I used to be an atheist; here's why many won't reach people like me

[Guest]

Hi

Interesting and useful po. 

May i ask what or who changed you from an atheist to a Christian?

I am just glad you now are a believer. However you got here. 

Edited July 8, 2018 by Melinda12

[stillseeking]

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I have found this to be an interesting thread.  The OP gives us turn offs to atheists, but the testimony points to conversion as a result of personal research.  In other words, it doesn't say these ways turned me off, but this particular Christian won me over doing this. 

Exactly--conversion was a result of personal research, and a result of my seeking God.  No one pushed me into seeking, or into belief.  Sometimes it was brought up respectfully in conversations, but once I expressed disinterest in it, the person who I'd say helped me the most NEVER pushed it further.  This person did demonstrate admirable Christian behavior and was super patient with first my debates with him and then later my Bible questions. 

You're right; I haven't supplied a list of positive traits which were helpful, as in this thread, I've mainly focused on things I hope people will stop doing which people might not be aware of--especially to an audience of people whose primary stumbling block is God's very existence rather than anything beyond that. 

A short list of helpful things might include displaying Christian behavior to the point where the person wonders how one person can possibly be so loving, educating yourself on the rational arguments which exist for God's existence and the resurrection, leading conversations in gentle ways that make the other person think about whether God exists, praying for them, and being available to enthusiastically answer any questions that come up. 

In support of the above:

• "the person wonders how one person can possibly be so loving"
  • 1 John 13:35 ^"By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another."
  • Matthew 5:16 "Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven."
• "educating yourself on the rational arguments which exist for God's existence and the resurrection"
  • 1 Peter 3:15 "But ^[a]sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts, always being ready to make a ^[b]defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you, yet with gentleness and ^[c]reverence"
• "leading conversations in gentle ways that make the other person think about whether God exists"
  • 1 Corinthians 3:6 "I planted, Apollos watered, but God was causing the growth."
  • 1 Corinthians 9:22 "To the weak I became weak, that I might win the weak; I have become all things to all men, so that I may by all means save some."
• "praying for them"
  • Matthew 9:28 "Therefore beseech the Lord of the harvest to send out workers into His harvest.”"
  • Colossians 4:2 "Devote yourselves to prayer, keeping alert in it with an attitude of thanksgiving; ³ praying at the same time for us as well, that God will open up to us a door for the word, so that we may speak forth the mystery of Christ..."
• "being available to enthusiastically answer any questions that come up"
  • 1 Peter 3:15 (again) "But ^[a]sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts, always being ready to make a ^[b]defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you, yet with gentleness and ^[c]reverence"

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I do have one question for you Still Seeking.  You explained how you came to believe in Jesus as a result of research and being honest with yourself?  How long was it after that you accepted Jesus as your Lord and Savior?  Was it immediate, or did you still wait a while before deciding you wanted to be saved?

An honest examination of myself and all the evidence I'd accumulated didn't result in a eureka moment until after almost 10 years of debating and researching.  Yes, I'm stubborn   I just thank God that He didn't go send me to live in a forest like a wild animal (Daniel 4:33 style) before I came to belief. 

Edited July 8, 2018 by stillseeking
more Bible verses!

[stillseeking]

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May i ask what or who changed you from an atheist to a Christian?

Here are some of the evidence points which were game changers for me:

• The universe is so finely tuned, to the point where mathematicians have dubbed the utter improbability of a number of speeds, distances, sizes, etc. to be mathematically impossible, that a designer at work makes more sense than assuming random happenstance
• The arguments that the sources about Jesus are simply unreliable don't make sense once you understand that we have even less to go by for most other events and persons from ancient history.  For example, the sources we have on Jesus are closer to his life and greater in number than Tiberius Caesar or Alexander the Great. 
• Mainstream scholars recognize a number of facts about the historical person of Jesus.  These include that he died by crucifixion, that his followers and others claimed to have seen him in body, that Christianity began because of such claims, that the followers of Jesus believed he had risen to the point they were willing to die for their beliefs, that the resurrection story and message began to spread almost immediately after the crucifixion, that Jesus' own unbelieving brother James became a Christian because of his experience with the resurrected Christ, that there was no body in the tomb following the resurrection event, and that the Jewish leaders and Roman authorities who wanted to squash the new movement also admitted there was no body in that they themselves ended up trying to explain it away. 
• Jesus fulfilled all the prophecies about him, many of which he had no reasonable control over, such as where he'd be born, how he'd be betrayed, how the betrayal reward money would be spent, and how he would die.  

And see the post I made right before this for a list of positive trait and actions which were displayed toward me, by someone who I consider to have been a big help.