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Atheism and Conversion (Conversion experiences leading to belief in God…
Atheism and Conversion
Conversion experiences leading to belief in God
Conversion experiences can happen through reading the Bible, particularly when a passage speaks to the person about something that they are going through. This can lead to belief in God because they fell comforted that God is there for them
Learning about Christianity can give a person a sense of meaning and purpose, e.g. Jesus said that the purpose of human life was to go to Heaven and spend eternity with God
Conversion experiences can also happen when a person hears about the message of Jesus, that they have to say sorry for their sins and believe in Jesus in order to have eternal life. This can lead to belief in God because it gives a person's life meaning
Christianity also gives meaning and purpose to life because it teaches us that the greatest commandment is love God and the second greatest commandment is to love others
When miracles happen to people that break the laws of nature, this can convert people to believing in God, because there could be no other explanation than God
A search for meaning and purpose in life can lead to belief in God because a person may be comforted by the fact that God created each individual with a purpose in life
Saul became a Christian after his conversion experience because he heard a voice from Heaven that convinced him that Jesus was the Son of God
The idea of many atheists like Dawkins, that life lacks a purpose and has just come about by chance, can lead people to despair. Many people would rather believe that God gives their life meaning
The Conversion of Saul is one of the most famous conversions in the bible and certainly one that most Christians are familiar with. Saul's change to becoming St Paul was a dramatic religious experience
How religious authority can lead to belief in God
This means that the teachings of the Church have been passed down directly from those who first heard the Christian message and are therefore true
The religious authority of the Bible can also lead some people to believe in God because Christians teach that it is the word of God and is therefore a reliable guide to living
The authority of the CofE may lead people to believe in God because of apostolic succession. This means that the authority of the Church has been passed down since the time of the apostles
The sermons of a priest, who is in a position of authority in the CofE, may lead someone to believe in God because it can inspire them to lead a better life
Reasons for Agnosticism/Atheism
Lack of evidence
Many of the stories in the Old Testament are not meant to be taken literally, showing that they are not only metaphorical, meaning that it isn't actual evidence but rather a guide on how to live
God is not always visible in the world when we would most expect him to be e.g. in times of great suffering, such as terrorist attacks.
The books of the New Testament were written at least 50 years after Jesus, therefore the stories are not reliable. They could have been exaggerated or distorted.
Science provides more evidence that God did not create the universe or life on Earth, e.g. the Big Bang theory explains where the universe came from without needing God
Non-Religious upbringing
A person who is not brought up learning about a religion may not understand what it means to believe in God
A person may have been taught that science fully explains the world and they therefore think that belief in God is not necessary
A non-religious upbringing would not have included the religious traditions and practices that religion provides, so belief in God would not be second nature
A non-religious upbringing means that the person will be more exposed to secular philosophy and ways of thinking that will make them question the existence of God
Cures for life threatening illnesses
Some people used to think that illnesses were a punishment from God. Now that we can cure more and more illnesses, people stop believing that God is the cause
Modern medicine and science can make humans feel totally in control of their environment. They are able to change their environment and even our genetic make-up (e.g. three parent children). This can lead to agnosticism/atheism because we don't need God to control our lives
People used to rely on God for miracles to cure them of illnesses, however if modern medicine can do this for them then we don't need God
Artificial Intelligence
The fact that humans can create complex robots and other technology that solves many of the worlds problems may lead to agnosticism/atheism because we don't rely on God anymore, e.g. we can use smart phones to answer any question that we have - we don't need God
If humans were able to create artificial intelligence that are conscious like human beings, this could lead to agnosticism/atheism because it shows that we don't need God to create life
Conflicting Religious tecachings
An example of this is that Hindus believe that the purpose of life is to achieve Moksha, however, a Christian believes that you must follow the teachings of Jesus to go to Heaven
From a Christian point of view, there are teachings in the Bible that contradict one another, e.g. the order of creation is different in the two Genesis stories.
The existence of different religions can lead to agnosticism or atheism because it is impossible that all their teachings can be true
Some Christians believe that all one needs to be a good Christian is to have faith in God, whereas other Christians believe you also need to do good deeds. This can lead to confusion and put some people off believing in God