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Why I am now a Christian— Ayaan Hirsi Ali converts

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Doug64

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So anti-Islamist, former Muslim, now-former New Atheist Ayaan Hirsi Ali has now converted to Christianity, and released a statement detailing why. Naturally atheists are less than enthused about it, but a number of Christians have found the statement problematic as well—especially her lack of emphasis of on Jesus Christ. Interestingly enough, some of those that are defending her conversion aren’t Christian. For myself, I have no problem with it. I think her conversion is summed up nicely in the closing paragraph of her profession of faith:

That is why I no longer consider myself a Muslim apostate, but a lapsed atheist. Of course, I still have a great deal to learn about Christianity. I discover a little more at church each Sunday. But I have recognised, in my own long journey through a wilderness of fear and self-doubt, that there is a better way to manage the challenges of existence than either Islam or unbelief had to offer.
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For myself, as a member of the LDS Church, that is enough, to start. She has the “desire to believe” that is all that is needed as the seed, and it seems she is continuing on her path.
 
one cannot be Christian (by definition) without beleif Jesus is the son of God. It's also written many times in the New Testament
 
Doug64 said:
So anti-Islamist, former Muslim, now-former New Atheist Ayaan Hirsi Ali has now converted to Christianity, and released a statement detailing why. Naturally atheists are less than enthused about it, but a number of Christians have found the statement problematic as well—especially her lack of emphasis of on Jesus Christ. Interestingly enough, some of those that are defending her conversion aren’t Christian. For myself, I have no problem with it. I think her conversion is summed up nicely in the closing paragraph of her profession of faith:



For myself, as a member of the LDS Church, that is enough, to start. She has the “desire to believe” that is all that is needed as the seed, and it seems she is continuing on her path.
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After reading her statement, I find lacking any indication that she was ever really an atheist, or that her newfound supposed Christianity is anything other than a means to an end.
 
I never heard of her, so I'm not upset. What the **** is a New Atheist?

Edited - not sure if I would be considered to be bypassing the censor
 
Doug64 said:
For myself, as a member of the LDS Church, that is enough, to start. She has the “desire to believe” that is all that is needed as the seed, and it seems she is continuing on her path.
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I'd respectfully suggest that the "desire to believe" is the problem. It will be that desire that helped hold her to the Muslim Brotherhood form of Islam, that desire that pushed her towards the secular religion of "New Atheism" and that desire that is now pushing her towards calling herself Christian. She is making the all too common mistake of conflating belief and religion. She clearly feels that she needs so kind of organised structure wrapped around her fundamental beliefs that, deep down, probably haven't shifted all that much at all. Lots of people bounce between different faiths, groups, labels and practices (theistic and non-theistic) for the same kind of reasons.

I simple don't see the point. She can follow her own beliefs and opinions on existence, life and the future of humanity with or without any formal religious (or pseudo-religious) structure. Even acknowledging the Judeo-Christian basis for much of Western society doesn't require any acknowledgement of Christian (or Jewish) religion. Indeed, many of the barriers or limitations to the kind of developments she talks about come from different parts of the same Judeo-Christian societies.

Whether she finds a specific religious group (because just "Christian" isn't one and she does say what kind of church she has been attending) should be a largely separate issue, as much about community, life and practice as it is belief. She doesn't strike me as the kind of person who settles anywhere like that though, which isn't a problem in itself as long as you recognise it for what it is.
 
Demon said:
I never heard of her, so I'm not upset. What the **** is a New Atheist?

Edited - not sure if I would be considered to be bypassing the censor
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A "New Atheist" is basically an atheist who has the unmitigated gall to criticize religion. That's such a shocking idea that it needed it's own term, and to be capitalized.
 
Noodlegawd said:
A "New Atheist" is basically an atheist who has the unmitigated gall to criticize religion. That's such a shocking idea that it needed it's own term, and to be capitalized.
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Sounds like a regular old atheist to me. I don't know why we need to be 'new'.
 
Doug64 said:
So anti-Islamist, former Muslim, now-former New Atheist Ayaan Hirsi Ali has now converted to Christianity, and released a statement detailing why. Naturally atheists are less than enthused about it, but a number of Christians have found the statement problematic as well—especially her lack of emphasis of on Jesus Christ. Interestingly enough, some of those that are defending her conversion aren’t Christian. For myself, I have no problem with it. I think her conversion is summed up nicely in the closing paragraph of her profession of faith:



For myself, as a member of the LDS Church, that is enough, to start. She has the “desire to believe” that is all that is needed as the seed, and it seems she is continuing on her path.
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Thanks for that.
I can't access the link...............................but I also found this.



 
anatta said:
one cannot be Christian (by definition) without beleif Jesus is the son of God. It's also written many times in the New Testament
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I think she is taking the steps towards it.
Like she explained, she still has a lot to learn about Christianity.
 
Noodlegawd said:
A "New Atheist" is basically an atheist who has the unmitigated gall to criticize religion. That's such a shocking idea that it needed it's own term, and to be capitalized.
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Let me give you the full definition:


A "new atheist" is basically an angry atheist who has the unmitigated venomous gall to openly criticize and mock religion................................. only to expose his own ignorance of it.


Just look at the poster boy, Richard Dawkins - who even wrote a book! :ROFLMAO:












There is a stigma attached to new atheists.
It needed its own term to identify them............................................ so as not to lump them with sensible or intelligent atheists.
 
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Noodlegawd said:
A "New Atheist" is basically an atheist who has the unmitigated gall to criticize religion. That's such a shocking idea that it needed it's own term, and to be capitalized.
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I don't see anything new about that.
 
tosca1 said:
Just look at the poster boy, Richard Dawkins - who even wrote a book! :ROFLMAO:
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Funny that you would take a half-ass swipe at Dawkins, and then follow it up with a video of someone who had his ass handed to him by a clown like Bill Nye the Science Guy.
 
DrewPaul said:
I don't see anything new about that.
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I didn't coin the phrase, nor do I ever use it, except in response to comments about it. As far as I know, neither do the so-called "New Atheists," except in response to questions about it.
 
1) who?
2) who cares?

Not sure why any atheist should be angry, upset, or even care about anyone becoming a convert of any religion. We don't have membership rolls or an offering plate that needs filling.
 
Dragonfly said:
Christians care. They think an action like this proves something.


With the amount of people leaving the church, they need every new member possible.
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Oh I get that.but the OP made it a point to say "atheists were less than enthused" like any of us should care about some random person becoming a Christian.
 
Noodlegawd said:
I didn't coin the phrase, nor do I ever use it, except in response to comments about it. As far as I know, neither do the so-called "New Atheists," except in response to questions about it.
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There have been attempts to re-brand atheism by some other name like brights. I often debate atheists, most hate religion more than the existence of a Creator.
 
Airyaman said:
Oh I get that.but the OP made it a point to say "atheists were less than enthused" like any of us should care about some random person becoming a Christian.
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Now if Richard Dawkins converted to Christianity I'm sure they would be less than congratulatory. Antony Flew who was a highly regarded atheist apologist was disowned, mocked and rediculed when he became a theist.
 
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