What causes Atheists to convert?

[Twiggy]

No.

and it's a facebook friend, they have always been christian as far as I have known them, though they say they were like me once.

[The Grand Nudger]

That's one of the most common lies we've gotten around here in the last decade.

[Paraselene]

Taking a detour: why does the username Twiggy seem familiar?

[Twiggy]

Taking a detour: why does the username Twiggy seem familiar?

I am pretty sure I had another account on here a bit ago, with Twiggy, something like Twiggy95 or Twigy1995 or so.

When I logged on today, I could not log in, so I went with the "I forgot" link, and put my main e-mail in, and that got me to be able to recover "Twiggy", which apparently existed and I created but haven't used until today.

I also use Twiggy on other forums and sites as well, so it can be a coincidence that you know me from elsewhere as well.

[BrianSoddingBoru4]

What exactly is an illegitimate atheist?

One whose parents never married.

Boru

[BrianSoddingBoru4]

So every now and then I come across people, usually christians, who claim to have at one point been "Atheists".

My theory is that many of these people were never truly atheists and are instead confusing being mad at god, or disappointed, sad with god, with atheism.

As for the one's who were actually atheists under the "lack of belief in a god(s)", from what I have seen, including a recent conversation I have had, their standard of evidence seems to have dropped, or someone somehow managed to talk them into accepting something on poor evidence.

The recent conversation I had, with a christian, former atheists friend, let me know that he became christian because "people witnessed the resurrection", "people wouldn't die for a lie" like somehow people claiming something, is enough evidence of a literal supernatural miraculous event. It's an extraordinary claim, which needs extraordinary evidence, yet somehow he accepts it based on flimsy weak, "evidence". He tried saying "you accept the existence of Ceaser based on documentation" - sure, but Ceaser was just another man, like all other men, it's not comparable to a claim of a resurrection.

So I guess the real question is, for those who actually were atheists at one point, what causes their standard of evidence, and ability to different claims from each other, to slip?

To borrow a phrase from Poe, surcease of sorrow.

Boru

[Mister Agenda]

I know of two cases where I personally knew the person to be an atheist who understood the definition and everything. In both cases a religious significant other seemed to be the key to their conversion. I've given up hoping for a great argument I've never heard before or evidence I've never been presented.

They were at least a refreshing change of pace from the 'I used to be an atheist so I could avoid church, drink beer and fornicate' Christians claiming to have been atheists.

[BrianSoddingBoru4]

I know of two cases where I personally knew the person to be an atheist who understood the definition and everything. In both cases a religious significant other seemed to be the key to their conversion. I've given up hoping for a great argument I've never heard before or evidence I've never been presented.

They were at least a refreshing change of pace from the 'I used to be an atheist so I could avoid church, drink beer and fornicate' Christians claiming to have been atheists.

Avoiding church, drinking beer, and fornicating is at least as common among Christians as it is among atheists.  

Boru

[Angrboda]

I know of two cases where I personally knew the person to be an atheist who understood the definition and everything. In both cases a religious significant other seemed to be the key to their conversion. I've given up hoping for a great argument I've never heard before or evidence I've never been presented.

They were at least a refreshing change of pace from the 'I used to be an atheist so I could avoid church, drink beer and fornicate' Christians claiming to have been atheists.

I find Blackwell's Natural Theology has the best arguments, but even there, there is a lot of equivocation and moved goalposts.