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View Full Version : Finding my religion - an open letter to you all



tkingdoll
1st April 2007, 12:10 AM
I know many of you will be shocked by this as I have previously been very open and even arrogant about my atheism. You will also probably know that I used to be a born-again Christian.

Well, something very weird happened to me just now. At just after midnight today, I got an email from the minister of my old church, Dan.

I was working late (as usual) and checked my emails as I tend to do, so it wasn't luck or anything that I happened to see it when I did. However, the timing was quite good as I have had a weird couple of days and haven't been looking forward to April as it's a really busy month.

I've also been losing my atheist convictions a bit lately. What I mean by that is, I've been asking myself "was I happier when I believed in a higher power?"

So, I got an email from Dan Yarnell who, it turns out, had found me by accident when looking for a marketing company for his ministry. He had known me well as a child, and although I don't want to go into too much detail about what he said, suffice to say he made me realise that I've been fooling myself for a very long time now. I was much happier when I was a Christian, and that is simply because God is the Truth.

I know there are theist skeptics, and I previously had no understanding of their position, but a sneaking sympathy for it. Since reading the email, I have realised that Christianity is not a complete fabrication as I had come to believe, but a philosophy based on the word of God.

Lots of people ask "where do atheists get their morals from?" and I usually reply "we don't need them, we have empathy". But this simply isn't true for me. I have very few morals. For example, I am quite happy to lie without giving it a second thought.

I want you all to think about what I'm saying here. If someone like me, a die-hard atheist, can realise that the Word of God is in all of us, then you can as well. Something was missing in my life before and I have tried to fill that void with all sorts of things. I think skepticism might even be one of them, although I would like to continue to battle against the supernatural and paranormal as they are forces for Evil as taught in the Bible.

I will post more on this after today but for now I want you all to think about what has happened to me and ask yourself some deep questions, and consider if you are being completely honest with yourselves: Proverbs 12:19, "The lip of truth shall be established for ever: but a lying tongue is but for a moment."

Lord Muck oGentry
1st April 2007, 03:09 AM
Amen, sister!

John 11:35, I say. The craic is fecking mighty. :)

asthmatic camel
1st April 2007, 08:08 AM
Lo! Anyone needeth an holy calendar?

chillzero
1st April 2007, 10:45 AM
Lo! Anyone needeth an holy calendar?


Thank goodness for that :D

Admin
1st April 2007, 12:04 PM
If someone like me, a die-hard atheist, can realise that the Word of God is in all of us, then you can as well. Something was missing in my life before and I have tried to fill that void with all sorts of things.


I wish you'd posted this yesterday.

My life too has had a void in it for a while now and I've known that 'something' was needed to fill it.

Yesterday, I addressed that problem - and bought myself a hippopotamus.

I never thought of the God thing. ::)

asthmatic camel
1st April 2007, 12:29 PM
John, it may well be a divine hippopotamus. God works in a mysterious way, his wonders to perform.

tkingdoll
1st April 2007, 06:34 PM
Did I put too many hints in? :D

chillzero
2nd April 2007, 09:37 AM
Did I put too many hints in? :D


Well, even though you have said in the past that you are Jewish - accepting responsibility for the moon landing hoax, 911, and all that ( ;) ) I still had a sinking feeling reading this.

Well done!

Jocky
2nd April 2007, 10:01 AM
;D ;D

Good one, Teek!

You had me worried about you for a minute until:


I am quite happy to lie without giving it a second thought.

which is straight out of the same stable as the old canard "This statement is false". Then I realised what date you were writing on ...

tkingdoll
2nd April 2007, 12:43 PM
Yay! I'm glad fooled someone, even for a moment :D

It actually has a basis in truth - I did used to be a Christian and my minister was indeed called Dan Yarnell. I used his real name in case anyone Googled for him, the search would have added a strand of truth to my tale. I totally overcooked the clues but it was funny to write. Here they are:


I know many of you will be shocked by this as I have previously been very open and even arrogant about my atheism. You will also probably know that I used to be a born-again Christian.

Well, something very weird happened to me just now. At just after midnight today, I got an email from the minister of my old church, Dan.

I was working late (as usual) and checked my emails as I tend to do, so it wasn't luck or anything that I happened to see it when I did. However, the timing was quite good as I have had a weird couple of days and haven't been looking forward to April as it's a really busy month.

I've also been losing my atheist convictions a bit lately. What I mean by that is, I've been asking myself "was I happier when I believed in a higher power?"

So, I got an email from Dan Yarnell who, it turns out, had found me by accident when looking for a marketing company for his ministry. He had known me well as a child, and although I don't want to go into too much detail about what he said, suffice to say he made me realise that I've been fooling myself for a very long time now. I was much happier when I was a Christian, and that is simply because God is the Truth.

I know there are theist skeptics, and I previously had no understanding of their position, but a sneaking sympathy for it. Since reading the email, I have realised that Christianity is not a complete fabrication as I had come to believe, but a philosophy based on the word of God.

Lots of people ask "where do atheists get their morals from?" and I usually reply "we don't need them, we have empathy". But this simply isn't true for me. I have very few morals. For example, I am quite happy to lie without giving it a second thought.

I want you all to think about what I'm saying here. If someone like me, a die-hard atheist, can realise that the Word of God is in all of us, then you can as well. Something was missing in my life before and I have tried to fill that void with all sorts of things. I think skepticism might even be one of them, although I would like to continue to battle against the supernatural and paranormal as they are forces for Evil as taught in the Bible.

I will post more on this after today but for now I want you all to think about what has happened to me and ask yourself some deep questions, and consider if you are being completely honest with yourselves: Proverbs 12:19, "The lip of truth shall be established for ever: but a lying tongue is but for a moment."

:D

Jocky
2nd April 2007, 01:54 PM
It actually has a basis in truth - I did used to be a Christian

Yeah, I knew that - which is why I got worried for a second. Religion's a bit like smoking you know, you never quite get it out of your system ;)

tkingdoll
2nd April 2007, 06:19 PM
I should also clarify that I do have morals :D