Former atheist

[Thumpalumpacus]

It's strange that the "former atheists" never seem concerned with the critical analysis of faith that current atheists are....

We've already done the heavy lifting, so we find little point in revisiting the issues.

I regularly revisit my premises regarding any number of beliefs I hold, to ensure their soundness.

Then again, I've never had much of a taste for smug complacency.

[Neo-Scholastic]

"So when you were an atheist, you:

Believed that ALL religions were contrived by men, and ALL were works of fiction
Yes.
Could not accept the claims made by religious people or their “holy” books
Yes.
Believed that religious people, of all “faiths” were misguided at best, and delusional at worst
Yes. Or outright frauds, like the Tammy Baker.
[/i]Believed that physical reality was all that there was, and stories of “creation”, deities, spirits, angels, demons, souls, etc., were merely fantasies[/i]
Yes. But more like misinterpretations of otherwise actual events. For example, the flood myth was based on a local event transformed into legend.

And then somehow you became convinced that Christianity was no longer to be grouped as a falsehood with all other religions, because it is actually the one religion that is true.

No. I’m very ecumenical. I think there is something going on at a more fundamental level that sensible reality. That is a feeling shared by most religions. How different cultures approach the Divine gives each religion its own flavor. In my own case, Christianity is the best framework for me to use because it is the most familiar and corresponds with my spiritual experiences.

That the god you now “believe in” is actually real, and that he really did create the universe, and that he really does rule over it. That angels, demons, spirits, etc., are factually real. And that after your death you will be resurrected and you will live forever in the presence of this god.

Yes. All except the idea of a physical resurrection.

For some reason, I don’t believe you were ever an atheist..I say bullshit."

And I say piss off.

[Thumpalumpacus]

Wouldn't be surprised if many of these former atheists just went through some little tiff with god. That would explain why they so often wonder if we're atheists because of anger with god.

Well, maybe if God wouldn't leave the fucking toilet seat up all the time, everyone could get along.

[Strongbad]

"So when you were an atheist, you:

[/i]Believed that physical reality was all that there was, and stories of “creation”, deities, spirits, angels, demons, souls, etc., were merely fantasies[/i]

Yes. But more like misinterpretations of otherwise actual events. For example, the flood myth was based on a local event transformed into legend.

So, you used to believe that spirits, angels, demons, and souls were "misinterpretations" of actual things, but now you believe they are real? Can you please explain the operation of a "soul"? Where does a soul reside? How does a soul communicate with other entities? Does is it have ears, vocal chords and a mouth, or does it just use telepathy? Does it have a brain, and if not, how does it process information?

And then somehow you became convinced that Christianity was no longer to be grouped as a falsehood with all other religions, because it is actually the one religion that is true.

No. I’m very ecumenical. I think there is something going on at a more fundamental level that sensible reality. That is a feeling shared by most religions. How different cultures approach the Divine gives each religion its own flavor. In my own case, Christianity is the best framework for me to use because it is the most familiar and corresponds with my spiritual experiences.

So you don't believe that Christianity is the one religion that is true, but you go with it because it corresponds with your "feelings" and "spiritual" experiences? What is a spiritual experience? Is that like a "feeling"?

That the god you now “believe in” is actually real, and that he really did create the universe, and that he really does rule over it. That angels, demons, spirits, etc., are factually real. And that after your death you will be resurrected and you will live forever in the presence of this god.

Yes. All except the idea of a physical resurrection.

So you "believe in" non-physical "resurrection? Please explain the mechanics of this.

For some reason, I don’t believe you were ever an atheist..I say bullshit."

And I say piss off.

So sorry to piss you off. And, spoken like a true Christian!

[Faith No More]

Isn’t it always the case that people’s emotions push them forward? I did have an existential crisis, but that resulted in me acknowledging the cognative dissidence between my religion (UCC) and my tacit atheism. I had already made peace with my mortality. I enjoyed the thought of existential freedom of defining my own meaning. Basically, I lost all ties to Christianity so the only thing that remained was to be intellectually honest about it. Like many deconverts have expressed, I felt as if a burden had been lifted. I remember the exact moment it happened. But I did have some outstanding issues that nagged at me. I found it disturbing that all the secular theories of ethics of which I knew could not avoid the conclusion that “might makes right” and I kept puzzling over the mind-body problem. I also had gnostic experiences that are extremely difficult to square with materialism.

Yes, emotions are always the driving factor, but sometimes they cause us to perceive certain conclusions as more valid than they truly are due to the emotional benefit those conclusions can provide. We're psychologically driven to come to conclusions that have emotional benefit, and that causes our reasoning to become highly flawed when emotions are heavily prevalent.

My point was that given your pension for pining about how devoid and existentially vapid atheism leaves a person, saying that you were convinced merely on a rational level by theistic arguments is a gross over-simplification.

[Neo-Scholastic]

...saying that you were convinced merely on a rational level by theistic arguments is a gross over-simplification.

Except I didn't say my change of heart was a purely intellectual one. You read that into my statement.

[Thackerie]

For some reason, I don’t believe you were ever an atheist..I say bullshit."

And I say piss off.

Ohhh! Then, I need to get in the piss-off line with Strongbad. I bet it's a long one.

[wiploc]

"So when you were an atheist, you:

• Believed that ALL religions were contrived by men, and ALL were works of fiction
• Could not accept the claims made by religious people or their “holy” books
• Believed that religious people, of all “faiths” were misguided at best, and delusional at worst
• Believed that physical reality was all that there was, and stories of “creation”, deities, spirits, angels, demons, souls, etc., were merely fantasies

Your post was not so lucid that I know for sure what you intended. But, if you intended to say that the above points are included in the atheist version of Nicene Creed, then you're just wrong. Atheists don't have to agree with any of those points. Many Jews and Buddhists, for instance, are both religious and atheist.

The only thing you need to do to be an atheist is fail to believe that gods exist.

[Pizza]

"So when you were an atheist, you:

• Believed that ALL religions were contrived by men, and ALL were works of fiction
• Could not accept the claims made by religious people or their “holy” books
• Believed that religious people, of all “faiths” were misguided at best, and delusional at worst
• Believed that physical reality was all that there was, and stories of “creation”, deities, spirits, angels, demons, souls, etc., were merely fantasies

There are many irreligious theists who would be in full agreement with these points.

[Faith No More]

Except I didn't say my change of heart was a purely intellectual one. You read that into my statement.

Fair enough, but you ignored the rest of my post and how it applies to former atheists.