[Vision2020] Re: Eternal Life???

[Joseph Campbell]

Let me try to answer your question, Chas, without getting too personal.

I'm not so sure that I would call my change of mind a 'conversion.' What
happened was that I became an atheist because I thought that there was a
good argument for the non-existence of God, something related to the problem
of evil: The existence (or at least degree) of evil in the world is
inconsistent with the existence of God, as traditionally defined. Then I
came to realize that this argument was no stronger than any of the
traditional arguments in support of God's existence. Then I reflected and
realized that I actually did believe in God. I have some interesting
arguments for the existence of God, ones that are more compelling than the
traditional arguments, but they are not why I believe in God. I wouldn't say
that I believe in God on the basis of faith either. In fact, I have no idea
why I believe in God, just an awareness that I do so believe.

I lean heavily toward agnosticism, since I question whether or not anyone
can know that God exists (though I haven't ruled this possibility out yet)
and I am pretty close to being a full-fledged agnostic about the nature of
God. I have a variety of beliefs about God's nature but I don't profess to
have any knowledge about it, and in particular I don't profess to know
anything about the connection between God and the moral law.

I started going to church for a number of relatively uninteresting reasons.
My wife wanted our son to have a religious background of some kind and this
seemed like a good idea. We attended a number of different churches in the
area and most of the sermons we heard drove me crazy. I wanted to ask
questions like, "Why on earth would you say that!!!" But there was never a
format for questions. One week we went to a church and I didn't feel like
asking any questions. Interestingly enough the guy who gave the original
sermon is no longer with the church. But along the way I came to like the
people in my congregation quite a lot. So we stayed and I'm grateful for
that. I find going to church to be a very helpful, wonderful thing but I'm
sensitive to the idea that it is not so helpful or wonderful for everyone.

Hence, it was not "the hope of life everlasting" that led me to church, nor
is it this hope that keeps me going. Nor do I think that my chances for
eternal life have increased now that I go to church, nor that they would
decrease if I stopped going. What got me to go to church was my wife's
suggestion that my son receive a religious education (of some kind) and what
keeps me going is the people in my congregation and the feeling that I learn
something -- though, I'm not quite sure what -- in the weekly sermons.

Joe Campbell

> On 10/15/05, josephc at mail.wsu.edu <josephc at mail.wsu.edu> wrote:
>> I avoid writing on the topic of eternal life whenever possible. I am only
>> responding because Chas directed a question toward me and I respect him
>> greatly. So here goes.
> 
> The respect is mutual.
> 
> But-
> 
> I don't really know how to respond to this, Joe.  I've never met an
> atheist-converted-to-Christian before; I've met many on the opposite
> path.  Of course, we have all met former atheists who are now
> professing Christians, but who were never really atheists in the first
> place.  They weren't atheists due to any sincere deliberation, but
> because it conflicted with their hedonistic lifestyle, and, besides,
> what kind of loving God would let [insert your topical tragedy here]
> happen?  I think of these people as sophomore atheists, because they
> are atheists for sophomoric reasons.  No offense to sophomores
> intended.  I know that you weren't that type of atheist, so I'm a bit
> flummoxed.
> 
> Other than C.S. Lewis, I've never encountered a real atheist who
> backslid, and Lewis was only a gentlemen in a book, not someone with
> whom I am actually in dialogue.  They call ex-Mormons "Jack Mormons."
> Are you a Jack Atheist?  :-)
> 
> Anyway, real atheists don't decide to go to church on a whim.  Was it
> the "the hope of life
> everlasting" that motivated you, or was it something else?  If the
> reply is too personal for a public forum, my apologies.