Why do people leave the Church?
So many reasons.
It's an important question the Church should look into further.
Attendance has been steadily declining for decades.
Society has evolved on so many issues and behaviors that the Church just seems to stay stagnant.
People aren't going to stay where they don't feel welcome.
Redditor UK_Jay wanted to hear from everybody who left the church in the rearview, so they asked:
"Ex-Christians, what made you leave church?"
I don't mind the Church, but once I was done with Catholic school, it was see ya. Bye.
Truth
truth preach GIFGiphy"The fact that everyone wants to be a disciple of Jesus but don't do what Jesus told his disciple to do."
"Luke 6:46 'Why do you call me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do what I say?'"
wasd876
Pivotal Moments
"My high school religion teacher encouraged us to question our own faith. He told us that it was okay if we wound up walking away from our faith. But if we continued to believe despite his class, our faith would be that much stronger."
"One of the questions was, 'Do you believe because you actually believe, or is it because you were told to by your parents?' I finally decided that I was only Christian because of what my mom told me growing up."
"I wish every single Christian could have that religion teacher for a semester. That single semester was pivotal in my spiritual development."
kana503
I Quit
"Had many friends and acquaintances that worked for the church and quit. Found out their reasons for quitting. The higher up staff did and forced my friends to do a bunch of corrupt crap. And if they didn’t, they 'Weren’t committed to the church enough, didn’t love God enough, weren’t willing to make sacrifices, will never make it in ministry.'"
"It broke my heart. I thought this was a place of love, and people who preached love. Haven’t trusted religion since. This church is a mega church in my area and keeps popping up more locations all over town. Makes me sick to my stomach every time I drive by."
aquarinmarin
Out of Focus
"The total hypocrisy of those I grew up around. Claim to be about love, spend most of their time hating people not like them. Claim to be about evangelism, literally only hang out with and talk to each other."
"Claim to be about giving, spend all of their energy focused on making more money for themselves."
"Not to mention they have conditioned themselves to avoid critical thinking at all costs. Must accept blind 'truths' at face value, OR ELSE."
devilish-nerdclap
For my sister...
Phaedra Parks Bye Felicia GIFGiphy"When my younger sister with Down’s syndrome was told she wasn’t eligible for communion despite taking all of the classes because she 'didn’t understand.'"
TheLastSpiceGirl
Family first. Help someone understand.
Damage
heavy metal 90s GIFGiphy"They damaged my mind. I always thought I would go to hell for things I like such as horror films, heavy metal and tabletop RPGs."
EuroCultAV
"the Lord spoke to me"
"Lack of answers, judgement, and hypocrisy mostly. I also read the Bible over and over and I just wasn't getting what other people were apparently getting out of it. Also everytime I prayed, nothing happened. Every now and then someone would be like 'the Lord spoke to me.' I always waited for something like that. It just never did."
"That lack of answers thing really bugged me the most though. I really wanted what I read in the Bible to be true but I just couldn't find anything to support most of it's claims. I was really sad for awhile. And scared that the devil tricked me. After awhile tho, I didn't believe in him either."
SpiritedDistance6242
Left Behind
"They left me. My first partner and I grew up in the church together. We were seen as the golden couple in our youth group. Good, proper Christian couple. Said our prayers, worked with the less fortunate, youth work, worship, I even led sermons. Eventually we moved away to start a new life together. We then broke up. I then find that I'm being kicked out of groups on WhatsApp and Facebook, people are unfriending me on social media, all from the church."
"I found out she'd gone home first and started talking to people. I don't know what she told them, but none of the people I saw as my second family, this fellowship I'd felt so welcome in even came to me to talk. I was left alone. I reached out to multiple people to say I needed prayer because I was struggling. I got nothing. I felt abandoned by God and abandoned by his people. So I walked away from that life."
c0_sm0
Disbelief
"I was a preteen locking myself in a dark closet because that's where I felt the closest to God - in the darkness. Like he was something that couldn't be seen - only felt. And I looked up into the nothingness of my closet ceiling after the millionth episode of physical and emotional abuse from my dad."
"I asked him to save me. God, not my dad. I was crying, screaming. Please. Please save me. I was just a kid. Surely I didn't deserve this. No one answered. And it occurred to me that anyone who could stop this and wouldn't, couldn't exist. So I stopped believing."
elaerna
Thieves
Explaining Season 3 GIF by The SimpsonsGiphy"Preachers having massive homes while the people that go to the church struggle. It’s hypocrisy from the top down."
prussianflyingcircus
Peace Out
"I gave it up for Lent and never went back."
ScaricoOleoso
"I did the same thing with New Year's resolutions. As far as I know, I'm the only one who has ever kept a New Year's resolution."
MaxCWebster
These certainly were some interesting stories where people encountered a crisis of faith.
Do you have any similar stories? Let us know in the comments below.
Most towns have a story to tell.
After decades of Dateline NBC, 20/20, 48 Hours and ID Discovery... what town is left without a story?
There is always a moment or a person of infamy.
It's tragic, but true.
Scandal makes the world go round.
Redditor AndyBales wanted to hear the small town tales that left everybody shook, so they asked:
"Redditors who grew up in small towns, what was 'the incident?'"
My towns are dull. But I have a feeling dull is good.
Scraped
Yard Work Dog GIFGiphy"It was hushed up, but the former sheriff of my hometown stole people's lawnmowers and sold them for scrap for close to a decade. Weird place."
Power_Wiz_IV
In the Woods
"A light shining into the sky a couple times from out in the woods. Police went out to check it, found a man no one knew in a cabin no one knew of, LOADED with guns and ammunition. When asked why he had so many, what he was doing shining a light into the sky."
"He was sending a beacon to the aliens because they told him to shine a light to guide them, when he had things ready for them…. Yeah."
IDontEvenCareBear
BAAAHHHHH!!!!
"'The incident' involved sheep..."
"A flock of sheep kept on the town green migrated through a broken fence into the adjacent cemetery. The sheep became known as the 'Lamb-scapers' because they did a better job of manicuring the cemetery grounds than the maintenance person."
Back2Bach
The Scandal
"Guy in my high school knocked up the daughter of the local fitness center owner. The owner offered him a car to leave his daughter alone and not be a part of the baby’s life. He accepted the offer and took the car. Once she gave birth, they ran away together in the car."
"The fitness center owner found them, torched the car, and threatened to kill the guy. They fought and the baby daddy won. This apparently garnered some respect from both men and now everyone seems like a happy family."
LessGoooo
The Stash
pulp fiction art GIF by hoppipGiphy"A wealthy couple were brutally murdered in their home by an adult daughter and her boyfriend. It was rumored they had a ton of money stashed in the house."
bemest
Money is always the root of evil.
Down the street...
Will Smith Smh GIF by The Academy AwardsGiphy"A guy robbed the bank then ran to his home to hide… that was down the street. Took the cops an embarrassingly long time to get him."
Wenissucker
Bianca Piper...
"Small town in Missouri. Bianca Piper, it was 2005, supposedly she went for a walk after a fight with her mom and was never seen again. I was a junior in high school and skipped school that day. My friends and I freaked when we saw cop cars and helicopters out EVERYWHERE. Thought they were looking for us. Everyone here has always said her mother had something to do with it."
thallemeyer
The Giggler
"The 40something drunk man who broke into the high school dressed as batman to prank scare the high school classes by staring in the windows then running away giggling uncontrollably to appear somewhere else on campus and scare a different class. There was an hour and a half long lockdown and he ended up found and arrested."
quietcopse
At the Bottom
"A little girl had a seizure (or hit her head. Nobody knows for sure) in the YMCA swimming pool, went unconscious, and drowned during a youth swim team practice. My sister and her friends were also on the team. They saw her at the bottom of the pool and thought she was just messing around. Lifeguards and instructors weren’t even paying attention."
broshley
WTH?!
Okaay What GIF by ABC NetworkGiphy"Some cheerleaders pooped on a pizza at cheer camp and blamed the rival high school's cheerleaders. George Bush (president at the time) even spoke about it."
Alicesblackrabbit
Lord, the scandals of a small town.
I've always let go of people too late.
Because I ignore the warning signs.
Half of the time I can sense something off and I choose to get closer because... "that'll fix the problem."
Not all friendships are meant to last forever.
That can be a difficult truth to hold.
People grow apart or become evil.
You just have to pray they don't come back with blackmail.
Redditor TreyTheEyeball wanted to hear how great friendships came to an end and asked everyone:
"What made you unfriend/hate your best friend?"
The less friends the better.
Cheaper for Christmas.
Punch
Punch Punching GIF by The X FactorGiphy"Realized he wasn't just roasting me as friends do but was treating me like a human punching bag in front of other ppl to make jokes."
CaptainDeadpool79
I have never looked back...
"He was a pathological liar, manipulative and told all of my most trusted secrets to everyone because he wanted to feel powerful and like he controlled me. Haven’t spoken a word in 5 years and I have never looked back."
rojarty
"Had a friend just like that. Eventually tried to drive a wedge between my fiancé, me, and all of our friends. Our closest friends kind of let me in on what was going on behind the scenes, which we could already tell, and I eventually booted him from my wedding altogether."
"10 yrs later I was going to be moving back into the state he lived in, and I reached out to see if he’d grown up. He apologized for everything, owning it all seemingly. Then a few hours later informed me he was a realtor and to let him know once I’m house hunting. Never spoke to him again after that."
Vivid_Designer395
15 Years Gone
"I let her and her little dog move in with me and rent a room while she got back on her feet. It was a double wide trailer and she had her own bathroom across from her room. She was nasty, dirty and a drunk. I knew she liked to drink, but not like what I experienced."
"She would leave used tampons on the bedroom floor, plates of half eaten food pushed under the bed and liquor bottles and beer cans all over the place. She would lock her dog out of her room so she could sleep in or nap and it would terrorize my animals."
"I found out from a neighbor that she would sit out on the back porch drinking and instead of coming in to use the restroom she would relieve herself in my little patch of backyard at all hours of the night (she admitted that she did this). The last straw was when I came home from a shopping day out with my daughter and she saw the purchases and said 'well I guess you don’t need my rent then.' A 15 year friendship ruined."
HiRollerette
Damn Craig!
"I was trying to quit weed. I asked him 1 thing. If you wanna hang out this week while i'm in the early stages could you not bring any over. He FREAKED out. Kicked up a massive fuss about how I should have willpower. Finally I said fine just don't come over for a couple of weeks while I get my head straight. So he apologised said he was wrong. Came over. Sparked up a pre rolled joint 2 minutes in. F**k you Craig."
17FeretsAndaPelican
Seriously?!
Tiffany Mitchell Idk GIF by Indiana FeverGiphy"He got my gf pregnant and congratulated me as a new dad at birth. Didn't figure it out until a few years later."
crank1off
This is all a mess of scandal.
Different Sides
"He started being an a**hole for no reason, I swear. One day he just started to be mean towards me, even to the point that he insulted me many times. I still think about how we went from being 'best friends' to ignoring each other. What did I do to him? It's like he became a totally different person from one day to another."
Axdan_8
4 to about 12...
"I wonder if childhood best friends are more a result of proximity, rather than affinity. It seems more common to drift apart once your lives take off."
achakapia
"I’ve come to realize this too. My best friend from age 4 to about 12 was really just because our parents hung out we lived close and once we got older had much different interests and proximity and in the early grade school years had mostly boys in our classes and we were the only girls that knew each other for several years."
Twist_Glass
Things got hard...
"Drugs, we'd been neighbors and friends since we were a few months old."
"At college we met new people as you do. We'd always had other friendship groups outside of each other so I didn't really know her new friends. She started off smoking weed with them, not my thing but pretty harmless in the grand scheme of things."
"Eventually she started taking harder drugs when we'd go out. It was always me that got her home safe."
"It just got to the point where I'd had enough, I couldn't watch her destroy herself like that. I tried to get her help but she wouldn't take it. So I just left, cut all ties and moved away (the move was planned already). No idea what happened to her or if she managed to turn it around, I hope so."
Educational-Soil732
HER!
Text Chat GIF by IlizaGiphy"She only called or texted to brag or because she needed something. Everything was about her, all the time."
that-1-chick-u-know
Not every relationship is meant to be forever.
Be at peace about it.
Why do people cheat?
One of life's eternal questions.
I've always said if you're cheating, you're clearly not happy.
We all know that some folks stray in a relationship, but what happens after someone cheats?
Sometimes life calls for a little comeuppance.
Redditor Big-Bell6898 wanted to hear about all the scandalous ideas to pay back a cheater and asked:
"What is the best revenge on a cheating partner?"
My first instinct is to set fire to their belongings... Angela Bassett style.
That hasn't always worked for me.
I own you...
He-Man Lol GIF by Masters Of The UniverseGiphy"Seduce and marry one of the parents and become their new step parent. Then ground them."
Zeroforeffort
"This made me laugh pretty hard."
alixisonfiree
Whip It
"My wife left after I had a health issue so she could enjoy her life. I recovered, joined a gym, joined a whip dancing club and got out with friends at least four nights a week, took my grown kids out fishing on the weekends. Dated some but more importantly made a lot of lady friends that really helped raise my self worth. 11 years later I married a fantastic woman who makes my life wonderful."
"We’ve been together for almost 30 years now and she told me she owes my ex a debt of gratitude for making me available. My ex quickly married a bar hookup who refused to work and she had to support them both. She’s still unhappy with her life. So as far as I’m concerned the best revenge is to forget they even exist and enjoy your life."
Own-Text7602
Just Don't
"From a person who's been cheated on by two different partners, the best revenge is no revenge. Start taking care of yourself more. Go to a movie or dinner by yourself, maybe pick up an exercise plan, and begin appreciating the fact that you can find happiness all by yourself."
"They may never regret their behavior, and that's not for you to ponder. going to bed every night with a clear conscience knowing that you did your best and still have love in your heart is a beautiful thing."
"Be well friend. :) "
omeedohmy
Don't Engage...
"Acting like they never existed. If you find out they cheat, don't engage. Ignoring people is the most effective, most painful mental trick you can play with someone. You'd be surprised how many people you can manipulate if you just simply pretend they're not there. Egos are fragile."
cabrini_workshop
"My mom once told me that the opposite of love is not hate. It is indifference."
totoGalaxias
Tell All...
Mean Girls Gossip GIF by Paramount MoviesGiphy"Some will say nothing. Some will say airing that dirty laundry across as many social media and content sharing platforms as possible.
"Depends on how nice you are."
Makototoko
Telling the secrets... not always a great idea.
Surprise Food!
Giphy"Rip the tags/paper (whatever it’s called) off of all of their canned food, the only way to find out what it is is by opening them."
Honey_*itch
"please talk to me"
"So when I was in my 20s I was with this girl I really really cared about. Thought it was really going to last forever. Beautiful, sweet, smart, independent. I mean i got a real sense she wanted to be with me and not needed to be with someone. Made me feel great. I one day caught her f**king another dude."
"I was absolutely devastated. But instead of yelling, screaming and acting violent or angry I just said 'oh crap. Sorry' and left. Never picked up the phone. Again. Never went to 'get my stuff' or any other nonsense. Just cut her off. She called and left voice-mails and texted me."
"They started out as 'you have to let me explain' to 'please give me another chance' to 'the fact that you showed no emotion or anything and have just cut me off shows you never cared about me anyway' eventually she said she hated me and was glad she did it."
"Then she would apologize and say 'please talk to me' it was pretty obvious that my reaction was eating her up inside. It hurt, but you move on. It's fine. In the end she wasn't the right one. I'm happily married with 2 kids and 2 dogs and a house now. Life is full of ups and downs. Don't let them define you."
ThisTimeJust30rock
Girl Bye
"Instead of focusing on revenge, put all of your energy into improving your life. Stay sober, stay focused, get therapy, start a journal, exercise, and if you have a job get serious about your work. These are the things I did after my partner of 12 years cheated on me. I'm proud to say that as a result I've lost 40 pounds."
"I've had several promotions, upgraded my house, bought a new jeep, built a hot tub fort in my back yard, and I now take regular vacations. Now she's very unhappy with her choices, and unfortunately stuck in an unhealthy relationship with the man she left me for. I almost feel sorry for... Nah, not really lol. Girl bye!!"
radryan78
best gifts...
"My wife was abusive and a complete narcissist. She then admitted to me one day of having an affair with a married guy from work for years."
"Fast forward 5 years, I haven’t spoken to her since, I make 5 times what I made when I was with her, I’m in the best shape of my life, relocated to a new area, and I’m re-married to an amazing woman."
"Calling it quits with that loser was the best gift I could have ever received."
soon_zoo55
The Best
Happy Shawshank Redemption GIFGiphy"Leaving and living a life so good you forget they exist."
Vegetable-Ad-647
"I do this in practice because my 'bucket of crabs' trick is very high effort and moving on is just a lot easier and less messy."
Helpful_Kangaroo_o
It's hard to move on. But moving on is the best medicine.
I was once asked to object at a wedding.
And as much as I love a good drama and adore being the center of attention, my answer was a hard NO.
Who does that?
You didn't think to speak sooner?
People show up to weddings, especially with an open bar, and all sense of decorum dies.
Bad behavior at a wedding is not cool y'all.
Don't poop on other people's special day.
Redditor Buckwild_17 couldn't help but wonder about bad behavior during a love celebration so they asked:
"What’s the fastest way to ruin a wedding?"
I once heard a drunk uncle toast the bride and groom with... "Ah, I give it six months. Cheers."
Stolen
Giphy"Propose. If someone gets engaged at my wedding, imma die at their funeral that's a promise."
"Ultimate thunder steal."
xDuke46
See Ya at the Next One...
"My youngest brother made the following toast at the middle brother's wedding: 'This will be a great first marriage for the both of you.' I thought my mother would kill him."
honest_true_man
"There was a Married with children episode where Kelly went to a bar with a group of friends. When she sees a hot rich guy she says something like 'Oh my God look at him, he's the ex-husband of my dreams.' Find it funny to this day."
groundbeef_smoothie
Be Quiet!
"Literally anything that steals the thunder of the bride. Like announcing someone's pregnancy, proposing to your partner, or even wearing something more elegant than the bride's gown."
Natural-Resort
"Bringing your baby that was only a few days old, who no one had met yet, and standing in the doorway so all the guests can flock around you."
Its_Mrs_Nesbitt
"And the baby will eventually cry out loud during the ceremony."
Natural-Resort
Scandal
"Announce out loud that you slept with the bride or groom (preferably whichever is the same sex as you)."
Plastic_Dependent_95
"I'll do you one better. Announce you slept with *both* of them."
DoctorWatchamacallit
Just Kidding
How I Met Your Mother Reaction GIF by LaffGiphy"Say 'I don’t' at the moment the bride says 'I do.'"
MyDearDoughnut
"Or respond to 'I do' with 'Why? You can do so much better than me.' Then shout to the best man, 'You're single, right? Get up here.'"
Duane_S_Hall
This isn't comedy hour people. Try your material somewhere else.
Excuse Me?
Sad Flowers GIF by VPROGiphy"Show up in a wedding dress with your BF and ask the couple if they mind if you tag along since everything is already set up and paid for."
JanuarySoCold
Behave
"Bringing your poorly disciplined rambunctious young children."
WackyTabbacy42069
"Poorly disciplined is definitely key here. My kid was included on the invite and was rambunctious right before everything started, so I hauled his little butt out so his two year old lunacy wouldn't ruin the event."
"He calmed down and is in the pictures looking angelic, danced a ton at the reception, and loved being a part of the toast with his sparkling apple 'champagne.' Don't bring your kid and ignore them when they're being a**holes."
HulloMrsCumberdale
"this way"
"In most places a marriage certificate needs a witness or two to be valid so what you need to do immediately before people start filing in, turn all of the chairs to be facing the back - as people are still filing in, pull fuses from the switchboard, plunging the venue into darkness."
"Lock all but one of the doors, have an accomplice in a high vis vest shout, 'this way' but where he leads them is into the back of a truck that immediately starts heading for an international border. Pay the driver well enough for him to never contact you again. If any nameplates were put out of the reception tables then shred them. No witnesses, no wedding. Shoot your accomplice."
totodododo
Shake it Off
"Start dry humping the bride's leg like a dog on the dancefloor as a joke like my cousin did and get way too into it and not let her go even when she's clearly trying to shake you off and crying. Good Lord some people should just not drink."
Flaky-Fellatio
"And this is one of the many reasons there will be no alcohol at my wedding."
MiaLedger
Oh My...
Bake Off Shock GIF by The Great British Bake OffGiphy"'It's nice to see them together! The bride's legs, that is.'"
SheepSurfz
"'I promise you, her family will leave the restaurant.'"
dfBishop
How are all of these ideas not just a "don't do" given?
Be mindful of others people.