Ayaan Hirsi Ali Converted to Christianity

[Anonymous]

Apparently her husband has converted too; it sounds like it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’m concerned anyone would convert religions based on ‘civilizational war’

As a Christian I'm hopeful that God will work in her heart through the church she attends, reading the Bible, and meeting other Christians (how he works in all our hearts), but I'm inherently suspicious of these kind of political conversions. I've seen them on the left and the right, and I don't often see them develop in the way that I'd hope a Christian would. Her statement is long on politics and short on any kind of encounter with the Christ, which isn't encouraging.

What is a political religious conversion?

You are suspicious of her? Suspicious about what?

DP but read the statement. She's very explicit that this is a political conversion - to defend Western civilization and provide a unifying mindset for the West in the global war against "three different but related forces: the resurgence of great-power authoritarianism and expansionism in the forms of the Chinese Communist Party and Vladimir Putin’s Russia; the rise of global Islamism, which threatens to mobilise a vast population against the West; and the viral spread of woke ideology, which is eating into the moral fibre of the next generation." PPP is not being unfair to call this a political conversion; Ali makes it explicit that the conversion is an outgrowth of, and in service to, her political point of view.

“Yet I would not be truthful if I attributed my embrace of Christianity solely to the realisation that atheism is too weak and divisive a doctrine to fortify us against our menacing foes. I have also turned to Christianity because I ultimately found life without any spiritual solace unendurable — indeed very nearly self-destructive. Atheism failed to answer a simple question: what is the meaning and purpose of life?“

No, she is very clear on her personal perspective about her conversion. You are being intellectually dishonest.

She wanted to believe in something, and she feels that Christianity is the something that most closely supports her political beliefs. It's silly to pretend that the argument she leads off with, and spends most of the article laying out in detail, is a subpoint to the "I needed something to believe" angle. She doesn't even say that. She says it's not solely about politics, it's also about spiritual solace. The idea that you could read that, and then be offended that someone calls it a political conversion, is what's intellectually dishonest.

I am surprised by people who are surprised by her rightward drift though. She was shaped by very extreme religious dogma that made no distinction between religion and politics from a young age, she's used to that mindset. She rebelled against it when a huge line was crossed (9/11), and got a lot of public acclaim (and attacks, to be fair) for staking out that position. But you can see by her argument about war of civilizations that she still buys in very deeply to the ideas taught by the Muslim Brotherhood, she's just switched teams. It's a comfortable argument for her, she knows it inside and out, she can make a convincing case for it from the Muslim, atheist West, and now Christian West POVs. It's like watching a really talented mock trial participant at this point.

"I still have a great deal to learn about Christianity," she wrote in an essay published this week. "I discover a little more at church each Sunday. But I have recognized, in my own long journey through a wilderness of fear and self-doubt, that there is a better way to manage the challenges of existence than either Islam or unbelief had to offer.”

She’s a new Christian. She has publicly declared she is a Christian, admits she has much to learn about Christianity, attends church, and openly admits Christianity is helping her through her LONG JOURNEY of FEAR and SELF-DOUBT.

Each person develops a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.

I can’t believe you are a Christian and demanding this woman meet your expectations. Get over yourself, my goodness. That’s crazy.

I'm not a Christian. There are more than two people in this thread. Someone upthread got offended that a person would dare, DARE I say, call this a political conversion. I'm simply pointing out that she herself extols the political side of her conversion far more, and in much greater detail, than the pretty glossed-over "I missed having faith" and "I go to Church now" and "atheism and Islam didn't cut it for me." I don't care why she does what she does, but I do care that people are calling anybody "intellectually dishonest" for the most honest reading of this announcement. She details for like 3 pages the geopolitical and personal political reasoning of her foray into Christianity, then throws in some soft vagueness around how she's learning and she's sure it will be great when she understands it. That's a political conversion, however offended you are by the terminology. And maybe she'll develop a personal relationship with JC, like you presume she will, and that's swell. But it's not the basis of her conversion, in her own words, and you deciding that you're Head Christian In Charge of Not Being Allowed to Notice the Obvious is . . . well, it feels political.

So you aren’t a Christian- but definitely have decided what Christians should do. Let me know what you identify as and let me judge if what you are doing measures up. Stat.

Dcum made up the term “political conversion.” That’s not a term used anywhere else.

She clearly states that atheism has not given her any meaningful life, and it’s self destructive to not have a meaningful life. That is her opinion and she’s clearly decided after being an atheist for years it’s not met her needs. Sorry if that offends you, but she’s speaking her truth.

Nope. I am a logician, and I have decided that when someone says "how could you call this a political conversion??!!?" that I should go read the article and form an opinion. At which point I laugh and laugh and laugh to see that she has very explicitly and in detail explained the political reasons for her conversion. You can be mad forever that people have taken her at her word when you would rather read "I've got the love of Jesus down in my heart" in between the lines and force people to agree that that's what she *really* meant, but you're still wrong.

One thing no one can deny about Ayaan - she's a very clear, persuasive writer. And what she's written here is clear and unambiguous. You just think it's mean or dismissive or somehow anti-Christian to take her at her word.

No; I think it’s dismissive to ignore her words when she wrote that atheism didn’t fill the void in her life, was self-destructive, and offered her no hope.

We get lectured here about how many religions we learn about and evaluate as a religious person, and it’s repeated that people who grow up in a religion don’t know what they’re doing because they have been brainwashed and taught religion. And there’s a thread about how atheists “lost their faith,” and the people posting there write about political issues affecting them and influencing them to choose atheism. That’s ok, right? It’s just becoming a Christian that’s not genuine and problematic. People can leave Christianity at any point in time because of any reason whatsoever and be hailed as an open minded, rational, logical hero. But convert to Christianity? Oh no- they are crazy! They are bi-polar and swinging from belief to belief as a manifestation of mental illness! It’s not genuine- they are politically converting. (That’s made up, a dcum original.)

This woman was had her genitalia mutilated because of her (at the time) muslim religion. She chose to become an atheist to escape from religion but found it wasn’t personally fulfilling. It offered her no solutions or solace. Now she’s publicly proclaimed she’s a Christian and one of the first posts about her here is that she’s crazy- psychotic, in fact.

And instead of allowing her to speak for herself, some Christian starts spamming the thread stating that this woman isn’t authentic and is politically motivated. There’s no term used anywhere I’ve seen for “political conversion” except dcum- so apparently a new term was coined to describe this woman.

When an atheist states anything about their atheism being related to politics or their political views, we now know that according to dcum- they are political atheists. They are atheists because of politics.

Also- this woman feels islam is harmful to women and girls. She feels human rights suffer under islam, and who can blame a victim of genital mutation for feeling that way?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’m concerned anyone would convert religions based on ‘civilizational war’

As a Christian I'm hopeful that God will work in her heart through the church she attends, reading the Bible, and meeting other Christians (how he works in all our hearts), but I'm inherently suspicious of these kind of political conversions. I've seen them on the left and the right, and I don't often see them develop in the way that I'd hope a Christian would. Her statement is long on politics and short on any kind of encounter with the Christ, which isn't encouraging.

What is a political religious conversion?

You are suspicious of her? Suspicious about what?

DP but read the statement. She's very explicit that this is a political conversion - to defend Western civilization and provide a unifying mindset for the West in the global war against "three different but related forces: the resurgence of great-power authoritarianism and expansionism in the forms of the Chinese Communist Party and Vladimir Putin’s Russia; the rise of global Islamism, which threatens to mobilise a vast population against the West; and the viral spread of woke ideology, which is eating into the moral fibre of the next generation." PPP is not being unfair to call this a political conversion; Ali makes it explicit that the conversion is an outgrowth of, and in service to, her political point of view.

“Yet I would not be truthful if I attributed my embrace of Christianity solely to the realisation that atheism is too weak and divisive a doctrine to fortify us against our menacing foes. I have also turned to Christianity because I ultimately found life without any spiritual solace unendurable — indeed very nearly self-destructive. Atheism failed to answer a simple question: what is the meaning and purpose of life?“

No, she is very clear on her personal perspective about her conversion. You are being intellectually dishonest.

She wanted to believe in something, and she feels that Christianity is the something that most closely supports her political beliefs. It's silly to pretend that the argument she leads off with, and spends most of the article laying out in detail, is a subpoint to the "I needed something to believe" angle. She doesn't even say that. She says it's not solely about politics, it's also about spiritual solace. The idea that you could read that, and then be offended that someone calls it a political conversion, is what's intellectually dishonest.

I am surprised by people who are surprised by her rightward drift though. She was shaped by very extreme religious dogma that made no distinction between religion and politics from a young age, she's used to that mindset. She rebelled against it when a huge line was crossed (9/11), and got a lot of public acclaim (and attacks, to be fair) for staking out that position. But you can see by her argument about war of civilizations that she still buys in very deeply to the ideas taught by the Muslim Brotherhood, she's just switched teams. It's a comfortable argument for her, she knows it inside and out, she can make a convincing case for it from the Muslim, atheist West, and now Christian West POVs. It's like watching a really talented mock trial participant at this point.

"I still have a great deal to learn about Christianity," she wrote in an essay published this week. "I discover a little more at church each Sunday. But I have recognized, in my own long journey through a wilderness of fear and self-doubt, that there is a better way to manage the challenges of existence than either Islam or unbelief had to offer.”

She’s a new Christian. She has publicly declared she is a Christian, admits she has much to learn about Christianity, attends church, and openly admits Christianity is helping her through her LONG JOURNEY of FEAR and SELF-DOUBT.

Each person develops a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.

I can’t believe you are a Christian and demanding this woman meet your expectations. Get over yourself, my goodness. That’s crazy.

I'm not a Christian. There are more than two people in this thread. Someone upthread got offended that a person would dare, DARE I say, call this a political conversion. I'm simply pointing out that she herself extols the political side of her conversion far more, and in much greater detail, than the pretty glossed-over "I missed having faith" and "I go to Church now" and "atheism and Islam didn't cut it for me." I don't care why she does what she does, but I do care that people are calling anybody "intellectually dishonest" for the most honest reading of this announcement. She details for like 3 pages the geopolitical and personal political reasoning of her foray into Christianity, then throws in some soft vagueness around how she's learning and she's sure it will be great when she understands it. That's a political conversion, however offended you are by the terminology. And maybe she'll develop a personal relationship with JC, like you presume she will, and that's swell. But it's not the basis of her conversion, in her own words, and you deciding that you're Head Christian In Charge of Not Being Allowed to Notice the Obvious is . . . well, it feels political.

So you aren’t a Christian- but definitely have decided what Christians should do. Let me know what you identify as and let me judge if what you are doing measures up. Stat.

Dcum made up the term “political conversion.” That’s not a term used anywhere else.

She clearly states that atheism has not given her any meaningful life, and it’s self destructive to not have a meaningful life. That is her opinion and she’s clearly decided after being an atheist for years it’s not met her needs. Sorry if that offends you, but she’s speaking her truth.

Nope. I am a logician, and I have decided that when someone says "how could you call this a political conversion??!!?" that I should go read the article and form an opinion. At which point I laugh and laugh and laugh to see that she has very explicitly and in detail explained the political reasons for her conversion. You can be mad forever that people have taken her at her word when you would rather read "I've got the love of Jesus down in my heart" in between the lines and force people to agree that that's what she *really* meant, but you're still wrong.

One thing no one can deny about Ayaan - she's a very clear, persuasive writer. And what she's written here is clear and unambiguous. You just think it's mean or dismissive or somehow anti-Christian to take her at her word.

No; I think it’s dismissive to ignore her words when she wrote that atheism didn’t fill the void in her life, was self-destructive, and offered her no hope.

We get lectured here about how many religions we learn about and evaluate as a religious person, and it’s repeated that people who grow up in a religion don’t know what they’re doing because they have been brainwashed and taught religion. And there’s a thread about how atheists “lost their faith,” and the people posting there write about political issues affecting them and influencing them to choose atheism. That’s ok, right? It’s just becoming a Christian that’s not genuine and problematic. People can leave Christianity at any point in time because of any reason whatsoever and be hailed as an open minded, rational, logical hero. But convert to Christianity? Oh no- they are crazy! They are bi-polar and swinging from belief to belief as a manifestation of mental illness! It’s not genuine- they are politically converting. (That’s made up, a dcum original.)

This woman was had her genitalia mutilated because of her (at the time) muslim religion. She chose to become an atheist to escape from religion but found it wasn’t personally fulfilling. It offered her no solutions or solace. Now she’s publicly proclaimed she’s a Christian and one of the first posts about her here is that she’s crazy- psychotic, in fact.

And instead of allowing her to speak for herself, some Christian starts spamming the thread stating that this woman isn’t authentic and is politically motivated. There’s no term used anywhere I’ve seen for “political conversion” except dcum- so apparently a new term was coined to describe this woman.

When an atheist states anything about their atheism being related to politics or their political views, we now know that according to dcum- they are political atheists. They are atheists because of politics.

Also- this woman feels islam is harmful to women and girls. She feels human rights suffer under islam, and who can blame a victim of genital mutation for feeling that way?

The self-described "logician" calling Hirsi inauthentic is an atheist. (There are multiple atheists and at least one Christian who are upset about the whole thing.)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’m concerned anyone would convert religions based on ‘civilizational war’

As a Christian I'm hopeful that God will work in her heart through the church she attends, reading the Bible, and meeting other Christians (how he works in all our hearts), but I'm inherently suspicious of these kind of political conversions. I've seen them on the left and the right, and I don't often see them develop in the way that I'd hope a Christian would. Her statement is long on politics and short on any kind of encounter with the Christ, which isn't encouraging.

What is a political religious conversion?

You are suspicious of her? Suspicious about what?

DP but read the statement. She's very explicit that this is a political conversion - to defend Western civilization and provide a unifying mindset for the West in the global war against "three different but related forces: the resurgence of great-power authoritarianism and expansionism in the forms of the Chinese Communist Party and Vladimir Putin’s Russia; the rise of global Islamism, which threatens to mobilise a vast population against the West; and the viral spread of woke ideology, which is eating into the moral fibre of the next generation." PPP is not being unfair to call this a political conversion; Ali makes it explicit that the conversion is an outgrowth of, and in service to, her political point of view.

“Yet I would not be truthful if I attributed my embrace of Christianity solely to the realisation that atheism is too weak and divisive a doctrine to fortify us against our menacing foes. I have also turned to Christianity because I ultimately found life without any spiritual solace unendurable — indeed very nearly self-destructive. Atheism failed to answer a simple question: what is the meaning and purpose of life?“

No, she is very clear on her personal perspective about her conversion. You are being intellectually dishonest.

She wanted to believe in something, and she feels that Christianity is the something that most closely supports her political beliefs. It's silly to pretend that the argument she leads off with, and spends most of the article laying out in detail, is a subpoint to the "I needed something to believe" angle. She doesn't even say that. She says it's not solely about politics, it's also about spiritual solace. The idea that you could read that, and then be offended that someone calls it a political conversion, is what's intellectually dishonest.

I am surprised by people who are surprised by her rightward drift though. She was shaped by very extreme religious dogma that made no distinction between religion and politics from a young age, she's used to that mindset. She rebelled against it when a huge line was crossed (9/11), and got a lot of public acclaim (and attacks, to be fair) for staking out that position. But you can see by her argument about war of civilizations that she still buys in very deeply to the ideas taught by the Muslim Brotherhood, she's just switched teams. It's a comfortable argument for her, she knows it inside and out, she can make a convincing case for it from the Muslim, atheist West, and now Christian West POVs. It's like watching a really talented mock trial participant at this point.

"I still have a great deal to learn about Christianity," she wrote in an essay published this week. "I discover a little more at church each Sunday. But I have recognized, in my own long journey through a wilderness of fear and self-doubt, that there is a better way to manage the challenges of existence than either Islam or unbelief had to offer.”

She’s a new Christian. She has publicly declared she is a Christian, admits she has much to learn about Christianity, attends church, and openly admits Christianity is helping her through her LONG JOURNEY of FEAR and SELF-DOUBT.

Each person develops a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.

I can’t believe you are a Christian and demanding this woman meet your expectations. Get over yourself, my goodness. That’s crazy.

I'm not a Christian. There are more than two people in this thread. Someone upthread got offended that a person would dare, DARE I say, call this a political conversion. I'm simply pointing out that she herself extols the political side of her conversion far more, and in much greater detail, than the pretty glossed-over "I missed having faith" and "I go to Church now" and "atheism and Islam didn't cut it for me." I don't care why she does what she does, but I do care that people are calling anybody "intellectually dishonest" for the most honest reading of this announcement. She details for like 3 pages the geopolitical and personal political reasoning of her foray into Christianity, then throws in some soft vagueness around how she's learning and she's sure it will be great when she understands it. That's a political conversion, however offended you are by the terminology. And maybe she'll develop a personal relationship with JC, like you presume she will, and that's swell. But it's not the basis of her conversion, in her own words, and you deciding that you're Head Christian In Charge of Not Being Allowed to Notice the Obvious is . . . well, it feels political.

So you aren’t a Christian- but definitely have decided what Christians should do. Let me know what you identify as and let me judge if what you are doing measures up. Stat.

Dcum made up the term “political conversion.” That’s not a term used anywhere else.

She clearly states that atheism has not given her any meaningful life, and it’s self destructive to not have a meaningful life. That is her opinion and she’s clearly decided after being an atheist for years it’s not met her needs. Sorry if that offends you, but she’s speaking her truth.

Nope. I am a logician, and I have decided that when someone says "how could you call this a political conversion??!!?" that I should go read the article and form an opinion. At which point I laugh and laugh and laugh to see that she has very explicitly and in detail explained the political reasons for her conversion. You can be mad forever that people have taken her at her word when you would rather read "I've got the love of Jesus down in my heart" in between the lines and force people to agree that that's what she *really* meant, but you're still wrong.

One thing no one can deny about Ayaan - she's a very clear, persuasive writer. And what she's written here is clear and unambiguous. You just think it's mean or dismissive or somehow anti-Christian to take her at her word.

No; I think it’s dismissive to ignore her words when she wrote that atheism didn’t fill the void in her life, was self-destructive, and offered her no hope.

We get lectured here about how many religions we learn about and evaluate as a religious person, and it’s repeated that people who grow up in a religion don’t know what they’re doing because they have been brainwashed and taught religion. And there’s a thread about how atheists “lost their faith,” and the people posting there write about political issues affecting them and influencing them to choose atheism. That’s ok, right? It’s just becoming a Christian that’s not genuine and problematic. People can leave Christianity at any point in time because of any reason whatsoever and be hailed as an open minded, rational, logical hero. But convert to Christianity? Oh no- they are crazy! They are bi-polar and swinging from belief to belief as a manifestation of mental illness! It’s not genuine- they are politically converting. (That’s made up, a dcum original.)

This woman was had her genitalia mutilated because of her (at the time) muslim religion. She chose to become an atheist to escape from religion but found it wasn’t personally fulfilling. It offered her no solutions or solace. Now she’s publicly proclaimed she’s a Christian and one of the first posts about her here is that she’s crazy- psychotic, in fact.

And instead of allowing her to speak for herself, some Christian starts spamming the thread stating that this woman isn’t authentic and is politically motivated. There’s no term used anywhere I’ve seen for “political conversion” except dcum- so apparently a new term was coined to describe this woman.

When an atheist states anything about their atheism being related to politics or their political views, we now know that according to dcum- they are political atheists. They are atheists because of politics.

Also- this woman feels islam is harmful to women and girls. She feels human rights suffer under islam, and who can blame a victim of genital mutation for feeling that way?

The self-described "logician" calling Hirsi inauthentic is an atheist. (There are multiple atheists and at least one Christian who are upset about the whole thing.)

So an atheist (who doesn’t believe in God) has decided to speak for a woman of color- shocking!

Logician- what degree do you have and what qualifications do you possess? You don’t believe in God, but believe you can speak for someone who does?

[Anonymous]

Please, she’s doing this for attention and to get support from right wingers. I bet she’ll run for some office next. She is an opportunist. Her explanation of her conversion sounds so insincere.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Please, she’s doing this for attention and to get support from right wingers. I bet she’ll run for some office next. She is an opportunist. Her explanation of her conversion sounds so insincere.

What’s your evidence for your opinion?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Please, she’s doing this for attention and to get support from right wingers. I bet she’ll run for some office next. She is an opportunist. Her explanation of her conversion sounds so insincere.

What’s your evidence for your opinion?

+1. She says she finds atheism a spiritual dead end. Pp is welcome to disagree. But they can’t speak for Hirsi.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Please, she’s doing this for attention and to get support from right wingers. I bet she’ll run for some office next. She is an opportunist. Her explanation of her conversion sounds so insincere.

What’s your evidence for your opinion?

I believe it's the no true Scotsman defense.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’m concerned anyone would convert religions based on ‘civilizational war’

As a Christian I'm hopeful that God will work in her heart through the church she attends, reading the Bible, and meeting other Christians (how he works in all our hearts), but I'm inherently suspicious of these kind of political conversions. I've seen them on the left and the right, and I don't often see them develop in the way that I'd hope a Christian would. Her statement is long on politics and short on any kind of encounter with the Christ, which isn't encouraging.

What is a political religious conversion?

You are suspicious of her? Suspicious about what?

A politically motivated religious conversion. Converting to a religion because you think it matches and supports your politics, rather than because you believe that the claims made by the religion are true. I'm suspicious that she's not actually found faith in Christianity but rather that she's decided Christianity is what matches her politics.

What she presents in the article is essentially that she thinks Christianity is a good story that will help Western Civilization survive ("The lesson I learned from my years with the Muslim Brotherhood was the power of a unifying story, embedded in the foundational texts of Islam, to attract, engage and mobilise the Muslim masses. Unless we offer something as meaningful, I fear the erosion of our civilisation will continue.").

Does that mean she thinks the story is *true*? That's the heart of Christianity: believing that God became man in the person of Jesus, who died and was raised, and who promises to share that risen life with us. Right now, I think she talks like someone coopting my faith for political ends that are not what God wants. As Stanley Haurwas says "Jesus is Lord, everything else is bullshit." I want to see her belief in Jesus being Lord, not her belief that a good story can win a civilizational war. That's not what Christianity is for.

“Yet I would not be truthful if I attributed my embrace of Christianity solely to the realisation that atheism is too weak and divisive a doctrine to fortify us against our menacing foes. I have also turned to Christianity because I ultimately found life without any spiritual solace unendurable — indeed very nearly self-destructive. Atheism failed to answer a simple question: what is the meaning and purpose of life?“

So what about this part?

There are no political religious conversions. That’s something you made up. That’s really (for the lack of a better term) dumb.

Atheismis NOT a doctrine. It simplly means non-beief in religion

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Please, she’s doing this for attention and to get support from right wingers. I bet she’ll run for some office next. She is an opportunist. Her explanation of her conversion sounds so insincere.

What’s your evidence for your opinion?

+1. She says she finds atheism a spiritual dead end. Pp is welcome to disagree. But they can’t speak for Hirsi.

Exactly. So far she seems to simply be informing people of something that already happened

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’m concerned anyone would convert religions based on ‘civilizational war’

As a Christian I'm hopeful that God will work in her heart through the church she attends, reading the Bible, and meeting other Christians (how he works in all our hearts), but I'm inherently suspicious of these kind of political conversions. I've seen them on the left and the right, and I don't often see them develop in the way that I'd hope a Christian would. Her statement is long on politics and short on any kind of encounter with the Christ, which isn't encouraging.

What is a political religious conversion?

You are suspicious of her? Suspicious about what?

DP but read the statement. She's very explicit that this is a political conversion - to defend Western civilization and provide a unifying mindset for the West in the global war against "three different but related forces: the resurgence of great-power authoritarianism and expansionism in the forms of the Chinese Communist Party and Vladimir Putin’s Russia; the rise of global Islamism, which threatens to mobilise a vast population against the West; and the viral spread of woke ideology, which is eating into the moral fibre of the next generation." PPP is not being unfair to call this a political conversion; Ali makes it explicit that the conversion is an outgrowth of, and in service to, her political point of view.

“Yet I would not be truthful if I attributed my embrace of Christianity solely to the realisation that atheism is too weak and divisive a doctrine to fortify us against our menacing foes. I have also turned to Christianity because I ultimately found life without any spiritual solace unendurable — indeed very nearly self-destructive. Atheism failed to answer a simple question: what is the meaning and purpose of life?“

No, she is very clear on her personal perspective about her conversion. You are being intellectually dishonest.

She wanted to believe in something, and she feels that Christianity is the something that most closely supports her political beliefs. It's silly to pretend that the argument she leads off with, and spends most of the article laying out in detail, is a subpoint to the "I needed something to believe" angle. She doesn't even say that. She says it's not solely about politics, it's also about spiritual solace. The idea that you could read that, and then be offended that someone calls it a political conversion, is what's intellectually dishonest.

I am surprised by people who are surprised by her rightward drift though. She was shaped by very extreme religious dogma that made no distinction between religion and politics from a young age, she's used to that mindset. She rebelled against it when a huge line was crossed (9/11), and got a lot of public acclaim (and attacks, to be fair) for staking out that position. But you can see by her argument about war of civilizations that she still buys in very deeply to the ideas taught by the Muslim Brotherhood, she's just switched teams. It's a comfortable argument for her, she knows it inside and out, she can make a convincing case for it from the Muslim, atheist West, and now Christian West POVs. It's like watching a really talented mock trial participant at this point.

"I still have a great deal to learn about Christianity," she wrote in an essay published this week. "I discover a little more at church each Sunday. But I have recognized, in my own long journey through a wilderness of fear and self-doubt, that there is a better way to manage the challenges of existence than either Islam or unbelief had to offer.”

She’s a new Christian. She has publicly declared she is a Christian, admits she has much to learn about Christianity, attends church, and openly admits Christianity is helping her through her LONG JOURNEY of FEAR and SELF-DOUBT.

Each person develops a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.

I can’t believe you are a Christian and demanding this woman meet your expectations. Get over yourself, my goodness. That’s crazy.

I'm not a Christian. There are more than two people in this thread. Someone upthread got offended that a person would dare, DARE I say, call this a political conversion. I'm simply pointing out that she herself extols the political side of her conversion far more, and in much greater detail, than the pretty glossed-over "I missed having faith" and "I go to Church now" and "atheism and Islam didn't cut it for me." I don't care why she does what she does, but I do care that people are calling anybody "intellectually dishonest" for the most honest reading of this announcement. She details for like 3 pages the geopolitical and personal political reasoning of her foray into Christianity, then throws in some soft vagueness around how she's learning and she's sure it will be great when she understands it. That's a political conversion, however offended you are by the terminology. And maybe she'll develop a personal relationship with JC, like you presume she will, and that's swell. But it's not the basis of her conversion, in her own words, and you deciding that you're Head Christian In Charge of Not Being Allowed to Notice the Obvious is . . . well, it feels political.

So you aren’t a Christian- but definitely have decided what Christians should do. Let me know what you identify as and let me judge if what you are doing measures up. Stat.

Dcum made up the term “political conversion.” That’s not a term used anywhere else.

She clearly states that atheism has not given her any meaningful life, and it’s self destructive to not have a meaningful life. That is her opinion and she’s clearly decided after being an atheist for years it’s not met her needs. Sorry if that offends you, but she’s speaking her truth.

Nope. I am a logician, and I have decided that when someone says "how could you call this a political conversion??!!?" that I should go read the article and form an opinion. At which point I laugh and laugh and laugh to see that she has very explicitly and in detail explained the political reasons for her conversion. You can be mad forever that people have taken her at her word when you would rather read "I've got the love of Jesus down in my heart" in between the lines and force people to agree that that's what she *really* meant, but you're still wrong.

One thing no one can deny about Ayaan - she's a very clear, persuasive writer. And what she's written here is clear and unambiguous. You just think it's mean or dismissive or somehow anti-Christian to take her at her word.

No; I think it’s dismissive to ignore her words when she wrote that atheism didn’t fill the void in her life, was self-destructive, and offered her no hope.

We get lectured here about how many religions we learn about and evaluate as a religious person, and it’s repeated that people who grow up in a religion don’t know what they’re doing because they have been brainwashed and taught religion. And there’s a thread about how atheists “lost their faith,” and the people posting there write about political issues affecting them and influencing them to choose atheism. That’s ok, right? It’s just becoming a Christian that’s not genuine and problematic. People can leave Christianity at any point in time because of any reason whatsoever and be hailed as an open minded, rational, logical hero. But convert to Christianity? Oh no- they are crazy! They are bi-polar and swinging from belief to belief as a manifestation of mental illness! It’s not genuine- they are politically converting. (That’s made up, a dcum original.)

This woman was had her genitalia mutilated because of her (at the time) muslim religion. She chose to become an atheist to escape from religion but found it wasn’t personally fulfilling. It offered her no solutions or solace. Now she’s publicly proclaimed she’s a Christian and one of the first posts about her here is that she’s crazy- psychotic, in fact.

And instead of allowing her to speak for herself, some Christian starts spamming the thread stating that this woman isn’t authentic and is politically motivated. There’s no term used anywhere I’ve seen for “political conversion” except dcum- so apparently a new term was coined to describe this woman.

When an atheist states anything about their atheism being related to politics or their political views, we now know that according to dcum- they are political atheists. They are atheists because of politics.

Also- this woman feels islam is harmful to women and girls. She feels human rights suffer under islam, and who can blame a victim of genital mutation for feeling that way?

Just like other abrahamic religions, there is a lot of misogyny and patriarchal prejudices in Islam and old school Imams aren't ready to admit it but female genital mutilation is a cultural practice limited to only few countries, its not a religious requirement or practice. Only recommended religious mutilation is male circumcision same as Judaism and Christianity. Bash islam to your heart's delight but at least educate yourself so your criticism has weight.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’m concerned anyone would convert religions based on ‘civilizational war’

As a Christian I'm hopeful that God will work in her heart through the church she attends, reading the Bible, and meeting other Christians (how he works in all our hearts), but I'm inherently suspicious of these kind of political conversions. I've seen them on the left and the right, and I don't often see them develop in the way that I'd hope a Christian would. Her statement is long on politics and short on any kind of encounter with the Christ, which isn't encouraging.

What is a political religious conversion?

You are suspicious of her? Suspicious about what?

DP but read the statement. She's very explicit that this is a political conversion - to defend Western civilization and provide a unifying mindset for the West in the global war against "three different but related forces: the resurgence of great-power authoritarianism and expansionism in the forms of the Chinese Communist Party and Vladimir Putin’s Russia; the rise of global Islamism, which threatens to mobilise a vast population against the West; and the viral spread of woke ideology, which is eating into the moral fibre of the next generation." PPP is not being unfair to call this a political conversion; Ali makes it explicit that the conversion is an outgrowth of, and in service to, her political point of view.

“Yet I would not be truthful if I attributed my embrace of Christianity solely to the realisation that atheism is too weak and divisive a doctrine to fortify us against our menacing foes. I have also turned to Christianity because I ultimately found life without any spiritual solace unendurable — indeed very nearly self-destructive. Atheism failed to answer a simple question: what is the meaning and purpose of life?“

No, she is very clear on her personal perspective about her conversion. You are being intellectually dishonest.

She wanted to believe in something, and she feels that Christianity is the something that most closely supports her political beliefs. It's silly to pretend that the argument she leads off with, and spends most of the article laying out in detail, is a subpoint to the "I needed something to believe" angle. She doesn't even say that. She says it's not solely about politics, it's also about spiritual solace. The idea that you could read that, and then be offended that someone calls it a political conversion, is what's intellectually dishonest.

I am surprised by people who are surprised by her rightward drift though. She was shaped by very extreme religious dogma that made no distinction between religion and politics from a young age, she's used to that mindset. She rebelled against it when a huge line was crossed (9/11), and got a lot of public acclaim (and attacks, to be fair) for staking out that position. But you can see by her argument about war of civilizations that she still buys in very deeply to the ideas taught by the Muslim Brotherhood, she's just switched teams. It's a comfortable argument for her, she knows it inside and out, she can make a convincing case for it from the Muslim, atheist West, and now Christian West POVs. It's like watching a really talented mock trial participant at this point.

"I still have a great deal to learn about Christianity," she wrote in an essay published this week. "I discover a little more at church each Sunday. But I have recognized, in my own long journey through a wilderness of fear and self-doubt, that there is a better way to manage the challenges of existence than either Islam or unbelief had to offer.”

She’s a new Christian. She has publicly declared she is a Christian, admits she has much to learn about Christianity, attends church, and openly admits Christianity is helping her through her LONG JOURNEY of FEAR and SELF-DOUBT.

Each person develops a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.

I can’t believe you are a Christian and demanding this woman meet your expectations. Get over yourself, my goodness. That’s crazy.

I'm not a Christian. There are more than two people in this thread. Someone upthread got offended that a person would dare, DARE I say, call this a political conversion. I'm simply pointing out that she herself extols the political side of her conversion far more, and in much greater detail, than the pretty glossed-over "I missed having faith" and "I go to Church now" and "atheism and Islam didn't cut it for me." I don't care why she does what she does, but I do care that people are calling anybody "intellectually dishonest" for the most honest reading of this announcement. She details for like 3 pages the geopolitical and personal political reasoning of her foray into Christianity, then throws in some soft vagueness around how she's learning and she's sure it will be great when she understands it. That's a political conversion, however offended you are by the terminology. And maybe she'll develop a personal relationship with JC, like you presume she will, and that's swell. But it's not the basis of her conversion, in her own words, and you deciding that you're Head Christian In Charge of Not Being Allowed to Notice the Obvious is . . . well, it feels political.

So you aren’t a Christian- but definitely have decided what Christians should do. Let me know what you identify as and let me judge if what you are doing measures up. Stat.

Dcum made up the term “political conversion.” That’s not a term used anywhere else.

She clearly states that atheism has not given her any meaningful life, and it’s self destructive to not have a meaningful life. That is her opinion and she’s clearly decided after being an atheist for years it’s not met her needs. Sorry if that offends you, but she’s speaking her truth.

Nope. I am a logician, and I have decided that when someone says "how could you call this a political conversion??!!?" that I should go read the article and form an opinion. At which point I laugh and laugh and laugh to see that she has very explicitly and in detail explained the political reasons for her conversion. You can be mad forever that people have taken her at her word when you would rather read "I've got the love of Jesus down in my heart" in between the lines and force people to agree that that's what she *really* meant, but you're still wrong.

One thing no one can deny about Ayaan - she's a very clear, persuasive writer. And what she's written here is clear and unambiguous. You just think it's mean or dismissive or somehow anti-Christian to take her at her word.

No; I think it’s dismissive to ignore her words when she wrote that atheism didn’t fill the void in her life, was self-destructive, and offered her no hope.

We get lectured here about how many religions we learn about and evaluate as a religious person, and it’s repeated that people who grow up in a religion don’t know what they’re doing because they have been brainwashed and taught religion. And there’s a thread about how atheists “lost their faith,” and the people posting there write about political issues affecting them and influencing them to choose atheism. That’s ok, right? It’s just becoming a Christian that’s not genuine and problematic. People can leave Christianity at any point in time because of any reason whatsoever and be hailed as an open minded, rational, logical hero. But convert to Christianity? Oh no- they are crazy! They are bi-polar and swinging from belief to belief as a manifestation of mental illness! It’s not genuine- they are politically converting. (That’s made up, a dcum original.)

This woman was had her genitalia mutilated because of her (at the time) muslim religion. She chose to become an atheist to escape from religion but found it wasn’t personally fulfilling. It offered her no solutions or solace. Now she’s publicly proclaimed she’s a Christian and one of the first posts about her here is that she’s crazy- psychotic, in fact.

And instead of allowing her to speak for herself, some Christian starts spamming the thread stating that this woman isn’t authentic and is politically motivated. There’s no term used anywhere I’ve seen for “political conversion” except dcum- so apparently a new term was coined to describe this woman.

When an atheist states anything about their atheism being related to politics or their political views, we now know that according to dcum- they are political atheists. They are atheists because of politics.

Also- this woman feels islam is harmful to women and girls. She feels human rights suffer under islam, and who can blame a victim of genital mutation for feeling that way?

Just like other abrahamic religions, there is a lot of misogyny and patriarchal prejudices in Islam and old school Imams aren't ready to admit it but female genital mutilation is a cultural practice limited to only few countries, its not a religious requirement or practice. Only recommended religious mutilation is male circumcision same as Judaism and Christianity. Bash islam to your heart's delight but at least educate yourself so your criticism has weight.

Christianity does not require circumcision. Jesus didn’t mention it and we can thank Paul for deciding no.

[Anonymous]

As far as the this lady's conversion is concerned, that's her right and I sincerely hope she finds peace in Christianity because from her life story, it seems like she is a lost soul.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’m concerned anyone would convert religions based on ‘civilizational war’

As a Christian I'm hopeful that God will work in her heart through the church she attends, reading the Bible, and meeting other Christians (how he works in all our hearts), but I'm inherently suspicious of these kind of political conversions. I've seen them on the left and the right, and I don't often see them develop in the way that I'd hope a Christian would. Her statement is long on politics and short on any kind of encounter with the Christ, which isn't encouraging.

What is a political religious conversion?

You are suspicious of her? Suspicious about what?

DP but read the statement. She's very explicit that this is a political conversion - to defend Western civilization and provide a unifying mindset for the West in the global war against "three different but related forces: the resurgence of great-power authoritarianism and expansionism in the forms of the Chinese Communist Party and Vladimir Putin’s Russia; the rise of global Islamism, which threatens to mobilise a vast population against the West; and the viral spread of woke ideology, which is eating into the moral fibre of the next generation." PPP is not being unfair to call this a political conversion; Ali makes it explicit that the conversion is an outgrowth of, and in service to, her political point of view.

“Yet I would not be truthful if I attributed my embrace of Christianity solely to the realisation that atheism is too weak and divisive a doctrine to fortify us against our menacing foes. I have also turned to Christianity because I ultimately found life without any spiritual solace unendurable — indeed very nearly self-destructive. Atheism failed to answer a simple question: what is the meaning and purpose of life?“

No, she is very clear on her personal perspective about her conversion. You are being intellectually dishonest.

She wanted to believe in something, and she feels that Christianity is the something that most closely supports her political beliefs. It's silly to pretend that the argument she leads off with, and spends most of the article laying out in detail, is a subpoint to the "I needed something to believe" angle. She doesn't even say that. She says it's not solely about politics, it's also about spiritual solace. The idea that you could read that, and then be offended that someone calls it a political conversion, is what's intellectually dishonest.

I am surprised by people who are surprised by her rightward drift though. She was shaped by very extreme religious dogma that made no distinction between religion and politics from a young age, she's used to that mindset. She rebelled against it when a huge line was crossed (9/11), and got a lot of public acclaim (and attacks, to be fair) for staking out that position. But you can see by her argument about war of civilizations that she still buys in very deeply to the ideas taught by the Muslim Brotherhood, she's just switched teams. It's a comfortable argument for her, she knows it inside and out, she can make a convincing case for it from the Muslim, atheist West, and now Christian West POVs. It's like watching a really talented mock trial participant at this point.

"I still have a great deal to learn about Christianity," she wrote in an essay published this week. "I discover a little more at church each Sunday. But I have recognized, in my own long journey through a wilderness of fear and self-doubt, that there is a better way to manage the challenges of existence than either Islam or unbelief had to offer.”

She’s a new Christian. She has publicly declared she is a Christian, admits she has much to learn about Christianity, attends church, and openly admits Christianity is helping her through her LONG JOURNEY of FEAR and SELF-DOUBT.

Each person develops a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.

I can’t believe you are a Christian and demanding this woman meet your expectations. Get over yourself, my goodness. That’s crazy.

I'm not a Christian. There are more than two people in this thread. Someone upthread got offended that a person would dare, DARE I say, call this a political conversion. I'm simply pointing out that she herself extols the political side of her conversion far more, and in much greater detail, than the pretty glossed-over "I missed having faith" and "I go to Church now" and "atheism and Islam didn't cut it for me." I don't care why she does what she does, but I do care that people are calling anybody "intellectually dishonest" for the most honest reading of this announcement. She details for like 3 pages the geopolitical and personal political reasoning of her foray into Christianity, then throws in some soft vagueness around how she's learning and she's sure it will be great when she understands it. That's a political conversion, however offended you are by the terminology. And maybe she'll develop a personal relationship with JC, like you presume she will, and that's swell. But it's not the basis of her conversion, in her own words, and you deciding that you're Head Christian In Charge of Not Being Allowed to Notice the Obvious is . . . well, it feels political.

So you aren’t a Christian- but definitely have decided what Christians should do. Let me know what you identify as and let me judge if what you are doing measures up. Stat.

Dcum made up the term “political conversion.” That’s not a term used anywhere else.

She clearly states that atheism has not given her any meaningful life, and it’s self destructive to not have a meaningful life. That is her opinion and she’s clearly decided after being an atheist for years it’s not met her needs. Sorry if that offends you, but she’s speaking her truth.

Nope. I am a logician, and I have decided that when someone says "how could you call this a political conversion??!!?" that I should go read the article and form an opinion. At which point I laugh and laugh and laugh to see that she has very explicitly and in detail explained the political reasons for her conversion. You can be mad forever that people have taken her at her word when you would rather read "I've got the love of Jesus down in my heart" in between the lines and force people to agree that that's what she *really* meant, but you're still wrong.

One thing no one can deny about Ayaan - she's a very clear, persuasive writer. And what she's written here is clear and unambiguous. You just think it's mean or dismissive or somehow anti-Christian to take her at her word.

No; I think it’s dismissive to ignore her words when she wrote that atheism didn’t fill the void in her life, was self-destructive, and offered her no hope.

We get lectured here about how many religions we learn about and evaluate as a religious person, and it’s repeated that people who grow up in a religion don’t know what they’re doing because they have been brainwashed and taught religion. And there’s a thread about how atheists “lost their faith,” and the people posting there write about political issues affecting them and influencing them to choose atheism. That’s ok, right? It’s just becoming a Christian that’s not genuine and problematic. People can leave Christianity at any point in time because of any reason whatsoever and be hailed as an open minded, rational, logical hero. But convert to Christianity? Oh no- they are crazy! They are bi-polar and swinging from belief to belief as a manifestation of mental illness! It’s not genuine- they are politically converting. (That’s made up, a dcum original.)

This woman was had her genitalia mutilated because of her (at the time) muslim religion. She chose to become an atheist to escape from religion but found it wasn’t personally fulfilling. It offered her no solutions or solace. Now she’s publicly proclaimed she’s a Christian and one of the first posts about her here is that she’s crazy- psychotic, in fact.

And instead of allowing her to speak for herself, some Christian starts spamming the thread stating that this woman isn’t authentic and is politically motivated. There’s no term used anywhere I’ve seen for “political conversion” except dcum- so apparently a new term was coined to describe this woman.

When an atheist states anything about their atheism being related to politics or their political views, we now know that according to dcum- they are political atheists. They are atheists because of politics.

Also- this woman feels islam is harmful to women and girls. She feels human rights suffer under islam, and who can blame a victim of genital mutation for feeling that way?

Just like other abrahamic religions, there is a lot of misogyny and patriarchal prejudices in Islam and old school Imams aren't ready to admit it but female genital mutilation is a cultural practice limited to only few countries, its not a religious requirement or practice. Only recommended religious mutilation is male circumcision same as Judaism and Christianity. Bash islam to your heart's delight but at least educate yourself so your criticism has weight.

Christianity does not require circumcision. Jesus didn’t mention it and we can thank Paul for deciding no.

Paul's 2.0 version decided otherwise but wasn't it practiced by Jesus and early Christians? Pardon my ignorance if I'm wrong, my knowledge on religions is limited.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Apparently her husband has converted too; it sounds like it.

Gross, who trusts anything says when they are associated with Jordan Petersen?