How to convert an atheist

[*Deidre*]

I agree with you however, I was raised in a Christian home, and I'd like to think my parents at that time, weren't malicious in their indoctrination tactics. lol That sounds so wrong.

But, honestly. They grew up with it, their parents grew up with it, so on and so forth. The indoctrination of me as a kid, was something that had probably been passed down for generations. As a kid, you don't know any better, you don't know you have a choice in the matter.

I don't regret growing up that way, btw. Nor experiencing a life as a Christian adult. It wasn't until I started unraveling the Bible for myself, and looking at Church history, and realizing that what I believed really was just based on hearsay and at worst, lies...I decided to start making some changes. That process was painful, yes. But, do I blame my parents for their choice to raise me as a Christian? No. They didn't do it out of malice.

Hard to explain. When you've been deep into the faith all of your life, you think that you're coming from a place of love when you try to get others to convert. Perhaps, that is why I cringe when I see it trying to happen on here. For I remember that being a main tenet of the faith--'go make disciples of all nations.' Christians are CALLED TO witness their faith in the hopes of assisting people into converting.

Have you always been an atheist?

I agree for the most part and I don't think malice was involved in my parent's decision to insulate me from opposing worldviews as a child/teenager either. I think it probably came down to fear--fear for my soul. I was not always an atheist. I was turned on to philosophy as a young teenager around the time I became devoutly Christian. I even hosted a weekly gathering at my house in which my youth pastor taught us why evolution was wrong and the Bible was literal truth. I first began to lose enthusiasm when my parents saw my skepticism begin to develop and banned me from reading any material that wasn't Christian. This trend of growing suspicion regarding the validity of religion continued in the subsequent years as I vacillated back and forth between Christianity, agnosticism, theism, and atheism, until I eventually came to see clearly (only a few years ago) that faith is utterly lacking any rational/evidential basis.

While I can appreciate the fact that I've genuinely experienced both sides of this debate, I somewhat regret that my youth was wasted memorizing Bible verses instead of actual facts about the world or acquiring an earlier love for science. Perhaps I could have used that as a springboard into some career path. At this point, it feels like language--it's not impossible for me to master some entirely new subject but it will never come by so easily and second nature as those scriptures and doctrines I was ingrained with as a child are. I don't hold the sheep more responsible than the shepherds--and my parents are definitely sheep--but they're still partly responsible for not being more curious or skeptical about the claims they accepted on authority alone, and further demanding that I agree, even before I developed thinking skills of my own. This is immoral in my view, well-intended or not.

Also, my mother is far more the sheep than my father. My mother lost her father to a terrible truck accident when she was only 17 and had to pretty much raise her three younger brothers. My father lost his dad unexpectedly to a heart attack just after I was born. They both have implicitly expressed that their faith is deeply tied to an emotional response to death. I assume that like so many they cannot bear the thought that death is the end or that the Universe was not specifically created or caused with each of us in mind.

So, you were raised in the faith, too. Interesting. You know, I rarely meet people who have been atheists all of their lives. (no formal upbringing in any faith) I have a friend who was never raised with any faith beliefs or religion, both of his parents are atheists. I envy him. But, it's funny, he said he always felt 'left out' when he was growing up, as the rest of his friends were part of some type of religious group, except him. lol We always want what we can't have or aren't a part of?

That said, I won't tell you what to think...BUT...your parents leaned towards religion as a safety measure. A blanket of comfort so they could cope with the stress they were dealing with, in their own young lives. I think religion sometimes is used by many as a crutch. I think one of the hardest things for me in dealing with abandoning my faith, was realizing that I had to figure life out on my own, without prayer. Without turning to a 'higher power.' I'm fine, better than fine with it all now. I'm actually at an incredible peaceful place, now...but in the beginning? A few years ago? It was very hard for me to face life without the illusion of religion to protect me.

Illusions are powerful. Sometimes more so than reality.