The following is an open letter in response to the recent conversion from atheism to Catholicism by atheist blogger Leah Libresco.
I had never heard of you until your recent conversion went viral within the religion vs atheist community online. I do not mean that as an attack. I haven't heard of a lot of people and a lot more have not heard of me. I only say so to be more clear about where I'm coming from.
Your conversion has left me with some questions. You owe me nothing, obviously, but I need to ask these things anyway. I'm aware that I'm only one of many currently asking you questions, and you'll likely never even see this, let alone respond, but I would feel negligent in my devotion to truth if I left this unwritten. I've been able to do some reading on this, including some of what you've written in response to other inquiries, but I have been unable to find satisfactory answers to some issues.
While I do not personally experience confusion about morality such as you described, I do get that many do. The confusion I have is how that can lead one to believe a deity exists. Did you witness some sort of evidence for this deity? Or was this revelation entirely internal within your own mind?
More specifically, how did your experience lead you to believe the Catholic god is the right one? Other than your issues with the source of morality, what did you consider when choosing Catholicism over all the other religions? Was the Vatican's tacit approval of child rape a factor? How about their misinformation campaign in Africa regarding the effectiveness of condoms in preventing the spread of HIV?
You mentioned uneasiness regarding their stance on homosexuality. Was this a factor in your decision or was it not considered until afterward? Are you okay with supporting a Church with such discriminatory stances?
Do you believe the Christian Bible is the word of God? Do you have issues with any other parts of that book? Are you okay with getting your morality from a god that supports/commits genocide, rape, child abuse, & slavery? Are you okay with saying your morality comes from an institution that protects pedophiles & lies to millions about the effectiveness of condoms? Did you have any morality issues with the Vatican while you were still atheist? If so, how have those issues changed with the conversion?
Do you pray now? If so, have any of prayers been answered?
Is the Pope infallible?
And finally, when the priest blesses the wafer & wine, do they become literal flesh & blood of Jesus Christ?
These questions of mine are related to things I wonder about Christians & Catholics in general. Seeing someone, confident enough in their atheism to write a blog about it, become a Catholic makes me wonder even more about you. I look forward to reading more about your rationalization for your new-found faith, because for me, it is incredibly mind boggling.
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