Why do some Atheists find God while trying to disprove him?

Question

I've heard this story maybe a dozen times...An atheists, while trying to disprove God's existence, comes to believe in him. Have you also heard this? Why do you think this happens?

((please do not respond "because it is the truth." this logic does not account for atheists who remained atheists, christians who became atheists, jews who became muslim....))

It is true, I've heard these stories from Christians...many on this site...Not a reliable resource, I admit....

Answer 1

C.S. Lewis
Anna Haycraft
Josh McDowell
Alister McGrath
George R Price
William Murray
Ignace Lepp
Francis Collins
Lee Strobel

These are just a few atheists who converted to Christianity.

Answer 2

Who's telling this story? It will be popular in evangelical and fundamentalist circles, as 'proof'. As such, it's probably a very rare occurence, they just make the most out of every case they find.

Belief in God is subjective and heavily dependent on psychological factors. Sure it's possible that something could change in a person's thinking, emotions, life that shifts what makes sense from one to the other. It's basic human psychology. That's all.

Answer 3

There are different kinds of atheists: strong atheists, who believe there is no God, weak atheists, who simply lack a belief in God, and apatheists (apatheitc atheists), who couldn't care less either way. Weak atheists and apatheists may very well be amenable to the specious "arguments" put forward by theists, or they could reach a state of emotional upset or depression in which they're more vulnerable to the emotional blandishments of religion. I have no idea how often this actually occurs, though, if ever.

Answer 4

I think many buy into the concensus of others, never really digging deep. When they are exposed to the facts, they realize that there is a bias, on both sides. If they come to look at the evidence, the same evidence both sides have, they come to the conclusion that the evidence points to a Creator God. If they are strong willed and do not wish to believe and are perhaps rebellious, they just switch gears and go back to the comfortable consensus.

I think it's interesting that secular scientists will not, as a habit, look at any evidence that points to the supernatural. That if something comes up that they cannot explain naturally , they put it in a basket of "unexplained phenomena" placing their faith in future scientists that can some day explain it with some natural process that is not yet known to them. And in doing this, they eliminate the very possibility that the supernatural has evidence to support it. Not very scientific in my thinking. I think science should be a search for truth. If it is a natural process, groovy....if it is supernatural, don't assume it is natural. What is supernatural to us is natural to God.

Answer 5

I have never heard this, and the majority of my friends are agnostic/ atheist/ deist. Unless you have names and contact numbers, I'm going to have to not believe you on this one. Also, I have read and am in the process of reading many of the same books any person would read while trying to further validate atheistic beliefs, and such books have only made me stronger in my beliefs. Nothing like reading the history of Christianity to make you laugh at the absurdities of what Christians believe today.

Answer 6

well i'm sorry, but it is true. well for more info:
they try to disprove God's existence, but when they refer back to science, and the Bible, everything fits together so well, they would be stupid not to believe it. Because science DOES point to God & Jesus. Like for example: the Romans. When Pontious Pilate was ruler then, Jesus was brought to him by the people and they asked Pilate to seize him. But he didn't want anything to do with it. But...... he thought that if he didn't kill Jesus, there would be an disturbance from the people. so, he let the people do what the pleased, which was crucify him (because Jesus was calling himself a king). so then, it all points back to that.

Answer 7

I have always felt that there is a power greater than me, I just cannot accept any defenition any religion has of God. For instance the bible God is a dick, and has too many inconsistancies in his character to be my God. So I try to show people that the Bible God is wrong, not that God doesn't exist, hope this clarifies it for ya.

Cheers

Answer 8

There have been some atheists that convert to Christianity, though I suspect those atheists were just backsliding Christians to begin with. According the ARIS study, many more Christians convert out than the "No Religion" group.

According to the study in 2001:

NO RELIGION, In 23% (6,622,494), out 5% (1,118,081)

Catholics, switch in: 8% (4,282,909), switch out: 17% (9,493,912)
Baptist, In 13% (4,401,587), out 14% (4,619,653)
Christian, In 20% (2,873,155) , out 12% (1,486,614)
Methodist, In 19% (2,631,702), out 25% (3,776,077)
Lutheran, In 18% (1,755,644), Out 19% (1,857,875)
Presbytarian, In 24% (1,316,068), Out 25% (1,432,118)
Protestant, In 7% (316,587), Out 20% (1,088,409)
Pentecostal, In 30% (), Out 19% ()

Jewish, In 6% (171,447), Out 10% (291,390)
Mormon, In 16% (441,317), Out 16% (446,000)
Muslim, In 17% (182,859), Out 10% (98,333)
Buddhist, In 33% (340,523), Out 23% (221,035)

Answer 9

Some people make mistakes. They fall for the same lines the xians do. It is all a scam, there will always be suckers who fall for anything. Even things as ridiculous as christianity.

Answer 10

I cannot imagine why this might obtain, if indeed it does. Neither the existence nor non-existence of god can be proven; it follows from this (provable) that no theory of god can have any consequences in the real world. Hence, to believe in god, even if were true, is a waste of time and effort.