Atheist surprised when god answered his prayer

[Nope]

God didn't stop the sexual abuse because that would go against free will but he does convince the little girl to tell the future pastor so that god can add one more worshipper to his kingdom. Somehow making the little girl tell the atheist about her abuse does not hurt either her or the man's practice of free will.

[Simon Moon]

Clay Lein was a former atheist who needed substantive proof and logical reasoning before he would believe anything. So for most of his life, he did not believe in God.

"I had a very rational mind. It had to be logical. I needed proof. There had to be evidence. And if there wasn't proof then it was just something people made up," Lein told KHOU Channel 11 News.

And things were going pretty well with Lein - he had a successful career and a loving wife so he figured that there was no need to believe in God even though many others did.

But one day, his wife pleaded with him to go to church. He only agreed because he believed "church was a place nice people go." One thing led to another, and Lein even volunteered his services for a youth camp.

There, the disbelieving Lein was put on the spot and asked to pray publicly. Despite his inexperience, Lein did pretty well - so well, in fact, that he even prayed for each child there and he did not stop praying for a whole 15 minutes. And God answered his prayer, much to his surprise.

A young girl began crying right after because she was so moved by Lein's personal prayer for her.

"In between the sobs she begins to share that her uncle was abusing her," he recalled. "And that she hadn't been able to tell anybody else until that moment. That's when I think something clicked for me.

"God was relevant and He really wanted to do amazing things in my life," added Lein. "I became a Christian that day. And I heard a voice, and it wasn't Charleton Heston, it was more a thought that comes up and often times it sounds like Clay's voice but it was definitely God. And it said, 'Try me.'"

Lein tried God that day and he has not regretted his decision since. He even enrolled in seminary and was ordained an Episcopalian minister in 1996. Now, he is the rector of St John the Divine in Houston, and the church has over 4,000 members. Outside the church, they have a sign that reads: "Changing lives for God in Christ."

"I'm a poster child," said Lein. "If God can change me, He can change anybody."

This is ridiculous.

There isn't even any phenomena in this story that is supernatural, or requires a god.

So, an atheist prayers at a Christian youth camp, a troubled girl gets emotional and reveals her abuse - therefore God. Seriously?

I am sure that a young girl at a non-religious camp has never revealed that she was being abused by a family member, without any prayer or reference to any deity. Nope, never happened. It is obvious that this would require the intervention of a god.

Where is a god in this story?

[Alex K]

Exactly. To speculate further, he might have come across as a new trustworthy face, maybe it was precisely his outsider role that made her open up to him. And ironically, the bugger converted on the spot

But.... it's phenomenon

/anal

[Godscreated]

So instead of helping the girl, HE let her get abused, so that in future HE can have her speak up publicly and gain a follower(...and still nothing about actually stopping the abuse)

Why do you believe God let it happen, why do you want to blame God for what happened, why do you not give Him credit when good things happen to people. God has given us the responsibility to care for each other, so why didn't someone help the little girl, someone knew, someone always knows, so where was the good in people when she was being abused.

GC

---

You can prove your statement , right. You can read their minds and know exactly what happened with each of them. Just think God may have you targeted to us in someones life. Never know, and you can't prove He doesn't.

GC

I love how this obsession with evidence only appears when it suits you.

back at ya'.

---

Along with the fact that he seems to be practically working for the Church for some time whilst apparently still an Atheist.

If God can convince someone who spends hours of their free time in a church to becomes a Christian, he must be very powerful indeed.

God has His purpose and timeline to work with those who seek, and the outcome was fantastic.

GC

[Alex K]

and the outcome was fantastic.

Yes, literally fantastic

[Norman Humann]

Why do you believe God let it happen, why do you want to blame God for what happened, why do you not give Him credit when good things happen to people. God has given us the responsibility to care for each other, so why didn't someone help the little girl, someone knew, someone always knows, so where was the good in people when she was being abused.

GC

Good things happen = god
Bad things happen = not god

Seems legit.

[Godscreated]

I'd never say anyone is or isn't a "true atheist", it doesn't mean anything. I can say that someone is or isn't a good sceptic, though. And this guy is not, if the story happened as described.

You guys must be quite miserable, living with all the doubt in your lives, the security of Christianity makes me happier each day, I feel sorry for you actually.

GC

[Ravenshire]

You can prove your statement , right. You can read their minds and know exactly what happened with each of them.

You, and none of your christer buddies, can provide any substantive evidence at all. These kinds of feel good bullshit stories are all you've got but we're supposed to just blindly accept anyway.

Just think God may have you targeted to us in someones life. Never know, and you can't prove He doesn't.

Yeah, well, the burden of proof's on you despite your trying to shift it, again.

---

I think GC's hammered again.

Nope. I have it on good authority that Thor has sworn off christers.

[TheRealJoeFish]

You guys must be quite miserable, living with all the doubt in your lives, the security of Christianity makes me happier each day, I feel sorry for you actually.

GC

Yawn. Yeah, thanks for the sympathy, GC.

"You adults must be quite miserable, living with all the monsters under your bed in your lives, the security of this nightlight makes me happier every time I go to bed, I feel sorry for you actually."

[Norman Humann]

You guys must be quite miserable, living with all the doubt in your lives, the security of Christianity makes me happier each day, I feel sorry for you actually.

GC

Yes, that's right, GC. Ignore the man behind the curtain and allow baby jesus to save you from the horrors of reality.

But you're not happy, are you? Otherwise, why would you be on an atheist forum, arguing with people about something that allegedly gives you so much happiness? You're not satisfied and you won't be until everyone else falls for the same bullshit you did. It's a mind virus and now you're trying to infect us. Too bad we've been vaccinated with critical thinking.