Atheism, part two

"I once was lost, but now am found."

Welcome to part two of this "little bit of my testimony". I began my story here.

* * * * *

I was actively raised as an atheist. My parents believed that there was no God, and I was taught through example to believe the same. God is just a fabrication from man, created to appease our fears. The bible is not true. And, mankind does not need a God.

Of course, we never attended a church. We had no Christmas, or even a Christmas tree. We opened presents on the Winter Solstice, the first day of winter. My parents told me that the bible was a very good story, with very sound moral lessons, if I ever wanted some great reading. I was taught about “the separation of church and state,” and how important this was to my rights. I practiced my right and did not say “one nation under God” as our class would recite the pledge of allegiance. As my pets, and even my grandparents, died…I was never told that they went to heaven. Heaven simply did not exist.

Believe it or not, Growing up with these beliefs was mostly not difficult or trying. You follow what you know when you are a child. And what may be surprising to some is that our family taught us very strong morals. We were not to lie, cheat, or steal. We were to respect others and follow the rules. We were to become educated, do well in school, and go to college. We were to think of others and be giving.

I do remember being somewhat embarrassed that we were different, but maybe I just longed to have a Christmas tree. Because from what I saw of Christians; they didn’t have it any better than me. Most of them did not smile more than me; many didn’t go to church anyway; they certainly complained about everything the same way my family did; they didn’t even talk about God, so He must not be that big of a deal. The only people I ever heard talk about God, or say the word Jesus, were televangelists (New Jersey could use a few loving missionaries, people.)! From what I saw of Christianity, I wasn’t missing anything.

Soon, what little embarrassment I had over being different, turned into a passionate defiance. I embraced my atheistic beliefs. If I was to be different, then I was going to let everyone know that I not only had the right to believe this way, but that I believed the right thing. As I left for college, I was sure that I had figured it all out, and I was sure about the fact that there was no God. I debated with friends, telling them that they were just imagining God, and using the idea of Him to make themselves feel better about death. I argued any evidence of God’s existence, and I could answer any challenge to my ideas. I was prepared to prove my case.

But God had bigger plans for me.

And God loves me.

Learning about God’s love continues to be a journey, and the more I get to know my God, the more passionate I am about his love. You see, God picked me. I was working against God, not for him, and yet he picked me. God even wooed me. I like to describe it as “God did cartwheels for me.”................

to be continued.

I look forward to sharing with you how God moved in my life, in order to woo me to him. Please let me know if you have any questions, as the only reason why I share this information would be to bless another life to His service and glory.