I have read several posts stating that people become Christians because they were taught by their parents to believe in God/Jesus.I believe that this is probably true for the vast majority.

I am curious as to the age that Christians coming from atheist/agnostic families , were introduced to Christianity.

I would particularly like to hear from people who became Christians as adults.I am interested in the thought processes which compelled you to accept the existance of God , if you had been raised to believe that none existed.

I have no desire to start any arguments. I respect the beliefs of others , even though my beliefs may differ .

Ive had several roomates that were from unreligious families....if their families were Diests or not is unknown.

I had some room-mates too. Not sure if they were realy religious or not though, they sort of were

I grew up with a kind of agnostic christian environment, so this might have some value for you.

Both my parents where/are christians, and I grew up "in the church". However, despite the family being the primary source of socialisation, I don't think they really played that much of a part in the development of my own faith journey. Apart from taking me to church and answering some of my questions as a kid, christianity was never really a major part of our family life.

So for me I suppose that I'd grown up with abstract conception of God and Jesus and all that stuff that you get fed in Sunday School. However, I don't think that matters much in someone's long term spiritual development. I personally think that the teenage/young adult period is more influential in the longer-term, and I think it has been in my experience.

I don't really have a point at which I considered myself "converted" or whatever. For me the path of discpleship that I'm currently on developed out of a period where I had to consciously decide whether I was going to follow Christ or do my own thing. This was a period where I very much had to "own" whatever decision I made, and not rely on anyone else's ideas or beliefs or input.

i for one have never met a self converted christian except for those who have had a bad experience (drugs, death etc).

i guess people who are brought up to be happy without a god will not loose that feeling unless they have something horrific happen. content people do not feel the need to change. being content with beliving in god is just as nice as being content with not beliving, unless its not.

I'm just the opposite. I'm an Atheist from a Catholic family. Nobody seems to mind but my sister. She freaks out many, many Sundays.

Does she freak out because you don't go to Mass or because you say there is no God?

Both. Actually, I still have to go to mass, otherwise I'm grounded. I'm just an ass to her because she drives me, expects me to participate, dress nice, etc. She starts screaming and occasionally hitting me while I am rather calm and collective. I feel bad for any zygotes that have the misfortune of becoming her offspring.

^how old are you?

You get grounded? For having different beliefs? Arn't christians supposed to have religious tolerance?

I'm 15. I know, angsty teenager bullshit, I don't care, I'm quite content, but I still don't care. Christains are supposed to be quite tolerant, though most that I know usually aren't. That's one of the reason's I decided it wasn't for me: too many hypocrites. Too many people preaching about love and mercy and then kicking people's asses are insulting other religion's beliefs.

I think a lot of parents force their kids into church to teach them early on a sense of social stability. Teach 'em some morals so that they don't have to. Make them fear the taboo so they don't have worry too much about having a freak for a kid.

I'm sure some go with legitimate belief to raise their kid to save their soul, and follow christianity and what not. But I'm pretty sure a lot of 'em force their kids to go to take a load off of rasing them.

quote:Originally posted by RAOVQ:

i for one have never met a self converted christian except for those who have had a bad experience (drugs, death etc).

i guess people who are brought up to be happy without a god will not loose that feeling unless they have something horrific happen. content people do not feel the need to change. being content with beliving in god is just as nice as being content with not beliving, unless its not.



From my personal experiences, I have to agree with you.I have yet to meet anyone converted to Christianity(from an atheist background)who hasn't had major problems in his/her life.I't seems to me, at least in my experience,most of these people are just using Christianity as a crutch to keep their lives from collapsing.

It hasn't been very difficult to find people who have left the Christian faith(I myself being one such person) due to various reasons.It seems to be a lot harder to find a Christian who was raised as an atheist.

I'm would assume that there are a number of Christians who converted from atheism . I would just like to know what convinced them of the existance of God.

How does a series of practices keep your life from falling apart ? No matter what you believe in (the sky is "purple"), it won't help you get through life, if it is non-existent in reality.

True Christians believe in God, because He is there, and we can feel Him.

I grew up in a Christian home, but my parents were alcoholics that thought it was ok to abuse my sister and I, and when they weren't doing that, it was normal for us to be ignored entirely. They were only "Christians" when someone else was looking. The hypocrisy that went on under our roof was enough to drive ANYONE away from God, and Christianity altogether.

I left home when I was fifteen. At that time, I had been actively participating as a priestess (mainly medium work) for a druidic colony. I saw many things that I don't care to talk about...things no one should ever have to see (both spiritually, and physically). I had a spirit guide, and I would relay the images given to me from that guide to those in the colony.

I came to this path through the rebellion I felt against the Church...mostly because of my parents. I dabbled in Satanism, but found it to be a bit extreme. I believed in God, but didn't want to have anything to do with Him. I guess you could say that in my immaturity, I felt it necessary to blame God for the shortcomings of my parents. I felt I deserved a much better hand than I had been dealt, and I shook my fist at God for allowing me to be born of such horrific people.

At about that time, I was given the opportunity to go on a Christian retreat (a camp for youth) through an organization called Young Life. I had made some pretty decent friends amongst the kids of that group, and the camp offered horseback riding, mountain biking, water sports, among many other enticing things...so, I went. I figured I could endure the teaching, in order to have some fun, and get away from my life.

While I was there, I listened to what they had to say, and though I was still angry at God, I prayed that if He intended me to live my life for Him, that He give me some sort of sign...once again, my silly human nature thought that by testing God, I would find the answers I was searching for.

A lady came up to me during the prayer portion of the service, and said, "I know you don't know me, but God told me that I need to give you this message: Jeremiah 29:11 - "For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD , "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future..." She went on to say that she didn't know what was going on in my life, or why I needed to hear that, but that she would pray for me. She then went back to her seat. I hadn't spoken a word to her.

My eyes filled with tears at the prospect of the God of the universe sending me a message, and then I shook it off, for the very same reason. The likelihood of that was slim to none. Who was I ? No one. At least no one important.

I didn't give it much thought after that. The lady was either crazy, or she had spoken to the wrong person, in my opinion.

A year later, there was another trip through the same group out to Huntington Beach, CA. I had aspirations of becoming a Marine Zoologist, and every opportunity I got to see the ocean, I would take. (I lived in Hell...A.K.A. Phoenix, AZ *laughs*) So, I went.

I didn't really have any desire to listen to the teaching. I simply wanted to be by the ocean. We were going to be taking a boat out past Catalina Island, and there were promises of seeing some dolphins. I was completely focused on that...and only that.

During one of the trips to the beach, the group leaders called everyone to take a seat in the sand, and listen to some testimony. As moving as it was, I just didn't care. I had become so jaded at that point, that not much moved me. I was a drug addict, and had serious anger problems that I just couldn't control. I had been on my own for over a year at that point, and was already weathered from living on the streets, or trying to find friends to stay with.

Once again, during the prayer portion, a mexican lady approached me, and put her hand on my back. At the time (and still to this day), I had issues with people touching me, especially when I didn't know they were going to do it. She was very lucky she didn't lose a finger...I stared at her thinking, 'Just what do you think you're doing ?!' She didn't remove her hand though...and timidly, she said, " I have a message for you. This is very hard for me to do...I am a shy person, and I don't like bothering people. But God has moved me, and He wants me to tell you the verse found in Jeremiah...chapter 29, verse 11. 'For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD , "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.'"

I couldn't speak. I couldn't move. I was so amazed that I just sat there, motionless, and I cried. I cried the tears of a girl whose whole life was submerged in mysery and heartache.

I wasn't sure what was going to happen, but I knew I had to be receptive to it. I had no idea what I should do...how I should seek God out, or whether or not I was crazy for believing that this was even possible for me.

When we returned from the trip, I went to a seance, in my human ignorance, not realizing that this was the exact opposite of the spectrum God wanted me to be in.

While performing a ritual, one of the other members presented an infant, who was screaming hysterically. It couldn't have been more than 4 months old, looking back. I had no idea what was going on, which was unusual. I looked at the faces sitting around me, wondering if someone was going to explain this baby to me, and it began to occur to me that the rest of the group was ready to go to the next level...they had intended on sacrificing this child, and I had no intentions of helping them do it.

I ran.

I ran down the dark alley's, stumbling over garbage and homeless people. I was so nauseated that I heaved a few times. I decided then and there that I would never go back. At that moment, the spirit guide who had become somewhat of a confidante to me, appeared. For someone of my spiritual stature at the time, this was impossible. In order to communicate with such a being, I had to count myself down into a deep sleep. I would still be able to hear the environment around me, but I couldn't wake myself up. I had to be counted back into an awake state. Something was strange about him...normally approachable, he had become enraged, and warned me that if I left I could never come back. I told him that was fine with me, that I was done. I was then attacked physically, and as I found myself on my knees, I began to pray.

For the first time in my life, I really prayed...and I asked that God would save me from this hell that had become my life, and that He would deliver me from the evil I had involved myself with.

There was suddenly a peace that came over me, and I knew then and there that beyond a shadow of a doubt He was real, and that the guide I had grown to trust was NOT a friend, and had every intention of eliminating me from the planet. You don't just "leave" a colony.

I walked the rest of the way home in slow, deliberate steps, thinking about the ways my life was about to change.

I quit tweek the next day...cold turkey. I stayed in my room, with my door locked, and sweated it out for three days.

It has been a long, hard journey since then. Being a Christian is not ever the easiest thing to be...but I look back and praise God that I was given that second chance...the He loved me enough to save me from my own path to destruction.

This all probably sounds like BS to you guys, but this is how it happened. This is how I came to know Christ, and began to live my life for God.

My past is the reason I believe, with all certainty (and beyond a shadow of a doubt) that He is real, and His purpose in our lives is for BENEFIT.

You all can go ahead and make fun of me now. *smiles* Sorry this wasn't more eloquent...I am at work, and am under time constraints. (I left out a lot of details and facts for this reason. My apologies)

Digital_Savior,please allow me to first state that I intend no animosity toward you or your beliefs.It is possible that you are 100% correct in what you believe.I personally require more than ancient texts to accept the existance of God.I also try to keep an open mind as to the possibility of His existance.I am just not convinced with the evidence presented as of yet.

Let me reword what I was trying to say concerning people using Christianity as a crutch.This is just my opinion( though I believe my reasoning is quite sound)formed through personal observations over many years.This is a generalization and by no means is intended to apply in all cases.



People whose lives are controlled by their addiction to drugs or alcohol,are abused either physically and/or mentally,or suffer various other hardships ,often look to Christianity (or another religion) to gain purpose to their lives.They look to a God to accept and love them even though they feel they are not deserving of such acceptance.Basicly , they long for something better than what they have known,and they look to Christianity to find it.They have been unable to cope with life on their own , and are looking for help.They are willing to embrace Christianity and to defend it to the end .From what I have seen, these are the people who become the most obsessed with their beliefs and refuse to consider any other points of view.

Please do not take offense to this , because none is intended, but after reading your story, it seems that you could possibly be one of these people.

I personally have no problems with people believing in God. Both of my parents(both 70+ years old),my brother , and my three sisters are all Christians.They are all content in their beliefs, and it seems to give meaning to my parents lives.My father is a Deacon (inactive due to his age and physical condition)in the Baptist church.If their faith brings them peace in the last years of their lives, wonderful. I have absolutely no desire to have them question their faith.I guess it's a win-win situation.If God does exist, they have heaven.If God doesn't exist, at least they don't spend the time they have left being worried about it.



[This message has been edited by truckfixr (edited 07-19-2004).]

I understand where you're coming from, and appreciate the post.

However, I disagree that I am "one of those people", because I went through a great deal of suffering, and didn't rely on anything besides myself for a LONG time. I didn't become a drug addict because I needed a crutch, I did them because I thought my life was bad enough for me to die. I figured doing drugs would be the most enjoyable way to accomplish that. I quit them, without issue...on the same note, I didn't become a Christian because I felt I needed something (though I very obviously did). I became a Christian because I felt Him...and He is undebiable. It is a feeling that you cannot describe, you just have to experience it for yourself, which is difficult for most people, because they don't want to.

I believe that this is why more ex-addicts and alcoholics and such turn to God...because of the pain they have experienced, they are better able to embrace the idea of God. They recognize that they cannot "do it alone", so to speak, because it is against our nature as humans. The soul in each of us longs to be with it's creator, plain and simple. This is the void that so many seek to fill - with drugs, with sex, with compulsive shopping...the bottom line is, the void is the absence of God.

I cannot explain the transformation I have gone through since that night in the alley. I am no longer a creature of the flesh, and I am thankful everyday that I was given that opportunity.

Sadly, this opportunity is available to everyone, but something else always comes first. (once again, drugs, alcohol, sex, whatever) Quench the palette...find the niche...fill the hole.

I don't have a hole to fill anymore, and it is something within me that is recognizable, though not explainable.

Sorry I can't do a better job.

I just think it is a little presumptuous to assume that people (in particular, me) base their religion solely on ancient texts. The Bible is often used to prove Christianity, because after MANY years of studying, it has been shown to be infallable, no matter what the skeptics say. (these same skeptics have generally not read the entire Bible, in all its translations in order to confirm this) But that is not all there is to proving God. The foundation is what we "feel"...and by that, I mean the Holy Spirit. I feel Him. It's not something you can refute, but it's not exactly provable, either.

I have also seen things since my conversion...the spirit of God in a church during a worship service, for example. That has only happened once in my 13 years as a Christian, but it has impacted me for life. (it was not an exact form, it was simply a presence that could be recognized by sight, and touch)

I couldn't possibly have created these things in my mind. Just as the spirit guide was real, so was the Holy Spirit. The difference is, with the spirit guide I felt nothing but oppression and malice, which was not recognizable until after it had left me.

Once again, thank you for your post, and your objectivity. If ever you would like to speak personally on this subject, I would be happy to. Let me know, and I will create a dummy email where we can initially make contact, and then I will give you my personal address.

I am not looking for a conversion here...I just believe that the majority of people don't believe in God because of misunderstanding, denial, or rebellion. (there are other reasons, but those encapsulate the 'majority', in my opinion)

Good chatting with you.



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I see so many people using christianity everyday as a cruch. Although I am christian it just seems wierd that anyone will follow something so blindly. It happens so much here i've seen some christian arguning with an athiest or whatever but the athiest knows more about christianity than the christian does... The reason I still believe that the lord is out there is due to the fact that certan "things" were almost not guaranteed to work out but for some reason they did. I just find it strange that its still hapening (somewhat) it seems as though somone is waching.