Help me come back

  • Thread starter Thread starter DanielJS
  • Start date Start date
Status
Not open for further replies.
D

DanielJS

Guest
Raised as a catholic but have been an atheist for about 10 years

I want to come home though - i have some doubts though and am not sure the best spot to post - can someone direct me?

I don’t want to offend anyone and have fell in love w the catholic answers podcasts - when I ask my questions please spare judgement and recognize that I want to come home…
 
You have chosen correctly. 🙂

Welcome to CAF, Daniel,
and welcome on your return journey to faith and the Church.
 
You’ll find many here who have similar stories, myself included. Speaking just for myself, my faith is far stronger and more informed after having returned, so in that sense God did indeed bring greater good out of my bad choices.
 
Hello Brother,

How interesting that you’re in the same position I was maybe 2 months ago! Raised in traditional Catholic family, fell away around the age of 13 and soon became an atheist for maybe 8 year… over years later thinking of god (with small g) as some sort of impersonal cosmic principle.

Then came a time when I was like you, trying to belive in God, but still struggling. And now my faith is a source of joy to me and I cannot imagine ever going back.

What helped?

I really wanted to learn the truth, I really wanted to believe… I spent all my free time trying to understand. And finally, I had a beloved and faithful friend of mine praying for me. My friend, don’t give up, hang around faithful people who radiate with beauty of their belief, and learn as much as you can. And even if you still don’t believe, live a life as though you did… refrain from sin and keep yourself pure.

Maybe one day you will find the strength to pray, ask God for faith, say to Him that you cannot believe, that you doubt, and ask that He helps you believe… I know how this sounds to you! If you said it to me 3 months ago I would probably laugh… but when I first prayerd I cried, and I felt something move in me… and after days and weeks my faith is growing ever stronger, to the point that now I’m going to Mass every day, pray several times a day, and spend most of my time meditating and learning about God.

Best of luck, brother!
 
Welcome to you! You have found the right spot.

You also might want to check out catholics.comehome.org

When I wanted to return to the Catholic church, I emailed a local parish. I got a great email back from a deacon who invited me to meet with him and his wife. I did and then made my confession to a priest. When I met with the deacon and his wife, we talked about my doubts. That was really helpful.
 
Welcome, I hope you will find your way back to God and our faith. You will be in my prayers and I hope you will let us know how your journey is going. God will lead and guide you, just ask Him!
 
DanielJS said:
Raised as a catholic but have been an atheist for about 10 years

I want to come home though - i have some doubts though and am not sure the best spot to post - can someone direct me?

I don’t want to offend anyone and have fell in love w the catholic answers podcasts - when I ask my questions please spare judgement and recognize that I want to come home…
Click to expand...
Daniel,

Welcome. #1 thing that you can do is to go over to your local Catholic Church and speak with the Priest. 👍 Attend Mass on Sunday and get involved. No one is welcomed as warmly as one who is returning… 🙂

What specifically are your doubts? Answering this would help guide a more detailed response.

Pork
 
You’ll be in my prayers. May your journey back to God’s family be fruitful and interesting! I’m sure God, Jesus and Mary will hold a banquet on your return 👍
 
Do come home Daniel, may God be with you on your journey. May our Lord guide you on the way to truth and life.
 
DanielJS (that’s my son’s first name, middle initial and last initial!), as a questioning atheist, you should become aware of the huge body of thought, extending back 2500 years or more, regarding the existence of God. As philosopher Edward Feser (atheist-turned-Catholic) says, it is atheism that is “immoral and irrational”, not theism. Be sure and check out his books and blog, as well as Peter Kreeft and William Lane Craig and John Lennox, to name a few off the top of my head. Also check out the podcasts at cross-examined.org. And Fr. Robert Spitzer’s book “New Proofs for the Existence of God”. And then there is Augustine and Aquinas, the latter’s Summa Contra Gentiles and Summa Theologica being fundamental works in the field (I think Peter Kreeft has a book on the ST).

I think it comes as a shock to both atheists and many theists to discover how logical and evidence-driven is the case for the existence of God. I know it came as a shock (a very pleasant one, indeed) to me.
 
DanielJS

WELCOME BACK! It does feel so good to return home, I have done so in the last week, we have a very similar journey, mine was a bit longer, 32 years, how WONDERFUL that you are going to have many more years to enjoy being back though, I am going to have to work not to be envious. 👍
 
First, WOW! I can’t thank everyone enough for the positive support. I did not expect to get such a great response. Also, thanks to those who went out of there way to share their story as well.

I have been listening to the catholic answers podcast, which I have found extremely good. It was on there I heard of the “how to talk to atheists” series. I got it, and found Robert Spitzer’s talk extremely enlightening. I think that has pushed me more to the side of at least believing in God.

Regarding Jesus, at times i believe and have absolutely no doubts, then at other moments, i find myself questioning it. What do i question exactly? well, that all of the stories are true. I’ve read up on people like David Koresh, and for how crazy he was, he actually had followers. I’m not going to take it down that road b/c of how ridiculous of a comparison it is (it isn’t even a comparison and obviously don’t think of the two as the same at all, i’m just pointing to a situation in which someone had followers but was not who he said he was) but the point is simply to say, how do I not know that Jesus wasn’t just a really great guy who taught an amazing message of love? Maybe those that followed him exaggerrated on some of his claims? i don’t know.

Or what about all of the other civilizations who believed in gods or a god. We often think it’s crazy that at one point Greek people believed in Zeus and the rest of their gods, what if at some point in the future people look at us in this same manner?

Again, i don’t mean to say any of this in any kind of bad way, i truly want to believe. I did believe for a good portion of my life, and i find the moments when do believe, i find myself to feel more at peace (partially probably b/c i believe that there is something after this life and that it isn’t all just for nothing). I find myself thinking on this stuff ALL DAY, listening to the podcasts every day, reading these forums and anything i can get my hands on.

With that bit of information, does anyone have any other specific ideas of what books i should be reading next? There were a few mentioned, and I’ll definitely check those out.

Thank you to everyone again, I really do appreciate the support.
 
DanielJS said:
snip…

With that bit of information, does anyone have any other specific ideas of what books i should be reading next? There were a few mentioned, and I’ll definitely check those out.

Thank you to everyone again, I really do appreciate the support.
Click to expand...
conversiondiary.com/jen

thereluctantatheist.blogspot.com

The above links are from Jennifer Fulwiler’s sites. She was an atheist who became Catholic. Her old site reluctant atheist was a great way to follow her journey. I don’t know how much of the original content is still there.
 
DanielJS said:
First, WOW! I can’t thank everyone enough for the positive support. I did not expect to get such a great response. Also, thanks to those who went out of there way to share their story as well.

I have been listening to the catholic answers podcast, which I have found extremely good. It was on there I heard of the “how to talk to atheists” series. I got it, and found Robert Spitzer’s talk extremely enlightening. I think that has pushed me more to the side of at least believing in God.

Regarding Jesus, at times i believe and have absolutely no doubts, then at other moments, i find myself questioning it. What do i question exactly? well, that all of the stories are true. I’ve read up on people like David Koresh, and for how crazy he was, he actually had followers. I’m not going to take it down that road b/c of how ridiculous of a comparison it is (it isn’t even a comparison and obviously don’t think of the two as the same at all, i’m just pointing to a situation in which someone had followers but was not who he said he was) but the point is simply to say, how do I not know that Jesus wasn’t just a really great guy who taught an amazing message of love? Maybe those that followed him exaggerrated on some of his claims? i don’t know.

Or what about all of the other civilizations who believed in gods or a god. We often think it’s crazy that at one point Greek people believed in Zeus and the rest of their gods, what if at some point in the future people look at us in this same manner?

Again, i don’t mean to say any of this in any kind of bad way, i truly want to believe. I did believe for a good portion of my life, and i find the moments when do believe, i find myself to feel more at peace (partially probably b/c i believe that there is something after this life and that it isn’t all just for nothing). I find myself thinking on this stuff ALL DAY, listening to the podcasts every day, reading these forums and anything i can get my hands on.

With that bit of information, does anyone have any other specific ideas of what books i should be reading next? There were a few mentioned, and I’ll definitely check those out.

Thank you to everyone again, I really do appreciate the support.
Click to expand...
How do you know?!

Daniel, EVERY ‘guru’ gets followers, as people accept what they may teach/say! In time, they expose themselves as false, crazy lunatics, etc. Jesus is ALMOST the same!

Either everything He said is true, or He is the biggest FRAUD of them all! The difference is, you show me ANYONE else in history that came back from the dead, and you have a ‘challenge to the title!’ Not just CLAIM to come back, but with some credible corroborating evidence! People will say that The Bible cannot be used as evidence, but Catholics know that The Bible is only part of ‘the witness’ to the event.

Read much, Learn much, Pray!

God Bless and guide your journey and investigations.
:cool:
 
DanielJS said:
…how do I not know that Jesus wasn’t just a really great guy who taught an amazing message of love? Maybe those that followed him exaggerrated on some of his claims? i don’t know.
Click to expand...
Are you familiar with the Lord, Lunatic or Liar concept? CS Lewis (among others) points out that one cannot think that Jesus was just a great guy with a message of love. He claimed to be one with the Father, to be able to forgive sins, to be “I am” (the name of God). If he was not God, then he wasn’t a great guy, he was either a Lunatic or a Liar.
Or what about all of the other civilizations who believed in gods or a god. We often think it’s crazy that at one point Greek people believed in Zeus and the rest of their gods, what if at some point in the future people look at us in this same manner?
Click to expand...
This is easily explained if one takes the view that we were made to know and seek God, and that these were flawed attempts by peoples to know and seek God. Remember Paul telling the Greeks that their statue to the unknown God was really to the one, true God?

However, all these other civilizations believing in gods or a god is NOT easily explained if there is no God, for that would mean that the entire human race has spend countless and precious time and energy on something that does not help them to survive, on a lie. If atheism is true, why have there not been down through history atheist civilizations which were much more successful than their “superstitious” neighbors?
Again, i don’t mean to say any of this in any kind of bad way, i truly want to believe. I did believe for a good portion of my life, and i find the moments when do believe, i find myself to feel more at peace (partially probably b/c i believe that there is something after this life and that it isn’t all just for nothing). I find myself thinking on this stuff ALL DAY, listening to the podcasts every day, reading these forums and anything i can get my hands on.
Click to expand...
Once more, if there is no God and you are just a product of undirected evolution, why should you care if it’s all for nothing or not? How can such concerns help you to survive? In fact, they can only cause depression and anxiety and hinder your survival. But if God exists and you were made to seek and know him, then obviously you would have exactly such thoughts.

Maybe there should be a sticky about “books for atheists”. One very good one is GK Chesterton’s “The Everlasting Man” (he’s a great author who wrote a number of other excellent books as well). The writings of CS Lewis (on whom “The Everlasting Man” had a strong effect) are also quite good.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top