I just resonantly came across this very interesting and entertaining video about Julia Sweeney and her journey from being a theist to becoming an atheist. Although being over two hours long there wasn't a moment of dullness and I enjoyed it a great deal.

I love personal stories like these that makes you laugh, think and reflect at your own and others beliefs, how you got them and how they affect your life. Another such great story that is probably one of my all time favorite is Evid3nc3's fantastic and incredible well put together youtube series "Why I am no longer a Christian".

So have you seen these videos?
What did you think about them?
Have you come across any other similar compelling story's you like to share that really moved you and/or made you think?

I haven't seen any of them, but i do know where you are coming from with these videos. I feel the same way about Hitchens or Stephen Fry speaking about religion. Every word they say is just pure truth. Actually, I love nothing more than watching Youtube videos of people like Hitchens ripping on religious figures, basically proving them wrong (I am an anti-theist, so this is the kind of thing i dig).

Having gone through the process of slowly losing my faith, these are quite interesting. On one level its nice to see my position validated, since everyone in my family acts like i'm 'going through a phase'. On the other hand, anything which smacks of crowing or celebrating decline in faith is just as off-putting as when the religious do it they other way around.

I don't really actively listen to or seek out deconversion stories, but they do come up on the Atheist Experience podcasts every now and then, for example. Some of them are quite heartbreaking (losing their entire family because they don't want anything to do with an Atheist) and uplifting (finding acceptance or even realising a relative is in the same boat whom they would've never suspected to be supportive) and everything inbetween. I don't really know a "favorite" one, though I do like listening to them every now and then, since I never went through that experience and try to understand what it must have been like.

ClockworkPenguin:
On the other hand, anything which smacks of crowing or celebrating decline in faith is just as off-putting as when the religious do it they other way around.

this actually reminds me a lot of how I 'lost my faith'. I was raised catholic and went to a catholic school. I really didn't like how the church would condemn non-believers or worse, try to attack their beliefs altogether. So I became atheist (the concept of God sitting on a cloud never made sense to me, I always assumed if there was one he was playing a very background role)

The thing is that atheists aren't any better, they are as zealous as any religion when it comes to attacking or trying to change someone else s beliefs. That's when I realized that I didn't want to let anyone tell me what I should believe.

OT: I saw the top video on TED, obviously the TED talk was shorter (I think around 20 mins?) but it got the point across. The second video seems intriguing, using logic to deconstruct the God belief is a better way of going about it than the usual "You believe in God? do you believe in Santa too?" argument I've heard.

I have nothing wrong with (civilly) discussing the idea of God, but a little tact goes a long way.

It's good to know that atheists can be just as obnoxious about talking about shit no one else cares about besides them as members of every other religion trying to share their religious experiences.

What's the difference between "deconversion" and "conversion"?

Is it just that you don't like what they are converting from in one but not the other?

"Deconversion" is a horribly arrogant word to use. It's like saying that anyone who believes in something you don't is brainwashed and they broke free.

hmm best "deconversion" story ive heard was a couple of gay guys who founded one of the earliest god can stop you being gay groups. after 5 years of constantly running seminars, etc there waa a mix up in hotel rooms and they not only had to share the same room but the same bed.

long story short they got up the next morning went to the seminar and in front of 5000 people they said "we were wrong, we are still gay" haha

thaluikhain:
What's the difference between "deconversion" and "conversion"?

Is it just that you don't like what they are converting from in one but not the other?

wintercoat:
"Deconversion" is a horribly arrogant word to use. It's like saying that anyone who believes in something you don't is brainwashed and they broke free.

http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/deconversion

Wolverine18:

Blablahb:

Wolverine18:
My favorite deconversion story was this guy I know who in University started to going to a club where people hung out and discussed their philosophy. They felt they were superior to others and convinced him to join them in their journey and to take thier word to others. They felt they could get rid of all evil in the world if everyone converted to their way, which he did. I believe this religion was called radical atheism.

Later in live he realized the error of his ways. He realized how arrogant and self important those people were, and he was, and how much culture they were giving up. He also realized how hateful they were. So, he deconverted and went back to his former religion, an agnostic christian, and was much happier for it.

Well, there were already four posts in the topic without a pathetic attempt to troll atheists, so I guess it was high time somebody puked out some prejudices in an attempt to demonize atheists.
.

The entire topic was an attempt to troll the religious. BTW, I'm not religious, I just dislike jerks who troll those with different beliefs, and arrogant idiots who can't see they are basically acting like that which they claim to hate.

The topic was about sharing your favorite deconversion stories, I really find some of them compelling and interesting to listen to and I don't see whats wrong with that. I tried to make the topic as clear as possible so I used the word deconversion so hopefully anyone wouldn't expected anything else. Furthermore nobody forced anyone to enter this thread and if you really don't like the topic you don't have to read or respond to it.

I am a big fan of Eviden3c3's series. I stumbled upon it quite by accident and, as a result, watched the 5th or 6th in the series first. I felt compelled to watch everything he had done that night and then got others into the series as well.

Don't really have any good deconversion stories, closest thing I have is my brother's sister, who went from being a hardcore atheist to one of the most religious people I know, he credits it with changing his life for the better.

My friend who when I atended a SDA boarding school with for one year was stuck in the ways of what ever is told of you by your "superiors" and what have you and a ton of tacked on shit from the PARTICULAR not as whole SDA community. After he and I became friends he began seeing the so-called superiors were just dicks trying to make it so you stayed within the religon and forced others out of the area.

He still believes in god but not withn SDA standards.