Atheist to catholic conversion?

[Struggling1]

I will! I won’t take communion because of my disbelief but I’ll continue to pray!

 

[Kei]

Have you spoken to your priest about it?

 

[Spyridon]

He asked me if I believed in God

 

[Struggling1]

I have not a whole lot of direction which doesn’t help.

 

[Kei]

Yes, acquiring some help from the Church may do you some good.

Have you ever heard of Fr Spitzer? He has a book entitled New Proofs for the Existence of God that could help you as well

 

[ajg]

I was more along the lines of being agnostic in my teens and during college. I didn’t know and didn’t care. I started going back to church (cradle Catholic) because my (now) wife wanted to get married in a “pretty church” not the plain Baptist one she attended. I went through RCIA to get confirmed so I could marry in the church. During the process I started questioning my non belief and someone suggested I read Why We’re Catholic by Trent Horn. After I read that, I was shaken and not sure where I stood but needed to know more. So I found Rome Sweet Home by Scott Hahn. Then a few weeks short of confirmation I realized that I had started to really believe and bought in. I started praying the rosary frequently. Now I go to mass as often as I can. Every Sunday and Wednesday (my “Sunday” due to work schedule) and try for most Tuesdays if I can make myself wake up.

 

[george.s.v]

Hello Struggling1,

I was an atheist for a very long time, and a militant opponent especially of Christianity and the church(es). I would first say that both the theistic and atheistic attitudes are primarily a matter of faith. There is no reasonable argument to prove either the existence or the non-existence of God. Atheists saying that they “prove” that God does not exist on scientific reasons, most probably are not very good in scientific methodology and familiar with epistemology.

Actually, one “chooses” to believe or not believe in God arbitrarily based on his/her experience and conscience. Nonetheless, thinking retrospectively about my conversion, I would say that only in part “I chose” to change my faith; there were a series of incidents, situations and courses that led my life in a condition that believing in God was the only possible choice. This means that “something”, or better “someone”, helped me to make a change in my life that was unthinkable till then.

I would suggest you to… relax, and try to find more or less obvious, even subtle, sings in your life that can “speak” to you about God. Trying to solve the problem of faith mostly on intellectual level (thoughts, argumentation, etc.) seems to be not the best way.

 

[joeybaggz]

I will! I won’t take communion because of my disbelief but I’ll continue to pray!

Struggling: I wasn’t really going to reply because atheism has never been a choice for me. But georges.s.v. post above made me think of something. Pardon me if I refer you to a scripture passage, but in light of his post, maybe it is germane. It is 1 Kings, 19: 11-13. It is where the prophet Elijah is sent to the mountain to encounter the Lord. And along comes a strong wind, then an earthquake, then a raging fire, but the Lord is none of these. Then a small whispering sound, and Elijah hides his face because the Lord is in the whisper. If one stands still (in one’s life), listening quietly, often we can see and hear the effects of God in the small and ordinary things of life.

This might be a bit saccharine, but there is an old song, called, “I Believe” A lyric goes, “Every time I hear a new born baby cry, or touch a leaf, or see the sky, then I know why, I believe.” That thought is so simple, (and I’ll admit, a bit sickeningly sweet) and maybe that is where the proof of God you seek, lies. Good luck in your journey. A prayer said for you.

Shalom