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I once knew an atheist who claimed he’d never believed
in God’s existence. In his view, believers were supposed to be people of weak
character who felt the necessity to find a crutch for their inability and
laziness, so they attended church. He felt agitated if, when the debating
religion, he could not persuade the opponent with his arguments. He despised
believers in an almost hysterical way. He had, however, a very good friend who
believed in God. They agreed to refrain from discussing religion whenever
together.
One day this man, probably in a rare moment of weakness,
accepted the invitation of his friend to visit his church. To himself, he
laughed at the thought of speaking out in the middle of mass and laughing and
pointing his finger at the believers from the pulpit. However, as we know, God
works in mysterious ways. He went to church, stood in the back benches, and
stared at the people praying.
The mass service started and he gave all of them a
sarcastic glance. Then the sermon began, lasting about 15 minutes. Suddenly,
in the middle of the sermon, tears welled in his eyes. A strange feeling of
joy and happiness washed away his animosity, a feeling that engulfed his entire
body. After mass, the two friends left together. They were silent until the
moment they were to part ways, when he asked his friend whether they could go
to church together again. They agreed to go again the next day.
It’s possible some of you might have guessed that I was
that stubborn atheist. I had felt nothing but contempt and hatred towards
people of faith. But after that sermon in 1989, when the priest discussed how
we should not judge others if we don’t want to be judged, my life suddenly took
a dramatic turn.
I started attending church services regularly and was
thirsty for any information on God and Jesus Christ. I took part in meetings
with Christian youngsters where we exchanged our spiritual experiences. I felt
resurrected. Suddenly I felt the need to be in the company of believers. I
needed to make up for the past 18 years.
I was brought up in an atheist family, who except for
having me baptized, did not exercise any attempt to guide my spiritual
development. I remember being in sixth grade when a comrade was sent by the
Communist Party to explain to us why God does not exist. I remember myself
absorbing his every word. In my case, I needed no convincing. I believed
everything he said. His arrogance, contempt, and hatred towards believers
became mine. But now I had to make up for all those years.
I met with a priest and others who guided me in this new
direction. I was full of so many questions, to which they responded. Later I
was to realize a big mistake: I accepted everything without contemplation or
reflection. I could say that they explained things to me in a ‘take-it-as-is’
manner, but that would not be fair to them. It was, in fact, my mistake. I
didn’t reflect upon their words, nor did I think critically. This would cause
me a lot of complications later. In retrospect, I believe an important factor
that influenced my behavior was age. I was too young to properly comprehend
matters so serious and complicated as faith.
I wished to become a good Christian, and God knows I
tried very hard. Yet over time, I could not reconcile the contradictions found
in the Bible, such as the divine nature of Prophet Jesus and the concept of
inherited sin. Priests tried to respond to my questions, but eventually, their
patience began to run thin. I was told that such matters should be accepted on
faith, and that these questions were a waste of time and would only serve to
distance me from God. Till this day, I recall myself quarreling with a
spiritual leader, an event that restarted my self-destructive tendencies. Maybe
I wasn’t right after all. I was young.
How I Became Muslim
My path toward Islam wasn’t easy at all. You may think
that since I was disappointed with Christianity, I would have immediately
accepted Islam as my faith. This could have been very simple, but all I knew
about Islam at the time were things like Muslims refer to God as Allah, they
read the Quran instead of the Bible, and they worship somebody called Muhammad.
Also, I think I was not yet ready to accept Islam.
So I withdrew from the church community and claimed to
be a soloist Christian. I found out, however, that even though I didn’t miss
the community of believers or church, God was ‘settled’ so deep in my heart
that I couldn’t let Him go. I didn’t even try. Quite the opposite. I felt
happy to have God around and hoped He was on my side.
Later I began to engage in one stupidity after another,
living a life of luxury and lust. I did not realize that such a road would
lead me away from God and towards hell. A friend of mine says that you need to
hit rock bottom in order to feel the ground beneath your feet. This is exactly
what happened to me. I fell really deep. I can just imagine how Satan must
have been waiting for me with open arms, but God did not give up on me and gave
me another chance.
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