SETH MAHIGA RENOUNCES ATHEISM. WHO ARE OTHER FAMOUS ATHEISTS WHO FOREWENT HIM AND THEIR REASONS.

By the pen of Gitau wa Kung'u ✒️

Atheism is the absence of belief in a particular deity, pantheon, or religious doctrine. Subscribers of atheism are called atheists. Theism is opposite of atheism or rather, theism is the belief in existence of at least one God or deity.

Now, Seth MAHIGA, former secretary of Atheists in Kenya society has converted to Christianity as of 30th May 2021. He's the newest Christian convert to Christianity from Atheism. He has accepted Jesus Christ as Lord and saviour, Hallelujah!

So when did atheism start? The actual term atheism emerged first in the 16th century. This was just before "the age of enlightenment" as depicted in the Wikipedia. There was widespread "free-thought, skeptical inquiry, and subsequent increase in criticism of religion, application of the term (atheism) narrowed in scope. As different scholars explored the religion belief system, doubts and questions about existence of God or deities emerged. However, it was not until the 18th century during the Age of Enlightenment that the first individuals to identify themselves using the word atheist emerged.

You must be wondering why Atheists came to lose faith in the existence of God or deities? What inspired this altogether new, different worldview on faith? Some questions have been asked like: "if God exists and he is loving, caring God, why does he allow suffering on his creation?; If God exists and nobody has ever seen him, why believe in someone you cannot see, how can you practically prove his existence"

 Wikipedia says, "arguments for atheism range from philosophical to social and historical approaches. These include that there is a lack of empirical evidence, the problem of evil, the argument from inconsistent revelations, the rejection of concepts that cannot be falsified, and the argument from non belief. Nonbelievers contend that atheism is a more parsimonious position than theism and that everyone is born without beliefs in deities; therefore, they argue that the burden of proof lies not on the atheist to disprove the existence of gods but on the theist to provide a rationale for theism."

Now, some famous atheists have retracted and left the belief in no existence of God or deities and thence converted to Christianity, Hinduism, Islam, Buddhism, Judaism among other religions. What inspired their conversion from Atheism to theism? Let's explore this question by looking at some various famous atheists converted theists.

In the 1990s, One of the most respected geneticist scientists in the field of genetic research,  Francis S Collins, the head of the Human Genome Project and one of the most respected generic scientists renounced atheism. His conversion, as he testifies, was brought upon by the confession of a religious woman whom she was treating who confessed to him that whenever suffering and pain overcame her, she prayed to God and he relieved her. 

Christian Radio blogs that his challenged his belief. Forced to examine the evidence concerning the truth or falsity of religion, Collins was eventually led to read C. S. Lewis’ Mere Christianity, where, he says, '...within the first three pages, I realised that my arguments against faith were those of a schoolboy.' He realised that no law of science could adequately explain the existence of morality

When Collins read Lewis’ critique of moral law, he realised that no law of science could adequately explain the existence of morality, but a Creator God fit the explanation perfectly. Later on, Professor Collins fell sick, and he remembered those words. He prayed!!! 

Author Karen Edmisten admits on her blog:“I once thought I’d be a lifelong atheist. Then I became desperately unhappy, read up on philosophy and various religions (while assiduously avoiding Christianity), and waited for something to make sense. I was initially  appalled when Christianity began to look  like the sensible thing, surprised when I wanted to be baptized, and stunned that I ended up a Catholic.”

So what compels most atheists conversion to religious belief? Let's look at 5 points:

1. The power in the, "believing for the benefit of doubt." It's better to believe that God exists than not. What if you die and actually get that God exists and you are kneeling before him waiting like a sheep for his judgement? 

2. Lack of valid scientific research answers and theories related to origin of life or the universe. For example, failure of big bang, passing cloud, nebula cloud and molecular theories of origin of matter. Never has anything worldly birthed itself. Nothing came into existence on its own out of nothing. That makes the belief in a creator, God stronger than any other logical reasoning. So do most atheists decide to believe in God or a deity.

3. St. Thomas Aquinas 7 proves that God exists. Like, a body stays in the same position of rest unless acted upon by an external force: the law of motion. So who started the first motion if not God or a deity? The universe is vast and amazingly orderly, an incomprehensible designer God must have designed and created it in a way we human can only marvel upon each discovery of how we know we really have not "invented" anything but just discovered another mystery of creation. Can something so orderly, supernatural and marvelous have come by accident? Atheists are caught by this question by the heart, and so they believe indeed, God or a deity exists!

4. Why are different kinds of families who reproduce offspring that takes after them yet there are many kinds of families? Like animals, plants, microscopic living organisms like viruses and celestial beings (stars, moons, planets, comets, meteors etc?) If you argue the DNA instructs gene reproduction in plants and animals, what about celestial bodies, do they have genes too?

5. Who created those genes first because they didn't come by accident and instructed them to produce the amazing beautiful creation we see by our naked eyes or the microscope? Even a computer doesn't undertake instructions without being instructed first. Could we be talking of giving commands to computers without first making them? Where did the idea just like every other greatest artistic, scientific or technological idea come from in the first place? From out of the blues? No, nothing great comes out of the blues. Alpha and Omega inspired that greatest idea you know, he is the origin of every amazing idea ever, including creation and sustainability of the creation! Atheists have been questioned this funny question: is it the hen that came out of an egg or is it the egg that hatched into a chick that became a hen? Funny and tricky quiz, don't you agree? So, atheists find themselves in abyss of incomprehension, and thus the atheist believes in God!

All in all, welcome to the theistic life Seth Mahiga, the newest Christian convert from atheism in town! You made a wise decision. Journey well with the believers with Christ Jesus on the right hand of God on his everlasting throne.

Written by Gitau wa Kung'u ✒️.