Atheists who have converted to theism?

[Whateverist]

In the opinion of most atheists, you were never an atheist to begin with. 

And most Atheists can attest to this how?

Yeah, I'll leave it for MK to say whether or not he had a weak week in which he fell into despair ..I mean.. atheism.

[Mystic]

And most Atheists can attest to this how?

Yeah, I'll leave it for MK to say whether or not he had a weak week in which he fell into despair ..I mean.. atheism.

It wasn't despair, rather on the brink of it.

[Jehanne]

The only ones I ever known in person were desperate and in need of some type of rescue (financial, medical, emotional, addiction, ........).

As the originator of this thread, I must confess to being in this camp.  Six or so years ago, I went through emotional despair over an upcoming job loss (I was about to be laid-off, and I knew it was coming), was going through some mental heath problems, and reverted to theism out of emotional despair, especially, fear of death and nothingness.  I had also stopped reading atheist literature a few years earlier, as I had gotten busy with other things, and had been influenced by some William Lane Craig debates, who I now believe to be a conscious, lying charlatan, as well as the ID movement in general.  As time went on, though, I found it impossible to continue to believe, as I was, slowly, confronted by the arguments which had led me into atheism in the first place.  And, so, while my reversion was a very quick process (probably, over the course of a day or two), my deconversion was a slow one, over many months.  I can personally attest to the fact that religious belief is equivalent to a form of drug addiction, and one sometimes relapses back into it.

[Whateverist]

Yeah, I'll leave it for MK to say whether or not he had a weak week in which he fell into despair ..I mean.. atheism.

It wasn't despair, rather on the brink of it.

I can tell you honestly that no degree of despair plays any role in my godlessness.  Being an atheist is simply being alive minus the belief in gods.

[TrueChristian]

Here is a good one!

Sir Alec Guiness of Star Wars was an atheist who became Catholic! http://www.catholicculture.org/culture/l...fm?id=6679

[Angrboda]

I was an atheist as a teen, but not a particularly knowledgeable one. I had been raised Christian and lost my faith some time in my youth. When I was 17, I read the Tao Te Ching from cover to cover in a single night. I instantly converted to Taoism. In my twenties I had a crisis of faith in that there was a puzzle as to how to apply my Taoist belief to a certain question. For about ten years I puzzled over this. During that time I was introduced to the Hindu goddess Kali. Over many years, I came to have an intuition that the goddess said something deeply meaningful about my life and emotions. The more I pondered the goddess, the more convinced I became that she was always there, in the background of my life.

[Crossless2.0]

I was an atheist as a teen, but not a particularly knowledgeable one.  I had been raised Christian and lost my faith some time in my youth.  When I was 17, I read the Tao Te Ching from cover to cover in a single night.  I instantly converted to Taoism.  In my twenties I had a crisis of faith in that there was a puzzle as to how to apply my Taoist belief to a certain question.  For about ten years I puzzled over this.  During that time I was introduced to the Hindu goddess Kali.  Over many years, I came to have an intuition that the goddess said something deeply meaningful about my life and emotions.  The more I pondered the goddess, the more convinced I became that she was always there, in the background of my life.

Interesting path.

[Nay_Sayer]

Yeah, I'll leave it for MK to say whether or not he had a weak week in which he fell into despair ..I mean.. atheism.

It wasn't despair, rather on the brink of it.

Was it scary being that close to freedom? The chains you carry are indeed heavy.  -RAmen-

[Jehanne]

Here is a good one!

Sir Alec Guiness of Star Wars was an atheist who became Catholic!  http://www.catholicculture.org/culture/l...fm?id=6679

I hope that folks here actually read the article; it is "superficiality on parade".  Michael Shermer made the same "bargain" with god only to be disappointed:

http://www.michaelshermer.com/2010/04/wo...a-miracle/

(Request exception to the 30/30 rule.)

[Red_Wind]

Two different questions.

What convinced me of God's existence after a brief week of Atheism?

What motivated me back to God's existence and acknowledgment of her link to me?

The motivations was the following:


First my belief that without God, it was not rational to be warranted and justified in believing in morality, value, praise, free-will, perpetual identity, inheritance of good actions, etc....since I doubted those things as much as I doubted God, or believed they probably were delusional as God as delusional...I was in crisis...I had to figure out the truth and know for certain. 

That is motivation though. None of that proves God exists. The other motivation was that I couldn't handle the thought that creatures insects, animals, humans, all die and become nothing. And at the end, for all I know, life itself may very well end forever (ie. no life in the future).

Another motivation I had was that such a being existing would be most worthwhile existence. I am glad for it to exist were to exist, and wanted to know if it did, for it is a cause of serenity and peace, if I were to know it does.

These things motivated me to be true to myself. I had to know not simply just convince myself God exists. The journey back to God was not long after that and grew stronger then before.  It was within few years that the identity of God became that of a religious flavor as opposed a deistic flavor. 

This was through long reflection over issue, arguments and counter arguments, and the end, what became more obvious to me (that God is a Guiding Lord, and there enlightened people who have certainty in vision of God, his signs, and the lights of his commands, and that God would manifest some of the people to be followed for humanity to gain vision in truth).

You could have simply just posted the bolded bit and worded it better.

I think i finally understand you though, you can't accept reality that life has no meaning other then the meaning we give to it.You had to convince yourself that there was a god and that she/he was giving your life purpose.

There is a definition for this condition but i can't really remember it.