The Evolution of a Christian - Part I

I've been meaning to post, here, the story of my journey from Christianity to atheism... and back again. And the story of my journey from belief in creationism to evolution... and back again.

This will probably be in 3 parts, though sometimes these "3 part posts" turn into 4 and 5 posts. Oh well. It's a story worth telling, no matter how long it takes.



The Evolution of a Christian
Part I

I was raised in a Christian home. But I had some experiences, like many people have, which soured me on “the church” – things like insincerity, hypocrisy and unChristian behavior among the church population.

When I attended public school, my reverence for God was replaced by reverence to what seemed a much more relevant universal power – science.

Science replaced, in my mind, all the meaning and mystery of Christianity in a way that was more tangible to a young, questing mind. It was based on principles I could know through reason and logic, which really didn’t rely upon faith.

Reason, logic and science became my “gods,” but because those beliefs are “philosophies,” and not “religion,” I considered myself an atheist.

After all, evolution explained how we got here, and was “provable,” so there was no need for God. A God who isn’t needed – who isn’t necessary – is irrelevant. So why would God exist? I concluded that, therefore, He must not exist. A rationalization, perhaps, but one I was comfortable with.

Throughout high school and college, the glories of science and reason were only reinforced, along with the good dose of contempt for God and Christianity which normally prevails in intellectual circles.

After all, it was the Church that had always opposed science and stood in the way of progress and learning. If they opposed those things in which I most believed, then I was naturally even more in conflict with Christianity.

I was an atheist for 13 years.

Strangely, my journey back to Christianity was prompted by two of the most unexpected things – my distrust of faith, and an expanded study of the principles and science which support evolution.

...

(to be continued...)