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People Explain How Religion Was Ruined For Them

People Explain How Religion Was Ruined For Them
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I've never been a religious person. I have aunts and uncles who are quite pious (or so they tell everyone). Suffice it to say that religion has disappointed me more than once, though I see no point in denigrating someone else's religious beliefs provided they're not hurting anyone.

After Redditor PM_ME_YOUR_WIRING asked the online community, "What ruined religion for you?" people came forward to share their stories. They're rather eye-opening and provide excellent insight into why people don't take to religion at all––or abandon it altogether.


"That people would try..."

That people would try to force their religion onto me and make me feel like I was a bad person if I didn't have the same beliefs as them.

Yungbloody

"I was told..."

I was told that dinosaur bones were planted in the ground by Satan to trick us into believing in evolution.

Felkey1

"Learning that my mom..."

Learning that my mom got alienated and bullied after she tried creating a single moms club at our church.

haileymcr

"My parents told me..."

My parents told me at a young age that I would go to hell for asking the question "how do we know god is real." They could have simply said to read the Bible or something like that. But instead they told me that I would go to hell, I guess it was the idea behind "blind faith."

Chris4fth

My infant brother's death. I was very little when he died at 3 days old, but it always bothered me being taught that Jesus was the only man that ever lived without sin. I thought "what could this helpless little baby have done that was a sin? He never even cried?" When I asked my very catholic grandmother about it she told me to watch what I say because I was being blasphemous.

michsamp

"Being kicked out of Christian school..."

Being kicked out of Christian school prior to the third grade because my Mom bought the wrong edition of the Bible.

AlexatRF21

Scientology ruined my religion for me.

I'm an actor, and they hired me to do some instructional/education video for them and paid decent. I know they're kinda kooky, but I thought "Hey, I've worked for crazier people in this industry" so I met with them on their super secret 'Gold Base' in Southern California.

I shot there for several days, and got to know the staff/volunteers who have dedicated their entire life to serving Scientology. I learned a lot about their religion, as I've been genuinely curious about all faiths.

I remember driving home after my final day on set, and thinking to myself "How can such normal, nice people believe in something so obviously false? I mean, their founder, who has been historically documented as a scoundrel and a crook, literally wrote a book, got a huge influence of people, and then convinced them that it was the one true way to live!"

Being a fully practicing Mormon at the time, you can imagine my shock when I immediately realized that's the exact same thing people say about my religion.

Zerrish

"They would judge you..."

How hypocritical the people in church were. They would judge you and condemn you for drinking as a teenager yet I would see the pastor and all the deacons out drunk and driving home at friends houses whose parents went to the church.

jetfighter327

"When I came to the realization..."

When I came to the realization that trusted authorities did hurt children- really really hurt and damage children- and gaslight the communities that literally supported the church through personal sacrifice and sincere generosity- it was the absolute definition of disgrace and I am in agony that it was ever even tolerated.

rsnmyhm

"I realized..."

I couldn't figure out the difference between the abuse and manipulation of my family and that of my religion. Looking at it critically, I realized it's just abuse all the way down.

LordofthePothos

"Currently..."

Just lost interest. Currently i have no reason to believe, and no reason not to believe. God may or may not have created the Universe, it doesn't affect me. Just continue to live life day by day.

stormsand9

"However..."

I am atheist, but don't have a problem with people believing in god. Prayer is good for the most part, and religion gives comfort to billions of people.

However, the moment it is organized and taught as facts and forced on others or used to feel better than others, it becomes dangerous and often evil. The hypocracy to use religiin to justify anything more than trying to share faith calmly and peacefully makes me angry.

I wish that people could truly be spiritual without ever being bastards about it.

shafflo

"Gettng deeply..."

Getting deeply involved in the church after a rough patch in my life. Started to work in the office, and quickly realized how it was all about money.

Go-Pugs-Go

"I've developed many other issues..."

On Sundays I'd get to see other kids in Sunday School. I wasn't supposed to ask to go to their houses, but if I asked my parents in front of them or their parents sometimes they'd feel obligated to allow it. If they said no, I knew what was waiting for me when we got in the minivan in the church parking lot. But it was worth the small chance to be somewhere else with someone else for a few hours.

Seeing kindness preached, and seeing how much they appeared to agree and live by Christian ideals from 9-12 every Sunday, and then experiencing such an opposite the second the church couldn't see it.

That ruined religion for me. Not right then, but as I grew and I learned that true kindness comes without theistic intervention. It comes without reason, or expectation. Without reward.

I've developed many other issues with many religions, but I respect all those who follow their religions peacefully. Christians included.

"There is not enough love and goodness in the world to permit giving any of it away to imaginary beings."

cmcbrid

"I will say to those of you..."

Man, there are A LOT of individuals in this thread that have been totally scarred and burned by religion in some sort or another. Sorry that there are so many hurting people in here.

I guess that is why it's so important for those who profess a specific faith to live out the faith that they are following. Not just offer lip service to their beliefs but to truly live it out in their daily lives. The moment that you aren't vertically aligned to an outsider (or someone following that same religion) it is going to immediately put that religion in a negative light.

I will say to those of you who have been burned to keep in mind that this entire world, every single person alive at this moment, is going to screw up. We're all imperfect humans trying to make it through life together and nobody is exempt from sinning and messing up. It doesn't matter if you're the Pope, a priest, a minister, a rabbi or any other sort of religious leader. They're all fallen creatures bound to mess up. That's why extending grace is so important but it by NO MEANS excuses those in a position of power and influence from abusing another person. Ever.

chihawk85

"They care more about their image..."

My parents. They're hypocritical, manipulative, abusive, gas lighting people. They care more about their image in church rather than the well being of their children. I don't hate that I grew up in a christian family nor do i regret on being a christian BUT i know hate going to church because people their especially the old ones are all the same. Self righteous hypocrites.

LaLoophole

"Being told by the youth pastor..."

Being told by the youth pastor that science is right when it comes to science and evolution, but that I should ignore it and "learn to believe" anyway.

ihave_knots_inmyback

"I was raised Catholic..."

This question is a day old and probably nobody will see my answer, but I read most of the top comments and I'm baffled that nobody mentioned my reason to leave religion: the fact that most of them classifies women as inferior compared to men.

I was raised Catholic and I never understood why we couldn't have priestesses, or women in positions of power within the church. They were always answering to men one way or another. And of course all the religious mumbo jumbo about Eve being the first sinner, that women are essentially filthy because they menstruate, they must always obey their husbands, etc etc etc. Or the fact that God is always presented as a man even though it's genderless , or how convenient was that Jesus was a guy.

All of this started to get to me when I was becoming a teen, and it was my form of teenage rebellion - I didn't get drunk or did drugs or anything like that, I was actually a good girl. But if I caught a whiff of any rule being enforced on me "because you're a girl/woman", I'd rebel against it, however necessary. When I finished school, I never went back to church. I can't believe in anything that will affirm I'm less simply because of something I had no control over, this case my sex.

flyinthesoup

"So imagine..."

Christianity makes you paranoid, it forces the belief that there is this devil who will send you to hell for eternal suffering if you sin which i consider anti freedom. So imagine if you accidentally sin and are now forced to live with the idea that you will be in eternal pain when you die. This just makes your brain feel oppressed like you are forced to do what the god demands you to do, like that you dont matter and that you will soon die and suffer infinitely.

Gammadox

"Two people are on their death bed..."

I didn't grow up religious, so I never really believed in god. When I learned the word agnostic, I started describing myself that way. I now now that a better term would have been an agnostic atheist. Around the age of 20 I got a chance to spend some time with a religious family for a few days. On one of the long car rides they brought up religion and hit me with the following gem.

Two people are on their death bed with only a few minutes left to live. One was a doctor, traveled around the entire world saving lives, establishing clinics and doing many good deeds. The other is a murderer. They are both given a chance to accept Jesus into in their final moments. The murderer does so, but the doctor doesn't. The doctor goes to hell. The murderer goes to heaven.

Shorty after that trip, I bought "The God Delusion" by Dawkins and have since started to just identify as an atheist.

IWorkedLastTime

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People Who Witnessed A Teacher Break Down In Tears Share Their Experiences

Reddit user throwthrowwthrowwww asked: 'Students who've witnessed their teacher cry during class, what happened?'

Apple on a stack of textbooks
Element5 Digital/Unsplash

Teachers are not only educators, they're also inspiring leaders.

The most memorable teachers are those who genuinely encourage young students to do their best so they can be empowered to pursue their dreams.

However, we tend to revere them to such a degree, we forget that they're people too with real emotions.

Curious to hear from strangers who witnessed a vulnerable moment from someone they were inspired by at an early age, Redditor throwthrowwthrowwww asked:

"Students who've witnessed their teacher cry during class, what happened?"

There's no bigger heartbreak than people who are struggling with illnesses or know of someone facing medical challenges.

Ailing Teacher

"One of our music instructors 7th-12th grade. She had a long ongoing battle with stage three/four cancer. She always did her best to try to have fun during our classes, like it was an escape for her because she loved music so much. Over 85% of the entire high school joined choir because of her. Her chemo and radiation treatments left her exhausted some days, though, and she would occasionally break down. In 2012, when her condition worsened, she would have to take more days off because the cancer had become so debilitating."

"We continued to practice our songs while she was gone, and I swear we would sometimes spend an hour on one small section of a song, ripping every note apart, and repeating the same words over and over until we couldn't mess it up. One of the final days in class with her, I remember we were rehearsing for our upcoming state competition, and we sounded damn good. Mid-song, she stopped conducting, closed her eyes, folded her hands, and listened as we continued singing for her. The energy and sound was so profound throughout the room, I can't find the words to describe it."

"After the song finished, we stood in a long, complete silence before she opened her eyes with tears streaming down her face. She wasn't able to go to our state competition with us, but we ended up placing that year. It wasn't first like we were hoping, but it was the highest the school had ever placed. She later passed away that same year. She was one of the strongest women I had ever met in my life."

– Top-Box2372

Losing A Student

"My high school Spanish teacher also taught some homebound students with medical issues."

"One day the vice principal came into our class and told Ms J that one of her homebound students had passed away from his cancer. She couldn't hold back the tears."

– que_he_hecho

Wise Toddler

"I’m a teacher, I cried in front of my toddlers when I got a call from the hospital telling me it was time to make the call as to whether to pull my dads life support. One of my toddlers came up to me while I was crying, put her hand on my cheek and said 'it’s ok to feel sad, it’s ok to cry,' then gave me a hug. I love my job."

– Cheekygirl97

Students witnessed the following teachers get emotional.

Thoughtful Sixth-Graders

"The class surprised him on teacher appreciation day. Someone brought pop, snacks etc. He was surprised. 6th grade teacher."

– Stephlynn1234

Appreciation Day

"Had a philosophy course in uni during covid. So the class was held on zoom. It wasn't teacher appreciation day, but it was the second to last lecture of the term and we all really enjoyed this prof (and because of him most of the class became friends). So we organized an appreciation thing for him."

"We all started class without our cameras on, which was unusual and made him question (he got sad actually). So one girl said 'before we start, we just really wanted to do something for YOU because you've done so much for us. I hope this is okay.' He gave us a confused look, and before he could say anything in response we all turned our cameras on and held up signs saying 'thank you professor [name]' and our green screen backgrounds were of his face lol. He laughed so hard but started crying. Told us how he wished we could do this in person and that he genuinely cared about all of us."

"He had a lot of health issues, the most prominent one being MS. Whenever he didn't start class on time we all got worried, and there were a few times where he cancelled altogether because he fell or something. He also had a cat, and we asked to see him just enough times that his cat learned what time our class was at and would climb up to see us and stay the whole class. It was cute. During the breaks he would email a link to play chess since he lived far from his family and couldn't visit and wanted the company. We organized a Christmas movie day with him over the Christmas break and he loved it. He retired after the following year because of his health, and I still wonder what he's doing now and if he's doing okay. I've been in uni for 5 years now and he is the only prof I've actually spoken to consistently and genuinely liked."

– Burnt_Your_Toast

Sad Literature

"5th grade teacher reading Where the Red Fern Grows out loud to the class. He shed some tears. He did every year."

– SnoBunny1982

"Our teacher read that book to us in 5th grade also. But when it got to that part, she elected me to read it and she left the room. Luckily I had read it before and knew what was coming, but it was still rough."

– MIBariSax81

The Private Life Of An English Teacher

"I forgot his name, but he was one of my favored teachers in high school. He taught English."

"During class, he was called out to talk to some members of the school administration and a few proctors. It took several minutes. But he returned, taught as much of the class as he could, and then just walked over to his desk and started crying. Whimpering. He then left."

"He just found out his wife, who had also been a teacher, was having an affair with one of the female students. We didn't find out that specific fact until later on though."

– Typical_Samaritan

Some students, however, can force a teacher to realize they're in the wrong profession.

Bad Attitude

"Student that had behavior issues and a hard time maintaining emotional regulation threw his recorder (the instrument) at the music teacher and it snapped in half. He then threw his desk in her direction and walked out. This was 3rd grade, and all she had asked him to do was listen to the song we were learning. She quit the next week after almost 30 years of teaching."

– Last_Tuesdays_Beans

Bullying The Substitute

"Ms. Hanlon... Substitute teacher, I still think about her and hope she's doing well. She was posted as the teacher when the usual teachers were off sick. Absolutely zero respect was given to her and the class knew if we had Ms. Hanlon it was just an extended lunch, we could just mess around and act like animals for the whole lesson."

"She had physical conditions like a dent in her forehead and a gravvely voice which prevented her from being able to raise her voice to tell us to be quiet. So the kids would all do Hunchback of Notre Dame impressions, spitballs through straws and do the 'coughing game' where they would just cough through whatever she was trying to say."

"Even as a kid I felt kinda awful after we'd essentially broken her and she'd just come in not even say hello and pull open a book for the hour and sometimes cry into it. I weirdly still think about her randomly once or twice a month, I hope she moved on to way better things. School children really have no filter at all."

– PNCL

Absolutely Zero Respect

"Substitute teacher in Jr High must be among the world's worse jobs. 8th grade we had a sub that demanded and got no respect. Kids would throw stuff at her etc. She left the classroom crying then the vice principal, who was not to be messed with, came in and took over."

– woolash

Major Mockery

"I had a substitute teacher named Mr. Crane who looked exactly like Ichabod Crane from the old cartoon. Some kids in the class bullied him relentlessly for this and he just kind of broke down one day. Poor guy."

– backflip10019

In seventh grade, I witnessed a classmate talk back to our homeroom teacher and saying very inappropriate, bullish things to her in front of the whole class.

But that didn't make her cry.

What made her tear up was when another student defended her and yelled at the bullying student for being out of line.

It can be a pleasant and exciting surprise to see a friend or family member show up on the evening news.

Particularly if it is a story showcasing their accomplishments or allowing them to let their voice be heard on an important issue.

Of course, showing up on the news isn't always a joyous occasion.

Indeed, some people tune in to find their friends and family on the news for reasons they might hope people will eventually forget down the line.

Redditor Miguenzo was eager to hear stories of a loved one making the evening news for less than brag-worthy stories, leading them to ask:

"What’s the dumbest reason somebody you know landed on the 6 o’clock news?"

15 Minutes, Or Four Seconds, Of Fame...

"Years back, there was a college scholarship scam going on here."

"These companies would go to high schools and do a presentation, and grift parents into paying a large sum for the company to help get a scholarship."

"My mom took one look at this and was like, 'this is a scam'."

"My uncle bought it hook, line and sinker and paid up."

"And received absolutely nothing."

"So he calls our news program and they do a feature with this company in their 'hall of shame.'"

"My uncle was absolutely THRILLED."

"'They interviewed me for 4 hours!'"

"'It's going to be huge!'"

"We all sit around the TV."

"It's February 2000."

"Boom, there's my uncle!"

"They do the lead-in..and then, there's my uncle saying..."

"'They said, uh, sue 'em'."

"My uncle is screaming."

"'What the Hell?! They were at my house for 4 hours!'"

"We still have it on VHS somewhere."

"My uncle's star moment over in seconds."- JKW1988

Episode 19 News GIF by The SimpsonsGiphy

Preserved For Posterity...

"My college roommate got stuck in an infant swing at a public park and firefighters had to use some type of Jaws of Life contraption to cut the swing down and cut her out of it."- Nocomt

Oops!

"I know a guy who was interviewed on camera up in the mountains where there was a forest fire."

"He had been up there fishing with his girlfriend."

"He was married."- Fezig

Close Call

"Dude was swimming laps in a lake after dinner (i.e., around sunset)."

"Predictably, he got bit by an alligator."

"I saw him on the news, shirtless in true Floridaman fashion, with a little bandage over each tooth mark."

"The bandages made a dotted line around his shoulder and chest in the shape of an alligator's mouth, like he was in a cartoon or something."- BigRedRobotNinja

Tiere Bis Unters Dach Swimming GIF by SWR KindernetzGiphy

Unpaid Extra

"There was a park nearby that had no drainage and was bowl shaped."

"So if it rained hard, this baseball park/ football field turned into a mini lake."

"It rained a lot one day and the news did a story just showing how much it rained, and in the background behind the news-woman, from out of frame you see my friend rowing past her in a kayak."- hook_killed_pan

Right Place At The Right Time?

"A fight broke out at a HS football game."

"Turned into a huge brouhaha.'

"They intervened this dumba** friend of mine on the local news, the only bit that made it into the broadcast was him saying 'For the first time in my life I was happy to see cops!'"- KneeDragr

Awww...

"Marrying their pet goldfish in an underwater ceremony, complete with a wedding gown and guests in scuba gear."- Candies-For-You

Illustration Swimming GIF by Ordinary NadeeGiphy

Strike!

'A childhood friend’s dad embezzled money from the local Little League team."- Key-Zebra-4125

How Did He Even Make It To The Freezer?

"An ex boyfriend of my best friend’s sister ended up on the news for breaking into a Checkers through the drive through window and locking himself in the freezer until the cops arrived and arrested him."- pineapple3712·

Ice Cream Snack GIF by My/Mochi Ice CreamGiphy

Setting An Example...

"I got filmed and aired sticking a swab up my nose at drive thru covid testing."

"I had just declined to be interviewed at my car because I was afraid of getting someone sick."

"Test was negative, and my sister got a new pic for my contact profile on her phone."- idiotsavant419

Criminals Don't Ususally Wait In The Check Out Line...

"My friend was going to target with his mom to buy a tv."

"They stopped at Starbucks in the store."

"When the worker asked what the wanted he said “'he money in the register see' like an old timey gangster, then laughed ordered and payed for their coffee and went into target."

"While they were pushing their cart with a tv in it to the check out line the swat team surrounded them and arrested him for armed robbery.. was on the news."

"Got charged and everything."

"The first hearing the barista could not point him out and the judge threw out the case."- MACHOmanJITSU

Returning To The Scene Of The Crime...

"A guy from my high school stole Michael Jackson's glove from the Motown Museum in Detroit MI in early 90s."

"He returned it."

"I knew it had to be him, and yep, it was."

"I remembered him because he dressed like Michael Jackson every single day of school for years."

"He did it really well, too."

"He also didn't talk much."

"So, I was surprised to see him talking to a TV reporter about it."

"I hope he's doing well."- ATK80k

Animated GIFGiphy

Some people crave their 15 minutes of fame and embrace it however it may come.

Others only hope that no one they knew happened to be watching their local news that night...

Even though they know deep down that all their friends have it on their DVR and are never planning to erase it...


People say the darndest things after -- and sometimes during -- lovemaking.

Maybe it's the euphoria.

Maybe it's the adrenaline.

Maybe it's the tequila.

It's always good to have a kind-hearted joke on hand or a generic compliment.

Or maybe just grab your belongings and skedaddle.

Redditor ella-es-julia wanted to hear about the craziest pillow talk stories, so they asked:

"Men of Reddit: What's the weirdest thing a girl said to you after sex?"

The weirdest I ever got was... "What city am I in again?"

Geography matters.

Morbid Much?

In Bed Home GIFGiphy

"Met girl, went on date, brought girl home, had the sex, finished the sex, laying there she says 'What would you do if I died right now?' and demanded an actual answer."

Vixxay

Meow

"Not to me, but as she walked over to the bathroom after the deed, she said 'I just did your owner' to my cat. Sexiest thing that ever happened to me."

shlanky369

"My Fiancé and I were about to start going at it when the cat appeared from under the bed and stared at me. I went, 'Babe the cat is here. I don't like how he's staring at my boobs."

"Fiancé grabbed the cat and yeeted him into the hallway with the phrase, 'Get out you weird pervert.'"

"The cat proceeded to (without his claws) smack the door over and over again while screaming for a few minutes straight. Pervert."

Trumpet6789

POP!

"'I need you to take me to the hospital. Something is now bleeding and hurts.'"

"Turns out her ovarian cyst popped. We're still together with the running joke of sex so good it put her in the ER."

DasBatt

"Ah ah ah, 2 hemorrhagic cysts ruptured, I was bleeding internally, but only a little bit. I'm still impressed by how quickly you went from a naked sex stupor to being ready and carrying me to the car. Good times."

"In the ER when they asked me what happened all I could do was shout 'we were f**kin!' through my tears. That memory still makes me laugh."

Straystar-626

Damn it's Good

"We were going at it for some time then her face went instantly from 'damn it's good' to full-on crying. I stop, ask her what's wrong and she tells me 'I can't cheat on my boyfriend, it is wrong.'"

"So this is when I learned that the girl that I met on a dating website and that I started seeing 3 weeks before and that she told me she was single had a boyfriend for over 5 years. Got her to talk more, and she told me she was on the dating website to see if there were guys better than her boyfriend so she could end up with someone better."

"This was like 20 years ago, a coworker I have right now knows her (his girlfriend is like a distant relative of hers) and I learned she had 5 different boyfriends since then, cheated on all of them except the last one (for now). She was also a cam model in secret, one of the boyfriends was a high-paying customer."

draftstone

A Binding Contract

"'Pleasure doing sex business with ya.' We then shook hands."

"Still together 5 years later!"

Tatarstan

It's nice when people who have great sex make great partners.

And it all starts with a handshake.

Sleep on It

“'I don’t usually say this but, yeah, you can stay.'"

lennyukdeejay

"Did you high-five after that? Seems like that statement called for it."

EvilNinjaX24

"This is the best one."

TomKhatacourtmayfind

Tiny Dancer

"Not really weird but I slept with this girl while backpacking Asia, she was also a backpacker. After a bit of chillin'/talking, I got up to get dressed, she looked at my flaccid manhood and said 'You're quite shy when you're not excited.' I thought it was hilarious."

fleetwoodsackk

"That's a much better way to put it. My wife, when we were just dating and had moved in together and eventually saw it flaccid just said 'Aww, it's so little.' Thanks, hun, exactly what every guy wants to hear."

striker180

Fine!

"She said 'If I get pregnant I'm keeping it.' I was dumbfounded and when I didn't respond quickly enough she got really agitated like I had hurt her feelings and yelled 'Fine! You don't have to be involved if you don't want to!'"

"We had just met that night. My condom use skyrocketed after that night."

Fullyme

"When I was a poverty-stricken college student I was banging a girl who said, 'If you get me pregnant I’ll take you for everything you own.' I said, 'All I own is my bicycle. You want that?'”

OrwellWasRight101

Amen

"Best weird compliment I ever got was 'Damn boy, you f**k like the Devil!'"

"I married her, we still goin' at it."

BeBearAwareOK

Well, these certainly created some lasting relationships... or hilarious tales to tell their friends.

Do you have any stories to share? Let us know in the comments below.

woman in black pants and red tank top
Jakayla Toney on Unsplash

Giving compliments is pretty easy, although most of us don't do it often enough.

Accepting compliments can be much harder.

Too many of us immediately shift into disclaimers to explain why we don't deserve the praise.

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