Escaping Religion: Lessons From My Journey Out

[@MindShift-Brandon]

These are just a few of the many things that kept me in the faith for far too long. What were some of yours?

[@TonyLambregts]

It's not only religious beliefs that this applies to. Most if not all of these points also apply to 9/11. As a fellow atheist I encourage you to look up Architects and Engineers for 9/11 Truth.

[@NotNecessarily-ip4vc]

Note how in verse 3 the Ruach Elohim says there's true Elohim (God's; possessive context). Which means there's false Elohim (gods; plural context). Spoiler Alert: the Yahweh Elohim from Genesis 2 are false Elohim. 2 Chronicles 15: 1-7 Names of God Bible 15 The Ruach Elohim came to Azariah, son of Oded. 2 Azariah went to Asa and said to him, “Listen to me, Asa and all you men from Judah and Benjamin. Yahweh is with you when you are with him. If you will dedicate your lives to serving him, he will accept you. But if you abandon him, he will abandon you. 3 For a long time Israel was without the true Elohim, without a priest who taught correctly, and without Moses’ Teachings. 4 But when they were in trouble, they turned to Yahweh Elohim of Israel. When they searched for him, he let them find him. 5 At those times no one could come and go in peace, because everyone living in the land had a lot of turmoil. 6 One nation crushed another nation; one city crushed another. Elohim had tormented them with every kind of trouble. 7 But you must remain strong and not become discouraged. Your actions will be rewarded.”

[@NotNecessarily-ip4vc]

Try reading Moses and the Burning Bush using the NOG translation of the Bible. Moses is clearly speaking to Elohim from Genesis 1 and to Yahweh Elohim from Genesis 2.

[@paulcooper1223]

@@TonyLambregts Oh dear. 9/11? Jet fuel something something? Give it a rest.

[@joseg.solano1891]

Hello MindShift, what do you say about this testimony? There was a non-Christian daughter of one of our brothers in the faith and she once went to our church and there she told us she saw a vision in which Jesus told her he would heal her from a tumor if she accepted him. After she finished talking to us she was asked whether she decides to serve the Lord or not, and she said no, a few years later, last year I think, it was told she was sick, and she was diagnosed with the tumor and died this year. Thankfully she received Jesus in her suffering.

[@dallenpowell2745]

I'm a former Mormon who just this year finally made the decision to leave the faith for good. The most painful part of deconstruction is knowing that you're humbling yourself and confronting things that you believed that hurt you and your love ones while those still in the church call you the selfish one and the rebellious sinner. You're waking up to reality, complexity, and nuance and you're seeing people with new and more caring eyes but to those you've known your whole life you're "a fool who's blinded by carnal desire and the lusts of the secular world." It's a heartbreaking journey. Why would anybody want to be the destroyer of their family's traditions?

[@MindShift-Brandon]

What a fantastic description of deconversion. Well said and thanks for the comment

[@mariahconklin4150]

Then of course they think you’re gonna go out and sin I bet and that’s far from the case. Sad.

[@annasalmans5523]

I am an ex-Christian Baptist/Fundamentalist. I am going through this right now. I really need people that understand what I am going through.

[@dallenpowell2745]

@@annasalmans5523I'm sorry you're going through it right now but it gets better. There's nothing more gratifying than becoming your authentic self and discovering who you are and what you can be but not everyone in your life will understand or be supportive and that's ok. People fear what they don't understand but this is your life to live and your path to follow. Finding friends who have gone through it definitely helps but videos like these really help seeing through the haze. If you want to talk I'm here.

[@starpenta]

I think that's one thing people in religion have a hard time understanding. You don't 'choose' what you actually believe. It's something that happens to you. (Although you do choose whether or not you want to keep pretending you do). I had a really hard time coming out to my family and some of my friends. Luckily, I only lost one from that.

[@Jaggerbush]

How this guy can hold so many thoughts in his head and expand upon them so effortlessly is amazing.

[@MindShift-Brandon]

Too kind, my friend! Thank you

[@maggienewton8518]

I know! I have to keep rewinding because I find myself caught up in trying to figure out how his mind absorbs, processes, interprets, and then relays ideas.

[@paulgemme6056]

@@MindShift-Brandon The blind leading the blind. So sad!

[@MindShift-Brandon]

Blind is taking a 2500 year old book that is riddled with errors on faith.

[@norrecvizharan1177]

I'd take uncertainly blind over confidently stupid any day, and by golly are priests confidently stupid.@@paulgemme6056

[@womenfluencer]

Hello Brandon. Out of thousands of comments, I’m not sure you’ll see mine and maybe this is why I’m even writing this here. Just putting my thoughts out in the open is filling me with dread. I’m literally trembling as I type this. I was born an evangelist’s daughter at a theological Bible school where he lectured Greek and Hebrew. I learned Greek and Hebrew growing up and was the oldest daughter and devout Christian for my entire life. Living up to unachievable expectations, intense scrutiny and judgement (anything I did, or did not do reflected on my father) was too much pressure. I was the righteous know-it-all Christian. I’ve read the Bible cover to cover in every translation NIV, NAS, NKJ, etc. I’ve studied at that same Bible school and even wrote a Biblical novel that was published in 2005. When the wheels came off, it was bad. After a failed marriage and years of undiagnosed depression, I tried to take my life. When I recovered in a mental health facility I was diagnosed with complex PTSD and depression. I’ve subsequently learned about religious trauma syndrome and how TOXIC and cruel indoctrination is. You see, I had questions since I was seven. Having learned that Father Christmas and the Tooth Fairy weren’t real, I innocently asked my mom, whether that means God isn’t real too. She was so shocked that she slapped me and said “never ask me that again”, which put an end to my voicing my doubts. I just buried them. I lived my entire life hiding my doubts and my questions. I searched and searched for answers. I prayed and begged God to help me. Eventually I couldn’t take it any more and I tried to end it. I’m sharing my story here. Hidden under a few thousand comments as a first step to freedom. I am 51 years old and I’m tired of living a lie. It is time that we shine a light on the dangers of indoctrination - no matter how well intended. I never got to choose. I was never exposed to other theologies or ideas. I’m stepping out today. I’m freeing myself. I’m so grateful that I found your channel. I have binge-watched your videos with tears pouring down my face and feeling like someone out there understands my journey. For that I am so truly grateful. Thank you so much. You have given me the courage to live the rest of my life in my truth.

[@MindShift-Brandon]

You are seen. I am so sorry to hear about all that religious trauma as well as a hard life in general. Proud of you for still fighting to find truth and being brave enough to accept it! Let me know if there is anything i can be doing to help!

[@Jasonfreer]

My heart goes out to you. Your story brought tears to my eyes. I hope you are well. ❤

[@shivadarling18]

The fact that you made a link to fictitious figures like Santa to God as a child is astonishing. The fact that you had that critical thinking so young is a sign of intelligence. You're beautiful the way you are and I wish you the very best in your life! ✨

[@womenfluencer]

Thank you so much. Sending you lots of love and light :-) @@shivadarling18

[@womenfluencer]

Thank you so much. I really appreciate it.@@MindShift-Brandon

[@drackoni-han13]

This is undoubtedly one of the very best channels on discussing the machinations of religion on KZbin

[@MindShift-Brandon]

What a compliment! thank you very much!

[@onedaya_martian1238]

Agreed !! There are some great quotes that come from many of the presentations that make it KZbin "Gold".

[@Wolf-ln1ml]

Yep, indeed. I would put this somewhere between the "usual" channels that mostly respond to apologist videos, and for example Theramintrees 🥰

[@onedaya_martian1238]

@@Wolf-ln1ml Theramintrees is great!!!

[@FakingANerve]

​@@MindShift-BrandonOP is right. I don't know of a more thorough channel on the matter.Expansive, thorough, and not simply leaning on the dopamine hit that is "response videos." They're entertaining, but I'm fairly sure that your work is more valuable. 👍🍻

[@victorigbokwe2165]

I remember when I deconverted then told my wife, I apologized with tears in my eyes for taking away the church community that I had brought her into. The guilt was so strong. Thank you for putting it into words. Happy ending though…my wife deconverted right along with me and our relationship has only gotten stronger because we realized that it’s not God directing us but us directing ourselves to each other. Don’t get me started on my parents though…😅

[@MindShift-Brandon]

Oh man. I am beyond jealous

[@Fourwindsofsuccess]

@ 6:48 -7:03. That's triggering for me. It's all nonsense & BS.

[@antonvann8641]

I hear you brother, same here:)

[@elilane8627]

That’s been of the most freeing realizations in deconverting, we don’t have to look for that perfect person God made for us, and suddenly we’re free to honestly choose to love each other for the flawed humans we are

[@stanwant4945]

Wonderful when we really know Jesus we will not turn from Him or His people in the true bible believing church

[@loriw2661]

“I had a mole hill of doubt and then a mountain of Christian’s and Christian apologetics, bearing down on that”. What a powerful sentence!!

[@MindShift-Brandon]

Thanks, Lori.

[@onedaya_martian1238]

@@MindShift-Brandon Agreed !! Profound !! KEEP presenting Brandon !!! The world will continue to be a better place with your contributions to "the great conversation" we humans have the privilege to participate in.

[@MindShift-Brandon]

Thank you so much

[@20july1944]

@@onedaya_martian1238 Is the great conversation "Does God exist?" or "Is Christianity true?' or maybe "Is God a Meany"?

[@Zandman26]

​@@20july1944I think it is "how do we as humans live the best life".

[@brycetorno]

Cognitive dissonance was a massive mental roadblock for me. I would read about all the horrible things in the Bible, particularly the OT; but my brain would compartmentalise all the unpalatable parts with “God knows best”, “he’s going to resurrect all those babies he murdered” etc. The mental gymnastics kept my critical thinking at bay. The big thing that broke me was eventually reading Judges 19,20; where God initiates a blood soaked civil war after a concubine is raped and murdered, and calls for the bloodshed of ten of thousands of innocent people, all for an issue that could have been resolved so much better. It’s almost like he was enjoying a front row seat in the colosseum. That, combined with other scriptures where he commands the killing of children, made me rethink my entire belief system.

[@MindShift-Brandon]

Its amazing how so many of us can go so long with these horrors

[@uncleanunicorn4571]

yeah, nobody Ever preaches a sermon from Judges 19-20 hmmm....

[@Cuffsmaster]

"Cognitive dissonance" It is keep to training the young mind to be a Christian in my opinion. A form of Child abuse.

[@Projolo]

They weren't innocent, protecting criminals is a crime.

[@christophergibson7155]

You do not have the Judges Chapter 19 story correctly retold. Let's look at verse 22... "As they were enjoying themselves, suddenly certain men of the city, perverted men, surrounded the house and beat on the door. They spoke to the master of the house, the old man, saying, “Bring out the man who came to your house, that we may know him carnally!” "Perverted" men...homosexuals, sodomites, sons of Belial is accurate. For what these men did to rape the man's concubine was to be judged. The men of Gibeah would not give up these rapists, so civil war ensued. And God justified the victory to all of Israel against this wicked city on their 3rd. battle engagement. The Old Testament has many battles, and why would this one be any different to you? And God did not ever murder babies. If you are referring to Noah's flood, it was the sin of the people that brought God's judgment upon them. "Then the LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually..."The earth also was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence. So God looked upon the earth, and indeed it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted their way on the earth." Genesis 6:5, 11-12) It was worse than bad. It was deplorable beyond belief. Innocent babies died with their parents in judgment with their wicked parents.

[@TheMom2blessings]

These points were all very relatable in my experience. One that I would add is grooming. I went from being indoctrinated as a child to being groomed by my Christian husband who was also abusive. Once you’ve been indoctrinated to believe an abusive god loves you, it’s easy to believe an abusive partner loves you. You’re more susceptible to their manipulation.

[@MindShift-Brandon]

Thats a great addition. Its insane how widespread that is.

[@OublietteTight]

Is that part of what keeps ultra conservative women in the faith even when their world is severely limited. Traditional female roles are antiquated... unless that is all you know?

[@paulgemme6056]

Don't put your trust (faith) in religion. Religion will save no one. Put your trust, faith and hope in Christ Jesus/God. The only hope of our salvation. Atheists cannot offer you hope, life or truth, because they don't him. Unbelief is the only reason a soul goes to hell. Jesus died once and for all our sin. Pride is the only thing that keeps one from accepting the free gift of God - eternal life - to know him.

[@lisaheinen5315]

@@paulgemme6056unbelief doesn’t send people to hell, sin does.

[@tommore3263]

As a Catholic may I observe that the God who had his flesh torn from his body out of love for us is anything but an abusive God. Aquinas' Final Cause is an excellent method by reason alone to come to see that Pure Love is at the ground of all being. We are moved by beauty , truth and goodness precisely because this Love is at the core of all being. BEING. Cheers

[@dmichael100]

As a former 4 decades long Christian with graduate degrees in biblical theology, I resonate with all of this. Well said. It describes why I stayed in for 40 years.

[@MindShift-Brandon]

Thank you!

[@adifferentangle7064]

40 decades is 400 years. I think I just worked out why you left 😂

[@dmichael100]

@@adifferentangle7064 Sorry, mistyped- I meant 4-decades long (which I think you knew)

[@adifferentangle7064]

@@dmichael100 I'm rolling the dice and guessing you're American.

[@bobgreenfield9158]

​@@dmichael100I thought you had immortality potions?

[@57cactus1]

I received a fundamentalist Christian brainwashing from birth to the age of 18. This was rural Indiana, and pre-internet 1960s & 1970s. I never heard of anyone leaving the faith. My father was a Sunday school teacher, my mother a church pianist. We went to church three times a week. My parents were into pre-scandal Billy James Hargis, Salem Kirban, John R. Rice, and Chick tracts. After I left the farm, I wanted my faith to make better sense to me, I wanted to be able to defend my beliefs rationally. So I studied apologetics, and to get a better idea of what I was up against, I found some atheist books. That was the beginning of the end. The atheist books made more sense than the apologetics books.

[@MindShift-Brandon]

Man, what a wild ride!

[@stefansevcik1877]

Ad. "The atheist books made more sense than the apologetics books." - for example what book(s) and on what Q(s)?

[@noracola5285]

@@AnonOmous-lj1qn Why?

[@tommore3263]

As an intellectually satisfied and confident Catholic after studying the issues at a world class university, I am very sympathetic to those raised in funamentalist nonsense where the book of the Catholic church, the Bible is usurped and falsely presented. There was no 6 day creation. But God does indeed create the and sustain all being instant by instant. As can be shown by solid arguments from reason that no atheist has ever successfully defeated despite the false claims of David Hume , Kant's errors and the frankly silly views of atheist go to boy, Bertrand Russell.. His 1948 debate with Jesuit philosopher Frederick Copleston on the BBC radio show was a real treat. LIke most atheists he had to deny reason and even then, the universe to try to beat the arguments. He failed. Cheers

[@roddychristodoulou9111]

I was born into orthodox Christianity and even as child I remember being uncomfortable with it . It wasn't until I reached my forties that I finally decided to free myself from all religious nonsense . I will never ever go back to believing in talking snakes and invisible celestial beings living in the sky .

[@MindShift-Brandon]

It robs so much of our lives.

[@kosys5338]

I was also born into a very christian family, I was sent to sunday schools and bible studies. As a child though, I was also uncomfortable with religion and never bought into any of it. I remember telling my sister one day that I didn't believe any of it, I also told her that I didn't believe Santa was real either. I had told her that I think Santa is made up to try and get us to be good and that I believed god is made up for the same reasons, to control adults. She got so mad at me that she ran and told my dad lol. Now we are grown and it's funny that my sister is now and has been for some time a non believer. Santa and gods have some things in common, they both don't exist and do not have any evidence of their existence, and they are both used to try and control people. When it comes to belief they start with Santa and move their way up to gods. My father recently told me he didn't believe a person could grow to be a good person without god in their hearts, he also told me he was wrong. I think that was just his way of telling me that he thinks I have grown into a good person. Religion is also known for making otherwise good people say, do and condone bad things, like believe a person could not grow to be a good person without gods or religion in their hearts.

[@roddychristodoulou9111]

Sounds like a similar upbringing to myself , it's indoctrination passed from one generation to the next . Religion and politics are nothing but mass exploitation of the common man , there's plenty of evidentiary stats to suggest the reason people cling on to these beliefs is because of something known as death anxiety .

[@mariahconklin4150]

Yeah I felt that to at church when I was growing up.

[@Naafidy]

40:55 I knew my husband would hate that I was doubting. He was a man who hated questioning things that "worked" in him mind. If it worked for him, and he believed, why shouldn't everyone else? I ended up deconverting without telling him... and when I finally got the courage to tell him he did exactly what I feared he would and rejected me, told me we were unequally yoked and would divorce. It shattered me. We did end up getting divorced and honestly it was the best decision I made. People get upset with me saying I didn't give him the benefit of the doubt by telling him early, but I knew what would happen. I'm glad I told him when I did because for the first time in my life I was able to stand up to him and tell him no, this is what I believed and you're not going to convince me otherwise.

[@pansepot1490]

Loved his faith a lot more than he loved you.

[@leob3447]

I was in my mid 40s when I finally stopped believing, but it took me a full 5 more years to tell my wife. She knew I had my doubts, and for awhile it was just that I was just not 'churchy' or a little agnostic. But that's a role I played because, like you, I was fearful about what would happen. When I finally admitted I had completely stopped believing, I had to sit through hearing 'Satan had taken control of my heart', and 'Satan was using me to test her faith'. We are still together, and things are working, for the most part. But that tension is still there for sure. I think what confuses her the most is that I'm not only much happier and more content, but also just a better person all around.

[@MindShift-Brandon]

I am so very sorry that this happened. I believe you when you say you are better off now, but i am also sure theres so much hurt and how hard that season must have been. Proud of you for doing the hard thing, the truthful thing. Its just so sad that religion can hold people so tightly they would trade their spouse. Thanks for being here and for sharing!

[@michaelsbeverly]

@@MindShift-Brandon _Its just so sad that religion can hold people so tightly they would trade their spouse._ The idea of a spouse is religious (and a bit political) so it's not that hard to see why this is so. In the end, as atheists, we have to admit, if we're honest, that getting married for life is not natural, it's an insane ask of a young adult, and it's destructive for the most part. Nothing wrong with mating for life, if it's really and truly your choice, and made as a mature adult, but that's rarely the case (at least among the religious, who tend to marry young). Almost always it's a condition put on people by society and custom, with religion playing a huge role, even in non-believing circles. Valuing equality of women, the reality of marriage cannot be ignored: _it was designed to make women property._ That said, divorce is very difficult, and it alters your life. _We did end up getting divorced and honestly it was the best decision I made._ Yeah, this is how I feel, and reality is that sometimes, "what took so long," is the thing you feel once it's over. In a sane world, marriage would be a business contract, to set the stage for raising kids and community property, and the terms wouldn't be for life, but rather, a set period of time after which the proposition would be evaluated again. As we move along in medical science (and AI drugs and medicine) our life expectancy is going to easily pass a hundred, maybe even 120 or higher. To expect two 20 something (or younger) year olds to make a committement for the next 100 years is insane. It's not reasonable, logical, it's not humane, caring, loving, kind, or anything, it's slavery to stone aged myths.

[@onedaya_martian1238]

Virtual hugs through the internet. We have shared the same harsh pain.

[@avi8r66]

"Love me or I will have you tortured"... And they defend this character as the good guy. It's bizarre.

[@MindShift-Brandon]

Beyond bizarre!

[@antwan1131]

The assumption in that statement being, god is evil and right/wrong exist without god. But out of curiosity what is your standard for good and evil? If there is no god than what is “good” seems to me purely based on what makes us “feel” good. For whatever reason the chemicals in our head produce something our brain wants more of, which can vary a lot from person to person. So its purely subjective right?

[@Richdragon4]

​@@antwan1131Feel right is very religious thinking. It is subjective, but that doesn't prohibit establishment of objective morality. This is very much the definition of law. That is also why every country has different laws. Pretending there is some objective morality doesn't help anybody. Deciding law by democracy is as close as it gets with objective morality.

[@janetgillespie6590]

Torture is not a Bible teaching. It is a church teaching The Bible says that the dead are conscious of nothing at all. Ecclesiastes 9 : 5 This is before Christ came with the hope of everlasting life. John 17 : 3

[@avi8r66]

@@janetgillespie6590 Strange, Jesus spoke of punishment. Everlasting punishment. Sound like torture to me. Matthew 25:46And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal. It's not the only such mention either. And any punishment that goes on forever would be torture. Even if only annoying tickling, if it never ends, torture. But hell is described, by Jesus, as fire. example: Matthew 25:41Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels: Sorry, but the bible is clear that Hell is a place of torment for all who don't accept jesus. You don't even need to do evil, just don't accept him and you get the same punishment as Hitler or any other monster.

[@scotthodgin7494]

I was a Christian for over 50 years and have been an atheist for the last 12 years. I am so much happier now than I ever have been. Finally, the world makes sense. Thank you for sharing your journey.

[@danielthoenen3655]

coming to the realization that it wasn’t my fault that god was silent to me and had no impact on my life was the best revelation, much better than the gospel.

[@tommore3263]

Dumping fundamentalism is a good step in the right direction. God is the God of reason. God IS REASON. Why the universe is intelligible in the first place. Cheers .

[@rebekkavandenbrink8273]

Same here! ❤

[@kenbattor6350]

I come from a Roman Catholic family. My parents encouraged me to borrow books from the local library. I became interested in Paleontology and Evolution in general. It was so gradual that one day I looked up and thought "Hey, I'm an Atheist!"

[@MindShift-Brandon]

isn't that fascinating. It was such a process for me too, and there is kinda that singular moment of oh man, i dont think I believe this stuff anymore. Except to me that was terrifying!

[@onedaya_martian1238]

@@MindShift-Brandon I can't wait until your conversation with Tim - the Harmonic Atheist. He too has that clear, epiphany moment where the curtain was drawn back and he realized "this is not true!"

[@MindShift-Brandon]

We already had it. Its on his channel now. About 5 videos back i think

[@onedaya_martian1238]

@@MindShift-Brandon AWESOME !! Running to watch it now !!! Thanks Brandon 🙂!!!!

[@kenbattor6350]

@@MindShift-Brandon It was a matter of course for me

[@Dan_C604]

Number 1 touches close to my heart. I was probably 12 y/o and came to my baptist parents telling them that I did not want to go to this youth program anymore. Pressed to explain why I told them, in a 12 y/o language, I did not liked how this youth minister (wasn’t a pastor per se) kept hugging me and somehow touching me. I really for the love of me don’t remember much now but I remember my dad got upset, really mad…. At me for making up stories. BUT somehow, somewhere in my dad’s brain something happened and after trying and trying he allowed me to drop out that group and slowly drop church. I did not become an atheist until really later on, very later on. Closer to the end of my dad’s life he started to become very regretful of my experiences and more than once, without giving much explanation, he told me he should’ve done many things differently. At least that gave me peace. He passed 3 years ago but I feel they realized what happened to me was also happening to other kids when some news came out.

[@MindShift-Brandon]

I am so so sorry to hear about that. The abuse that comes from these places that should have been our safest is so atrocious. Glad you made it out and got some peace with your dad too

[@Mcgif21]

I’ve only see my dad cry once in my life…and it was when he found out I deconverted. He came up to me without saying a word and just hugged and started full on weeping. I didn’t feel bad about my decision and I don’t think my dad was trying to make me feel bad at all. I just felt two very contrasting feelings; pity that my dad actually believed that his son was going to hell for the rest of eternity and the intense love my dad had for me in that moment. I could only hug him back and empathize with him.

[@whyismimotaken9351]

Thank you so much for your presence. I recently became an ex muslim and although you mainly discuss christianity and not islam, a lot of what you say applies to how I’ve lived and what I’ve been taught. Your videos are very comforting in a time of confusion, disorientation, hurt, loss, and questioning. I can’t believe I lived the first 20 years of my life believing in a fairytale. Onto better things :)

[@Wveth]

Good luck brother.

[@Bob.55]

Very happy for you.

[@BenJS2]

Can I ask what were the main reasons you left Islam?

[@heathermckillip742]

When I was a believer, my mom died of cancer. I told this story, multiple times, even to junior high students I was teaching religious ed to. Before her diagnosis, my mom had been on heavy pain meds. She was not allowed to drive due to the meds. My parents hosted a weekly summer camp for their grandkids. They have 11 total. They needed two minivans to drive all the kids around town. She went off her pain meds for that week so she could host her “Gramma & Papa Camp” as she called it. She said that she was tired, but really had no pain that week. I told everyone that we didn’t get the miracle we prayed for (her restoration of health) but that her miracle was being able to host that week with her grandkids, one of her favorite times each year. I fully believed that. Confirmation bias to a tee.

[@MindShift-Brandon]

A very sad but accurate portrayal of it yes.

[@grepora]

I don't see that as confirmation bias. You were just substituting a greater miracle for a lesser one. It was false attribution. Believing something was a miracle when it was merely biology. I hope you do not feel bad for believing that. The reality is that your mother was able to do something that brought her joy before she died. Experiencing joy is wonderful and it doesn't require miracles.

[@TorianTammas]

It was all important for your ma, and the body and mind are able to do awesome things for a time. Humans are awesome and these moments we cherish that a grandmother overcame the limits of her illness for her grandkids. Celebrate for what she was loving and caring. We need no alien from outer space. It was the grandma and she did it.

[@LOwens-xf8yo]

I believed at 7, then stopped at 9. Hearing that “Women can’t be priests” ended it for me. It was too late, I had already been taught that women can do anything!

[@MindShift-Brandon]

A perfect example of modern morality quickly outdoing the bible. This should be happening more and more as we progress as a society hopefully.

[@bobgreenfield9158]

At age 7 {Easter 1970} I woke up early {around 5 am} to watch for the Easter Bunny. I manned our front windows. Watching intently for the Bunny Man. I watched for hours. Until my parents got up around 10 am. I never saw anything! This was the beginning of the end of any religious ideas I had. Later, around December 1970, I had an epiphany that our home had no chimney. Santa Claus could not come to our house! My parents were caught in another lie!

[@JVPlayz96]

@@MindShift-Brandon It's clearly a societal standard that has not been implemented due to historic traditions. It's clear that Christianity has no intent in progressing in that regard because Christianity stems from Judaic traditions where men were always the leaders of the religion and any change to that structure would put the religion in jeopardy due to the fear of lustful feelings compromising the Church, thus making the Church really vulnerable to collapsing. Ironically lust still exists within priests, pastors, etc. and they still fall due to that but if women were to become priests it would be on a whole another level to the point where it would make the general population question the integrity of the Church.

[@tommore3263]

A priest acts in persona Cristi. In the person of Christ. Women got to be the Mother of God, Mary, the most revered creature in all of creation. And the church itself is a "she", Mother church. Priests aren't dispensing magic and the authority is not theirs. Christ never ordained women to the priesthood. There's a reason. And the prayer he taught us all is the "Our Father" God is like a father. We have a role here. The Holy Spirit is often portrayed as wisdom, sophia, and the feminine spirit. There's room for both. God so loved the world that he didn't send an ideologue or Marxist feminist. Men and women are different and complementary thank God. Cheers

[@LOwens-xf8yo]

@@tommore3263 The Bible squarely puts women subservient to men. Saying different roles doesn’t cover that up. God is cruel to ask us to be fruitful, then make child-bearing so painful as to be life-threatening. Dumb design, looks more like random chance, really.

[@artemisia4718]

These videos are super helpful, Brandon. Only a handful of channels consistently tackle the mental health problems associated with religious beliefs and the trauma many people experience being indoctrinated as a young person. Deconversion is a tough process for most of us ex-theists. Learning that you we lied to by everyone around you is a horrible situation to be in.

[@MindShift-Brandon]

Appreciate that! It really is a hell of a thing

[@raysalmon6566]

John 18:37 New International Version 37 “You are a king, then!” said Pilate. Jesus answered, “You say that I am a king. In fact, the reason I was born and came into the world is to testify to the truth. Everyone on the side of truth listens to me.”

[@CoffeeAddictEvan]

​@@raysalmon6566ah, yes, using the claims of a book to justify the claims of said book, because that's not circular at all

[@vintagearisen]

there's also the double mindfuck of "wow, I used to be all in on something that's clearly a lie" and then worrying forever that you could be that hardcore deceived again if you unwittingly fall into another echo chamber

[@kelseystout8360]

Right, and it's not just realizing that you were lied to (even though those who lied to you were lied to themselves), it's coming to terms with it and the fact that you can't force those in your life to see the reality that you've become aware of (that Christianity and other religions are false). I carried so much anger and frustration over this for years (and I still do at times, especially when forced to listen to the garbage my family spews). What I think has helped me move on is learning to live and let live, to accept that I can't change my family's beliefs, and limit how much interaction I have with preachy Christians since it's not totally avoidable.

[@user-pd5qz2vt2c]

Key word...Journey. never stop thinking, never stop learning, never stop evolving.

[@MindShift-Brandon]

The journey out is indeed over. Doesnt mean i know everything but i do know this religion is false. Always down to keep learning, growing etc but there is a time to be done with what is obviously false and harmful.

[@onedaya_martian1238]

With you @user-pd5qz2vt2c !!

[@user-pd5qz2vt2c]

@@MindShift-Brandon Meant to imply you are now on a new journey.

[@MindShift-Brandon]

For sure. Wasn’t trying to disagree just adding clarification

[@EmissaryOfStuff]

I've had the fortune of growing up in a country and Family that isn't all that religious, so I don't have much to say. Just leaving a Comment to appease the one true God of this World: the KZbin Algorithm.

[@MindShift-Brandon]

Ha! Thank you much!

[@jenn4482]

Lol- 😂😂

[@johanahonen8627]

Same here, I am from Sweden..don't know anyone that believe in god. So for me this is very interesting..

[@unknownx7252]

😂😂😂🤣🤣🤣🤣 🙏🏿🙏🏿🙏🏿

[@HayateGhost]

You are helping a lot of people bro, I have religious trauma and how they demonize me for my mental health (psycosis) Thank you Brandon

[@a.b.2405]

I’m so sorry. No, it’s not demons. You can heal with professional help.

[@MindShift-Brandon]

Man so glad to hear it helps. Sorry to hear about all the religious trauma. Keep going!

[@okeydokey6097]

What exactly is religious trauma?

[@HayateGhost]

@@okeydokey6097 religious trauma is the result of different experiences that occur in a religious community, within a church, or spiritual community that exposes the members to indoctrination messages, coercion, humiliation, embarrassment, and abuse.

[@okeydokey6097]

​@@HayateGhostIs spiritual abuse inevitable in religion?

[@jmaniak1]

In 1962 I was born into a Catholic family. I went to mass every Sunday and on Wednesdays before school. I was an alter boy. The priests and the Monsignor in my church were good and intelligent men. I basically grew up in a loving and nurturing environment. I was born very inquisitive. From the time I could hold something in my hands I studied its design and purpose. When I was able to use tools I disassembled and reassembled almost everything in my house. I had to know how everything worked and when there wasn’t a good explanation my mind discarded ideas that couldn’t be explained and I continued searching for an answer. Over the years I asked many questions about the stories and verses in the Bible that didn’t comport with reality. I was never given reasonable answers but was told to pray and have faith. Perhaps I was born without faith. I prayed and went to church for several decades more. Never was a prayer answered and never was there any evidence for the things I was told I was supposed to have faith in. At some point I concluded the faith I was supposed to have was unfounded and was shelved as a non functional tool would be. Catholicism and Christianity claim to hold the moral high ground. The earliest popes were war generals leading soldiers to slaughter people who wouldn’t accept the faith. Christianity has come to modern times kicking and screaming, dragged by the non religious, humanist movement. Even today Christians scream that they are being persecuted when not allowed to force their ideals on people who don’t accept them. The religious claim the Bible is the inerrant word of god yet there are no two people on the entire planet who agree on an interpretation of the Bible. You would think the if an all knowing god where to gift humanity with the most important message ever delivered it would be perfectly clear and not subject to interpretation by every charlatan preacher with a two dollar prayer book. At this point in my life I really don’t have any beliefs. I have confidence that things will happen based on my life’s experience and prior evidence. Not on faith. The bottom line is, despite any claims to the contrary, religion is used as a source of exclusion and bigotry. In my opinion it does more harm than good and I believe the world would be better off without it. I no longer require the promise of heaven or the threat of eternal torment to be good. I am good without god.

[@soyevquirsefron990]

My sister and I went to Catholic school but we’re a bit neurodivergent so the school politely asked us to leave the year we were in first and third grade. I guess Our parents were a bit soured on church after that, our parents did everything they were supposed to and the Catholic school rejected their kids, and our Sunday attendance dwindled down and when we were adolescents my sister and I had all kinds of philosophical and religions conversations and I deconverted entirely, coming to the conclusion that all religions are 50% things people made up to feel better, and 50% things people made up to control other people. This was in the late 80s so no internet was involved. So I guess nothing kept us in religion, religious intolerance pushed us away because we were a bit different. Not even anything major, we’re just a little weird and needed different teaching styles but that was too much to ask of the Catholic Church

[@MindShift-Brandon]

amazing. I am sure it helped to have just one other person there to bounce the ideas off of. So glad you made it out!

[@ValirianDefiance]

I am neuro-divergent as well and it is certainly easier to ask hard questions when you know you're not going to fit in anyway.

[@phillysupra]

Great story. I too agree that religion is a lot to do with "feelings" rather than the logical /rational thought behind what is being told. The songs and the scriptures taught just ping on how it makes a person feel but then you then read on your own and find out that rape and incest and killing was all normal and requested by God. I was an ordained deacon in the pentecostal church for 30 years and left when I started taking biblical theology courses to progress my faith more in depth. Nothing was adding up for me when I learned about other religions.

[@Alaska-luckylexi]

After I went to catholic school, then my younger sister. The school decided I was to much of a problem and my sister got to go to public school. I'm still so jealous that I wasn't allowed out. Every year I would beg to go to public school. Every year I had to go buy a school uniform instead.

[@Mrz-sb1hw]

People say once the internet came lots of people realised their beliefs were false but anyone before the internet came could read the Bible and see the contradictions. Christians chose to ignore contradictions in the Bible.

[@Octoberfurst]

I spent the first 40 years of my life as a conservative Evangelical. Even though it provided community, it also pushed the fear of "the other" and of worrying about going to hell. I also felt that I had to leave my brain at the church door. As a conservative Evangelical, I was expected to believe in creationism, demons, and a universal flood. I tried to force myself to believe these things even when they didn't make sense. Long story short, I started reading books by atheists like Christopher Hitchens and watching atheist KZbin videos. I then deconverted and have been a happy atheist for the past 25 years!

[@MindShift-Brandon]

Thats wonderful to hear. Thank you for sharing!

[@jacksable9596]

In the summer between my sophomore and junior years in high school, I read the whole bible cover-to-cover. I had been going to bible study with friends, but became frustrated with the line by line analysis we would go through, it was Galatians, and eventually read the whole letter at once. It made more sense, and I decided to read everything whole. It changed everything. At first I blamed my confusion on bad translations, 2000 years of copying or changing customs from past cultures represented. But it soon became clear that preachers would pick and choose what they wanted to preach from and use even parts of sentences to make the points they wanted. I stayed in the church to participate in community, I was shy and already had trouble making friends. Many times I would call upon god for help or wisdom, but have never received an answer. Eventually, I moved on with my life, away from church, and never looked back. Love your version of bible study, much more enjoyable. Thank you.

[@MindShift-Brandon]

Thanks for sharing your story!its amazing what just reading the bible will do for people

[@boojackson7133]

I grew up around religion, but never a believer. From a a very young age i could see through all the bullshit with religion. There were times i told myself I was a Christian because of doubts, but when I discovered the plethora of KZbin channels that explains the myth of the Bible i can confidently say all my doubts have been nullified and I'm free as can be

[@MindShift-Brandon]

Thats awesome to hear!

[@FractalFire]

Telling my spouce that I no longer believed was one of the hardest things I had ever had to do as well. I had to brace myself for the possibility that they were going to ask for a divorce. We are still married 9 years later, still loving each other, but there is always that part that we just can't share. It pains us both at times, but we do still genuinely love and respect each other. We usually try avoid the topic, but aren't afraid to discuss religion when it does come up. I know they think that they'll eventually get me to come back to the fold if they are pious enough, which can be annoying at times, but isn't a deal breaker, for me at least. Thank you for your willingness to put out this kind of content. It means a lot to me to know that I'm not alone.

[@MindShift-Brandon]

Glad to hear its worked out for so long. I too had to be ready for that possibility and even genuinely offer it to her since i was unyoking us. But when that was off the table it was a new commitment to figure out how we would do this. Thanks for the kind words and encouragement

[@Kattlarv]

It's the same thing with the "Look at the surge of left handed people!". Yeah... REALLY weird how once the church stopped executing people for being left handed... there was a sudden "epidemic" of left handed people. Just like: When it became illegal to murder skeptics... we SUDDENLY had skeptics around.

[@mitvelkez]

I can't begin to imagine what it must be like to deconvert. I was lucky my parents never went to church, it was never part of my childhood. What you say about brain development seems to ring true with me. The first time I met religion was at age 9 and I just didn't understand why everyone had to recite the lords prayer at school assembly; it just seemed totally pointless to me.

[@MindShift-Brandon]

Im sure its insane to look in on it from the outside. Thanks for watching

[@Dan_C604]

The more we understand brain development and developmental psychology, the more we become aware of the atrocity of religion. Like he says, may parents dont do this knowing it is an abuse, obviously, they think it is a good thing to put their kids on, but the amount of indoctrination, suppression, punishment and sometimes abuse from religion is very serious indeed!

[@onedaya_martian1238]

One has to agree with Seth Andrews' (the Thinking Atheist) comment "Christianity made me sound like an idiot!" How true that his.

[@christophergibson7155]

@@onedaya_martian1238 That is because "for they loved the praise of men more than the praise of God." (John 12:43) Self centeredness always wants to exalt our ego before others. "We are fools for Christ’s sake, but you are wise in Christ!

[@QuestionThingsUseLogic]

​@@christophergibson7155here we go....you mention ego AGAIN as always and call the above person a fool by quoting your fictional bible. You do realise how stupid you look??! You believe an unverifiable book that has unfounded and unverified claims! It even lies about non existent people or lies of the historical ones, such as King Nebuchadnezzar and King Darius and King Herod!! You are too lazy to even check these faults!

[@19Rick84]

Awesome video, Brandon! I’ve been only able to talk to one person about not being a Christian anymore. My family would be horrified if they knew my thoughts now. Even my work place is Christian owned so I hear some crazy stuff each day but I usually don’t say anything just to keep the peace. Maybe one day I’ll have the guts and boldness as you do. Thanks for what you do!

[@MindShift-Brandon]

My pleasure man. To each their own and their own timing!

[@loriw2661]

Brandon: This is the forth comment I’ve left & I’m sorry to be so “commenty” but, this is the BEST video you’ve done. I can almost feel the cognitive dissonance it’s going to cause in the Christian’s who watch it. Thank you for all the hard work you do. Your channel is the best!!

[@MindShift-Brandon]

i am not caught up on them all, but never apologize. I really appreciate your support and kindness that you share all the time with me! thanks!

[@loriw2661]

Wow! The first one was me in Sunday Scool. Twice I asked this: 1) Why did god make Adam from dirt, and 2) Why was god mad at Adam & Eve for eating the “apple” if they didn’t have knowledge of good and evil before they did? They called my mother & when she picked me up, I got yelled at. I never asked a question again.

[@MindShift-Brandon]

so sad how quickly a child brain of curiosity is shut down to keep alive superstitions.

[@soniachambers6460]

Omg I never saw this before lol If Adam wasn't deceived ( like eve was ) then he knew what he was doing was evil...but he had no knowledge of evil before they ate the fruit...he only was supposed to know good. U were a smart kid. 😂

[@michaelhenry1763]

Thank you for your honesty. For me, it was a process after I felt burnt out from Christianity: from quiet times, going to church, Bible studies, evangelizing, and group prayers. I felt it did not work anymore and I stopped going to church, because after college I could not find one I liked. They were far more political then I liked. Stopping church allowed me the space to start questioning and exploring.

[@MindShift-Brandon]

That will do it for sure, thanks for sharing!

[@cocococop6082]

@@MindShift-Brandon you have survivor guilt when it comes to being a Christian. You felt guilt for being the one to live while all other humans not Christian end up in hell. You are not to feel guilty for surviving or making it into heaven while all others non-Christians died. You were to use your privilege and change the system not give up half way. Thats like a person born to very well to do parents finding out that poor people exist and deciding to be poor themselves too. That is silly 😜. You were to use your money Start businesses and give the poor jobs so they can become rich or at least middle class like you . Don't let your survivor guilt weight you done. I personally feel no guilt that others who are non-Christians are going to hell or gone to hell. A. Time traveling is a thing so can just go view the beginning of the earth being made. B. Raising the dead is a thing. Can just rise those people and get them baptized and taught the Christian scriptures..so...don't see your point of guilt on that. C. Slavery is wrong because the employer were to paid their employees a living wage. "“Woe to him who builds his house by unrighteousness, and his upper rooms by injustice, who makes his neighbor serve him for nothing and does not give him his wages" Jermain 22:13. So again totally fine to be against slavery as a Christian. Also humans who are Christians gets a gold house or some mineral rich house. Take a portion turn it to a loan and as the Christian build their house I'm heaven they can paid of said loan like a mortgage to Jesus Christ while living on the earth and using said money to live. Again it's the system in place that is the problem not Christianity being a thing. So let go of yout guilt and fears. It's good to love but bad to be unwise. Remember if you put love before wisdom you get lose as in love +wise combination into one word. So.....you kind of losing. Let go of your feelings and focus on facts and reality. Time traveling is real fact. Rising the dead is real fact. Then go from there. This is no different between this and any other crisis. Because its a crisis you are staring at and understand it as a crisis but has not realized its not an impossible crisis with no solution. Wait and see. Soon you shall see truth 😌. All shall become a Christian and life will be better. No more worrying about hell or slavery or non-Christians buring in hell because of being nonbelievers. Just you wait.

[@cocococop6082]

@@MindShift-Brandon remember that song we are soilders in the lords army. Go look up survivor guilt and soilders. You have it.

[@JamesRichardWiley]

Every day for five years I begged god to come into my life but he refused. Finally I decided to take charge of my own life and leave god alone. That was fifty years ago. Best decision I ever made.

[@MindShift-Brandon]

A life well lived

[@raymonddubois9242]

I began my search for the Truth at age 17. I am now 73....I finally arrived at an understanding and acceptance of deconversion 6 months ago. Go figure. Am enjoying your teaching content and methods.

[@kurtjensen1790]

Since I was homeschooled growing up because of religious ideas, I definitely was indoctrinated. I was explicitly taught against “the world” and legitimate science and philosophy. I also didn’t have many friends and all of them were of course Christian. I used to be hard on myself for why I seemed so isolated, but I am definitely thinking the Christianity I was raised in intentionally fed into that situation.

[@MindShift-Brandon]

Thanks for sharing. It really is just insane

[@coreycullins5998]

this is legitimately my story too. homeschooled and taught since birth that christianity was the truth and “the world” was not to be trusted and out to lead me astray. this led to so many years of fear, self doubt and judgement of others. i hope you’re in a better place now 🤍

[@vintagearisen]

Formerly indoctrinated homeschooler gang 🤘 Did you use Abeka books? I think for me the craziest part has been realizing how much white supremacy actually influenced my "nonracist" education

[@kurtjensen1790]

@@vintagearisen I’m very familiar with those. Yes.

[@dwaneanderson8039]

I was raised in a nonreligious family and was never a believer, so none of this really applies to me. But I want to tell you that of all the atheist channels I've seen lately, yours is one of the best. Keep up the good work and I hope you have great success.

[@MindShift-Brandon]

Thats so awesome to hear. Thanks!

[@SkogliJotunn]

I was in this as deep as you can be as well. I've been agnostic for about 10 years now. I've watched channels like yours for YEARS. But that nagging FEAR is just relentless. I found your channel a few days ago. They have been extremely helpful. So thank you.

[@MindShift-Brandon]

So glad to hear that. Thank you!

[@lijwrites]

This channel is criminally undersubbed. I left my faith young, but my parents left after raising two kids and years together in a church they sincerely believed in. I think the content you make really speaks to them and equips me to be more supportive to the people who have supported me so much. Thank you.

[@MindShift-Brandon]

Really appreciate that. Thanks for being here!

[@jonmurcott6110]

“How on earth did you waste 30 years of your life?” … yeah, I ask myself that a lot. This resonates hugely with me.

[@jujunorman4695]

I have already been following Brandon's bookshelf and only yesterday went through the small playlist it had. I wondered why there weren't more videos and found this channel and have been bingeing it all day. The book-wise breakup is quite well done. Will surely follow.

[@MindShift-Brandon]

Oh wow. Thats awesome to hear. Thanks for coming over!

[@user-vj9oz7fx2e]

I am 66 yo. I had believed in the Bible and Jesus and heaven and he'll my entire life. I had a born again experience at 17. I have read the Bible hundreds of times.I kept seeing things ln the Bible that seemed horrendous but I rationalized by saying God knows more than I do. Who am I to question his Word? But after many years of chronic pain and unanswered prayer I finally got the courage to look at the arguments for atheism and they made so much more sense than the silly superstitions in the Bible. My Dad who is still going strong at 93 accused me of thinking I knew more than God and questioning God is blasphemy etc. But I was finally able to break free about ten years ago. I have the illness of bi polar where I have dramatic mood swings where I soar to the hight of elation and then plummet to despair. When I am severely depressed that old fear of he'll rears its head and I think, " I know the God of the Bible is cruel and vindictive and is totally unimpressed by people who try to live a moral and ethical life if they reject Jesus. What if this cruel narcissistic God really does exist and I go to he'll for all eternity? I know this is irrational but severe depression really hinders the ability to think rationality. Even so, I will never go back to Christianity. I think it is impossible to believe in and worship someone who seems like a monster to me. Keep up the good work Brandon!

[@colinloh6427]

Ironic that there’s 7 deadly sins when being in Christianity, but there’s 7 deadly hurdles getting out of it. Amazing job, Mr. Brandon for being courageous and standing and also seeking for truth.

[@kslique]

Born and raised "In the church", went into full-time vocational ministry, spent over 20 years doing "the Lord's work" Eventually left ministry 5 years ago. Still participated in church. Played and led worship. But a little over a year ago I decided it was time to fully cut the ties. Man was it difficult. The indoctrination was so strong that I had to lean into anger at the church in order for me to be "ok" with walking away from the faith entirely. I still have trouble reconciling things. But at least my wife and kids are all on the same page. I'm glad I found your channel. I knew I wasn't alone in this journey, and even though echo chambers can be very bad, it does help to know that you aren't alone in your struggles and in your doubt. Keep it up brother! I had thought about starting a similar channel, but I'm glad to see you got there first.

[@MindShift-Brandon]

Always room for more voices. So glad you got your whole family on the same page! Thank you for the encouragement!

[@ShangoThe]

Until the last few months I was a Protestant, but since recently I started questioning everything about my beliefs and what they mean and how they aren’t okay, I now consider myself an atheist. But the ONLY thing stopping me from leaving my religion entirely is I don’t know how to tell my mom that. The reasons for this are:- 1) I am from Ethiopia and belief in god is literally tied to our identity and not believing in him is seen as betraying your country, community and family. And it only invites ridicule. I have no problem with that but I am a scared of what it would mean for my mom. 2) My mom is a single woman who struggled day and night to raise me since she has no close relatives or friends that could support her financially. She literally had to take abuse and serve others while they humiliate her, just so she can raise me. And every time I even touch on the topic of my questioning belief in god, I always see heartbreak accumulating in her eyes(if that is even a thing) just in anticipation of what I would say next. And this puts me in a difficult situation because I don’t want to break her heart and see her be grief stricken believing she has failed as a mother for not raising a god believing son and as I said since it is tied to our Ethiopian identity, people would talk behind her or ridicule or make snide remarks about me being deceived by the devil and failing for his tricks and her failing to keep me straight. And this has really killed my excitement about finally being free from religion and focusing on rebuilding myself. I don't know how I should breach this issue when my mom is gonna be heart broken by this. I once had a thought to end everything, but now I am looking for a way to leave the country instead. I don't even have a time to rebuild myself with everyone I know rooting for me to be a servant of god and devote my whole life to him. My mental health is being affected by this and it is making me feel trapped to the point that I want to end it all, despite the excitement of now discovering every thing that comes with my freedom from religion. This may seem stupid to some and people could say I should just tell my mom and consequences be damned, but it is personally hard for me. Man, this was easy when I could just tell people to pray for me when I have issues.

[@sorryifoldcomment8596]

As someone who has had almost the exact opposite life as you, it sounds like the exact opposite of stupid! I definitely don't know if I could tell her. I just wanted to leave this comment to say that sounds so awful, I'm sorry, and anyone who says you should *obviously* tell her & ignore the consequences are wrong. Not caring about the consequences at all would mean not caring at all. To do it despite the consequences is one thing, but only a cruel person would tell her while not caring at all about how it may result in unintentional suffering, even if it's survivable suffering. Even if they can argue it's 100% worth it, caring is also worth it. As much as it sucks, it's what makes us good humans. 😔

[@radosawszmid7822]

Your story is nothing but incredible. What a great episode! Nothing matters more to me than being a critical thinker who can decide for himself no matter what your friends or family think of you. If you are ever in Poland, let me know. Beer is on me! Keep thinking!

[@MindShift-Brandon]

Appreciate that so much! Id love to get to Poland and surrounding areas some day.

[@bds8715]

"The safest place to be is right where everyone else is. It takes a unique form of stupidity, bravery, forthrightness, and lack of self-preservation to go against the herd." Great points 😌 I was 26/27 when I left. Some of us hold on longer for all sorts of reasons, and these 7 reasons are great examples. Apologetics and existential fear were big for me, as well as desire for ultimate justice.

[@MindShift-Brandon]

oh thats an interesting addition. I think i understand what you mean, but if you have a second to expand on the ultimate justice, id love to hear it.

[@bds8715]

@@MindShift-Brandon absolutely! For example, my mom has early onset dementia. Yet she’s the most kind, tender-hearted, blameless person I know. It’s brutally unfair. And of course there are countless tragic stories just like this one of bad things happening to good people. If heaven is real then innocents, presumably, will be saved and go on to live the lives they deserve. But if death is the end then only tragedy remains. (I’m aware of the argument that compensating goods would not make the suffering reasonable or non-gratuitous. In heaven we could still rightly question why we suffered as we did.)

[@Noomi-v8j]

Thank you so much, Brandon!! ❤❤ I sooo recognize everything you say. And it is so hard! So hard! I am leaving religion these days. It’s a looooong, loooong process! Day one is the scariest, and hardest, and then it seems to be almost the same amount of scary and hard in the next year as well, somehow. From day 1 I needed to be strong enough and brave enough to face possible complete isolation from parents, siblings, friends, and all of the churches in my city. Because we all know each other. I had to be ready to be hoovered in as well as to be completely rejected. Every day and night I still need to stand up to internalised voices attacking my life choice. I’m very glad to have found you and other deconverted Christian’s to listen to. People who never were within this kind of religion and community, don’t understand or know about half of it. Their advice and support are appreciated, but also not quite enough for me. I need people who know what the bible says, what we are taught in addition, how we are tought what is the only way to interpret it. I need people who understand that as well as they are manipulating, our loved once’s also are true believers. True believers that does not want us to go to eternal torture in hell. True believers that believe it’s the best life we can live while on this earth. So the manipulation is mixed with actual love. Actual sacrifice. Actual care. Kindness. They are extremely hurt and distraught by us telling them that they are pressuring us. That they need to stop, to respect us. To not hurt us. They keep believing that their reasoning is smart enough to stand on its own. It’s hard to say, please stop. Your words are not helping your cause at all. There’s nothing you come up with that I haven’t already heard and that doesn’t fall on its face. It’s not smart enough. It will never be, because … it is mental gymnastics that you are tough to avoid the truth. I love my family. I hope we can still be together in the future. It’s interesting to hear how your, (Brandons) experiences are almost the exact same as mine. You live in the US. I live in Norway. I used to live in Sweden for a while, because my parents took us to the church “Livets Ord” there. It was a cult for sure. It was the Nordic version of “word of faith”. I didn’t recognize until last summer, that it actually was a cult. Even though I after the age of 16 mostly went to a softer kind of church, I still find that it is not ok. The bible in it self is too problematic! 🙄 Too unloving, to untrustworthy, to damaging, and then - for what? I can not stay now. But, I do still spend time to be fluid between my old beliefs, atheism, agnosticism , and even my oldest believes, - from the cult!! 🤯🙈 We are told we can not not choose. It’s life or death, black or white. Right now I am exercising my right to not be determined.😅 My earliest teachings are ingrained in my spine! It is almost impossible to break free from all of the indoctrination! We listened to it at breakfast, at school, at church, at dinner, at friends houses, while we played inside, at supper and at bedtime. If I woke up during the night I knew it was my job to dwell on Gods word and pray. I need support with resistance towards the internalized voices, just to stay normal. Weird. But true. Sad. But good to be out. Or on my way out. BTW Brandon ? - I am married to a man that you recently have had a lot of contact with. We love you! 🥰

[@MindShift-Brandon]

I appreciate you sharing your story so much. Proud of you for being willing to be honest snd accept the fallout. Thanks for the kind words!

[@jenna2431]

I didn't realize it fully at the time but I'd go church shopping looking for "something that more closely aligns with where I am now." Starting as SoBap, ending up as Messianic I gradually tossed this and that out until nothing was left. It sounds like a straight path, but totally was not. More like a rollercoaster.

[@Shadowkitty360]

I did something similar. I took a history of religion college course to go "faith shopping." I started a Catholic, became a Buddhist, then ended up an atheist all within the span of the course.

[@MindShift-Brandon]

oh thats interesting! even more interesting that despite our different paths we both ended up in the exact same place...knowing its all false.

[@20july1944]

Jenna, are you an atheist now?

[@eddiesbarnes]

Going through the process of deconstructing and Brandon I must commend you for nailing every point accurately. I was in the faith for more than 30yrs. I always had questions from a young age but church folk do really know how to keep you submerged. Slowly getting the weight off and will surely rise to the top of this mess!! Big Thanks from the UK Brandon!!

[@MindShift-Brandon]

You can do it! Thanks for the kind words. Reach out if you need anything along the process

[@EstherH85]

I’m definitely stuck in some sort of cognitive dissonance. I’m glad I found your channel. Your points are well thought out and easy to understand and relate to.

[@MindShift-Brandon]

Glad to hear that. Keep on looking man. Its just a matter of time before the walls fall down once you are willing to address the issues

[@CharlesPayet]

Looking forward to seeing how many we had in common, Brandon. I started wondering about some things my last year in dental school at age 28, when my Taekwondo teacher assigned some books on Buddhism, Taoism, and martial arts as preparation for my 1st degree black belt test. After graduation, I read John Shelby Spong’s book, “Why Christianity Must Change or Die,” which really started the journey out. It took a few years to say, “I don’t believe in the God of the Bible,” even though I was still nominally a deist for a few years longer. After that I was still “spiritual” for a few years. I think I finally said, “I’m an atheist” around 7-8 years ago, although it’s long enough now that I’m fuzzy on the timeline.

[@MindShift-Brandon]

thanks for sharing! yes its so interesting all the different paths people take on their way out and what acts as a catalyst for each of us.

[@peraspera934]

It's so difficult to move on from a religion when your family is deeply enmeshed in it. All I care about is my family, and all they care about is their faith. I can't tell them I don't believe the same things without losing relationships.

[@MindShift-Brandon]

I get it. I am so sorry you are stuck in this bad situation!

[@whollyraw]

I grew up in a Christian faith and left at 15 because it felt like too much nonsense for me. I went to see what churches and religion was like in my 30’s for only a few months and noticed the hold it briefly had on my mind. I quickly left once I saw how mentally fucked I was from the ideas. It was about 5 months I entertained it all. My son met a religious girl and now goes to church with her. He seems convinced by the ideas there and I just don’t know what to do to help him, as it’s a condition of his girlfriends family that he is baptist like they are. He is only 16 ! Anyway, I guess I’m just grappling a bit with the fact that my smart kiddo is falling for the lies….

[@MindShift-Brandon]

That must be such a tough spot! Wishing you well!

[@FluidThinker]

There is a risk that after fully converting to these ideas, he will convinced to marry her. With me it was a very fast decline into the religious abyss and I was fully convinced I needed to marry that girl. I am glad we have parted ways.

[@jengenx7729]

Thank you Brandon. With your calm scholarly approach and personal experience you really are able to reach out and help people! I just faced my bestest fear, telling my parents. I just sent the briefest of email telling them I do not attend church, and named one reason, that the God of the bible commands so many terrible things (tho there are many others). I’m 53 and I finally put on my big girl pants. I’m know they will think I’m going to hell. The thing is to be loved for who I’m not is not to be loved at all. I need them to know the real me, whatever the outcome. Thank you for all your hard work!

[@MindShift-Brandon]

Congrats! Even though im sure that was so hard, how freeing!

[@traezaX1]

The God of the Bible is love ...I've trusted Him for 17 years He has done amazing miracles in my life ... I was an atheist...now I can never go back to that empty life

[@jgandband]

Great videos. I’ve been binging your channel since I found you 😁

[@MindShift-Brandon]

Thats very kind. Thanks so much for watching!

[@mainecoonmami]

I think I’m fairly smart too! There were two separate places in my brain. The rational part, and the religious part. I was taught that the “spiritual” life isn’t meant to be totally understood. And I just took that as truth until adulthood.

[@MindShift-Brandon]

It just crazy what religion does to us!

[@jgibson5041]

Finally someone has put into this into words. I think most people, myself included, who have transitioned from fundamentalism to atheism have experienced each of these issues. I remember around 20 years ago I started having a "crisis of faith" and began asking uncomfortable questions. I went to my pastor at the time and like you mentioned he used our echo chamber. He read several cherry picked and out of context passages from the bible to assuage my doubts. Five years later, I gave myself permission to research those doubts and am so happy I did. Thank you Brandon for your thoughtful and well articulated video. You are quickly becoming one of my favorite KZbinrs.

[@MindShift-Brandon]

Appreciate that so very much! It truly is amazing what a process it takes to undo it all. Glad you made it out!

[@BookishChas]

Finally got around to watching this, and it was excellent! The two biggest hangups for me were, and still are to some degree, disappointing friends and family and fear in general. I don’t like being that guy that “hurts” people close to me. I’ve come a long way with not letting it bother me, but it still creeps in. Thank you for this!

[@MindShift-Brandon]

Same man. I think thats one of the worst for sure

[@whatsurprob3640]

I remember the first time that I started to doubt religion. I was 6 yrs old, and it was the first time I had ever flown on a commercial jet. Of course, I had the window seat, and I looked out the window after we reached peak altitude down at the clouds, and I asked my mother, “where are all the people in heaven, I don’t see anybody.” Although my forced religious therapy lasted until I turned 16, I went from believing in only God, to an agnostic, which quickly turned into a full atheist. 7 yrs ago I moved to Central Texas, so my wife could be closer to her daughter and grandchildren, and boy am I in no mans land. Everything is God and Jesus, and almost to the tee, people are persistent that I accept God back into my life. Thank you for keeping me focus on the reality, that there is no GOD, and that I’m not the evil one of the bunch.

[@aprilbryant8641]

I'm still high from the epiphany(s) I got from your talk today. All my Xtian life I felt pressure, as a child I bit my cuticles until they bled. The abject fear of goin to hell was so great I think I became too exhausted to believe & I absently shed the belief out of self survival. You answered so many thoughts I had at different points in life I was subconsciously asking. All the questions I asked out loud had very unsatisfying answers. Thank you so much. I am sooooo happy right now that I am close to tears😂

[@MindShift-Brandon]

I am beyond glad to be able to help at all. Its all i wanted from this channel and if just you got some needed clarity from just todays video then its all worth it. Thanks for letting me know.

[@dougt7580]

Great video Brandon, so glad your channel got recommended to me a few weeks ago. I've been consuming quite a bit of atheist KZbin content over the past couple years and in my opinion your content and perspective ranks right up there with many of the other really good atheist / religious discussion / humanist content creators. Your reason number two about the echo chamber is probably why I remained a Catholic well into my mid-twenties (even though i didn't buy into a lot of the magic and superstitious rituals) and didn't consider myself an atheist until I was nearly 30. I like to say I was raised in a Catholic bubble where all my family was Catholic, I went to Catholic school for 14 years, all of our family friends were catholic, my parents worked at our Catholic parish, and all of my family extra-curricular activities were associated with our church in one way or another. I was obviously aware that not every person was Catholic and that other religions existed, but since I lived in that Catholic bubble, those "other people" were largely just abstractions. Much like today how I am aware that people live in the Seychelles, but since I've lived my entire life in the US, they don't really register in my brain as "real" in the same sense as people whom I personally interact with. So while I was in that Catholic bubble I understood on some level that outside perspectives or different opinions existed but they didn't register as "real" to me as I really wasn't even aware of them. It wasn't until I went to college and started working with people who weren't Catholic that finally the Catholic bubble / echo-chamber was pierced. And because Catholicism had nearly a two-decade head start of feeding me propaganda, it took me nearly another decade to be honest with myself and know that I actually don't believe in any of the BS I was fed, as well as accept the very high cost with my family that I knew deconstructing would entail. Thanks for the great video.

[@MindShift-Brandon]

Thank you for the kindness and the very positive feedback and also for sharing yourself here. I hope people can read through the comments and see the reality of this all!

[@onedaya_martian1238]

The best people all want to believe as many true things as possible. Brandon does a great job helping those who recognize that organized religion is not the path to understanding reality, and importantly, WHY it isn't.

[@dougt7580]

​​@@onedaya_martian1238Very true and touches on one aspect of many religions, especially those in the abrahamic traditions, that Brandon didn't specifically mention. Which is that religions often attempt to stifle intellectual curiosity. People who are convinced that they KNOW the answers tend not to continue seeking answers. I think intellectual curiosity is what ultimately got me out of the religion I was indoctrinated into from birth. And it's been my personal experience that the most religious people tend to be the least curious and uninterested in trying to learn "how?" and "why?".

[@raywilliams212]

It was amazing how much I was encouraged by my father to question and do my own research and read the Bible to answer those questions... until I started asking the WRONG questions and getting the WRONG answers. Then I just wanted to live in sin. I'm still so confused for how FURIOUS he was that I COULDN'T believe. I can't convince myself to believe what I don't! I should know... I tried like, REALLY hard, for YEARS. And I COULDN'T.

[@MindShift-Brandon]

Thats so sad and so very common. I hate this religion

[@adifferentangle7064]

Of course he would be furious. As furious as you would be if someone you loved very much tried convincing you the earth is flat. Whilst the bible does contain the answers in my experience most people don't get the answers to their concerns from it. You really have to be capable of abstraction in order to understand the concepts and the links involved in verification from the bible alone, and that is an ability reserved for master craftsmen and mathematicians. Most people can't do it. That is why I use the Eucharistic miracles and the shroud of turin as the basis for the reason for being religious. Jesus never asked us to believe without seeing for ourselves, and it really is very easy to show through scientific study that the Eucharist actually transforms and the shroud is indeed real. From there it is a much easier place to determine exactly what is the reality of this world... And it is a shame to the people responsible for your religious upbringing that you fell from it.

[@Richdragon4]

​@@adifferentangle7064You do not believe in carbon dating? What is wrong with it? It isn't exactly precise, but that is accurate. Eucharistic miracles? Isn't that like bread bleeding or something. Tell me more, please.

[@adifferentangle7064]

@@Richdragon4 Carbon dating CAN be a useful tool, if used correctly. If not used correctly, and then the process of working is hidden and only the results shown, it can be used to misguide the entire world, as was the case with Turin. Thankfully someone smelled something fishy and managed to get the university to release the working of the 1980s carbon dating if the shroud. In 2017 the journal that published it retracted it. Every other dating study, which includes other appropriately conducted carbon dating tests, as well as pollen analysis, date the shroud to the 1st century. Basically science is a useful tool if used correctly, and useful propaganda when deliberately misused. The patch that was cut for the 1988 tests was taken from a well worn area that included new material from repairs that were done in the 15th century or later. So, in short yes generally I don't disagree with carbon dating findings however the methodology is crucial in giving accurate results.

[@gabri41200]

Great video! Born in a roman catholic brazilian family, for all my life christianity orbited around me. I realised i was an atheist at 13yo. I realised that i never really believed, and since then, my atheism became more solid. The main reasons for why i am an atheist: 1) Divine hiddeness. 2) Never seen anything miraculous or supernatural. 3) Christianity is full or contradictions. 4) Moral coruption and hypocrisy of many religious people. 5) Metaphysical impossibility of something immaterial causing something material. 6) Possible impossibility of a mind existing without a physical substrate (a physical brain). 7) "History of man is false" a quote form a brazillian song called "verdades e mentiras". Basically the winners make the history. Never trust some narrative. 8) Feelings are chemical reactions in our brain, if God doesn't have a physcial brain, he wouldn't feel anything such as love. 9) The problem of suffering.

[@MindShift-Brandon]

Thank you and thats a great list!

[@GenerationX1984]

And when you find out that Judaism and Christianity evolved from older religions you have another reason not to believe. Christian dualism dates back to Persian Zoroastrianism. Yahweh was a cult god worshipped in Canaan, Edom, and Midian. We call the old religions mythology, but the Bible is just as mythological.

[@christopheradams1912]

Great work as always. And a great example of cognitive dissonance at the 25 minute mark where you mention factory farming and diet. Quite possibly the greatest form of cognitive dissonance operating right now next to religion. And one that needs to be recognized and understood if we have any chance of saving the planet. If only all the critical thinkers who have educated themselves regarding religion and recognize it’s menace would do the same with animal agriculture and factory farming and diet. The evidence is out there, just needs to be seen and understood. So important. Thanks for bringing it up.

[@MindShift-Brandon]

Thank you much!

[@user-lg3xu1ku8w]

O Brandon. You went through so much torment. Through a mental hell. But wasn't it worth it to rid your of all that damaging nonsense. It was easy for me. I wake up happy with a new, beautiful day each day with no yhwh. No man made guilt. I'm happy you made it.😊

[@MindShift-Brandon]

Thank you so much for your kindness!

[@DeeDeeBaldwin]

I was addicted to apologetics books even as a child because I was a big Bible reader, and I kept reading terrible things with no satisfactory answers. Just one example, I remember asking my parents why God told the Israelites to stone an entire family because the father disobeyed. The answers were never good. Then I majored in biblical studies, learned a lot more about the Bible and its history, and came to see it as a very human book that recorded people's right and wrong understandings of God. That more liberal view made it possible for me to hold on to my belief for way longer than I might have otherwise, but it eventually fell away, too. Besides being raised and indoctrinated, I took a long time to find my way out because church and its various people and events had never been anything but positive experiences for me. For people whose faith was the center of their lives, admitting to yourself that you don't believe it anymore isn't like snapping your fingers. It's like undoing a very complicated knot. Of course, what do I know, since I must not have been a "true" Christian. ;-)

[@jan.thespook]

Thank you for your honesty. I empathize with your journey greatly. I remember, when my husband and I deconverted, the only credit I could give to the church we left was that the community was the biggest reason we didn't leave sooner. We still have friendships but they are fundamentally different forever. It has been a continued grieving process, and it is really just comforting to hear that others have been through this, too. Keep makin' content, your videos are so important!

[@MindShift-Brandon]

Thank you for that encouragement!

[@ztrglider]

If you ever decide to share more about how to navigate the family dynamics, I think a lot of people are struggling with the same thing. I'm in nearly the same boat as you and I don't think anyone has the answers on how to navigate this, but I think a lot of us would benefit from having a conversation about it.

[@MindShift-Brandon]

Thanks. Will do!

[@denisebaldwin9292]

Thank you for mentioning feeling relief after deconverting. Relief was what I felt as well, after decades of belief/forcing myself to believe and have faith when the shiny veneer came off. I appreciate your videos - your points are so thoughtful!

[@MindShift-Brandon]

Thank you for that so much and yes. The weight of religion just falls off!

[@food4thort]

It was great to hear your analysis of what escaping religion entails. More than 50 years after de-converting because I was no longer able to reconcile Biblical 'tensions' (point 4) through apologetics (point 5), I regularly listen to Pastor Mike Winger's '20 questions'. For the committed Christian with doubts and anxieties I assume he sounds plausible and coherent. To me, however, I hear the same old contortions and word-smithing that once soothed the fears that held me captive.

[@MindShift-Brandon]

Thank you! And yes isnt it weird how those same words that once meant so much are so obvious now?

[@jayperz]

The point you brought up around the 42 minute mark is something that I still struggle with to this day. I left the faith around 2 or 3 years ago and to this day the comradery and brotherhood that i deeply felt with my closest friends who still believe isn't there anymore. We love each other and care for each other the same way but that specific connection not being there anymore is hard to experience. You do feel left out in a lot of ways and I honestly miss a lot of the conversations we used to have surrounding our faith. It doesn't strain our relationship at all but is something that I myself notice is missing now

[@MindShift-Brandon]

Yes. A very real and unfortunate side effect.

[@DarqueSyde66]

Lucky for me I have always been an individual. Even as a little kid, I never cared about fitting in. I didn’t strive to stand out either. I just wanted to be left alone and was always content being alone. I loved to think and I was always observant and questioned anything that didn’t make sense. I’m still the same to this day. Good luck to all who are finding this channel and who are struggling with leaving your religion. I wish all of you the best!

[@lynettesmith6971]

I had my schooling in a catholic convent. At the age of 10, I realised I had never seen kindness, all the preaching of love thy fellow man wasn’t practiced, I gradually left the only religion I had known and have had no reason to return. The church has had too many scandals and is still protecting many of individuals who perpetrated these serious crimes. It has shown no remorse, it’s history is damming.

[@TH3F4LC0Nx]

I knew what the last one was gonna be. Fear is the final boss. Though I've done my share of cognitive dissonance as well. And your antidote quote at the end was 👌. 😉

[@MindShift-Brandon]

had to be fear. its the bedrock. And thank you very much!

[@onedaya_martian1238]

Great Comment.

[@Breakdowns04]

I am a Christian. It was the echo chamber that caused me to start asking questions. Everyone is so confident, but I’m not. I knew that atheists had responses to us, and I wanted to know what those were so that I can be confident in what I believe. And there are certain verses that I am not willing to hand wave away. There is so much tension in me that I wish I could resolve. The Old Testament very clearly endorses slavery, though I do think it does provide room for abolition. I’ve also thought to myself in this journey, that some answer would be better than no answer, but I had to dismiss that because I’m not OK with accepting false hoods.

[@hooverKiller55]

Thats how it starts man. The cognitive dissonance wont stop until you reject the lie and accept reality. The domino that started my deconversion was realizing my christianity was becoming a patchwork of apologetics and cope and it still wasn't holding up against other ideas.

[@Emolisst68]

This is so good!!!! I am in the middle of not believing and believing and fear is the one thing that is keeping me from deconstruction! Well all of these points are the reason but fear is the biggest one.

[@MindShift-Brandon]

I totally get it. I hope that in your own time, you keep seeking truth!

[@southernmanners1306]

It’s so funny (as in sad) when I hear the nonsensical reasoning parroted back to me now and I see all of the time wasted believing such b.s. It’s almost like going on a drunken bender and then sobering up and hearing all of the crazy things you did under the influence. Thank you for always succinctly saying what’s rattling around in my brain! And I agree with the other comment about doing some videos concerning how deconverting affects relationships. Once again, good stuff❤

[@MindShift-Brandon]

Oh man, sobering up is the perfect comparison!

[@ryangarrard3135]

Thanks for your videos, very well put and helpful to many! I am several years into my deconversion from Mormonism and the hurdles you mentioned are very relevant to me. You are not alone, may you have a great day.

[@MindShift-Brandon]

Thank you so much for this comment

[@mailill]

Most people seem to need/yearn for these 3 things: 1 A sense of belonging¨ 2 Someone to love and be loved by 3 A sense of meaning or purpose, often connected to values and ethics I think religion for many can be a solution for 1 and 3, sometimes or even often also for 2 (either people in the group or the godhead itself) Also some people have a need for 4 access to an altered state of mind, that feels like a connection to eiter a "Higher Being" or a "Higher Self" or "The Sacred" or a "Chi Field" or "Loving Energy", "Deep Silence" etc, and for some people religion is the way they experience this. (Others might find it in Nature or other means)

[@MindShift-Brandon]

For sure

[@mikebrmike]

Hi Brandon, over the last few weeks I'm well on my way to listening through your whole library. You've developed a real skill for this - eloquence, knowledge and the intelligence to link relevant points, that thick, smooth voice! But also here, a level of introspection - so many times I think back to my Christian journey and you articulate so precisely how I thought. Have a good rest of the day and keep up the hard work! MB

[@MindShift-Brandon]

Appreciate that kind feedback so much! Thank you for all your time

[@straycats1256]

I grew up in the same mess. Discovered that organized religion is more like a culture and less like a belief system. You could almost look at it like a legalized version of organized crime.😂😂😂

[@raesour2806]

I came to find that the faith I was raised in was the faith of my parents, but was never truly my own. I couldn’t keep living a lie. I refused to be ruled by guilt, shame and fear. My hubby is still a Christian but he understands my questioning and moving away from Christianity. We have some good discussions and can be respectful of each other. I know that even if our beliefs differ, he still supports me in my beliefs. I support him in his. Respect is the bottom line, no matter what.

[@Isaac_L..]

Still going through the process of publicizing my deconversion, I feel incredibly fortunate that my friends that I've told have taken the news incredibly well. I'm terrified to tell my parents (waiting for some financial reasons) but I am really excited to tell my pastor at my home church (waiting until till around the time I tell my parents). I have definitely noticed that the type of theology held makes a massive difference. My Catholic friends who believe you can loose (and regain) salvation took the news way better than my friends who hold to more Calvinist theology and believe in preservation of the saints. One thing I did that helped was explain exactly what I needed to be convinced of tonreconvert me back to Christianity and I asked for prayer. I empthasized that if an all loving and all powerful God does exist that I really wanted to know and would be a fool to reject such a God.

[@MindShift-Brandon]

Man, good luck! So glad to hear its gone well with your friends and very interesting observation about how each sect responds differently.

[@Cuffsmaster]

Telling your parents can be the hard one. IN fact my whole family went to the same Chruch. You may owe your parents an answer of some kind. That is your choice. I wish you the best of luck and you find a skillful way of doing it. I don't think (my opinion that is worth what you are paying me for it) that you own the preacher or anyone in the church a statement or have to explain anything. It is none of their business really. It is your life and your mind. I just tell people it is not my faith anymore and leave it at that unless they push.. One of the things I did when first jumping off the Christian slave ship was act a little meek when someone in the Church would take to me about my not going to church or when someone would ask me if I knew Jesus. I would try to not be confrontational or even discuss it . Christians can be bullies. SO one day I decided to be as strong and forward as those trying to talk me into a faith. I don't have to preach to them but I can firmly say "It is no longer my faith and don't really need to discuss it with anyone." If they say more then I repeat the answer but add that it is my personal choice and how they should accept it. . If they say more then I say it more forceful and bluntly to make it clear. I don't act meek or aggressive unless pushed. I have no reason to back down from a fable. You know they are feeding you b/s and you don't have to take it. But Mom and Dad..... that's rough. I don't have a good answer for you... I wish I did

[@Isaac_L..]

@@Cuffsmaster Yep. The only reason I would like to talk it over with my pastor is that I genuinely see him as a pretty big friend and certainly one of the more influential people in my life (and mostly for the better). I would love to see how he confronts a handful of issues (namely atrocities committed by the Israelites, contradictions in the Bible, and the undeniable conclusion in the Christian theological frame of mind that God is solely responsible for the creation and perpetuation of sin). Assuming it doesn't devolve into some sort of shouting match, this is a conversation I really look forward to. I don't expect to convince him that Christianity fails to align with reality, but rather that I truly don't believe and that I'm as unresistant to belief in a perfectly loving and powerful God as is consciously possible. On the flip side, the conversation with my parents I really do dread. I suspect it will be the most emotional of the conversations I have and will be impossible to execute in such a way that they aren't deeply offended. I'm trying to get to a point in my life that I am not financially reliant on them at all just in case of the worst, but it's definitely annoying to have to turn on the Christian filter whenever I'm around them.

[@Cuffsmaster]

@@Isaac_L.. Your plan sounds ok with me. Good luck..

[@20july1944]

The real question is whether there is a God and is Jesus His Son, right? Should anyone care about your deconversion unless your reasons were sound?

[@manatwilight8434]

This, this right here. Man, well done putting it all into words for people. Seriously, hope everyone who needs to hear these things, does.

[@MindShift-Brandon]

Thank you!

[@RJ-lk6qn]

I didn’t grow up in a oppressive religious environment but all of these things went through my mind at various times in my life. I just couldn’t put them all together in a neat nutshell as you have. Thanks!

[@MindShift-Brandon]

My pleasure to do so. Thanks for being here

[@Grayraven777]

I relate it to Plato, and the "Allegory of the cave". escaping from the cave is an uphill battle, but you have shown that not only is it possible, it is actually a good thing. Thank God for the apostate, for he has seen the truth and it has set him free.

[@SuzanneKvR]

Thank you for this video. So well put together. I really appreciate your work and input so much. I have left the faith quietly but still struggle with your point 6 Family and point 7 Fear. But you give me so much hope that i will he able to overcome that in time. There is light at the end of this tunnel❤

[@MindShift-Brandon]

Light and hope indeed! And how funny its outside of christianity. Thank you!

[@oldgeezerproductions]

For many years, long after I went through all the anguish of accepting the fact that I did not and indeed, could not believe that there were ANY gods, goddesses, demons or anything supernatural, I still went to Sunday Mass, just to sit quietly, watch an elaborate and ancient costumed ritual and to listen to the music. I found that going to weekly mass, as I did when I was a child, was pleasant and relaxing. I enjoyed being surrounded by people I knew were truly good people; it was a feeling of comfort and safety to be in their presence. Then they changed the rules and required everybody to turn to the good people next to them and say out loud that they believed in the "holy ghost" and all the stuff I truly did NOT believe in. There I was, telling, out loud, a bare-faced lie about beliefs I did not have to good people I had respect for and who did not deserve to be lied to. I just couldn't do it, I felt such shame at betraying my personal sense of honor and truthfulness that I stopped going to mass, now many decades ago. Yes, and I'm the one who's honor and honesty can't be trusted, who can't belong to important social organizations in my community, like the Elks or the Masons, among other prejudices I am subject to.

[@Namuh999]

I actually was indoctrinated and grew up in a catholic school since kindergarten, it didnt take me very long to question my faith and by the time I reached 8th grade I was so confident in my position of questioning religion that every time we had religion class in 8th grade, the class would just be me trying to rebuttal a lot of the points made during the class and it often times led to me debating the entire class as a 14 year old. Peer pressure is a very real thing so I want you to imagine how it’s like to be confrontational not only to the teacher but the whole class. I don’t remember any of the discussions we had because it was so long ago but I do remember keeping a notebook and writing down different things that I didn’t have an answer to but I still had questioned, that way I could remember the topic and search for answers in my own time because I knew I wasn’t going to find it in class.

[@abbycoursey2616]

Thank you so much for this. It sums up perfectly the thoughts and anxiety I’ve been experiencing for the last 3 months. I wish I could repost this video a million times.

[@MindShift-Brandon]

Glad you found it so useful. Thank you!

[@danielladavis8705]

Thank you for honestly helping us unpack religious trauma and not sugar coating the core toxic beliefs of Christianity. I also highly recommend Belief It or Not's channel and latest series unpacking the fundamentals of Christianity.

[@MindShift-Brandon]

My pleasure. And thanks for the rec, ill check it out!

[@Deadgurl717]

As a child that lost mom to cancer at 5 years old & on top of that had a Baptist preacher as a pa-pa (whom I loved dearly) I started fearing hell at 5 years old . I spent way too many hours in deep deep thought terrified about burning in hell away from my mother from a way to young age. I had night terrors and panic attacks. I cried constantly. I spent my whole childhood worrying about my eternal soul bc what I was taught in church about burning eternally in hell with fire and brimstone. All I knew was people talked about my mom like she was an angel so I knew she was in heaven and I knew I had to go there tp be with her. Losing my mother was traumatizing enough but spending my entire childhood and next 35 years in fear I would do something wrong and not make it to heaven was way more traumatizing and I made life choices I never would have if it wasn’t bc of religion and the Bible. I had my doubts even as a child about the Bible and all the contradictions and I questioned why would A good God take my angel of a mother at 25 years old and spare many many more evil POS? Finally after 35 years of devoting my entire life and money devoted to a fictional character and not even a good one the lightbulb went off and now I am soo angry having lies forced upon me as a 5 year old , which completely changed my life in a negative way . Religion is extremely damaging especially coming from a perspective like mine .

[@tallred93]

I really resonated with what you said about your relationship with your wife being built first on mutual faith. I’ve been with my wife for about a decade now and I started our relationship deeply committed to Jesus. Then in college I took a world religions course and the questions starting coming one after the other. I became a progressive Christian but over the years things have been chipping away more and more to the point where I’m listening to atheists on KZbin agreeing more with what they’re saying than any of the Christians I know. When is it time to say you know what, I can’t in good faith call myself a Christian or a follower of Jesus anymore? One of my wife’s chief values before getting married was for us to be equally yoked and we were. How do I approach the situation especially now that we have a new baby girl? It’s tough.

[@MindShift-Brandon]

Oh man! That was me. 10 years in. First kid. Its the hardest thing in the world. Only you can answer when the final wall has fallen down. But if you are this far in, id guess the end is near. All you can do is be honest imo. I have another video on how to come out that covers some things to think about.

[@excultcarol5570]

The is one of the very best videos I have ever seen. I just found your channel this week and oh my, the logic!! I already appreciate it tremendously.

[@MindShift-Brandon]

Welcome aboard! And thank you so much for that kindness

[@mintybadger6905]

I’m an ex-AoG too, this talk hit really close to my heart and my experiences.

[@MindShift-Brandon]

Pretty freaking crazy to look back on, am i right?

[@mv8141]

Dude! Are you reading my mind?????? What l love about this is that he decided to actually think when told he didn’t need to.

[@MindShift-Brandon]

Appreciate that. Sounds like you were in a similar boat!

[@mv8141]

@@MindShift-Brandon everyone should think. Your editing is awesome btw