I called a friend who is a believer...

[Old Baby]

I'm having reservations that you actually read my deconversion story.  I made a choice to be honest with myself when I was a believer.  That choice led to my eventual loss of belief.  Not that hard.

 
I read your story and it wasn't detailed enough to actually understand why you left Christianity. From the first I thought I saw that your Christian faith was not real, why I can't truly say, like I said you gave no real details. I lost a girl long ago because I wasn't a Christian, then I tried to fake it but she saw through that and so it ended. I don't blame her she wanted a Christian man, it was her choice made by her own reasons and who was I to make her do something she didn't want. She stopped loving me for a reason.

You said "making excuses for your fear is on you".  Apparently I misunderstood that statement, so I'll give you an opportunity to clarify it and prove you're not just a troll.

If I were a troll I would have been run off many years, so that should answer that. Yes I said fear, fear of losing your friend and fear you made a wrong choice that caused you to lose this friend. 

Your "reservations" about my having a relationship with God are probably well founded, because I think he probably doesn't exist, therefore making it impossible to have a relationship with him.  I doubt you've had a relationship with him either, because he doesn't exist.

You can be assured I have a genuine and very real relationship with God, I know with thought a doubt that God is real. The Bible teaches this, first we come to God through faith, then belief from our study of His word and then to the knowledge of His reality through a growing relationship. I've had experiences with God that are undeniable, you may not believe so but then that's your misfortune. Your friend knows God do you think she is delusional also?

From what I've seen so far, you're another Christian who reinforces my belief that God does not exist and Christianity is a farce.  I would love for you to show me where I'm wrong, if that's the case, because I am ready to embrace the truth.

Here's the truth, your friend and I both are enjoying a relationship with the God of the Bible because of what his Son did for us. We both would rather have friends that are Christians for a simple reason they help us to grow. I do have friends who are not Christians but my association with them is one of work related or other things, they are not the deep relationships that Christians have between each other that Christ provides us. No one to this very day has been able to show me that there are contradictions or untruths in the scriptures.

GC

I'm going to ignore your assumptions about my Christian life, because you simply don't know what you're talking about.  If there's something about my deconversion story that you find confusing or need more information about, I'm happy to explain.

Here's what I'd like to know from you, a true Christian, who will never be swayed from your relationship with God:

1. You say that initially we have to come to God in faith, then knowledge of his existence comes through a growing relationship.  Explain the initial process of coming to Christ in faith.  How does that work?  After 30+ years in Christianity, I still don't understand belief without a rational basis.  Is this initial belief a product of human will?  Is it initially activated by God himself?  Or are you suggesting that faith precedes belief?  So, in other words my initial belief is unimportant, but only that I throw myself at Christ's feet and begin following?  Then, belief comes over time?  Explain.

2. How does the "knowledge of his reality" work?  Is it completely an internal knowing or is it something that you can relate to others?  You say that you've had experiences that are undeniable.  I'm assuming you mean that you cannot deny to yourself the legitimacy of those experiences.  Are we talking about miracles?  Tell me about your most compelling experience with God that you cannot deny.  

3. Why does God make himself obscure to some of us?  Does God expect people to search for him using faculties other than those he equipped us with to interpret the material world?  If God doesn't seemingly feel it's important to reveal himself to everyone, why do his followers feel it's important to make his case to those who God hasn't revealed himself to.  Yes, I'm leaving myself wide open here to "I don't believe in atheists" or some derivative.