Hello

[Anicteric]

Hi my name is Ian. A brief history of my spiritual journey includes becoming a Christian at age 13. I was a pentocostal Christian for 15 years before reverting to atheism. It was a long tough transition over a period of 1 1/2 years. That was about 10 years ago.

I'd say I'm here to kick around some lingering issues and questions. I'd also like to show that atheist is not a four letter word.

 

[Davies]

Anicteric,

Welcome. I found your statement regarding becoming a Christian then turning to atheism interesting. Are you saying you were wrong when you claimed faith in Jesus? What belief gave you justification to put your faith some where else? Why did you become an atheist? Could you be wrong now? In my thinking, once a person becomes a Christian, then always a Christian. Sure there are times when you fail, seasons where you just don't feel anything or get anything from your faith. But a Christian will repent and his faith will have grown stronger through the trial. I think it would be more consistent to say you thought you were a Christian, and the subject of what constitutes a Christian should be thoroughly explored. I'm not sure what brand of atheist you are, but I think it would be foolish to say there is no God. It's better to ask, 'Who is God?'

- Davies

 

[Anicteric]

Welcome.

Thank you. Unfortunately, I don't feel welcome here. I posted questions in the Q&A forum that got removed. Frankly, I don't know why. It seems I literally can't say anything, regardless of how polite I try to be, because I'm not a Christian.

Are you saying you were wrong when you claimed faith in Jesus?

Yes.

What belief gave you justification to put your faith some where else? Why did you become an atheist?

I took the basics on faith, but later found the proof to be lacking. This was not an easy transition.

Could you be wrong now?

Of course. I don't know everything.

I think it would be more consistent to say you thought you were a Christian

No. I was in 100%. Believed, baptised, born again. If you had met me at 25, there would have been no doubt.

I'm not sure what brand of atheist you are, but I think it would be foolish to say there is no God.

Agreed. I don't believe in any gods. I seriously doubt it is possible that any do exist, however I don't say it is impossible.

- Davies

Thank you for your interest.

I thought this would be a place to have honest, polite discussions, but the admin have deleted my posts. I realize this is a Christian forum, but the way I have been treated, it feels like a Christian only forum.

 

[Anicteric]

Not that having a Christian-only forum is a bad thing. I was looking for a place to discuss religion issues. If this is an inappropriate place for such a thing, I apologize and will go elsewhere.

 

[reba]

Christian Talk & Advice


Christians ONLY - All other posts WILL BE DELETED.
This is Not a Debate Forum.

Anicteric, Was the above the forum you posted in?

There area number of forums where non christian folks can and do post. Maybe as see your way around here a bit more that problem will dissolve.

 

[Anicteric]

Anicteric, Was the above the forum you posted in?

reba, thank you for the quick response. No, several posts in the Q&A subforum of apologetics.

1 post in Q&A was entirely an inquiry. Deleted.

2 posts in Q&A were not questions, but I thought were very encouraging. Am I literally not allowed to make any statements?

Is there an appropriate place where I can both ask questions and make points?

 

[Davies]

Anicteric,

I've been on this site for almost a month now, and today, I read completely the Tos under Terms of Service. I think the difficulty is in debating. It would be like going into a church and telling everyone their faith is not true. In the areas where debating the Christian faith is not allowed, it would be good to ask questions to understand why we believe, and then you will find many people will be happy to explain. This process of asking questions and seeking the answer is best done in the Bible itself. Although it can be a tough book to read, and because it takes time and study, we as Christians use the same format. You can't debate a book. In fact, the bible would be more reliable, because asking people may produce any number of answers. I think asking people is a good format for research though. You can take what they say and see if it is supported/unsupported by the Bible. Sorry for being so wordy, but one last thing, you said in your last post the evidence or proof was lacking in support of the basics of the faith. I think it's important to recognize that we aren't the ones who determine what proof is sufficient. If we fail to recognize the evidence, that's one thing, but to determine what constitutes what proof is necessary, well, that's to place ourselves in God's position. I hope you stay around and faith in Jesus is encouraged.

- Davies

 

[reba]

Newbie
This message has been deleted by Mike.

ReasonQ&A format - Non-Christians ask, Christians answer

Anicteric,
I will give you the benefit of doubt you are not using this thread to just complain about the rules you agreed too. Mike and theLords are fair moderators and an explanation was given. It is posted above.

 

[Anicteric]

reba, thank you for the post. I now understand.

Davies, thank you for taking the time to respond.

 

[Mike]

If you don't understand why something was done, why not just PM me or another mod? There are reasons for the rules we have in place, and it's better to find out rather than complain out in the forum. You are welcome here as long as you adhere to the rules of each forum and the ToS.

Welcome to CFnet, by the way.