Before you theists chop me raw, allow me to first say that as of now, I'm more or less an agnostic (though I use this term loosely) even though at first I believed myself to be a firm atheist.

Also To Theists: Please note, atheists and agnostics are not the way we are because we are looking for a way to validate "sinful" living. Rather, anyone who considers himself an atheist and goes around drinking, smoking and commiting vices is nothing but a pathetical shell of a human being with no purpose of existence.

Back to my topic: As I have come to observe, most Nigerian atheists were not born atheists, but rather had an experience in time which made them distort their view of religion and begin to see its flaws and dangers. This is sometimes mostly due to a tragedy.
Here is my own story:
When I was younger, I believed strongly in the word of God, in christ, I was even a "draw-your-sword" champion in my Sunday school because I had memorized verses so aptly It would only take me seconds to find pages and recite them.

But then, when I was nine, tragedy struck in the death of my father. I had of course prayed and prayed when he was in the hospital, fasted and fasted and did all I could to believe that God would heal him.
God didn't heal him.
When he died, my life took a turn for the worse and my mother now had the burden of taking care of all my siblings.
I became embittered.
I asked myself, why couldn't God, who was all powerful and all knowing answer the desperate plea of a nine year old child? Had I wronged him? Had I not been faithful to him? What had I done to deserve misfortune?
In time, my faith waned. I stopped praying as feverently and instead as I grew older, I became more inquisitive. I started asking more and more questions, started realizing little things in the bible that were wrong, started shifting away from faith and I started reading the bible with logic.
Then one day at a home fellowship with a pastor, I asked the question, "God is all powerful, so why doesn't he simply vanquish all evil from the earth?"
Of course I received answers such as "do not question the ways of the lord" and others, which proved to only be diversions because none of them had the answers.
Finally, I turned to the internet in search of some answers. But instead of getting answers, all I found was more questions, and more contradictions.
Then, I found the book titled "The God Delusion". I am fairly certain most of you are familiar with it's rather infamous quotes.
Upon reading it, I began to despise Christianity and religion as whole and it didn't take long before I came to the ultimate conclusion that there was no such thing as God.
I went around probing religious arguments and have even convinced my share fair of people into disbelieving in god as well, and making them open minded to the problems of dogmatism and religious bigotry.

Of course I said that I am agnostic now, how this happen?
I met someone who was a Catholic, studying medicine in the university. She was a firm believer and could counter me argument for argument, without being offended at my disregard of something she believed in strongly.
It baffled me, most theists are so blinded by their belief that if confronted with contrary evidence, they become angry and defensive. She wasn't like that. She was open-minded and actually listened to my arguments before attempting to prove points of her own.
What sealed the deal was when she had introduced me to an acquaintance of hers who was battling HIV/AIDS due to improper screening of blood. She was bedridden at the time and was still a firm believer. She sat down, they prayed, and they talked. Till today it still shames me that I kept my distance due to fear of not wanting to get infected.

About three months or so later, this girl who studied medicine but convinced me to follow her to a certain church. Despite being catholic, we went to a Pentecostal Church on her decision.
Then that was where I saw her friend, who had been given two weeks to live, come out and deliver a shocking testimony that she had gone from HIV positive to negative.
Of course you can imagine the amount of shock such a declaration would make.
I wanted to yell "bullshit" out loud, but instead I sat and stared like someone who had slapped in the face with a catfish.
I kept thinking "its impossible, there is no cure for HIV" yet, my own two eyes were seeing this impossibility.
I was stumped.
This probably sounds like a fairy tale to you, yes? That is exactly how I felt as my mind formulated multiple theories for how she miraculously got better. But she hadn't been taken overseas, she hadn't been given any different treatments. So how did I explain what amounted to a miracle?
So then, I began thinking, "what if miracles are possible?" What if there is truly something out there beyond our understanding?
My mind went from thinking "there is no god" to "there might be the possibility of something out there beyond our comprehension."

So this is how my experiences changed me from being a devout Christian, to being a firm Atheist, to being wherever or whatever I am right now, which is somewhere in the middle.

I am not trying to attribute miracles to any religious deity, but I just feel, with how entirely vast the entire universe is, that it is not impossible for a being, or a force or something to exist which can alter reality and make the impossible become possible.

Thank you for reading this, and feel free to leave your own opinions, and share any experience of yours which has helped shape who you are today.

...Uhmmm...what cn i say? Mysteries from d beginning to d end.

Alright if u say so..but pls give me a. Simple and honest answer!..according to ur story, how did dis woman get healed?..if there is no God?..pls just answer the question and no derailing pls!!..thanks!

Bridgetania:
Alright if u say so..but pls give me a. Simple and honest answer!..according to ur story, how did dis woman get healed?..if there is no God?..pls just answer the question and no derailing pls!!..thanks!

I don't know. I can't say. It was a miracle, through and through.

Maybe God exists, maybe he doesn't.

Lucario007:

I don't know. I can't say. It was a miracle, through and through.

Maybe God exists, maybe he doesn't.

Arhhhh! Bae!!..just lemme know ur stand na, don't tell me maybe plss!..
If God dosnt exist and miracles exist den wat propelled the miracle??..why is everyone not getting the miracle if its a natural phenomenom!..bros u see dis life u r in?..I'm sure if unborn babies could talk, it would be an impossible task to convince dem life on earth is real untill dey come in to the world,

Bridgetania:




Arhhhh! Bae!!..just lemme know ur stand na, don't tell me maybe plss!..
If God dosnt exist and miracles exist den wat propelled the miracle??..why is everyone not getting the miracle if its a natural phenomenom!..bros u see dis life u r in?..I'm sure if unborn babies could talk, it would be an impossible task to convince dem life on earth is real untill dey come in to the world,

My stand on religion is shaky because there are so many thousands of "gods" out there. A Muslim would argue that Allah is the origin of the miracle, and others would claim Buddha, or Apollo or some other 'god'.
But beside the point, must you attribute the beauty of everything to something else? If you are starving for days and someone puts food on your table, would you start asking "who cooked the food" and "where did the food come from" or would you not simply be grateful to whatever source it came and start eating?

.

There's no such thing as miracles. Why would a loving God chose just one HIV positive girl out of millions carrying the virus? Is her righteousness different from other people even infants who don't know sin who have died terrible deaths?

The idea of miraculous healings are more the reason why I'll refuse to believe in the religious sense of Gods. Such arbitrariness is nothing short of criminal.

oglalasioux:
There's no such thing as miracles. Why would a loving God chose just one HIV positive girl out of millions carrying the virus? Is her righteousness different from other people even infants who don't know sin who have died terrible deaths?

The idea of miraculous healings are more the reason why I'll refuse to believe in the religious sense of Gods. Such arbitrariness is nothing short of criminal.

That's just sad bro. Your perspective is just sad. So because one person was healed whereas millions have died, you feel it was an injustice?

So if she had died with the rest, would you have felt justified that it is better for her to die like others because there is nothing special about her?
Sad bro.

Lucario007:

Back to my topic: As I have come to observe, most Nigerian atheists were not born atheists, but rather had an experience in time which made them distort their view of religion and begin to see its flaws and dangers. This is sometimes mostly due to a tragedy.

Although i would agree with you about atheists being converts at some point in their lives, i disagree about the point in which you claim that its mostly due to a tragedy that changes their views.

donnffd:


Although i would agree with you about atheists being converts at some point in their lives, i disagree about the point in which you claim that its mostly due to a tragedy that changes their views.

Perhaps tragedy was too strong a word. Perhaps hardships or trials would be more fitting. But regardless, it has to be something fundamental in them which is affected that causes the radical change in beliefs.

Lucario007:

Perhaps tragedy was too strong a word. Perhaps hardships or trials would be more fitting. But regardless, it has to be something fundamental in them which is affected that causes the radical change in beliefs.

It doesn't have to be

Some atheists just see no difference between Yahweh and spiderman

Newsflash: they both exist only in books posters, TV etc

Lucario007:

Perhaps tragedy was too strong a word. Perhaps hardships or trials would be more fitting. But regardless, it has to be something fundamental in them which is affected that causes the radical change in beliefs.

I disagree again

I am an agnostic atheist, i am sure alot of theist would ask whats that, well it means i dont know for sure if there is an entity that created the universe, but i regard this entity's existence highly improbable.

Now how did i come to that conclusion, did i fall and hit my head?, or did i lose someone in my life?...the answer is NO

Just pure logic, reason and knowledge.

So please, if your beliefs changed because something happened to you, then i think you are an agnostic for the wrong reasons, but dont assume that all non-believers are the same

donnffd:


I disagree again

I am an agnostic atheist, i am sure alot of theist would ask whats that, well it means i dont know for sure if there is an entity that created the universe, but i regard this entity's existence highly improbable.

Now how did i come to that conclusion, did i fall and hit my head?, or did i lose someone in my life?...the answer is NO

Just pure logic, reason and knowledge.

So please, if your beliefs changed because something happened to you, then i think you are an agnostic for the wrong reasons, but dont assume that all non-believers are the same

Tell me then, were you born a Christian or a theist? If your answer is yes, then whence cometh this logic reason and knowledge? Or did you suddenly wake up one morning and thought "my beliefs don't make sense, I need to reevaluate them"?

Your claim of logic and reason without first the need for introspective recollection is rather hard to believe.

Lucario007:


Tell me then, were you born a Christian or a theist? If your answer is yes, then whence cometh this logic reason and knowledge? Or did you suddenly wake up one morning and thought "my beliefs don't make sense, I need to reevaluate them"?

Your claim of logic and reason without first the need for introspective recollection is rather hard to believe.

I never said it was a moment, stop twisting my words, i did mention knowledge, ddnt i?, how long do one acquires knowledge?!

You said most atheist had something happened to them and made them change their views

I am saying thats not true.

donnffd:


I never said it was a moment, stop twisting my words, i did mention knowledge, ddnt i?, how long do one acquires knowledge?!

You said most atheist had something happened to them and made them change their views

I am saying thats not true.

You see, this is why I said most but not all. Assuming that all atheists underwent a tramautic experience to become what they are today would be beyond fallacious of me.
Admittedly some could have simply desired a wish to be free from religious constraint, others a desire to be empathetic beyond the norm.
But quite frankly, nothing occurs without cause and the underlying cause of the departure from religion is more likely to have been a stressful or tiring event than a random spur of the moment decision; wouldn't you agree?

Lucario007:


That's just sad bro. Your perspective is just sad. So because one person was healed whereas millions have died, you feel it was an injustice?

So if she had died with the rest, would you have felt justified that it is better for her to die like others because there is nothing special about her?
Sad bro.

A bus carrying passengers has an accident. One person survives and the survivor goes to church to testify the 'goodness of God' in his or her life. I bet the relatives of the other dead people should be wailing about the badness of God in their deceased relatives' lives.

If there really is a God somewhere we have reduced him to nothing but an arbitrary God who choses whom lives or dies no matter how good or bad you are. Just like a herd owner choosing the best cow on his herd to kill at will.

I'll rather believe there's no such god.

Lucario007:


Tell me then, were you born a Christian or a theist? If your answer is yes, then whence cometh this logic reason and knowledge? Or did you suddenly wake up one morning and thought "my beliefs don't make sense, I need to reevaluate them"?

Your claim of logic and reason without first the need for introspective recollection is rather hard to believe.

.. Reading has been most instrumental in me being an atheist... no tragedy or hardship of a sort.. come to think of it, most subjects you were taught in school actually disprove the idea of god, they are mostly atheistical