Not everything should be thrown away when realizing that key parts of Christianity don’t stack up. Some practices you will have been doing are universal and are based in reality but have just been labelled “Christian”. Where these are of benefit it is important to keep them as they are part of you.
Connecting to God
God is universal, beyond all religions and is not exclusive to Christianity. Christianity may have crafted a particular view of God, but if you come to believe that view is wrong the real God beyond human descriptions does not simply disappear. If you feel a natural connection to God it is really important you keep this, even while moving away from Christianity.
Prayer
There are many forms of prayer, some involving fixed words, some a more free flow conversation, others sitting in silence with God. Many faiths incorporate prayer into their practice. You can pray with no fixed religious faith at all. Where you feel prayer – speaking with God or being with God – is a natural part of your being then it is important to keep doing this.
Jesus
Jesus came to bring a new message and a more loving revelation of God. He emphasized we should not put this new wine (his teachings) in old wine skins (existing religious traditions), but this is exactly what we did. When you realize the old wine skins no longer fit your understandings you don’t need to throw away the new wine as well. Your view of Jesus may change, not all of his teachings will have survived the early re-writings of scriptures and some things have been added – but the authentic oral teachings are possible to discern when you look for the consistent underlying message. Come to Jesus with fresh eyes and see what you find. It is possible to leave Christianity but still be a disciple of Jesus by following his teachings.
Community and rhythms of life
Community is really important and can be harder to maintain when you leave a pre-defined belief structure that requires certain beliefs for its members. But communities are made up of people and it is possible to keep existing friends as friends and find new connections with people with more similar beliefs. Similarly, there are certain rhythms of life that can are seen through the lens of a belief structure but are more universal and pre-date the belief structure. If you enjoy the feeling of Christmas then keep enjoying the feeling of Christmas. Many elements are unrelated to Christianity (more later) and the feeling of love associated with it is real. You can’t change the whole culture around you in one go but you can keep a relaxed attitude and focus on the good.
Faith in the future
Faith in the future can come from trust in a loving God. Where your understanding of God changes or promises that were made in scripture seem no longer true, your faith in the future can be shaken. But life is more complex than this and faith in the future is still really important. There is a much wider picture involved with life than Christianity paints. We came to incarnate on Earth with a purpose and we are being looked after and guided behind the scenes. We have freewill, make mistakes and encounter the mistakes of others – we have lessons to learn and some may be difficult. But by aligning with and staying focused on the positive we move through life more easily. This wider picture takes times to be revealed but in the meantime keep your faith in a positive future for your life while the deeper understanding unfolds.