People who were once non-believers and now believe in God...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I was at a really high point in my life but felt really empty and felt the desire to search for a deeper meaning to it all.

Thanks - and religion gave you the deeper meaning that you were looking for, I presume. If that is correct, how did religion give you the deeper meaning?

Because Christianity teaches that everything happens for a reason and there is a deeper meaning to it all. It might be a cliche now but it really is like falling in love. One day the world could be gray and boring and then you fall in love and everything around you is suddenly so alive and vibrant.

I was just thinking about it the other day. Faith is such an experience, it's hard to explain it with words because it's like love. You just KNOW you love your kids, spouse etc. You don't logically arrive to the conclusion that you love your family. You just do.

No one is questioning whether you have faith or what you feel.

The question is WHY.

DP but I am not sure what you are asking. The original OP asked how or why people came to become believers and our answer is that we fell in love with God (or you can also say, we realized that God is in love with us). That is the how and why of our conversion.

That’s nor a why. Unless you don’t care if it is true or not.

[Anonymous]

I was raised in a church, but mostly secular. We went to church and Sunday school sometimes, but not super frequently, and never on holidays (Christmas and Easter were family time, not church time).

In middle school, I stopped believing in God and it wasn't until sophomore year of college that I started feeling like I was missing something. I started looking for a way to reconnect with God and found a new religious home for myself.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I was raised in a church, but mostly secular. We went to church and Sunday school sometimes, but not super frequently, and never on holidays (Christmas and Easter were family time, not church time).

In middle school, I stopped believing in God and it wasn't until sophomore year of college that I started feeling like I was missing something. I started looking for a way to reconnect with God and found a new religious home for myself.

My story is like pp's except that I stopped believing later in life and never went back, with an awareness that religion was made up.

[Anonymous]

Falling in love with my new baby. That moment was so profound I knew we humans were special and that we owe it to each other to love everyone as ourselves and to take care of this world. Those feelings felt anointed upon me by something greater so I started to explore faith in something greater than just this existence.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Falling in love with my new baby. That moment was so profound I knew we humans were special and that we owe it to each other to love everyone as ourselves and to take care of this world. Those feelings felt anointed upon me by something greater so I started to explore faith in something greater than just this existence.

It's a natural thing to love your child.

However, if God is love, or loves us, its a highly abusive relationship. He dictates that you worship him, and only him - and gets extremely jealous if you are unfaithful. He has already decided on a plan for you life, kind of like a bad date that orders meals for you. He's terrible at communication, as its either silence from him directly or dismissive of your input since only he knows what's going on. Add to it the threat of eternal punishment for disobeying and his terrible mood swings (old testament vs new).

I got smart and got the hell out of that relationship.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Falling in love with my new baby. That moment was so profound I knew we humans were special and that we owe it to each other to love everyone as ourselves and to take care of this world. Those feelings felt anointed upon me by something greater so I started to explore faith in something greater than just this existence.

Di you choose a particular religion? If so, which one and how did you choose it?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Falling in love with my new baby. That moment was so profound I knew we humans were special and that we owe it to each other to love everyone as ourselves and to take care of this world. Those feelings felt anointed upon me by something greater so I started to explore faith in something greater than just this existence.

It's a natural thing to love your child.

However, if God is love, or loves us, its a highly abusive relationship. He dictates that you worship him, and only him - and gets extremely jealous if you are unfaithful. He has already decided on a plan for you life, kind of like a bad date that orders meals for you. He's terrible at communication, as its either silence from him directly or dismissive of your input since only he knows what's going on. Add to it the threat of eternal punishment for disobeying and his terrible mood swings (old testament vs new).

I got smart and got the hell out of that relationship.

Yup. A controlling, abusive boyfriend. Sin is any thought, word, or action that goes against the will of this controlling boyfriend. I ran for the hills too.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:That is why all these debates lead nowhere. Atheists never experienced faith, they don't know what they are talking about. They try to reason their way into convincing religious people that God doesn't exist. But faith is never logical or mathematical. It's like love. Do you have to reason you way into loving your kids? I hope not.
It is completely irrational and yet it is the most beautiful thing I have known. Once you truly experience it, you never want to go back, because life is so empty without God in it.

I was a religious little child/young teen and I agree it gives meaning and a sense of peace, but you cannot help lack of belief. I think it would be wonderful to still belief, but I just do not.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Falling in love with my new baby. That moment was so profound I knew we humans were special and that we owe it to each other to love everyone as ourselves and to take care of this world. Those feelings felt anointed upon me by something greater so I started to explore faith in something greater than just this existence.

It's a natural thing to love your child.

However, if God is love, or loves us, its a highly abusive relationship. He dictates that you worship him, and only him - and gets extremely jealous if you are unfaithful. He has already decided on a plan for you life, kind of like a bad date that orders meals for you. He's terrible at communication, as its either silence from him directly or dismissive of your input since only he knows what's going on. Add to it the threat of eternal punishment for disobeying and his terrible mood swings (old testament vs new).

I got smart and got the hell out of that relationship.

Yup. A controlling, abusive boyfriend. Sin is any thought, word, or action that goes against the will of this controlling boyfriend. I ran for the hills too.

But he LOVES you. (Straight from George Carlin)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:That is why all these debates lead nowhere. Atheists never experienced faith, they don't know what they are talking about. They try to reason their way into convincing religious people that God doesn't exist. But faith is never logical or mathematical. It's like love. Do you have to reason you way into loving your kids? I hope not.
It is completely irrational and yet it is the most beautiful thing I have known. Once you truly experience it, you never want to go back, because life is so empty without God in it.

I was a religious little child/young teen and I agree it gives meaning and a sense of peace, but you cannot help lack of belief. I think it would be wonderful to still belief, but I just do not.

What would make it wonderful, in your opinion?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:That is why all these debates lead nowhere. Atheists never experienced faith, they don't know what they are talking about. They try to reason their way into convincing religious people that God doesn't exist. But faith is never logical or mathematical. It's like love. Do you have to reason you way into loving your kids? I hope not.
It is completely irrational and yet it is the most beautiful thing I have known. Once you truly experience it, you never want to go back, because life is so empty without God in it.

I was a religious little child/young teen and I agree it gives meaning and a sense of peace, but you cannot help lack of belief. I think it would be wonderful to still belief, but I just do not.

What would make it wonderful, in your opinion?

The idea of being reunited with loved ones after death would bring great comfort about loss. Feeling that you can give your worries to a higher power and everything will be okay. It’s all a sense of peace and less anxiety about both life and death.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:That is why all these debates lead nowhere. Atheists never experienced faith, they don't know what they are talking about. They try to reason their way into convincing religious people that God doesn't exist. But faith is never logical or mathematical. It's like love. Do you have to reason you way into loving your kids? I hope not.
It is completely irrational and yet it is the most beautiful thing I have known. Once you truly experience it, you never want to go back, because life is so empty without God in it.

I was a religious little child/young teen and I agree it gives meaning and a sense of peace, but you cannot help lack of belief. I think it would be wonderful to still belief, but I just do not.

What would make it wonderful, in your opinion?

The idea of being reunited with loved ones after death would bring great comfort about loss. Feeling that you can give your worries to a higher power and everything will be okay. It’s all a sense of peace and less anxiety about both life and death.

Thanks

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:That is why all these debates lead nowhere. Atheists never experienced faith, they don't know what they are talking about. They try to reason their way into convincing religious people that God doesn't exist. But faith is never logical or mathematical. It's like love. Do you have to reason you way into loving your kids? I hope not.
It is completely irrational and yet it is the most beautiful thing I have known. Once you truly experience it, you never want to go back, because life is so empty without God in it.

I was a religious little child/young teen and I agree it gives meaning and a sense of peace, but you cannot help lack of belief. I think it would be wonderful to still belief, but I just do not.

What would make it wonderful, in your opinion?

The idea of being reunited with loved ones after death would bring great comfort about loss. Feeling that you can give your worries to a higher power and everything will be okay. It’s all a sense of peace and less anxiety about both life and death.

If only it were true.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Falling in love with my new baby. That moment was so profound I knew we humans were special and that we owe it to each other to love everyone as ourselves and to take care of this world. Those feelings felt anointed upon me by something greater so I started to explore faith in something greater than just this existence.

Di you choose a particular religion? If so, which one and how did you choose it?

Sort of. I went with Christianity to start, mostly because it was easy to fit in and just absorb J’s teachings. Over the years I read about a lot of different religions’ belief systems and found what I don’t like. What I don’t like is organized religion for the masses that dictates how you’re supposed to think. That’s where I pulled away from “church” but still believe in a higher being, a spiritual realm, and even that we can have previous lives, and be reincarnated. I now think it’s likely that we’re spiritual beings living lives over and over (if we we choose to be reincarnated) learning and developing in this material world in order to reach a higher level of spiritual development.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Falling in love with my new baby. That moment was so profound I knew we humans were special and that we owe it to each other to love everyone as ourselves and to take care of this world. Those feelings felt anointed upon me by something greater so I started to explore faith in something greater than just this existence.

Di you choose a particular religion? If so, which one and how did you choose it?

Sort of. I went with Christianity to start, mostly because it was easy to fit in and just absorb J’s teachings. Over the years I read about a lot of different religions’ belief systems and found what I don’t like. What I don’t like is organized religion for the masses that dictates how you’re supposed to think. That’s where I pulled away from “church” but still believe in a higher being, a spiritual realm, and even that we can have previous lives, and be reincarnated. I now think it’s likely that we’re spiritual beings living lives over and over (if we we choose to be reincarnated) learning and developing in this material world in order to reach a higher level of spiritual development.

This is basically Buddhism.