Atheism

Let’s be real, atheism isn’t a word you hear a lot in church unless someone’s warning against it. But I want to talk about it differently today. Not as an enemy of faith, but as something that can sometimes clear the path for it.

Because here’s what I’ve learned: some people don’t truly meet God until they’ve let go of religion.

I know that’s true because it happened to me.

Liberation

There was a time when I needed to walk away. Religion had become a burden. I was weighed down by fear, fear of hell. I look at the older faithful people around me. They all seemed like hypocrites. They didn’t practice what the preacher preached.

So I let it all go. The doctrines, the creeds, the guilt. I became an atheist, not out of rebellion, but for peace. And it worked.

I found joy again in nature. I lived with an open mind. No fear, no shame. Just the present moment. Just life. And for a while, it was beautiful.

Despair

Then one day, I found myself climbing up the side of a steep, dry mountain, off trail and secluded. I was exhausted, dehydrated, and unable to move. I laying in dirt completely done. Too tired to move. I was full of delirious dreams. I saw the remains of a rotting body not far from me, rotting clothes and bones. I understood it was my body, my clothes. I felt the end had come, and then something happened.

I heard a voice, not out loud, but clear as day in my spirit:
"I will save you, if you will follow me."

That voice was kind. It wasn’t demanding or angry. It was gentle. It felt like grace.

And you know what I said?

I said no.

Not because I didn’t want to be saved, but because I didn’t trust myself to keep the promise. I was afraid I’d backslide, forget, move on. And I didn’t want to lie to God.

I closed my eyes and prepared for death. I was too exhausted to care. Death seemed like nothing more that sleep at the point.

A Spark Moved Me

Then again, something unexpected. A dream. A vision. Delirium. Images that stirred something deep. Not fear, fire. A spark of determination. A little anger. A burst of life.

Suddenly, I had the strength to move again. By that time the sun was setting and the air cooling down. I pushed forward on hands and knees, then laying down I pulled myself under chaparral too thick to walk through. I stumbled through the night and eventually lay down in a dry stream bed. In the morning I found a trickle of water. Stunned I looked around, alive and shaky, I thought:
“That was close. I almost gave my life to God.”

But here’s the twist: it seemed like God saved me anyway. No deal, no contract. Just love.

The Holy Spirit’s Gentle Return

Sometime later, it happened again. But this time, no mountain. No crisis. Just the light of the Holy Spirit filling me, like peace, like knowing, like clarity.

And in that moment, I believed. But this wasn’t the old belief system I’d left behind. This wasn’t about hellfire or rules or pleasing God out of fear.

This was love. Trust. Presence. It was faith without religion, without dogma.

It was real.

What This Means

If you’ve ever doubted God, questioned the Bible, or walked away from religion—you are not lost.

You are on holy ground.

God doesn’t fear your doubts. In fact, He may be using them to clear away the noise. So that when He does speak, you can hear Him clearly.

Sometimes we have to tear down old walls before we see the sky again.

Key Scriptures

• Romans 8:38–39
  “Nothing can separate us from the love of God.”
  Not even doubt. Not even atheism.

• Isaiah 1:18
  “Come now, let us reason together,” says the Lord.
  God invites honest questions.

• Luke 15
  The lost sheep, the lost coin, the lost son—God chases what’s lost with joy, not judgment.

• 1 Kings 19:11–12
  Elijah expected God in the fire, wind, and earthquake—but found Him in a gentle whisper.
  
  

A Call to Open Hearted Seeking

If you’re here today and you’ve been burned by religion…
If you’ve walked away, or are tempted to…
If you’re afraid of ever believing again—

You are not disqualified from grace.

God meets us in our most honest places.
And He doesn’t demand perfection, just openness.

Reflection Questions

1. What beliefs or fears did you once carry that you’ve now let go of?

2. Have you ever had a moment when God met you in a low place—whether you believed or not?

3. What would a faith without fear or dogma look like in your life?
   
   

Closing Words

I’m grateful for atheism. Not because it’s the end of the road, but because it helped clear mine. And when God came calling again, I had nothing left in the way. Just open space. And love. When I speak with Atheists I understand their objections, their doubt, and their disappointment with religion. I appreciate their honest arguments. They are correct about many things. I do not judge.

Amen.

Atheism