Could you ever see yourself believing in God again?

[ZachyFTW]

I became an Atheist about 4 years ago and I personally couldn't see myself getting religious again. I often here people say that they are a "born again Christian". The meaning somewhat confuses me. Were they an Atheist or Agnostic then picked Christianity? Were they just a bad Christian? I have no clue. I hear more often that people come to Atheism from a religion. I do not often here that an Atheist goes to a religion. I wish I could create a pun similar to the "Once ya go black, ya never go back", but alas, I am not that clever.

Have you or anyone you know ever found religion after being a full blown Atheist?

[PickelledEggs]

Once your faith goes lack, you don't go back.

[Poison Tree]

I can't see myself believing again but then I didn't see myself not believing when I was a believer.

[Shiranu]

I don't see me going back to faith, no.

[GSOgymrat]

When I hear the phrase "born again Christian" I don't think of someone who was truly a decided atheist but then became Christian. I think of someone who "strayed" from the church and then recommitted themselves to faith, perhaps following a time of engaging in sinful behaviors or being angry with God after a loss.

I've never had faith but one certainly can't rule out experiencing a revelation... or traumatic brain injury or psychotic episode.

[Nam]

I became an Atheist about 4 years ago and I personally couldn't see myself getting religious again. I often here people say that they are a "born again Christian". The meaning somewhat confuses me. Were they an Atheist or Agnostic then picked Christianity? Were they just a bad Christian? I have no clue. I hear more often that people come to Atheism from a religion. I do not often here that an Atheist goes to a religion. I wish I could create a pun similar to the "Once ya go black, ya never go back", but alas, I am not that clever.

Have you or anyone you know ever found religion after being a full blown Atheist?

Title question: Hells no.
Last question: no.

How does one go from thinking in actuality and then decide they'll go back to the delusional state -- unless they're drug addicts.

-Nam

[frosty]

Lots of people go from being Atheists to being religious. Nothing is ever black and white, folks. I know people IRL and on the Internet that I keep in touch with who went from being Atheists back to different types of faiths. Not all of them become fanatical, but a certain amount indeed do seem to become fanatical, and that's because in their own minds they are going through turbulent times in their lives and the brain swaying back and forth from one way of thinking to it's polar opposite then back again is not healthy.

[SGOS]

When I hear the phrase "born again Christian" I don't think of someone who was truly a decided atheist but then became Christian. I think of someone who "strayed" from the church and then recommitted themselves to faith, perhaps following a time of engaging in sinful behaviors or being angry with God after a loss.

The born agains I know never started from a point of atheism.  They were totally committed to their beliefs and then, with or without, some sort of deeper level epiphany, they simply declared themselves "born again."  There really isn't any reason why a believer can't be born again, and again, and again, and each time, the believer receives psychological perks and becomes the center of attention in the congregation.

[SGOS]

Have you or anyone you know ever found religion after being a full blown Atheist?

Good question.  No, I have not known of anyone going back to religion after becoming an atheist.  Other than the case of having a psychotic break as someone pointed out, I could never see myself going back.  My religious years started in early childhood with no understanding of reality and no comprehension of logic.  It was a time when I believed in miracles, ghosts in the basement, and maybe becoming invisible.  The indoctrination occurred at point "zero" of my level of knowledge and experience.

I'm in a different place now and have my own tools to work with, where before, I had nothing but others pushing their beliefs on me.  Thinking my way back into a supernatural mind set would be throwing out my experiences with reality and adopting delusional beliefs that defy reality, where red can be blue and up can be down.  I couldn't go back to letting go of reality, and believing burning bushes have the capability of speech.  I couldn't be able to believe Jesus came back from the dead, but still be sure computers can't fly.

[SGOS]

I often here people say that they are a "born again Christian". The meaning somewhat confuses me. Were they an Atheist or Agnostic then picked Christianity? Were they just a bad Christian? I have no clue.

"Born again" is a metaphor for renewed faith.  You were a Christian before, but you only called yourself that.  You really hadn't given it much thought.  You just went through the motions.  In short, you were like the majority of Christians, praying and doing the rituals, but you were in a mindless fog.  A "born again" however, has had a reawakening. 

The preacher asks, "Do you believe?"  And you reply, "Yes, I do."
But the preacher raises his voice and becomes more demanding and asks, "No, I mean do you really believe?"

At this point the suggestion has been made that although you say you believe like all the other wanker Christians out there, you don't really believe all that much.  It implies you have to get with the program and "really" believe.  One thinks to himself, "OMG!  How do I really believe, rather than just believe like all those two bit second rate Christian wankers?  Have I not been living up to the expectations of my peers?" 

You ponder in desperation, wondering how much more you have to believe than simply believing in the first place.  You close your eyes tight, and plead for "real" belief, and if you do it right, the Holy Ghost descends onto you, and for the first time, you realize you really do believe what you said you were believing all along, and what you said before was just a sham.

Congratulations.  You have been born again!  The organ starts playing, and with a self satisfied smugness, the preacher gives you his approval.  Another soul has been saved.  Praise Jesus!  The others are still bound for Hell.  But you have entered a fraternity of those who really believe what they believed before.  It's time for fellowship and donuts as your peers welcome you into the fold, sometimes for the third or fourth time as if all along, you had been someplace else.

[TubbyTubby]

Would it be possible for someone (me) who having never dabbled in religious cults to 'try it'?

Could someone convince themselves to believe in a god temporarily and then discard that belief? I'm not trying to make light of the topic, I just have morbid curiosity of life on the dark side so I can appreciate better those that have been there and escaped.

Now I've written it down it looks even more foolish than when I thought about it (and actually a little scary).

[SGOS]

Would it be possible for someone (me) who having never dabbled in religious cults to 'try it'?

Could someone convince themselves to believe in a god temporarily and then discard that belief? I'm not trying to make light of the topic, I just have morbid curiosity of life on the dark side so I can appreciate better those that have been there and escaped.

Now I've written it down it looks even more foolish than when I thought about it (and actually a little scary).

I think your questions are reasonable.  You could try out a religious cult, but actually believing the doctrine on a temporary basis, I don't think is possible.  You can't turn beliefs on and off.  They can change, of course, but the beliefs have a different dynamic than mere choice.

So what does it take for an atheist to change his beliefs?  It depends on how he arrived at his atheism in the first place.  Not all atheists arrived at their atheism through a logical process.  It's possible for an atheist to be a complete airhead, and have arrived at atheism without actually thinking.  If such a person is prone to suggestion, I could see him believing in a god, for no other reason than he liked the idea.

I've often seen Christians in debate ask, "Why do you choose atheism?"  And I've seen atheists defend the "not a choice" aspect of belief by suggesting that Christians just choose to not believe for a week.  Of course they can't do it.  Oddly, I have never, not once, ever, seen a Christian respond to the challenge.  It's always ignored, or forgotten, and never even addressed.

[Mermaid]

When I hear the phrase "born again Christian" I don't think of someone who was truly a decided atheist but then became Christian. I think of someone who "strayed" from the church and then recommitted themselves to faith, perhaps following a time of engaging in sinful behaviors or being angry with God after a loss.

This.
I seriously doubt the concept of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit will ever make sense to me, and I highly doubt I will ever have "faith" that an all-knowing white dude watches me brush my teeth every day. But as a scientist, I like to think I will never say never. The likelihood is infinitesimal though.

[Nam]

Lots of people go from being Atheists to being religious. Nothing is ever black and white, folks. I know people IRL and on the Internet that I keep in touch with who went from being Atheists back to different types of faiths. Not all of them become fanatical, but a certain amount indeed do seem to become fanatical, and that's because in their own minds they are going through turbulent times in their lives and the brain swaying back and forth from one way of thinking to it's polar opposite then back again is not healthy.

Ever think they were always delusional? That, in their case: them thinking they were an atheist was also a delusion they were living in?

-Nam

[Nam]

This.
I seriously doubt the concept of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit will ever make sense to me, and I highly doubt I will ever have "faith" that an all-knowing white dude watches me brush my teeth every day. But as a scientist, I like to think I will never say never. The likelihood is infinitesimal though.

Yeah, if you say, "Fuck Biblegod and Jesus!" and still be forgiven and go to heaven but say, "Fuck the Holy Spirit!" and you go straight to hell.

Idiotic.

-Nam