Lek, I’m impressed with your honest testimony. Everyone has their own reasons for joining AF. Nearly all the regular Christian members have an initial desire to see their beliefs from a different perspective. Those original reasons are not always the same as for why we stay. I’m glad that you feel you have grown and I agree with you on many, but not all, of the points you mentioned.
My own experience, as a former atheist, has actually been quite the opposite. At one time I held many of the same philosophical positions as most of AF atheists. Once it became clear to me that one strand of atheistic thought, ontological naturalism, fell apart in self-contradiction and paradox, I understood more and more that the objections I once considered quite reasonable are just not very rigorous. I find it very disheartening that so many atheists are swayed by modern falsities and a libertine culture. If anything AF conversations have prompted me to further explore the depth of the riches to be found in the Western philosophical tradition. At every turn my faith has found the support of reason.
Yes, it can be disheartening at times, knowing that an entrenched atheism will lead to a dire fate, but I feel it a duty to present and re-present the Truth of our Lord and Savior on the off-chance that a curious seeker might also find the hope that is in our hearts.
My own experience, as a former atheist, has actually been quite the opposite. At one time I held many of the same philosophical positions as most of AF atheists. Once it became clear to me that one strand of atheistic thought, ontological naturalism, fell apart in self-contradiction and paradox, I understood more and more that the objections I once considered quite reasonable are just not very rigorous. I find it very disheartening that so many atheists are swayed by modern falsities and a libertine culture. If anything AF conversations have prompted me to further explore the depth of the riches to be found in the Western philosophical tradition. At every turn my faith has found the support of reason.
Yes, it can be disheartening at times, knowing that an entrenched atheism will lead to a dire fate, but I feel it a duty to present and re-present the Truth of our Lord and Savior on the off-chance that a curious seeker might also find the hope that is in our hearts.
