I'm an atheist / agnostic.
I am open to good arguments for God's existance. Unfortunately, that is not enough for me to become a christian.
Arguments must be posted and argued hard; why the christian God is the "real God".
So good luck and please post.
When I look back on my time as an atheist, I honestly do not remember having any deep arguments or well thought out reasons for what I believed.
That period was the late 1980s into about 1990. It was a very different world then. We still had VHS rental stores, and there was no internet access for the average person unless you were an academic or worked for the government. Information was limited, and serious discussion on these topics was not nearly as accessible as it is today.
Looking back now, I can see that I believed many things over the years that simply were not true. Atheism was one of them. From where I stand today, it seems no more reasonable than believing the earth is flat. I say that without personal offense intended. It is simply the conclusion I have reached after what I have learned and experienced since becoming a Christian in 1992.
Some may say I was deceived because my life was radically changed and I experienced a love, joy, and peace I had never known before when I accepted Jesus Christ as my Savior. Others may say I was deceived because I believe God has spoken to me repeatedly through His Word and through real life circumstances that were far too specific and meaningful to dismiss as coincidence. Others may say I was simply fortunate when God answered major prayers in my life. And finally, some may say I was deluded because, after becoming a Christian, I encountered real demonic activity. I understand those objections. I just do not find them convincing in light of the totality of what I have lived through.
When you step back and look honestly, Christianity intersects with archaeology, geology, science, ethics, history, and even biblical numerics. You could choose just one of these areas and spend a lifetime studying it. There is a reason Christianity has been attacked and persecuted more than any other belief system throughout history. Attacks happen where value exists. Banks are robbed because they contain something worth taking. In the same way, the believer is attacked because Jesus Christ, the most precious treasure who has ever lived, dwells within those who have been genuinely changed by His grace and who seek to live a sanctified life.
All one has to do is follow Christian news regularly to see both the wide range of attacks against Christians and the many real life testimonies of God’s miraculous work taking place today. These things are not confined to ancient history or distant lands. They are happening now, in the real world, among ordinary people.
Take biblical numerics. If someone understands statistical probability, they should recognize that the patterns found in the King James Bible and documented by Brandon Peterson cannot reasonably be explained as random chance. No other book does this on the same level. None. Even some Christians say that the same biblical patterns found in the King James Bible also occur in other books and therefore are not anything special. However, they do not put their money where their mouth is by offering any actual proof.
They offer no proof. Ever. What is usually brought up instead is Ivan Panin, a Russian mathematician known for his work in numerics. However, Panin openly adjusted and selected Greek readings in order to make his numerical system work. In other words, the text was shaped to serve the numerics, rather than the numerics arising naturally from a fixed and received text. That approach stands in sharp contrast to the King James Bible, where the numerics appear within an established text that was not altered to accommodate them.
That leaves two possibilities for the amazing biblical numerics in the KJV: deliberate design by man or deliberate design by God. When the historical process of the 1611 translation and the later standardization of the Pure Cambridge Edition is examined, deliberate human manipulation through numerics becomes highly unlikely. There is no historical evidence that the translators were engaged in such practices.
When I was younger, I once came across a book about ghosts. In it, someone described a personal encounter with what they believed was a ghost, and one detail stood out to me even then. They said the room was filled with the smell of brimstone. Many years later, I watched a television program where a man was giving his testimony about what he believed was an alien encounter. He described how this being, commonly described as the popular grey alien, entered his bedroom, and once again the same detail appeared. He said he smelled brimstone. Now, I do not know about you, but the Bible speaks very clearly about brimstone.
At another time, I remember listening to a pastor talk about how owls are sometimes associated with demons in Scripture. At the time, I was skeptical and largely dismissed it. It did not resonate with me, and I tuned it out. Then, several months later, I saw the trailer for
The Fourth Kind. In that trailer, I watched as the black, almond shaped eyes of an owl visually transitioned into the black, almond shaped eyes associated with the well known grey aliens. Meaning, these aliens were demons and they were associated with the owls. After all, the trailer appeared to show that these people were being possessed by these aliens, that is, demons.
Coincidence. There is that word again. How many coincidences are we supposed to accept before at least considering another explanation.
This raises another serious question. Why would spirits instruct a man deeply involved in spiritism not to use the Received Text, the Greek text that underlies the King James Bible. In contrast to this text, many modern Bible translations are based on Greek texts that introduce doctrinal problems. Most people involved in the Modern Bible Movement are either unaware of these issues or tend to downplay them.
Johannes Greber was heavily involved in spiritism, which Scripture clearly condemns. He testified that spirits instructed him not to use the Textus Receptus. He then produced a translation based on what is commonly called the Critical Text, the same textual stream used by many modern translations today. Historically, the Critical Text movement traces back to Westcott and Hort, who associated closely with theological liberals such as the Unitarian George Vance Smith. Greber’s translation later became favored within spiritualist and New Age circles that identify as Christian. Scripture warns against contacting spirits, so Greber’s spiritual influences were not from God. The question remains, why would these spirits specifically warn him away from the Textus Receptus. The answer seems clear.
Some may scoff, mock, or attempt to dismiss my experiences with God. That is their choice. I am also not interested in arguing evidence in a hostile or combative way, because that approach rarely convinces anyone. Evidence alone does not force belief. A person must be genuinely open to truth and willing to investigate honestly. But if someone is already committed to rejecting God because they prefer their own darkness, then truth will always feel inconvenient to them.
We see this same pattern in other areas of life. People deeply invested in destructive ideologies often reject evidence that contradicts their worldview. They reinterpret facts to preserve beliefs they have already embraced. America was founded on Christian principles, and those foundations are increasingly under attack. That is not accidental. Attacks focus on what has value.
Look at the condition of many school systems today. Parents who care deeply about their children are increasingly concerned about what their kids are being exposed to at very young ages. When the Bible, particularly the King James Bible, once held a central place in education, moral boundaries were clearer. Children were allowed to be children, without being burdened by adult issues before their time.
I believe we are living in the last days. Scripture is clear that a time comes when every person must choose. Repentance and humility before the Lord Jesus Christ, who is God Almighty, or standing before Him having rejected His truth. That reality is sobering, but it is also hopeful, because God’s mercy is still available.
That is all I am going to say unless someone is openly desiring the truth. If the expectation is that I must aggressively fight over every point I have raised, that is not something I find rational, nor do I believe it will convince anyone.
Do we have to argue endlessly to convince people that the earth is a globe or that we are human. To me, debating matters that are as foundational as the ones I have mentioned is much the same.
Christianity is not a blind faith. However, at the end of the day, a person must take a step of faith in order to truly see. Until then, there is little point in fighting if one refuses to take that first step and acknowledge that God loves you and suffered greatly for you and for your sin. Think about that. If you knew someone who loved you enough to die for you, would you not at least be willing to hear them out. That is where the Bible comes in. This is where calling upon Jesus Christ and asking Him to help you see the truth comes in.
Once you do, you will see.
"For ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free."
(John 8:32)
"If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed."
(John 8:36)
"Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son."
(Colossians 1:13)
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your story gives me hope concerning finding someone. Even if I don’t get married, perhaps the Lord will bless me with friend of the opposite sex who ends becoming like a sister or best friend to me. Your comment will help someone to always seek and to never allow doubt to have the victory, and to always know there is an answer. Whether we find it or not…either we will, or someone else has already.
