(May 2, 2015 at 8:29 am)Tucker Wrote: My name is Tucker and I am an atheist... in my mind, but possibly Christian in my heart. That doesn't make much sense, so I will just tell you a bit about myself. I am not going to try to convert anyone or convince anyone of anything, because I am an atheist, so no need to worry about that. Just bear with me.
The obvious question now is why did I keep coming back to Christianity if I knew that Kent Hovind's videos were not true AND the bible didn't make any sense? Well, I got a feeling.However, it doesn't last long enough for me to figure out exactly what it is. It is a weird physical feeling in my chest, heart or at least it feels physical. It's like someone is pinching me every now and then and in that moment I can't control myself. I have never experienced such thing with the other religions or new age things I've done. This is something new, more powerful. If someone dragged me to church and made me confess that Jesus was God, I think I would.
Now, the Christian explanation is simple. I repented and now the Holy Spirit is drawing me back to God, no matter where I go. You can find the concept of being drawn to God everywhere in the Bible. This should be evidence that what I am experiencing is the real thing, however I can't let myself believe that. There are numerous people who were so sure of their experiences and were wrong. This is also too subjective, even though all Christians seem to have experienced something similar.
My atheist / scientific / psychological explanation is that maybe that I want to believe in God, that I want to be in a community like the one Christians have. I probably want to know that there is someone up there taking care of me. I honestly have no idea what it is exactly and I am trying to be as honest with myself as possible.
You know those videos where you see Christians singing and literally crying? I can experience that too and it is so powerful that you can't deny it.
My question to you guys is, has any of you experienced something similar? How did you overcome it? If not, what do you guys think I should do to overcome it? It is dangerous blind faith. I don't want to feel like I am denying that Jesus is a God, I want to KNOW that Jesus is NOT a God just like I used to a few years ago. I am 23 and an introvert if that helps with anything. I am honestly seeking for help.
I can't say I've ever been where you are now. I really haven't ever believed with my heart or my head. But I grew up in a Christian household and I have a fondness for a number of hymns and even the Lutheran liturgy especially when the service sung rather than just recited. And I can and do occasionally get a wonderful feeling in my chest from singing them in groups.
So I don't think you are crazy. And I have no doubt the feeling you are describing is real.
The question is what actually causes the feeling. Most religions produce that feeling in some people though not necessarily everyone of that faith. You feel it with Christian hymns, other people feel it through practicing other religions, some at sporting events, others by participating in the arts, others a political rallies. I think the ability to have that feeling is human, and one of the good things about being human. It can be misused though.
I'd enjoy the feeling and try not to worry about it too much. Unlike say crack cocaine, I don't think hymns are going to hurt you.
If there is a god, I want to believe that there is a god. If there is not a god, I want to believe that there is no god.