how do you describe god has been calling you as? i'm born into a strict christian family and if anything i've rationalised myself into being an atheist. Been reading this forum for a few years and understand it has morphed into some sort of a christian forum now. i'm just wondering what changes someone to go back to god. is it old age and the fear of death or the threat of eternal hell.
I've Accepted Jesus Christ
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DanielH
Pelican
For me it wasn't any of those things. I saw so much evil that I was convinced there were real evil forces that I couldn't see. Then I figured, if there's evil, there must be good.
Also the notion that a primordial blob exploded for no reason into all the matter we perceive which had all the laws of physics conducive to life, for no reason, and then our planet formed with just the right conditions, and then from a primordial sludge all the necessary amino acids not only randomly formed into proteins, but the correct proteins, in the right orders, again for no reason... and then those bacteria randomly evolved into us, yeah that notion sounds looney tunes to me.
So I developed a lukewarm logical faith, and the proper faith came later with some extraordinary experiences I had.
hmmm...yeah lukewarm logical faith sounds pretty reasonable and i was there once. many years ago i was trying to convince myself to go back to god but the counter argument to religion is pretty solid especially once you have listen to debates involving Christopher Hitchens.
Heismightytosave
Robin
You have to come to a place of seeing yourself as you actually are. A person that needs God. A person, like just about all of us, that has been deceived about certain things and that needs to admit as much.
It's not about needing religion. No one needs religion. It's about needing God the person. It's about needing Jesus to forgive your sins.
Pascal's Wager is not the justification for Christian faith, but it is the justification for putting some serious effort into examining these matters. But speaking as somebody born and raised as an atheist with an antipathy toward religion, I can tell you that the fear of death and threat of eternal hell never entered my mind in the process of becoming a Christian. Rather, my life experience was slowly accumulating for me the impression that there had to be a deity of some sort. There was too much purpose, too much intentionality to life for me to dismiss as mere probability. It was kind of an inescapable conclusion for me, because little things kept adding up toward that conclusion, but it wasn't until later that some really freakish things happened in series in connection with a Christian friend who initially hated my guts and wanted nothing to do with me, it was like I was getting a big push from the Christian God in some direction.
I think that's how I'd describe being called by God. The Bible describes it as the sheep knowing the voice of their shepherd. I wouldn't have believed it if I tried to explain it to my former atheist self.
In many ways, it's like the path to becoming red-pilled. You can shove the red pill down a normie's throat all you want, he'll just keep vomiting it back up and rejecting it no matter how much statistics, logic, math you throw at him. You can quote 13% all you want, you can quote Wikipedia Early Life entries all you want, point out all the logical conundrums of feminism, but it's not going to make a dent in that person's psyche. He has to fully experience the futility of the blue pill life. He has to fail, fail, fail, fail with women over and over before his mind becomes open to the kind of questions that the red pill can answer. Or he has to experience diversity full force, with blunt trauma, before he starts wondering if there's more to the story than he believes. He has to experience the failure of the blue pill before he can begin to swallow the red pill.
Like @Heismightytosave says, it's about seeing yourself as a person that needs God. There is no one single magic bullet argument that will convince you that God is real. I can't shove that particular pill down your throat. Christians as well as non-Christian theists have tried that for many, many millennia, but yet here we still are, running in circles. I can only ask you to open your ears, and listen for His voice.
Steiner
Pigeon
Congratulations OP! The fire has always been lit inside of you, go forth! As you asked, this is my story:
I was born into a Catholic family, attended Catholic school for a time, and during my upbringing my parents had a direct involvement in our local church. My father also had us become alter servers, first my sisters at our Catholic school, and then me alone when we went to the new church outside of school (& my sisters aged out).
Once I could no longer attend Catholic school, they taught CCD (Catholic school basically), my father performed the readings at mass & was in/helped run a men's prayer group.
Anyways, my revelation is as followed: my father had always directed us in prayer, basically was (to me) the ideal head of our "little church" at home. He made me become an alter server, which I was reluctant to do and honestly did not like at first because I was very shy. I would try and weasel my way out of it, but both of my parents were strong. They taught me discipline and I no longer fought against going and performing my duties (in my mind).
Until one day. It was around Easter. A beautiful spring day you can imagine. An early mass, about 8 or 9am. My parish had the typical layout, but with the addition of an upper section at the back of the church facing the alter that was lofted, this contained an organ. So being an alter server is usually a task compromised of three individuals (I've seen more in some churches), but one day I was the only one that showed up! I was extremely nervous, and had to perform all of the duties the three of us would normally do. Being that it was around Easter, the church was packed. I put on my robes and lifted the cross for the beginning of mass. The Priest said to me (knowing I was new) "Ah the only one today, don't worry. You will be fine"
The mass proceeded and I performed my duties the best I could, no mishaps.
As the mass ended I took my place at the lead of the line, with the deacon and priest behind me to walk out.
The sun burst through the stain glassed windows at the back of the church, the doors were opened and I felt the sun on my face, the fresh cool air and the smell of spring. The organ began it's final song of the service.
It was then that I truly felt God's presence wash over me as I walked out past my family and the public. I couldn't help but smile as I listened to the music. I lifted the cross high as I went down the isle and out the large double doors of the church.
God revealed himself to me that day more than I can explain in text. The grace I received has never left my side.
Sorry for the long writeup, but I felt that this story may help you in the beginnings of your walk with God. Know that he has been with you long before you felt this revelation, and now that you have had it never look back! Be emboldened in your faith and go forth! A warm welcome home brother!
I was born into a Catholic family, attended Catholic school for a time, and during my upbringing my parents had a direct involvement in our local church. My father also had us become alter servers, first my sisters at our Catholic school, and then me alone when we went to the new church outside of school (& my sisters aged out).
Once I could no longer attend Catholic school, they taught CCD (Catholic school basically), my father performed the readings at mass & was in/helped run a men's prayer group.
Anyways, my revelation is as followed: my father had always directed us in prayer, basically was (to me) the ideal head of our "little church" at home. He made me become an alter server, which I was reluctant to do and honestly did not like at first because I was very shy. I would try and weasel my way out of it, but both of my parents were strong. They taught me discipline and I no longer fought against going and performing my duties (in my mind).
Until one day. It was around Easter. A beautiful spring day you can imagine. An early mass, about 8 or 9am. My parish had the typical layout, but with the addition of an upper section at the back of the church facing the alter that was lofted, this contained an organ. So being an alter server is usually a task compromised of three individuals (I've seen more in some churches), but one day I was the only one that showed up! I was extremely nervous, and had to perform all of the duties the three of us would normally do. Being that it was around Easter, the church was packed. I put on my robes and lifted the cross for the beginning of mass. The Priest said to me (knowing I was new) "Ah the only one today, don't worry. You will be fine"
The mass proceeded and I performed my duties the best I could, no mishaps.
As the mass ended I took my place at the lead of the line, with the deacon and priest behind me to walk out.
The sun burst through the stain glassed windows at the back of the church, the doors were opened and I felt the sun on my face, the fresh cool air and the smell of spring. The organ began it's final song of the service.
It was then that I truly felt God's presence wash over me as I walked out past my family and the public. I couldn't help but smile as I listened to the music. I lifted the cross high as I went down the isle and out the large double doors of the church.
God revealed himself to me that day more than I can explain in text. The grace I received has never left my side.
Sorry for the long writeup, but I felt that this story may help you in the beginnings of your walk with God. Know that he has been with you long before you felt this revelation, and now that you have had it never look back! Be emboldened in your faith and go forth! A warm welcome home brother!
"At the very first moment we decide to turn to God, our heart begins to be warmed by the action of the Holy Spirit. Our heart is kindled with the divine flame that will transform us. This flame will consume us completely, and will melt everything of a fallen nature within us. Once this flame of divine love has been actualized within our heart, we must do nothing that would allow it to be extinguished. We must cooperate with the Fire of God, and let it completely consume us.
We must let all our effort be focused on this spiritual transformation that begins in our heart. We must not let anything take center stage over this action by God that is meant to save us. From a little flame, this fire will burn in our heart, and nothing of our fallen nature will be able to withstand it. This flame will transform our whole being, for the action of the Holy Spirit will transport us into God’s Kingdom, the Kingdom which resides within."
This is a quote from The Morning Offering by Abbot Tryphon. The Morning Offering is a blog that I have been reading every day for many years, and this is my favorite post. I think is is appropriate for you to read this considering what you have just experienced.
The Divine Flame – The Morning Offering
The divine flame will consume us At the very first moment we decide to turn to God, our heart begins to be warmed by the action of the Holy Spirit. Our heart is kindled with the divine flame that will transform us. This flame will consume us completely, and will melt everything of a fallen...