Good luck!!!!

Paul

I am not a deconvert (as you know) but your story was written so thoughtfully that I could definitely imagine your pain. You seem to be a very honorable, respectable man. Best of luck with everything in your future.

-Justin

It sounds like for every book you sold, you gained another label.

I’d better watch out for that; I have an awful lot of books.

*grin*

When I deconverted from paganism I sold all my books to friends and also online through Amazon.

I haven’t really deconverted from being a liberal, progressive, contemplative, mystically oriented non-literal Christian - so I still have all that stuff and probably always will.

I was with you as you typed every word here. It’s been 4 years now for me and each year, I’ve parted with more of my “stuff.” I threw away countless books, hundreds actually. I kept those that I thought might be of interest to me in writing one day. I shredded countless copies of studies, notes, Bible college stuff. I threw out the remanats of our past youth ministry and associated missions stuff. I gave my tapes and CD’s to friends, though I think there are still some here that linger. I went back to listening to music that I was told was no good, like easy rock, Simon & Garfunkel, Gordon Lightfoot, Neil Diamond, Eagles, Phil Collins, Cat Stevens and many more. I began to connect again with someone who I thought was me, somewhere back in time, before the template of literalism was stamped on my brain.

All I can say is give yourself time. I know for me that knowing what to do with stuff came to me in different stages. I do know that, one day when I realized certain “stuff” caused me chest pain, literally, I threw it out post haste. I realized it’s presence was making me sick. But that’s just me, and their were reasons for that.