Funny the way our minds unwind and refocus after leaving a high control religion.
When I first left the Jdubs I saw them more closely to what the entire world sees them I suppose, but not truly clearly at those early stages. They still looked to me to be 'good people' but misguided. As time went on, though the misguided feature remained, the 'good people' supposition faded. After all, it is not 'good people' who shun children and aged adults and sometimes do not even tell family members of a death of a close relative, is it? It is not 'good people' who stand by praying to an imaginary god while allowing a child to bleed to death because someone 'interpreted' an ancient book written by nomadic sheep-herders to 'pour out the blood onto the ground'. It is not 'good people' who walk away from lifetime friendships, marriages, or relationships with flesh and blood over the 'sin' of leaving a religion.
Later, I tried to identify with other Christian religions, and I soon saw them to be very much like Jdubs. Deluded, convinced of their possession of 'truth', also derived from the same ancient writings- just interpreted a bit differently. Same delusions about god, sin, everlasting life, etc.
Then I looked at Christianity in general and saw the same thing. I have recently watched 'Christian' candidates for our nations' highest office speak with pride about 'converting homosexuals' or 'praying to god for rain to end this drought' or still clinging to the idea that stem cell research is 'immoral' - once again, all this coming from the dreggs of an ancient book and 'interpretation' of that book by people 3 or 4 thousand years from the oral creation of it by illiterate desert dwellers.
I looked at the other major religions in power on this planet, and lo and behold, I see the same nonsense, the same superstitions, the same reliance on the guidance of people's writings from several millennia past.
After the onion has been peeled, they all look alike to me. People who are afraid to admit reality, hiding behind 'hope' that is false, based on ancient ideas of those who didn't even grasp yet when they wrote these things the simple things of science. And yet their books portend to be from a god who knows all.
I am not the same man I was 8 years ago. I am elated each day about that fact. I find myself confused why so many, otherwise seemingly intelligent people, are so dependent on acceptance of ideas that exist without a shred of evidence.
I know that the superstitious will always be among mankind. It seems very likely though that the numbers will fall to record lows at some point - after all logic cannot be forever denied. Much progress has been made in the past 100 years in that direction, and in the next 100 years perhaps we will see further movement away from imaginary friends and movement toward reality and the only rewards we actually have, in this life.
It is good to know that there is no god, no sin, no hell, no heaven. Imagine the time when all will know this, it's easy if you try. [Sorry John].
Jeff