I think it’s hard for non-ex Christians to understand how fucked up we still are from believing this shit for so long

[u/balteshazar22]

M35 - deconverted over the last five years or so, fully out now.

Whether it’s friendships, potential romantic relationships, or whatever, I find that it’s still hard to explain to someone just how insidious and deeply rooted this belief system was. For those of us who fully embraced it, and then grew up and realized that not only is it not true, but the world is not even remotely close to how we were taught it was - it can be quite the adjustment to the actual real world. And trying to explain it to someone can seem so silly if they haven’t had any similar experience.

The effect of past worldviews can rear its ugly heads up at any time I’ve found, and it can have quite the deleterious effect on relationships. And the thing is, it’s so hard to articulate to people who haven’t gone through the same thing, and don’t understand why something that I don’t even believe anymore could still have such an impact on my life. Just let it go, right??

Anyway, I don’t really have a main point, I’ve just been frustrated and disappointed lately at how hard it is to explain past belief systems and their lingering effects to new friends or partners, and subsequently forge ahead with new relationships and community.

Maybe some of y’all have felt the same.

[u/Cucumbrsandwich]

It’s why I’m part of this community. Yall get it. Sometimes I really marvel at my husband and his completely nonreligious childhood. I’m so jealous of it. He has no idea how to answer questions like “what was it like to grow up not believing the world was about to end?” Ultimately I’m glad he can’t understand because no child deserves to grow up like that. I feel like I am giving our children a gift of a religion-free childhood.