Them

A change of social scenery was one of the biggest factors that brought about my change of mind regarding Christianity.

Speaking of scenery. Photo by me.

When I was in high school, I was in a very insulated world – surrounded by people who believed the same things as me and had very similar upbringings. I was aware of this. I was often told to be careful when I went to university and moved out of home; that people would challenge my beliefs and worldview. There were always tales of young people, like me, who would go to university and lose their religion. I’d often practice arguments for Christianity inside my head. The faceless atheist would say, “Why do you believe what you believe?” I would be ready to answer.

I imagined atheists as people that just didn’t know the truth about God. I thought that They were perhaps angry or hurting. What possible reason could They have for rejecting the Gospel? I thought that the world was filled with lost people. I knew there was drunkenness, homosexuality, envy, gossip, and depravity. I didn’t expect to form my most meaningful friendships with Them, but I did.

They weren’t who I expected Them to be.

They were loving. They had purpose. They weren’t angry at God. Some were better friends than any Christians I had met. They were accepting, understanding, patient. Through the friendships that I formed, my eyes were opened to new ways of thinking about the world.

Homosexuality was a big issue for me. I cringe to think about my thoughts on the topic only ten years ago. The thing was, that I had never met a homosexual (at least, not that I knew of). When I came across Them eventually and talked to Them face to face, empathy made it immediately clear that They were just being who They were meant to be.

Before I decided to leave Christianity, I was terrified of becoming a statistic. I’d be one of Those who left the nest and became entrapped; a seed sewn in shallow soil. But one of the biggest things I’ve learnt is that They are human too. I am one of Those. They are one of me.

It seems obvious in hindsight – it’s the kind of punchline you find at the end of a Christmas movie – but it’s so easy to fall into an ‘Us vs Them’ mentality. It’s easy to be apathetic when we’re separated by oceans or cultural barriers.