All too often I hear people say, "I was an atheist when I was in
college/younger/a teenager, but then god found me and I became a
christian." In my experience, the Atheist community consists
largely of people over 30 and I think that A/N reflects that.
Along with the testimonials of alleged "ex-Atheists" it would
appear as though there is a narrative within the christian
community that Atheism is a young persons belief, and that the
increased wisdom of many years leads to a conclusion that god
exists. That conclusion is usually based on things like a "gut
feeling" or "some of the unexplainable things I've seen", or
"how life seems to work its self out".  So what gives A/N? How
many of us were "converted" when we were young and maintained
our beliefs and how many of us took many many years to dis-
believe. Also, why is it that people who profess to atheism in
their youth eventually join a church? I suspect that the answer
is more complex than the simple need for a security blanket.
Views: 86  Reply to This  Re