Atheist considering a return to the Church

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I fell away from the faith in my teen years (a willful act on my part, aided by a rather non-Catholic Catholic High School). I only returned decades later, pulled back by beauty first, then by truth.

My first confession after I returned was a doozy. The priest startled me by saying all the angels and saints were rejoicing at my return. I was NOT expecting that!

Christianity is true, and Catholicism is the fullness of that truth. We have reason and morality on our side, as well as divine revelation. Atheism is “deeply irrational, immoral, and indeed insane.” (Edward Feser, another atheist who returned). Be countercultural. Fight the Dominant Paradigm.

You might want to go to Peter Kreeft’s site and do some reading and/or listening. And just open up the Catholic Catechism (it’s online) and see if it doesn’t ring true to you.
 
Adam1980 said:
I’d like to offer my sincere thanks to those who took the time to read and/or offer support and suggestions. It’s great to know that there is a great community here and that I won’t be making this journey alone. I also want to thank those who gave me reading suggestions, which I will start on. I will be making an appointment with a priest this week and attending mass again starting this Sunday. Thanks once again for your support and prayers! 🙂

adam
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To add to your reading suggestions, CS Lewis’ “Surprised by Joy” was very instrumental in bringing me back to God. I cannot recommend it highly enough. God be with you in your journey.
 
JRKH said:
  1. It is not unusual for us to hear the call to return in times of stress. This is not because God has not been calling us back all along, but rather because it is in the difficult times that we are more disposed to hear the call.
    There is an old adage in the military that one learns more from defeat than from victory. Likewise we learn more about our need for God in adversity than we do in abundance.
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True

When bullets are flying, there’s been many a conversion in a foxhole
 
Adam1980 said:
I’d like to offer my sincere thanks to those who took the time to read and/or offer support and suggestions. It’s great to know that there is a great community here and that I won’t be making this journey alone. I also want to thank those who gave me reading suggestions, which I will start on. I will be making an appointment with a priest this week and attending mass again starting this Sunday. Thanks once again for your support and prayers! 🙂

adam
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👍 👍 :blessyou:
 
Tony2255 said:
👍 👍 :blessyou:
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A quote from my parish’ recent bulletin: “There are no sins that God will not forgive if you are sorry. A well used tool of the devil is despair, which tries to convince us that we are so bad God will not forgive us. Jesus longs to forgive us. That is why He died in our place. If He could forgive those who nailed Him to the cross, He will forgive you” (Father Edward Seisser, Holy Family Parish, Rockford, IL)👍
 
I am too a former atheist. I think since I was a kid. Would make fun of people praying, to what I thought was “nothing.” I honestly regret bing one. Not having Christ in my life was awful, even though at the time I didn’t thought it wasn’t. I now question how I lasted so long not having Him in my life, The Lord found a way to guide me in the right direction. I now will be completing the RCIA program next sat. You have no idea how much emotion I have. I even cry for joy just thinking about it. Don’t think too much. Let God guide you like he did or me. The Lord knows what he has planned for you.
 
I know of a priest who used to be an atheist before ever becoming a priest; nothing fanatical–he was raised without God. Yet he felt this presence “hounding” him. So he would go sit in empty churches and try to pray and he felt he was being stalked. He’d check the pews to check for actual people: nothing but empty pews. But the haunting feeling eventually simmered into a warm fire and he is happy in the faith now. I pray that you continue to simmer.
 
got2lovme said:
I am too a former atheist. I think since I was a kid. Would make fun of people praying, to what I thought was “nothing.” I honestly regret bing one. Not having Christ in my life was awful, even though at the time I didn’t thought it wasn’t. I now question how I lasted so long not having Him in my life, The Lord found a way to guide me in the right direction. I now will be completing the RCIA program next sat. You have no idea how much emotion I have. I even cry for joy just thinking about it. Don’t think too much. Let God guide you like he did or me. The Lord knows what he has planned for you.
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Awesome!!

 
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