I can tell you how I become a christian and how I become a atheist. I had always been raised Christian by my grandparents when me and my parents lived there. When I was 14 I had an idiopathic attack of a potentially fatal auto-immune disease. At the time I thought healing was gods way of saving me, now I realize that I was simply seeking a refuge from my fear of death. After I recovered I started going to church regularly and I became filled with that wonderful feeling that Christians refer to as the holy spirit. It was a amazing mix of love, peace, and joy. I attended church every Sunday for 2-3 years after that.
I became a atheist at the age of 22. I had a friend in college and we both loved to debate such things. He brought up some passages in the bible that I didn't realize were there the first times I read it. At the same time I was looking into why atheists hate Christians and came across some positive statements of belief made by atheists. When I read them as a Christian I thought they were somewhat non sensical. After that I started reading and trying to make sense of some of these problem passages. But instead of just reading on autopilot I used my critical faculties. Reading the story of exodus did it for me. I thought " This is a God that believes so hard in freewill that he allows babies to die by the millions, yet he comes in and hardens pharoahs heart so that he has a excuse to make an example of the Egyptians?" After that the nonsensical things in the bible started flying at me from every which way. Such why does make people gay, then make them suffer for being how he made them? My answer was simple. The bible is made up bullshit, I came to that conclusion because apologetics just seems to address one objection with taking into account everything else, so the bible is bullshit became the clearly simpler and more satisfying answer. From then on I explored my new conclusions and came to people like Ingersoll and hitchens.
I became a atheist at the age of 22. I had a friend in college and we both loved to debate such things. He brought up some passages in the bible that I didn't realize were there the first times I read it. At the same time I was looking into why atheists hate Christians and came across some positive statements of belief made by atheists. When I read them as a Christian I thought they were somewhat non sensical. After that I started reading and trying to make sense of some of these problem passages. But instead of just reading on autopilot I used my critical faculties. Reading the story of exodus did it for me. I thought " This is a God that believes so hard in freewill that he allows babies to die by the millions, yet he comes in and hardens pharoahs heart so that he has a excuse to make an example of the Egyptians?" After that the nonsensical things in the bible started flying at me from every which way. Such why does make people gay, then make them suffer for being how he made them? My answer was simple. The bible is made up bullshit, I came to that conclusion because apologetics just seems to address one objection with taking into account everything else, so the bible is bullshit became the clearly simpler and more satisfying answer. From then on I explored my new conclusions and came to people like Ingersoll and hitchens.
To-morrow, and to-morrow, and to-morrow,
Creeps in this petty pace from day to day,
To the last syllable of recorded time;
And all our yesterdays have lighted fools
The way to dusty death. Out, out, brief candle!
Life's but a walking shadow, a poor player,
That struts and frets his hour upon the stage,
And then is heard no more. It is a tale
Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury,
Signifying nothing.
Creeps in this petty pace from day to day,
To the last syllable of recorded time;
And all our yesterdays have lighted fools
The way to dusty death. Out, out, brief candle!
Life's but a walking shadow, a poor player,
That struts and frets his hour upon the stage,
And then is heard no more. It is a tale
Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury,
Signifying nothing.
