New Group Idea?

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Mephistophilez's avatar
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I've had an idea for awhile now.  I keep putting it off because I don't seem to have the time or will for such a project.  But this www.nytimes.com/2012/08/26/mag… piece in the NY Times has sort of inspired me again.  I have met quite a few ex-Christians here on DA.  I have to say I'm still usually surprised, though I don't know why, but also always delighted as it always makes me feel just a little less alone in this world.  I have been thinking of starting an ex-Christian group here on DA.  I realize there are other sites for ex-Christians, that article points to a couple (Clergy Project and Recovering from Religion) and there is ex-christian.net and others.  And I know there are other secular, atheist, or similar groups here on DA already.  But I know I would have personally benefited from an ex-Christian group specifically on this community that I'm already a part of and feel comfortable with, new sites often with forum layouts and their own little circles can sometimes be difficult to connect with (at least in my experience).  There's also something very specific about being a deconverted Christian, or especially a Christian in the process of deconversion, which I find the other groups here on DA may lack.  The top comment on that NY Times article at the moment is "If these people are really atheists, then why do they feel the need to proclaim their (non)-faith? If God doesn't exist, why is it so important to deny his existence, and to do so publicly?"  The reason is simple, in my view anyways, because people need to know that they're not alone in their doubts.  Christians dominate american culture, even Western culture, there's a fucking church on every street corner and any time some event happens you can see a dozen pastors harp on about it on every news station like they're some authority on whatever subject they need another talking head for.  They affect our government, our political discourse, our laws, what our children learn (or don't learn) in school, our media, even our entertainment.  Just look at all the TONS of Christian groups even on DA.  I think having a place and a voice for those who no longer feel Christianity defines them or gives a positive influence to their life or answers any questions for them anymore is perfectly reasonable, and indeed needed.

But I found for me personally, I needed moral support.  The intellectual arguments against Christianity are one thing, but being stuck in the religious community, feeling isolated amongst religious family and friends, the sudden loss of a personal god who was supposedly there for prayer and comfort, the being unsure of futures and personal identity, the loss of faith can be an incredibly difficult time and certainly a lonely time.  I think that is why I am still surprised and excited when I meet an ex-Christian, because it was not that long ago that I felt like the only one in the world or that no one could understand what I was going through.  Having a community here on DA that can understand that and be a support for people with that sort of history or currently going through that hard struggle seems like constructive thing to me.  And I feel like if I can even help one person going through that, it will have been a success.  

I'm not really sure what the group would look like from a practical point of view.  I don't know what sort of art would be best that isn't necessarily represented from other atheist/secular groups.  I am constructing a resource list similar to the one I made for OccupyDA fav.me/d4qac62 (though the ex-christian one is already MUCH longer) so it could at least be a place for information.  I'm honestly not sure I'm even the right person for such a group, I might not exactly be a friendly face for people still within the Christian world, and a recent random juvenile threat by a lame Christian douche just reminded me why I tend not to share much personal information here.  I'm also by no means an expert or necessarily qualified, I have just gone through the deconversion process myself, I'm sure others are more educated and equipped on the subject.  Not to mention I have been neglecting my other group a little lately and sometimes don't have time to spend on here.  Perhaps someone else would be a better founder.  It seems like it would definitely have to have many people involved to function well, to be a sort of support network for those who might need it like I envision.  So would anyone be interested in such a group or think it would be worthwhile?

I'm really interested in hearing any thoughts and opinions.  And it would be nice to know if others were interested in helping (or even running it) before I start it.  Or maybe it's just a silly dream or unneeded thing here, in which case feel free to say so as I really don't know.
© 2012 - 2024 Mephistophilez
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LexingtonStLexus's avatar
I wonder if this would work better in a bbs or forum set up