Why I am now a Christian | Atheism can't equip us for civilisational war | BY AYAAN HIRSI ALI
https://unherd.com/2023/11/why-i-am-now-a-christian/
This is wonderful news! I've read quite a bit of her writings, and am glad she has found Christ.
Some 20 years ago, Ayaan Hirsi Ali had left Islam for atheism:
... It was a relief to adopt an attitude of scepticism towards religious doctrine, discard my faith in God and declare that no such entity existed. Best of all, I could reject the existence of hell and the danger of everlasting punishment. ...
Mind you, she was one of those atheists who was not hostile to religion, Christianity in particular, just "it was not for her".
And then:
... So, what changed? Why do I call myself a Christian now? ...
... But we can’t fight off these formidable forces unless we can answer the question: what is it that unites us? The response that “God is dead!” seems insufficient. So, too, does the attempt to find solace in “the rules-based liberal international order”. The only credible answer, I believe, lies in our desire to uphold the legacy of the Judeo-Christian tradition. ...
... Yet I would not be truthful if I attributed my embrace of Christianity solely to the realisation that atheism is too weak and divisive a doctrine to fortify us against our menacing foes. I have also turned to Christianity because I ultimately found life without any spiritual solace unendurable — indeed very nearly self-destructive. Atheism failed to answer a simple question: what is the meaning and purpose of life? ...
Excellent article; I urge people to read the whole thing.
Everybody has their own path and motivation to express an opinion.
If this is her path, then that is what it is.
Personally, I see no point in postulating a super-natural entity outside of myself, as to me, it denies the source we are all coming from, and existing in. All material is of the same cloth: light. It is also expressed in words like: enthusiasm, theater, etc.
This to me is the essence of Genesis, with its versions of the creation story.
Of course, some will argue that because of creation, it requires an intelligence having done so. I do not dispute that. The nature of it is what I regard. We exist within that framework, were spawned from that framework. God is a bit like being. Both are quite difficult to inquire into, except for personal perception.
I have said: if you want to find the divine, the now is the place to look. And, given the tetragrammaton, I would say: indeed, true. How else would the words Moses was allegedly commanded to say: "I am" has sent me to you, be of any significance to the very religious ruler called: Pharaoh? When we can comprehend what these men really believed, then this command makes actual sense.
Whatever one might conclude as to what and especially who god is, depends on the quality of the deeper connection one perceives within one self. And the stories we have been inheriting, confront us all with the idea that a personal perception is at the root of it all. So, why study without relent the stories and experiences of others, while yours are simply around the corner?
As to the term: a-theism is a direct opposite of theism, and relates to the mono-theistic worldview that has covered the latter 2000 years within Christian churches, aided by enlightenment and rationality.
It is interesting to contemplate the story and behavior of a man called Akhnaten. Both his monotheistic views but especially his behavior and actions that were fueled by it, have left us with a clear view that perceiving the source and the connection of all things to that source, leads to virtuous behavior.
Of course, one can go off the deep end on both sides. Richard Dawkins is one such proponent of the materialistic kind. And on the other side, there are those who go through fire and hell for their views on the theistic side, whatever version of theism they may hold. Or as one stand-up comedian Herman Finkers so eloquently put to music in dutch, but here's the English translation:
At best, what her story shows, is that people can change their mind, based on their perception. This is well, and I do hope, this will help her lead a life that allows her to fulfill her destiny completely.