Only Atheists Please: How rare is it for someone to convert to atheism from christianity?

Question

It seems like it is rare. I was a christian for 21 years, really and truly I was. Then one day I was standing on a ship looking at the ocean at night, and I started wondering (just wondering mind you) how things in the bible were possible. I didn't want to (and I imagined God's face looking over my shoulder frowning) but I forced myself to question some things. It was hard at first to question, it felt really wrong, but then just a few minutes later it was like- POOF- and God's face disappeared, my mind opened up, I felt like a veil was being lifted.
It was like someone had snapped his or her fingers, really it was like I was hypnotised the whole time. Suddenly it all became clear to me, very very clear. I can't even read the bible for five minutes now without kicking myself in the head.

So my question is, how rare is that? When it happened to me it felt like a one and a million thing had occured.

Laptop Jesus, yes I was. How could you even know what I am talking about? That is why I said atheists only please.

Laptop Jesus, btw... you are talking to someone who no longer believes in Lucifer, which is actually not the proper name for Satan, as Lucifer was his name as an angel, he became Satan when he fell from heaven and ceased to be Lucifer. Anyway, what makes you think I care now that I am free from that belief?

I mean, yes, it was a slow build up over time, but that day that I speak of is when it all came together, and actually happened... you see what I mean?

Answer 1

Going on base rates alone, your experience is reasonably common.

There aren't a lot of atheists, that's true. But in countries in which education is strongly promoted, there are more atheists. And those same countries tend to have a strong Christian tradition. So if many (though certainly not all!) of the well-educated people in this world were raised as Christians, millions of people who currently identify as atheists were once Christians.

Consider what's happening in Europe, for example.

About answerers like Laptop Jesus: don't bother giving them the respect of responding to their posts. Let their comments stand for themselves, as they become a great testamment of the ignorance underlying his/her cause.

Answer 2

It's infrequent, however it does occur. If any one is an specific atheist, within the experience that they don't suppose (versus no longer having notion approximately it or no longer worrying), then reverting to Christianity is a gorgeous confusing factor. I feel it is bigger to seem at reverting to theism first, after which Christianity exceptionally later. An atheist fitting a theist (or a minimum of non secular) once more is not thus far-fetched. If a individual is raised in a devout loved ones, atheism is generally stumbled onto with the consciousness that there are rational factors for the whole thing that theology claims to possess, and that "I have no idea" is a suitable replacement reply in which "God did it" previously implemented. However, each as soon as in awhile, anything so great occurs that one feels that there's no normal justification for it. In those circumstances, any one might good be surprised right into a relapse of devout notion. We atheists quite often coach ourselves to respect signs of human point of view and so on, however the revel in of seeing a "miracle" may be very one of a kind while it occurs to you and to not any one else. So, let's consider you are an atheist, you witness what to you is an unmistakable miracle, and also you grow to be devout once more. Why Christianity? The reply is customarily no longer as profound as we could desire: addiction. I've been an atheist for almost all of my existence, but if I feel approximately God, the picture that pops into my head remains to be the iconocized Judeo-Christian God--grey beard, coming out of the clouds, and all. Do I suppose in God? No. But picturing God in that manner is programmed into me in some way that I can't adjust. I feel that is the best way it's for persons who revert to faith--notably by means of witnessing a miracle or such. A former Christian does no longer see an Islamic miracle, they see a miracle in the best way that they have been raised to realise them--the Christian manner.

Answer 3

I was an Atheist, and converted the other way. I will not get into a debate with you over it, but like many who converted my direction, I was out to prove Christianity wrong and proved it right.

To answer your question, conversion from Christianity to Atheism does seem much more rare than the other direction. There would be a couple of reasons for this.

From an atheist point of view, people have a need for an understanding of what happens after death, so they believe for relief.

From a Christian standpoint, it would be wisdom that leeds us to truth as we know it, and it would be foolishness to turn away from truth.

Anyway, may God bless you all in everything you do.


Final thought...for anyone who thinks Islam makes more sense, I am betting you have not read the Koran. I suggest you read it and talk to anyone who has converted out of Islam to Atheism or Christianity. You will understand that not only does it not make sense, but it is truly the seed of terrorism and evil. (I studied many religions while trying to prove that God did not exist)

Answer 4

It isn't common for a anybody to switch to another religion, or to switch to Atheism. For every case you can cite of somebody dropping their religious beliefs, you have a thousand people who didn't drop them. Nevertheless, an overwhelming majority of Atheists I've known have come from Chrisitan households. A few were even cut off from their family for their beliefs.

I think that this personal observation has nothing to do with Christianity. I think it has more to do with the fact that Christianity has a lot of followers here in the U.S., so most (not all, but most) of the people I've known either are Christian, or were Christian earlier in their lives.

Answer 5

Not rare at all. Some people are lucky enough to be raised without religion by their parents, but most people come to atheism by renouncing their religion. Usually, it happens because the potential atheist is trying too hard to make sense of the various absurdities and cruelties of religion and after too much soul-searching, they come to the conclusion that they can't make any sense of it at all. In my experience, it's the shallow people who never question their religion who never become atheists.

What's rare is the atheist who converts to some organized religion. Usually it's not a true atheist at all, but merely some 'unchurched' person who never had a deep thought in his or her life and is thus vulnerable to conversion. And on the rare occasion that a true atheist gets religion, religious organizations get a lot of mileage out of them--just like they do with the 0.000001% of real scientists who embrace young-earth creationism...

Answer 6

I can only speak for myself. My parents were both fundamentalist Christians and forced religion on me from the beginning. I was nine years old when I realized they were actually insane and I didn't want any part of their ignorant superstitious faith. Like you, it was a sudden realization and a great relief to know that my own mind belonged to me and there was nothing my parents or their fictitious God could do about it.

Answer 7

That happened to me but gradually. I became atheist and then agnostic and then now, I do believe in a Divine force in the Universe, just not the one painted by most religions. Well let's say almost all religions...

Once we see we can never not see, the reality.

Answer 8

It is not that rare. In the USA, at least, most atheists are former Christians.

The key element in such revelations (the realization that religion and belief in invisible, magical sky-fairies [gods] amounts to nothing more than formalized, codified self-delusion) seems to be 'critical thinking'. Religious belief simply cannot withstand the glaring light of critical thought.

Answer 9

My (de)conversion was a slower process, but at some point the number of things in the Bible I could no longer accept, and the number of things I knew were lies built up until eventually the house of cards collapsed.

Answer 10

It is pretty common. Most of us were Christians. It is often a slow process, so that part is unusual. But the group that I hung out with in Cincinnati had two ex-preachers.

The one was a Baptist fire-and-brimstone type. We always got him to do it for us. It was really funny.