Question Ex-Athiests?

Question

If you used to believe there was no God. What change made you believe there is?

Answer 1

It's implicit in the study of the origins of the universe, as everything is connected, or it would not be in relation, and in first principles it is required to be there to show up again, hence everything is from a single all-encompassing first Cause, including All-Consciousness.

Further details come only by studying the details of how it all is, and that's where people tend to disagree because they are not all-knowing trying to associate themselves with what is.

Whether a pin hole in the dark sheet of reality, or in the open space with clear vision, we all have our degrees of understanding. The only reason I was ever an "atheist" was because of the abuse of the stature of religions, not because there was evidence for it. Lack of evidence of God, as far as one has ascertained, is not equal to having evidence that God does not exist. Now I have evidence for the affirmation of the reality of God, though I can only comprehend it in degrees and not absolutely.

God bless.

Answer 2

for me, "belief" is not a part of my spirituality; rather experience and perception, and suspension of disbelief.

Suspension of disbelief is the same tool we use when we get engrossed in a good book or movie - sometimes even in music. Even atheists like these things. One does not believe Johhny Depp is a real pirate - we know he is just an actor, but we allow ourselves to set aside those limitations and enjoy/experience the film as if it were. We are entertained, but we alo (to some extent or another) expose ourselves to a perspective/interpretation we would not have had otherwise. This is especially true for books.

I experience a spiritual aspect of the universe because I chose to, and because I am able to shift my consciousness into a place where it seems as "real" (as a good film/book), not because I "believe" it.

In my opinion, one can settle for simply being entertained by suspensions of disbelief, or one can analyze one's experience. Just as there are no taboos on criticism and analysis of films or books (they help us understand and even appreciate them more), there should be none on spirituality. The more perspectives we have, the better we can understand our world, and ourselves.

As long as one knows the difference between the world of imagination and the world of pragmatic functioning ("reality"), there is no conflict. Only when some people expect to find pirate Johnny Depp in history (or science), and starts vehomently insisting on this, do we encounter problems.

Answer 3

Fascinating question, I'd never considered that, thank you for asking --

I can't speak for myself, and I'm very much afraid that you may not like what I have to reveal to you from the perspective of my partner, but none-the-less, I will answer.

We have been together for almost 16 years (the 2nd of January) and I'm a moderately devout member of the Episcopal Church. Jonathan was, I think, more accurately an agnostic than an atheist -- and a skeptic -- in the sense that he questioned any preconception ANY preconception -- not just religious preconceptions, but also scientific preconceptions, and all other preconceptions. He was just going into college when we became a couple and I moved to NYC so that we could be together while he went to school (he had grants not usable outside the City) for bio-chemistry. I joined an appropriately "social gospel" parish in Brooklyn where we lived, and he would, on special occasions go to Mass with me (high church, thank you). He also would go with me whenever I went to the Cathedral of St. John the Divine in Manhattan, it was too far up on the West side for him to want me going alone, particularly for things like Midnight Mass (ok, not at Midnight anymore) Christmas eve.

After we moved upstate he began to evidence some interest in Wicca. Not in the actual spellwork, or even in the idea of deity as conceived of in that wisdom tradition - but rather the idea of the Wheel of Life. He did some reading on the topic and there is substantive evidence that early man followed a very similar style of worship -- and it comforted him.

There was a priest, the Reverend Timothy Lake, who was Wiccan and ran a shop downtown. One of the finest men I've ever known. He ran a shop yes, but he took care, within the parameter of what he could do, of every homeless person, frightened teenager, abused spouse -- it was amazing to watch -- like what I think priests SHOULD be doing, and common people of faith too. We were both very taken by Tim and his ministry.

So Jonathan started attending ritual. Sometimes I went along, some times I didn't. First he came to accept that there were energy flows that he couldn't explain -- ( that he freely admitted was based on subjective evidence, but acknowledges that he is afterall human, and religion is a personal choice and he is content with subjective evidence for himself). Then he surprised me by acknowledging an acceptance of deities -- superior, but not supreme beings.

That's where it stands, and I imagine will continue to. He is content with his faith tradition and sometimes refers to me as Episcopagan because I have no problem going along, being involved, helping out, and so forth -- and frankly, if my denomination goes any further Right, I will probably convert, so he isn't wrong. As it is I'm sitting on a couple of boards for the Cluster and for the educational wing of a different Wiccan Church pastored by one of my other friends. Since I personally confess Christ however, I consider myself to still be Christian.

Regards,

Reyn
[e-mail]

Answer 4

I met my gods.

Now I am a polytheist. I was born an atheist, and was hardly "scared" into my current religion. My polytheism held up to far more rigorous testing that the atheism of many of my friends has.

Answer 5

Koran

Answer 6

I didn't switch to believing in a God, I switched to not believing to Buddhist. I know people here pretend to think they are the same thing but that's merely a failure to understand any of Buddhist Philosophy

Answer 7

You are wrong Achilles.
Francis Collins is quite intelligent. Former atheist, now theist.
I'm sure there are others.

Answer 8

I never meet an atheist became theist

Answer 9

The dream I had.

Answer 10

They are lying now. A true atheist wouldn't have changed their mind without severe brain damage.