Heartfelt thanks to you all
OP - July 23, 2014, 01:28 PM
I’ve been away from this forum for quite some time, but I thought it important to just come back to post this.
About 3 years ago I was at a very low point, the root cause being my disbelief and the contention this would cause my family in ‘coming out’. My all-consuming worry was that I would lose my wife and children just because I wanted to exercise my right to believe what I wish and not have to lie about it.
You wouldn’t believe (or maybe you would!) the difficulty I had in trying to find anyone to talk to rationally about this and of course non-Muslims just didn’t get it. So it was quite by accident that I Googled-across the CEMB site and forum and can quite honestly say it changed my life.
I should quantify that by adding that the forum didn’t really do anything. It didn’t really give me any profound answers. It didn’t wave a magic wand and make everything better.
What it did do was just be there, with obvious support from apostates from around the world. By being there I knew I wasn’t alone – I’d suspected it, but now I knew! And the people on the boards did ‘get it’ and knew what I was talking about. They related to me and I to them and that felt good. It reinvigorated my confidence and gave me the strength to do what needed to be done.
I came out about my apostacy around 6 months ago and as you can imagine my wife was distraught, especially when she understood that there was no way for me to be brought back ‘to the light’. There were threats of divorce but ultimately I gambled on her being the rational woman I married and was not disappointed. She sees we have a happy and successful family and it isn’t Islam that has brought this about – it is because we love each other and want to see through this mutual investment we made together i.e. our marriage.
I have turned a corner I never would have taken before knowing I wasn’t alone and have come out smiling at the other end. Life is good just for the very fact that I can be honest with the people around me and admit to not going to jumma, taraweeh, not fasting and everything else and not worrying about my wife finding out. I am openly apostate to anyone who asks, but I’m not actively shouting it from the roof tops. It’s a personal choice and I understand better than anyone that it isn’t to be taken lightly.
So thank you CEMB and its members. You were there (virtually) when I needed you and I hope that your presence continues to inspire more people to unburden themselves as I have done.
Gandalf
Many that live deserve death. And some that die deserve life. Can you give it to them? Then do not be too eager to deal out death in judgement. For even the very wise cannot see all ends.
Topic: Heartfelt thanks to you all