Religious to Apostate and Back Again

So, there’s this person who once believed in God, then became an atheist.  He then changed his mind and went back to his god.  What reasons he had are his own and I wouldn’t challenge them because he has a right to do so.

But, I will challenge two things about this little story.

One is that believing in any god takes a certain dispensation of clear thought.  Freeing yourself from the tyrannical yoke of religion is the most terrifying thing a believer can do.  Giving up the deep-seated terror that the church instills in a person can free your inner self to allow you to be a much better person.  It takes a lot of work and internal torment but it well worth the effort.

The second problem is that he went back to his god.  Some people are not strong enough to complete the journey to freedom.  The pressure from family and friends can be intense while he struggles with the demons created by the church.  Yes, I said the church created his personal demons.  But here’s the rub, he intentionally gave up a large part of his rationality to go back to the artificial shelter that the church offered.

Imagine that! Intentionally becoming less rational.  Sure, one might blame it on his personal strengths and weaknesses, and, I suppose, that’s okay.  He probably never really committed to atheism anyway.

I can relate to his struggles and terror because my journey was somewhat similar.  It took years for the fear to subside and my heart aches for the guy in this story.  He could have led a peaceful and productive life but, instead, he chose ‘turn turtle’ and hide.

I wonder what he will ponder on his deathbed.

 
Walk the Path in Grace