New Ager to Christian to Atheist

[Davka]

Then you shouldn't leave out the important parts, Cliff's notes or not.

Sorry, but I'm not writing this according to your specifications. I was telling a condensed story, which means choosing the quickest way to advance the narrative. Inserting "god said" and "the spirit of god filled me" and "i was led by god" and "there were multiple confirmations of god's message" every few sentences does not accomplish that.

And let's be honest: you're just nit-picking because you don't like the story.

I find that hard to believe no other god has died for the sins of those he created...

Not true.
Dying-and-rising god

You cannot possibly know what those who follow other religions are experiencing. I choose to take them at their word, rather than irrationally claim that they are wrong and i am right based only on the fact that my (former) religion is different from theirs.

But of course every religious person must believe in the supremacy of their religion over others.

Then put in the important parts, when you leave out the basics of God's actions in our lives it gives me the idea you haven't really understood Christianity.

No, what gives you that idea is your desperate need to explain away the fact that someone who was willing to die for his love of Christ could wake up one day and realize that it was merely fiction.

Really, how personal was your relationship with God, did He make himself known to you, a way that left no doubts?

Oh yes, over and over again. I prayed fervently about every detail of my life, stopping often to ask for confirmation.

My wife and I endeavored to live by faith, according to the overwhelming love we both felt from "god." For many years, whenever I encountered doubts i would simply look back on all the "miracles" in my life and conclude that none of it could have happened by chance.

Whatever you do, don't study Confirmation Bias, or read about the experiments in this field.

if one's truly saved one truly knows God and once you really know something is real how can you say it's not real, curious, very curious me thinks.

People "know" all sorts of things that are untrue. The mind is a tricky thing.

Were you a Baptist, the Southern Baptist are the only ones I know who believe in once saved always saved, but this one doesn't.

I was a born-again non-denominational evangelical charismatic pentecostal washed-in-the-blood speaking-in-tongues spirit-filled grafted-in messianic-jewish study-to-shew-thyself-approved fundamentalist Jesus-loving Christ-worshiping Christian.

If these men were so smart why didn't they have an answer for you.

They did. They had many answers. they were honest, and frank, and helped me to wrestle with the Scriptures.

Way to move the goalposts, BTW. "God wouldn't send you where there was nobody to teach you." There were plenty of people to teach me. "Then it doesn't count because ad-hom!"

Here's how I've learned much from the scriptures, I traveled many years with teachers and never left East Tennessee,

Well that explains a lot.

but most importantly I traveled through the scriptures with the One who gave them to man, big difference in our educations, I went directly to the source and many of my questions have been answered, still waiting on a few though, patience will bring the answers when I'm ready to understand the answers.

No difference whatsoever in terms of reading the Bible with the guidance of the holy spirit. That was the first thing I was taught, way back in Hawaii: always read the scripture with prayer and humility.

I know God actually exists, no doubts, no fears.

No, you believe god actually exists. You have no real proof. And nothing but circumstantial evidence. But the belief makes you feel safe, while admitting the possibility that it might not be true terrifies you.

The Bible has been attacked for many centuries and yet it still stands and that testifies to it's strength of truth.

The Koran has been attacked for many centuries and yet it still stands and that testifies to it's strength of truth.

The Bhagavad-gita has been attacked for many centuries and yet it still stands and that testifies to it's strength of truth.

The Avesta has been attacked for many centuries and yet it still stands and that testifies to it's strength of truth.

The Vedic scripture has been attacked for many centuries and yet it still stands and that testifies to it's strength of truth.

The Sutras have been attacked for many centuries and yet they still stand and that testifies to their strength of truth.

The Theravedic scripture has been attacked for many centuries and yet it still stands and that testifies to it's strength of truth.

The Dhammapada has been attacked for many centuries and yet it still stands and that testifies to it's strength of truth.

The Tao Te Ching has been attacked for many centuries and yet it still stands and that testifies to it's strength of truth.

See what happens when you live a xenocentric life? You foolishly think that your tiny little corner of the world is representative of the whole. It's not.

So a brain fried as badly as yours must hold some really weird notions at this time.

Oooh, insults! What a very Christian thing to say. Jesus must be proud of the way you show His love to others.

I am well aware that nothing i say can ever convince you that i was a True ChristianTM with an intimate, personal relationship with "god." The only way you could ever recognize that would be to travel the same path yourself.

Kind of like salvation, y'know?