>>832625
I used to be a “rational” agnostic atheist, was pretty hard in the agnosticism and skepticism, but thankfully without much prideful anti-theist sentiment. Then I read Pascal’s Pensées, William James’ Will to Believe, and I’ve actually started studying the Bible, and everything makes sense. The transformation is indescribable. I used to know all the criticisms of Christianity, I would watch The Atheist Experience and other atheist videos until I had absorbed all of it and got bored with them, because I had already heard it all. But amazingly, I’ve reversed on every single one of those positions. It’s like being on top of Mount Everest and then realizing there’s a mountain taller than that. With a little bit of humility, you can attain faith, and from there, you will gain newer, more nuanced perspectives. You no longer have mere rationality, but wisdom. And that wisdom won’t go away.
I believe in every word in the Bible. I believe in all of its parts because I believe in the most important parts through what makes sense to me, and if those parts are true, then I should believe the whole thing. I believe that Jesus truly was the Messiah as prophesied in Isaiah 53 and so many other places. And when I read the Gospels, I believe that he was who he says he was. I don’t believe such a good man with such wisdom was lying about being the Son of God, nor do I believe that the story was made up. What genius could write such a story? Is there any religion more wonderful than Christianity? And then when you start to experience the life of a Christian, when you finally feel the existence of your very soul, and your faith becomes stronger and stronger, then more and more of it starts to make sense. You study more, and you see reason and evidence that was mysteriously inaccessible to you before. And you believe it all. And you rejoice, and you hope, and you love.
It is so unfortunate that modern Christian culture, at least in America, is so lackluster, so unserious, so worldly, and that many young ones are being deceived, or being driven away from the faith entirely. Who could blame teens from being put off by it all? Parents don’t care, preachers don’t know the Bible, all the other kids don’t seem serious about God, it all just seems like a show. I hate it. Now some churches are good, though there are still misconceptions floating around everywhere and it creeps in through culture at large. Anyway my point is that you shouldn’t view religion by looking at “Christians” around you, because many of them won’t even be saved, but are on the wide path that leads to destructions And you shouldn’t listen to atheists, either, because they don’t know what they’re talking about, and their passions prevent them from being persuaded from their hardheld views. You should seek God through humility, read the Bible, avoid sin, purify yourself, call on the Lord while he is still near.
Faith is ultimately what saves us. Suppose you were in mortal danger, and that you needed to jump in order to save your life. But the back of your mind wanders, what if I cannot make it to safety? If I jump, then I may not make it, or perhaps my landing ground will give way and plummet me to my doom. Yet if you do not jump, then you will have no chance at all. You must first leap before knowing if you can even save yourself. Sometimes, it is only after having faith that we can arrive at the truth.