave and sharing your story!!!

[@hofita]

I have a strong feeling, that the same christian religion means completely different things in America than in Europe. I grew up in a religious family in Hungary, I loved to go to church as a kid, because in our little church the priest was an amazing man. Later with my nonreligious husband we married in that same church, celebrated by a young priest, who was fantastic, with a modern mind set. He said, that the bible is a book of metaphores, and basically is about one thing: be as good, as you can. Even my atheist husband found the things he said exciting and acceptable, because it made sense. In America, I think they often forget to read between the lines, to put it mildly...

[@Helenemonblogdefille]

Thanks a lot for this video Julia, it's super interesting ! Puritans and proselytes are scary... it looks a little bit like the middle ages ;-))

[@fotzegamingandmedia1840]

DARK ages. Let's not be afraid to call it out as it is SHANT WE FORGET

[@SailorRob]

Um, there were literally millions of people who were killed or sterilized under the atheist inspired eugenics programs. Makes the middle ages look like a picnic.

[@muzzmac160]

Yes lots of good christians in America sterilized those they thought mentally deficent. You do realise the Nazis were christians don't you know also millions of people have been killed by Christians it just goes to show there are those out there who will use religion ,political belief , racial view or another philosophy to commit murder on an industrial scale if it suits their goal .

[@firepower7654]

Murray....Actually the Nazis were not Christian and Christians were one of their targets. The state was the God of Nazi Germany and more specifically Hitler was its head. Prayers were actually changed to put the name in place of Hitler in Nazi Germany over that of Jesus. Now if you want to talk about a group that put into place a dogma in order to commit murder on an industrial scale to suit their goals, we may find it more interesting to examine the communist regimes of the Soviet Union, and China. These were atheist states who not only banned all religions, but murdered more people than any other ideology in the history of man. They actually murdered more people than from all the wars waged in our history based on religion....combined.

[@SailorRob]

Murray, did you listen to what I said? Eugenics is an Atheist idea. Survival of the fittest is a Darwinian ideology. Fire Power, you did a great job explaining the truth to this moron.

[@antimatterexplodes4014]

Don't let anybody give you any hate comments! Thank you for being brave enough to tell your story.

[@Luciandreia]

loved the story jullia :) thank you for sharing your experience with us. I'm from Portugal and here we have a very strong catholic tradition. growing up, it was basically me and my mom and I think she reached out to religion as so to not feel so alone and helpless and she REALLY got into it. I remember at times she tried other religions but she always came back to catholicism. me as a child of course I would always have to go with her on this things. I didn't understand any of it and it was just plain boring. when I was around 10 she intensified her engaging and would go to church every single week and made me go with her. It was torture to me. One whole hour hearing the priest speaking. I couldn't even keep track of what he was saying. At one point I didn't even participate in the mass as a way of protesting but my mom kept forcing me to go and to believe and to be a part of it. It had the same affect on me as it had on you. at first it's fun but then you have the ability to think for yourself and it just doesn't make sense and I'm not a person who needs religion... I think religion has goods things too and mostly people that are so devoted to it mean no harm, it's just sad to see that they don't see any wrong in forcing people on it too. even if it's children. like it's not good enough if your a good person, no you have to believe in god otherwise it just doesn't matter.

[@kbrandt4015]

I'd give you hundreds of "likes" if I were able. You rock!!!

[@HousePetMarla]

The number of people in the comments section equating criticizing Christianity to bashing or hating Christianity proves your point.

[@vTaypa]

Laxative Lenny I don't think saying atheists deserve to die is just criticizing them...

[@burnttoast111]

+Laxative Lenny "The number of people in the comment section of christian videos equating criticizing atheism to bashing or hating atheism proves that your comment is hypocritical." A hypocrite is someone who pretends to hold a moral position that they, themselves, do not actually follow. So, first off, the actions of other people don't make an individual a hypocrite. Only the actions of the person themselves can make them a hypocrite. So you are way off the rails. Criticizing atheism is also pretty pointless, as atheism is a lack of acceptance of theistic beliefs. You can criticize "strong atheism", which carries the sole claim that no gods exist. Yet if you succeed, the rational response would be to reject that claim and shift to "weak atheism", which is simply the non-acceptance of theistic claims. It would be a Pyrrhic victory. As a theist, if you want to share your beliefs with atheists, you need to actually find out why any particular atheist doesn't accept your belief, and then attempt to satisfy that condition. Again, if you want to actually try the honest route. But that requires actually listening to someone, and trying to understand their perspective.

[@burnttoast111]

+Laxative Lenny "First off "Anita bee" was being a hypocrite with the statement that she wrote, she put herself in the position of authority to imply that only Christians are desperate enough to come to these types of videos and claim that the person in the video is hating on and bashing Christianity simply because the person in the video is disagreeing with the doctrines of Christianity" Wow, Lenny, can't you read? A hypocrite is someone who advocates a *moral position*, which they themselves, do not uphold. You are using the word incorrectly. At the very least, if you want to keep using the word, you should provide your own definition, since you are not using a definition that is recognizable. And you also don't seem to comprehend the message of *this* video - that Christians seek to indoctrinate people to their beliefs through messages of fear. When Christians approach atheists, and threaten eternal torture, that is exactly what Christians are doing. "the fact of the matter is that atheists do the very same thing to Christian videos often with more vitriol and hatred, so Anita was indeed being hypocritical seeing as both Christians and atheists do the very same thing to one another's videos." No, atheists do not threaten Christians with violence. Frankly, you are morally stupid if you equate threats of eternal torture with mocking. Worse yet, these Christians believe the eternal torture is justified, which just shows moral depravity and failing on their part. "Second, in your ending statement "Again, if you want to actually try the honest route. But that requires actually listening to someone, and trying to understand their perspective." you assume that I am not someone who is open to listening to or trying to understand another person's perspective" Do you seriously think that if I say "If you want to bake a cake, you should preheat the oven to 350, and follow these instructions.", that it means that I am saying you, specifically, want to bake a cake, or that I you have never followed those instructions? Look, I know English is a hard language to master. But it should be common sense that if you are talking with someone they are not making assumptions about things which are outside of the scope of the sum total of all your interactions with that person. "I assume this is because of the atheistic belief that Christians (generalizing) are unwilling to listen to anything other than their own beliefs which for the majority of Christians I would venture to say is not at all true." This is my overwhelming experience in talking with Christians that the vast majority don't want to "listen to anything other than their own beliefs". Just going by my experience. "[beliefs about the bible] So yes I am willing to LISTEN to other people's perspective but if that person's perspective does nothing but spout false information and make wild claims and accusations against Christianity without factually accurate proof according to the true context of scripture then what would be the point in listening to it any further?" Wow. You think the atheists perspective is just their view on your religious text? Which they regard as mythology? You are missing the point spectacularly, my friend. If you were paying attention, you should be asking the atheist why they don't accept any beliefs in any gods. If you ask for biblical criticism, you are not getting to the heart of the issue. After all, even if the bible was completely consistent in all claims about observable reality, and it had valid moral teachings, it doesn't make all the other claims necessarily true. Even if you could answer all the atheists objections about the bible, it still doesn't get you where you want to go. If an atheist were to similarly engage a theist, and they want to have an honest and effective conversation, the starting point would be to ask the theist why they believe in their god(s), and how they can be confident that their beliefs are true. Stop providing lazy answers, and actually think about it. Because you are completely missing the mark.

[@burnttoast111]

+Laxative Lenny "Is she not putting herself in a moral position (moral: "concerned with the principles of right and wrong behavior and the goodness or badness of human character.") to imply that atheists do not also go into the comment section of Christian videos claiming that the Christian in the video is bashing or hating on atheism simply by criticizing it?" No. She isn't talking about atheists at all here. The entire point of the original post was that Christian comments were in line with what the Julia's Life was saying in her video. Your imagination is running away with you. "You know because atheists are too good and moral meaning that they are perfectly willing to accept harmless criticism without willfully lying to themselves about the true nature and intent of the video creator's criticism, thereby turning that video into something that it is not based solely on the fact that they are offended by harmless criticism of atheism." Atheism is simply a lack of belief in gods. Atheists hold a wide range of moral systems, and like people of any belief system, they run the gamut. Generalizing the character of atheists is simply stupid. "she is clearly implying (to me at least) that only Christians are petty enough to stoop to that position when (like I have said many times) I have see atheists do the same, so it does no good in generalizing atheists by implying that they don't or would never do that because they are too "good"." I don't think she is implying anything of the sort in regards to atheists. I think she is simply saying the behavior commented on in the video aligns with the comments. You know you can talk about the behavior of bears without implying anything about the behavior of non-bears, right? "Anyway, here you say "No, atheists do not threaten Christians with violence. Frankly, you are morally stupid if you equate threats of eternal torture with mocking." Denying the existence of aggressive undeserving threats and hatred (that I personally have seen countless atheists post towards Christians) does not do anything for your obvious prejudice against Christianity and its teachings, all it does is say to me that you are unwilling to admit that atheists are just as angry and willing to write hateful or "threatening" comments as Christians are (a lot of the time even more so than Christians) even though you have undoubtedly seen examples of exactly what I am talking about, and if you truly have not just look up some videos claiming to debunk evolution from a biblical point of view and you will see what I mean." Quite frankly, you come across as being delusional. I've been physically threatened by a Christian - to my face - over the fact I am an atheist. And I can't count the number of times I've been threatened with eternal torture. Then there are the people who have actually died as a result of the nonsense you believe in. Parents who deny their children medicine because they believe that praying alone will heal their children. Not to mention the intolerance that is being fostered in Africa by hard-line American Christians. Actual harm is being done by Christians, as a result of their Christianity, and that is something people should get angry over. "Now, as for these imaginary "threats", are the Christian's themselves saying that you have to accept Christianity or they personally will burn you alive? No, these "threats" are biblical descriptions and warnings of the judgement that await those who die without Christ as deserved punishment for transgressions against an infinitely just God. Now let me ask you, would it be considered a threat if I was to inform you of the fact that if you don't pay your taxes that you will be sent to prison? No, it would not be considered so much a threat but as a consequence of you willfully doing what you knew you were not supposed to do according to the law that you knew you were under." Christians did burn people alive in the past. Look up Giordano Bruno. They just can't get away with it like they used to. And it is a threat if you say if you don't do X, then Y will happen to you. The difference is that paying taxes and the consequences of not doing it are demonstrably real. And your god and the hell you believe in are indistinguishable from things which do not exist. "How much time would you have to spend in judgement to appease the wrath of an eternal God? Naturally you would have to spend eternity in judgement because you have left an eternal mark on your record with an eternal God who possesses eternal qualities like being "all just" and "all good." Only an infinitely immoral god would torture someone for eternity. It would be the ultimate sadistic act. Such a god would be, as Hector Avalos succinctly put it - a moral monster. To describe such a being as "good" is to either admit you are incapable of distinguishing good from evil, or to say that the terms "good" and "evil" are ultimately meaningless. "The last statement from you that I would like to address is "Wow. You think the atheists perspective is just their view on your religious text? Which they regard as mythology?", yes that is exactly what I think since the religious text holds all of the important information that is essential to that religion" You are missing a critical step - you *first* need a reason to seriously consider the words of any religious text. The problem is that religious people are typically indoctrinated as children, and never critically examined the religion that they hold as true. To reasonably accept the claims in the bible, they need external verification. There needs to be a way to validate the existence of a god outside of religious text. "atheists disagree with the text's claims about there being a God and so they are atheists, that is the atheist perspective you have made your decision not to believe in the gods worshiped in religious texts." Religious texts had nothing to do with my loss of belief in a god. And I made no decision to not believe, just like I made no decision as a small child to believe in the first place. I was taught that a god existed, simply as a fact. And then, later in life, the concept of god simply didn't mesh with my understanding of reality. And I stopped believing. There was no choice for me at any point, and I see no reason to think any believer or unbeliever makes a choice. It is tragic that you cannot actually think through this stuff - it isn't hard! You are a victim of indoctrination, and I truly pity you.

[@burnttoast111]

+Laxative Lenny "Its not a threat it is a just consequence of never accepting what Christ did..." Oxford Dictionary - Threat: 1. "A statement of an intention to inflict pain, injury, damage, or other hostile action on someone in retribution for something done or not done." So I am using the word "threat" as defined in dictionaries such as the Oxford Dictionary, which shows it is a common usage for the word. Nothing exotic here, my friend. The threat itself doesn't come from your god, which is indistinguishable from a god which does not exist. It comes from people who put words into your gods mouth, like a sock puppet. You are just repeating that threat, and you apparently can't understand the problems here. Not the least of which is that your god is god is indistinguishable from a god which does not exist. Threats are not evidence or a good reason to believe in anything. "I think what you should do first is see whether or not the bible calls for Christians to burn unbelievers alive, if no commandment is found then we can assume that these Christians are taking it upon themselves to do what God clearly instructed them not to" Lol, do you want me to fill this up with quotes from your bible where your alleged god is instructing people to kill others? Also Romans 12 is talking about personal revenge, as it talks about what to do to "your enemy" - the enemy of the reader. Not someone who offends god. No one disrespects holy texts like believers do. You just twist it to mean anything you want. "Now, this is not to say that if the bible did command that we went out and preformed heinous acts that I would stand for it, I believe a lot of Christians today wouldn't be Christians if the bible did call for such acts because that would make the bible no different than other religions that call for believers to take it upon themselves to kill unbelievers in order to find favor with god." Your god endorses slavery, in Exodus 21, including beating your slaves to death (as long as they don't die from their wounds in the 1st day). Your god endorses gleeful infanticide (Psalm 137) "Happy shall he be, that taketh and dasheth thy little ones against the stones." Your god endorses genocide (Deuteronomy 3) "And we utterly destroyed them, as we did unto Sihon king of Heshbon, utterly destroying the men, women, and children, of every city." Your god endorses conquest rape and sex slavery (Numbers 31: 17-18) "Now therefore kill every male among the little ones, and kill every woman that hath known man by lying with him. But all the women children, that have not known a man by lying with him, keep alive for yourselves." If you don't know of heinous acts endorsed by your god in your bible, you just don't know your bible. Don't forget that you believe in a perfect god, which means the god can't change. "A big reason why Christianity is so different from other religions is [stuff]" You are like a Harry Potter fan who says "My fictional book is different from all the other fictional books", as if pretending that all other fictional books are the same. Gods in different religions are different from each other, by definition. Just like fictional books. You look like a mindless parrot when you say things like this. "A pedophile could say the same about getting a life sentence for child molestation..." Don't pretend your god cares about justice, because it makes you look like an idiot. The pedophile who accepts Jesus goes to heaven, and his victim, if they don't, get eternal torture. Same goes for Christian Nazi's, and their Jewish victims. Seriously, use your brain. Accepting Jesus doesn't make anyone a better person. "If morality is subjective then it is not okay to judge anyone for their actions so Hector judging God's actions to be immoral would not be objectively true if he believes his moral code to also be subjective." It isn't surprising that you suffer from confusions about morality. If morality depends on your god, it is subjective. It is simply divine command - just the whims of your god. It is meaningless to say "god is good" in this situation, as what you are really saying is that "god approves of the actions of god". Only morality that is independent of anyone's definitions, including your gods, is objective. Such morality necessarily can exist without any god (or anyone else). Human morality is largely based on societal health, especially more modern forms of morality which reject things like slavery (unlike your god!). Objective standards can be applied, and different behaviors can be determined to make society healthier and more productive, or damaging. Even if the core of the morality is subjective - which I will leave that question for the philosophers as it really doesn't matter to me. The point is, that if you can morally evaluate the god you believe in, then it is a moral monster by any standard which you could apply to people. And remember, the bar for the actions of a perfect being should be *HIGHER* and not lower than that you set for a fallible, broken human being! Seriously, use your brain! Why would you accept a god who acts in ways that are completely unacceptable for another human being to act, and then call it "good"? Do you believe your god to be the perfect sinner? "If you were taught as a child that God existed then the people telling you would have had to have gotten their belief in God directly from religious text or by someone who read religious text so it still makes sense to me that atheism is derived from a disbelief in the God spoken of in religious text." You know that writing was invented ~5k years ago, and the human species is ~150K years old? So were all humans atheists for ~145K years, since there were no religious texts at that time? Do you believe that when writing was invented, someone stumbled across a tablet and learned about the existence of gods? What about illiterate societies? What about all the stuff people make up about gods that are not included in texts? If you invent something about your god, and write it down, does that make what you wrote a "religious text"? And yet, you don't address the most important point - I didn't make any choice to believe or disbelieve. Things either make sense to me, and seem like good explanations, or they do not. I don't choose what makes sense to me. Seriously, think, buddy. Actually think about what you believe. Don't be a parrot. Don't be a mindless sheep! You have a brain. Don't throw it away!

[@robind.phillips2129]

Thanks for sharing your story. Glad you experienced that camp, so you can tell this story. Very interesting.

[@Saturn554]

Great video. I went to a Christian camp like that growing up. Your story brings back memories.

I've always been atheist, despite the fact that christianity is pushed down our throats from primary school onwards here in Belfast Northern Ireland. My mum has always been an atheist and my dad isn't a believer but never cared much one way or another. Anyway man, growing up and not believing in any god or gods in the 80s and 90s in Belfast was almost a complete act of rebellion and anarchy, my schoolmates really couldn't understand it or evolution or the big bang theory or anything like that at all.Anyway the school indoctrination never worked, despite particularly religious teachers preying on my vulnerability in coming from a violent household. (My dad) Man they sure tried to get me to swear some sort of allegiance to their religion and messiah and all that. (Lol I remember once when some christians came to my door and were trying to convert me basically, and they asked if I was an atheist because i had a lot of education! I mean, if education is a problem for your belief system then it's can't be much of a belief system!) Ugh, anyway it didn't work, I'm an atheist now just as I always have been.I'm so glad I am, I know I'm a good person not because of any fear of punishment or hope of reward in the 'afterlife', I'm in awe of our universe and our planet all the time. Knowing the science behind how we came to be and how the universe works makes everything seem so completely amazing in every way. When it comes to the doctrines of the world's religions when it comes to homosexuality or women's rights over their own bodies etc I just get so angry, and the hypocrisy of some believers and things they do in their own lives, hah! Organised religion is so bad for society's growth and evolution in my opinion.Thanks for putting this video up, it makes me like you even more than I already did :-) xx

[@annb112]

You're a great storyteller and that thumbnail lmao

[@MariaAngie]

I laughed to when I read it, I had to watch this 🤣🤣

[@charlesandevonnehughes7972]

Annika Bunder

[@mdpriest8550]

The thumbnail really wasn't that funny.

[@candlelitful]

I could not relate more to this post Julia. I had such a similar experience in Australia growing up and I'm so glad you shared yours.

[@kate.1983]

Hey Julia, vielen Dank für dieses mutige Video! Ich finde dich ja schon lange toll aber nach dieser Story hab ich das Gefühl du bist eine Seelenverwandte 😅 Habe zum Glück so ein Camp nicht erlebt aber teile deine Meinung zu 100% 😘

[@wildcutejulie2]

hahahahaha wth kind of analogy (glass of water/milk) I laughed so much

[@mmmkk987]

Julie yeah that part was hilarious.. i was thinking.. i guess God is lactose intolerant? Lol

[@wildcutejulie2]

LOLLL omg that's too funny. Literally makes no sense man.

[@kimsland999]

The deluded theist guy should have said a drop of chocolate milk in the water, then all the kids would have said, I want to be gay!

[@archivist17]

God must be a vegan! Slight lapse over all those sacrificed animals in Leviticus though. I think he needs therapy.

[@khristellemg8498]

I respect all the religions but I don’t like when people try to convert you

[@pranayr9284]

Respecting the people & opinions is good, but Y do U want to respect a religion(there are 4000+ of them)??

[@megamus3]

How exactly do you go about respecting ignorance and evil?

[@khristellemg8498]

By religion I ment what people believe and thinks and mores and all that.

[@khristellemg8498]

And Im not going to say anything else 🤐

[@SeraphinaAizen1]

Why would you respect what people believe? You're obligated to respect people's right to HAVE a belief. You're under no obligation to respect what they actually believe. Nor should you; there's nothing whatsoever about 'belief' that sections a notion off from critique, reproach, or for that matter ridicule. I think it breeds a very dangerous environment where we're considered obligated to respect people's "beliefs". If people believe in impossible nonsense for no good reason, I'm going to call it impossible nonsense that they believe for no good reason. If people believe in a system that tramples on the rights of minorities, that stifles societal progress and that encourages them to take up a stance of anti-intellectualism in education and healthcare, I'm going to challenge them on that and point out it's bullshit. Nothing about challenging a person's beliefs infringes on their right to HAVE a belief. You're not engaging in thought crime. You're just pointing out that what they believe is complete horseshit.

[@Reutdesu]

I just adore it that you always address matters that too many people are afraid to talk about, trying to be politically correct and avoid hate from the people of the internet for the sake of views. I totally agree with you and what you described about the abusive use of religious ways against those who are different, and that they leave no room for different opinions, feelings and thoughts, yet somehow so many people are blinded by it. I really believe that each person is entitled for an opinion and a way of living but religious constitutions are trying to control that as well and that's what bother me the most. Religion turned something beautiful as belief into a brainwashing missionary closed-minded system...

[@2klatte]

Had a similar experience as you when I went briefly to Sunday school with a friend. Even as an elementary school kid, I quickly saw through their ulterior motives and stopped attending very soon after. Thankful for the experience that opened my eyes to the kind of world that exists outside of the home. Kudos for making this vid!

[@asiadawn5919]

I agree with you about religion, there is so much pressure to be a certain way. I always felt like there was no room to be yourself. I grew up in a Christian family and they tried to push religion on me, but out of everyone in the family I’m the black sheep and don’t follow any specific religion.

[@trg1408]

I would have sarcastically freaked out and went into a meltdown asking if God drinks us and took that milk and water anology Seriously to freak them out lol.

[@YoursTrulyThe1Pony]

I was too young and stupid to understand what they saying and I mostly thought of it as a game rather than something real

[@bellonjm07]

I love you Julia. This was great. My parents were baptized (one Catholic and one Luthern) and it was drama when they got married. My mom was German and my dad Filipino. More drama. They raised their kids to believe in science and ourselves; we were not baptized bc they did not believe in organized religion. They taught us everyone was created equal and that everyone deserves a chance, including religious folks. When I asked about God or religion as a kid, they refused to discuss it bc they didn't want to give me a biased opinion. I still am without religion and I don't feel like I'm "missing" anything or that I have a "hole in my life". But the History channel on cable tv was very informative during Christian holidays! I enjoy learning about all religions.

[@emilydavid3104]

I loved this video :) thanks for sharing your experience.

[@barbr100]

Great video!

[@overlycaffeinatedsquirrel779]

fundamentalist religious people alone with children tends to end badly

[@alethiastafford6061]

I’m sorry that you had the experience you had. Some Christians don’t know the difference between loving others and guiding them gently as opposed to having the main idea of converting them to the faith. I myself am a Christian and I attend a Christian school. There have been times when I’ve felt judged by other peers because of the way I act and how different I am, but that doesn’t stop me from being myself. Being a Christian is not about being a part of a religion, it’s about having a relationship. I could say more but I won’t for now. Thank you for sharing your story, it is nice to hear different perspectives from other people.

[@camelopardalis84]

May I ask in what year you were in this camp? I was in seventh grade (and 12/13 years old) in 1997/1998 and didn't have internet access at home either. I had to wait until about spring 1999 I think. Some of my classmates had internet access at home at least as early as 1996 and in retrospective I often think that I was rather late to the party. Did your parents being rather non-conformist have to do with you not having internet (at home), was this just normal at the time or are you just older than I think? I think you're about 36 tops but could also be 23. (Sometimes I am bad at guessing.)

[@miasubmakeup]

It is so brave of you to talk about it on KZbin! It makes me like you even more!

[@richardpetek712]

Can you hear your words? The bad thing is that you have to be brave to talk about it on the internet. You have to be Canadian or European to do it, if you were American, you would have to be brave. And you get up-votes for this. THAT is horrible. Do you see how indoctrinated USA is?

[@stacimarie3]

If I were open about my atheism with pretty much anyone in my town, I could never make a living. I would be ostracized. Sounds extreme, but alas...small southern town, USA.

[@davidmahfuz9737]

Staci B . You sure its the U.S. and not some small town in Saudi Arabia ?

[@user-ge2es2bp2x]

Staci B - that must be so horrid, over here in england it's such a non-issue

[@richardpetek712]

+Staci B, I think that you can declare yourself as "non-religious", right? In my opinion the status of religion in USA is the result of the cold war (and J. Edgar Hoover) who taught the grandparents that "people who don't believe in the Christian God are pure Devils on Earth". Old habits are difficult to break. I think people like you will be the majority, but you will probably have to wait two generations for this to happen. The USA is at the point where Europe was before WW 2. Where Europe became secular in the fifties and sixties, the worldview at the same time turned back in the USA.

[@jen1jen100]

I was raised in a christian home. I went to church Monday, Wednesday, and twice on Sunday (

[@jen1jen100]

I’m not sure what your point is with the “Superman” thing? Unless you’re equating the two (god and Superman) because they’re both fictional characters... I stand by my comment that religion has done nothing but harm to our world. One only needs to look back on history to confirm that. Or look at present world events to see religion causing harm. No one Kills in the name of atheism. Atheism isn’t an ideology. There are no tenets of atheism. No belief system to follow. Atheism is simply; lack of theism. That is all. Take a comparative look between sectarian governed countries with a predominant religion in the region and secular countries with an predominant atheist population in the region, you will see less crime, less teen pregnancy, less unhappy people overall in the secular predominant atheist regions. That’s just the way it is.

[@assalane]

4 year old? That's quite precocious. I also never felt like I believed. But in my case I clung to an identity I didn't really feel I was part of. So I claimed I believed in God, but still ate pork (my family is Muslim) thought the stories in the Koran and the bible were meant to be taken as merely fables etc. It was only when I realized that a lot of people actually did sincerely believe everything in those religions that I felt completely repulsed by the inanity of it all, and rejected the whole God thing.

[@jen1jen100]

It’s great that you came to that conclusion. We need less believers in superstition on this planet and more rational thinkers. If we’re all gonna survive this thing called life and not destroy ourselves we need to embrace reality and science. 💛 thanks for being brave in an often terrifying world. It’s not an easy path especially for those raised in the Muslim faith. Hang in there.

[@assalane]

Jenny Harper Thank you for your wishes. I was lucky because I didn't experience the level of indoctrination you went through. My family is pretty atipical. I went to a Catholic school and had some teaching at home for the Muslim faith for starter. My father is pretty cool with my stance. Although it pains my mother greatly. In her mind I should have at least gone for Christianity

[@assalane]

*What type of evidence of God do you expect to see in order for you to realize there is a God?* Which God?

[@mskrishna83]

I loved this video. It is indeed brave of you to make this video and share ur experience. Everything that u mentioned is happening so very rapidly in every part of the world. Thanks for sharing. I too have Christian ppl around me as well who are wanting to convert and make is believe that it is Jesus who is helping you to love your life.The Creator of this universe is the ultimate life that we all live.

[@anthonypc1]

Thank you for sharing this I know it can be intimidating to come out as atheist so publicly, in a very religious society.

[@marcozovi3410]

Atheists UNITE!

[@pranayr9284]

The Wild Monk Lol. Google both those words. U will understand that there is no relation b/w those 2.

[@uoDucks6]

How about we don't unite. We aren't a cult. We're individuals.

[@caramel7050]

The Truth Channel >telling atheists they're going to a place they don't believe in that we have 0 evidence exists >ok

[@someguy9204]

I've been to Hell and can confirm it exists. (it's a small village in Norway) Not nearly as hot as people claim it is.

[@TurkPowers]

In form of Devastator!!

[@icestationzebra13]

My belief system is similar. I don't believe in any theistic religion. I studied history and geology in college and am fascinated by the history of theistic religions and studying history and geology makes one an atheist without doubt! Very interesting story. I wish kids were not pressured like what you experienced. The homophobic discrimination is terrible. Wow, just wow. Horrible people. It's brainwashing for sure. Brava for your honesty.

[@kindkaty]

Watching this gave me so many flashbacks to Christian camp as a kid. Lovely ones like being told my clothes were inappropriate when I was a 7th grader....meaning that one of the adults saw me and thought, “oh no that girl is wearing a tank top and shorts. It’s her job to cover up even though it’s Texas and summer,”. Also remembering youth leaders asking me about my sins. To do this day I have to remind myself that I am a good person. Being made to feel sinful for every thing you think and do really fucks you up. So happy to say I made it out of that religion. Proud atheist now. Thanks for sharing your story!

[@paulgracey4697]

What I enjoy about your story is the kind, considerate way you approached telling it. As one raised in a Christian family, my Dad and his dad were both preachers, the camps we attended were a bit like the one you describe, but without the overreaching conversion concerns that you describe. YMCA camps in my era didn't feel that they needed the complete conversion of the non-religious kids. In those days and in the more moderate Christian communities it was enough to let the non-religious see how wholesome and happy the Christian raised kids were. In fact the strongly coercive church camps were looked down upon in my upbringing as being too much like you describe as "my way or the highway". In the intervening years, our culture here in the US has devolved into those holding fast to their faith based beliefs, and those willing to allow for multiplicity of beliefs that can be held within a community of peoples that was the guiding principle of those who wrote our Constitution. It is a strange contradiction that your Canadian background comes from the same commonwealth of British heritage in which you are supposedly subjects of her majesty, ordained of god to be your ruler. You have a nominal State Religion. We in the U.S. rebelled and created a human contractual form of government in which we are citizens of a secular society. So the reaction here from those who revere authority, especially biblical authority, and even monarchy in the abstract, have pushed back so hard of late that they think we have a country that God himself ordained. In my case, in that YMCA Camp, and again in a Boy Scout Camp, i was innoculated both with and against the religiosity, though it took decades for me to react enough to understand that being irreligious wasn't a bad thing. You seem to have had the full on treatment, that like getting one of the childhood diseases like the Measles did for me before there was the shots to immunize. You had to endure that indoctrination and perhaps your parents did know what would come of it. You came down with the aberrational mindset that is the style of those oppositional churches, but once back in a more open society, the modern Canadian one, you rejected their imposed narrow minded beliefs. I have Canadian roots, Baptists from Nova Scotia. My grandmother once visited me in California where i live now.and wanted to attend the Baptist church she saw in my neighborhood. She went one Sunday and never wanted to go back, saying it was not at all like the tolerant ones she was raised in. That same church, now renamed as a Community Church, was used by my fundamentalist niece for her kids and they were no doubt given the same treatment there that you experienced at that camp. Not content with the more moderate YMCA, or the Scouts, they had a Youth group much more indoctrinational in nature. The strong separation from the rest of society in such 'Communities" is destroying the greater good that this once great nation stood for.

[@franug]

I also became atheist at a very young age, maybe 13 or 14. I went to a Catholic school and my mom is also a Catholic, but for some reason at that age, things stopped making sense! I remember praying because my parents were discussing loudly and in an instant my mind said “there’s now one up there, it makes no sense to be talking to thin air” and then...I became an atheist. I never believed in anything supernatural again! I’ve always have a logical mindset and I studied science since forever, so I guess everything was there in that moment for me to realice that it wasn’t true. Still I hold no grudges at my school because although it was Catholic it was pretty liberal (they accepted gay students, teen moms, etc) and I think many of the Christian values are universal. But the idea of a supernatural, all-knowing being seems ridiculous to me, I’m sorry if that offends anyone! Sometimes I have to go to mass - for weddings, funerals, etc - and honestly I find the whole ritual SO ODD. I know people find solace on the idea of God, and I respect that (but not if they justify violence/discrimination on their belief), but it’s not for me. If I ever have kids I would never indoctrinate them at a young age, I thinks religion is something only an adult should decide on, and luckily for me my husband thinks the same way.

[@conallthewolf4103]

That’s alright mate, I was raised super Christian, and am now not. Call it indoctrination but as much as I love science ( I am actually in the research field) a part of me will always believe in the supernatural. Because of now I’m a Norse Pagan of all things. I figure if I have to believe in something, might as well believe in a religion that promotes freedom.

[@franug]

That's the beauty of freedom isn't it? We can search for different religions or philosophies that better suit our values :) Buddism does have lots of resonance to me for example (and in its origins it's more of a philosophy than a religion per-se); it does have many teachings that I find very profound and applicable to my life. I did studied the history of religion for a while in college and I'm currently reading some of Joseph's Campbell work on the issue, because is so interesting! It's fascinating how so many religions are very similar although they like to quarry with each other on which of them are "true". I think humankind has a natural tendency towards the supernatural and the divine, and many, many values of different beliefs are universally shared and that could be beneficial for all of us, if we stopped thinking in a "us-versus-them" mentality.

[@conallthewolf4103]

Francisca Ugalde Exactly, I have friends that are Christian, Muslim, atheists, and all in between, and all of us, while we discuss our beliefs, never try and force or push for someone to convert.

[@bebesomething]

I'm agnostic raised by non religious catholics and I commend you for this. So many youtubers are afraid to speak their minds and this is refreshing.

[@Kat-fx3mk]

keen Couldn't agree more. Why is it that people are afraid to say that they are atheists. I don't get it. I guess it's different in the US but I am from Europe and at least in my country nobody really cares. Maybe older people would express some discomfort and maybe a little bit of judgement but younger and young people don't care at all if you believe in any kind of god or not. It's your business and only your business.

[@EugeniaAlbano]

This is really interesting! I'm from Italy and a lot of kids here go to church camp or are in the religious boy scouts. My family is not religious and luckily I've never been to one, so I have no idea how the indoctrination is there. About the camp you went to, on the one hand, it's good that now they have a website that clearly states what they are about, so that non-religious parents can avoid sending their children there. On the other hand, I think the kids from religious families were really lucky to have other kids expose them to another worldview, and now they will just hear the religious one. That's sad.

[@theo4844]

Thanks for sharing this story! I have a similar story. I grew up in a small town in a very conservative part of Washington, it was very religious. We had less than 3000 people in the town but 13 churches within the city limits. A lot of my friends were raised to be religious, but my family was not religious. We celebrated winter solstice and spring equinox instead of Christmas and Easter. I was exposed to religion through some friends as and decided it wasn't for me when I was young. That being said, there's not a lot to do in a small town like that, so when I was in high school, my friends and I went to youth group, which was a Christian service, once a week in the evening, for the high schoolers in town. I went because my friends did, and it was mostly just dancing for a couple hours with some short sermons between songs, and I got to meet some cool people. It was pretty fun when they weren't talking about all the Jesus stuff. Well one day during one of the little sermons they were giving in between songs, they started talking about how homosexuality is wrong. They said that people who choose this path are sinners and are going to hell. I felt my stomach do flips. I felt ashamed of myself. And I didn't know why. I couldn't stand to hear her speak anymore, so I stood up in the middle of the youth leader speaking and I just walked out and never came back. I went home and cried and thought about how all those people who aren't supposed to judge others, think that gay people are choosing a life of sin and they're dirty and unworthy of being treated equally. All these people who I thought were my friends, weren't. I didn't know it at the time, but I am gay. I didn't realize it until years after I moved out of that town and was an adult. Even though I didn't know I was gay, those words hurt me. They made me doubt every single one of my religious friends. They made me think that I was the one who was wrong, I had something to be ashamed of. They certainly made me not want to ever be Christian, they even made me afraid to make friends with Christians. I don't know if they even realize the damage they do to people, especially young people, when they say these kinds of things.

[@jxabr2648]

Jocelyn Suz In other words, you stop believing because homosexuality for you matters more and is more important than God...

[@theo4844]

Junior Abreu well I was never religious to begin with, so I didn't stop believing, but you are right in that my sexuality is part of my identity and who I am. Religion has never been part of my identity, so my sexuality is more important

[@ShadowyLady82]

Julia, I've followed you since early days of Specktra. So happy to see you make this video. I'm Canadian and also an atheist. Was raised by non religious parents and pretty much decided I did not believe in God since I was 7 (am now 36).

[@stevenvanhulle7242]

Richard - Tell him to stop it.

[@ShadowyLady82]

lies are easily debunked even for a 7 year old ;)

[@ShadowyLady82]

i mean he doesn't really exist but keep telling yourself what makes you happy

[@personthe-person7653]

Travelling Vegan Christian "Something you decided at 7 carries you through life?" Just because you believe or decide something at a young age doesn't make it false or wrong. If I decide the tooth fairy isn't real at 7, am I wrong simply because 7 is the magic age where every decision or belief is bad? Similarly, if I made the decision to become a Christian at 7, are you implying that my religion cannot or should not carry me through life because it started at a young age? What if I was abused as a child and 7 was the age that I decided I would never let someone take advantage of me again. Should I abandon that decision simply because it was made early? The important part isn't what age you come to decide something, but whether you continuously re-examine the decision or belief throughout life to make sure it still makes sense. Age does not inherently invalidate a decision or belief.

[@prettypuff1]

I went to a camp like this when i was around the same age... I am a nonbeliever as well and the way you put it now it is definitely brain washing

[@ooppii1]

Wow, thanks for sharing your story. That sounds like a very uncomfortable experience. I live in a primarily agnostic/atheistic country, so I had no idea how this sort of thing works :o

[@ashleyhawkins4564]

I just stumbled upon this video, and I actually really enjoyed it. I am a Christian, and I am so sorry you were forced to believe in Jesus. I grew up in a Christian home, but having a relationship with The Lord was never forced on me. I went to Christian camps, and believing was never forced. TRUE believers of Jesus will just show you Jesus’s love. They will never make you believe in anything. It stinks hearing about people’s interactions with other Christians, and the interactions are terrible. I make it a priority to just love people, and to show His love to others in my actions. I would never force my beliefs on anyone. I love hearing about other people’s beliefs, and why they believe what the believe. I respect your beliefs now, and I respect you as a person. Thanks for sharing this video with all of us! 😊

[@mdhj67]

Good for you. I wish I had been able to see through the absurdity at the age of 13. Cheers,

[@nicoleann9658]

I became an atheist at 12

[@yoyirovelli1110]

I absolutely love this video!! You make laugh so hard! 😘

[@BHIPHOP91]

I'm so stoked. I am leaving for camp Monday morning! Praise God!

[@BHIPHOP91]

@•••[S]EX-Vlog Go to My Channel I think you may have meant to comment that somewhere else? I am not an atheist, quite the opposite!

[@stephmitch8023]

American Atheist here- representing

[@SteveMingsFlutemaker]

you are cute.

[@TalithaTheHun]

LOL I live in Washington so now I'm curious where the camp is... I recently became an atheist after growing up in a very conservative Christian household, and wow has my life changed for the better. Really enjoy this type of video from you.

[@rebeccamichelturner]

I think it's called Trout Creek based on my Google search of the things she brought up. Seems very over the top, as opposed to some other religious camps I've seen sites for

[@mistymouse6840]

I very much enjoyed hearing about your experience. I went to a Christian summer camp once as well. I was already firm enough in my beliefs (and I think I was older when I went) that I wasn't converted. I enjoyed the experience though, the sense of togetherness.

[@user-rm4ye6er3x]

Hey! Was it the Firs summer camp? Think I saw you there, but I would always skip fireside.

[@fredyfasber7111]

Church made me atheist

[@tawneesaps]

I wish I could like this video more than once - love you Julia!

[@saharhb777]

Great story! You are a great story teller, please upload more story videos, 100 likes! 😘

[@timsmith6675]

This is a nice, candid story of a young girl expressing her experiences! Voices should never be silenced, from any viewpoint.

[@StarSeedWitch_]

Thank you for sharing Julia! I didn't have a religious upbringing. Never went to church, never taught to pray. So yes, I am an atheist; and my parents are not happy with me. 😧

[@TheThirdShift]

That's sad that your parents feel that way :(

[@StarSeedWitch_]

Julia's Life Honestly, it doesn't bother me too much anymore. It's my choice, so I'll live with it 😊

[@glassanddiaphane]

I'm agnostic but I was raised in catholic culture, I went through a similar experience when I was in my early twenties (an ex-boyfriend/ex-fiance I had tried to indoctrinate me into christianism). I tried to be supportive and to engage into activities but I never identified myself into christian faith. It was one of the most painful experiences because I knew I was a decent good person but this people judged me there all the time and told me I was wrong, that I had too many questions and it was bad to be a woman with questions and opinions. I would always speak my mind and it was not appreciated. In the end my ex decided I was a "bad woman" because I was an "atheist and a sinner" eventough at the time I went to church, prayed and read the psalms everyday. I was a devasting experience to love someone so deeply and be judged at the same time in such a negative way. I lost my faith in all religions but I still belive there is something that I can call "god" but it has nothing to do with human race.

[@EclecticGreyWitch]

Thanks for sharing your story. I was raised Christian, but not extremely so, for the most part. Didn't go to church much, mostly with my grandmom when I did. I did go to Sunday School a couple of times. I was a Christian until about 17, then I was a devout Christian until 19, then I was agnostic, and I've recently decided I'm an agnostic atheist. I'm 50 in a few days. I like thinking for myself.

[@enlightedjedi]

First time on your channel, but I think I had heard this story before :)!