# Prominent atheist, Ayaan Hirsi Ali, converts to Christianity **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [November 16, 2023, 7:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prominent-atheist-ayaan-hirsi-ali-converts-to-christianity/993260 "2023-11-16T19:32:45Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2023, 4:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prominent-atheist-ayaan-hirsi-ali-converts-to-christianity/993260/41 "2023-11-17T04:55:00Z")
> [@CairoCarol](#): > > > [@MyFootsZZZ](#): > > > > What do you think makes you a Christian? > > Is that question directed to me (as the reply icon suggests) or at @Jackmannii, who you quoted? _It must have been some other body uh uh, baby, it wasn’t me_ ---
**Author:** ![Bullitt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bullitt/32/5725_2.png) [@Bullitt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bullitt)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2023, 5:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prominent-atheist-ayaan-hirsi-ali-converts-to-christianity/993260/42 "2023-11-17T05:19:58Z")
> [@mjmartin](#): > > > [@MyFootsZZZ](#): > > > > What do you consider to be Christian values? > > I’d start with the Beatitudes from Matthew 5:3-12 and Luke 6 or the fruits of the spirit from Galatians. But … I am atheist, so I am not sure my vote counts. That’s a good start, the Beatitudes. I am Christian and I’d say your vote counts. > [@mjmartin](#): > > > [@Larry\_Borgia](#): > > > > Really though, why should anyone not close to her care what she believes? > > It is because of what she has championed for the last 20 years or so that makes it so surprising. It would be like if Gloria Steinem suddenly started saying “a woman’s place is in the home, and to serve her husband” or if James Carville suddenly became a Republican. It’s only one person’s opinion, but it goes against what the person has said loudly and forcefully for decades. One of the biggest converts was Paul/Saul of the New Testament. He lived to persecute the early Christians before seeing the error of his ways. So, it does happen. Much of the New Testament is his writings. ---
**Author:** ![ASL\_v2.0](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asl_v2.0/32/3525_2.png) [@ASL\_v2.0](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ASL_v2.0)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2023, 5:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prominent-atheist-ayaan-hirsi-ali-converts-to-christianity/993260/43 "2023-11-17T05:42:16Z")
> [@Bullitt](#): > > Much of the New Testament is his writings. So much so that one begins to wonder how much of the religion is actually about Paul, rather than the other guy (who, so far as we know, wrote nothing—nothing in the Bible at least—and might not have even said many of the things attributed to him by later authors). ---
**Author:** ![Cugel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cugel/32/1199_2.png) [@Cugel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cugel)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2023, 5:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prominent-atheist-ayaan-hirsi-ali-converts-to-christianity/993260/44 "2023-11-17T05:42:25Z")
Never heard of her. Seems like when she was born, a god was there. Didn’t like the adherents, so now god go bye bye. After a while, didn’t like that either, so now god magically recreated. Seems legit. ---
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2023, 5:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prominent-atheist-ayaan-hirsi-ali-converts-to-christianity/993260/45 "2023-11-17T05:46:59Z")
> [@Bullitt](#): > > One of the biggest converts was Paul/Saul of the New Testament. He lived to persecute the early Christians before seeing the error of his ways. So, it does happen. Much of the New Testament is his writings. IIRC, Paul would never have been able to read the Gospels because they hadn’t yet been compiled in their present form at the time he was preaching, so there’s quite a bit of difference between what the Gospels say about Jesus and what he was teaching. ---
**Author:** ![ASL\_v2.0](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asl_v2.0/32/3525_2.png) [@ASL\_v2.0](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ASL_v2.0)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2023, 6:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prominent-atheist-ayaan-hirsi-ali-converts-to-christianity/993260/46 "2023-11-17T06:13:42Z")
> [@Smapti](#): > > Paul would never have been able to read the Gospels because they hadn’t yet been compiled in their present form at the time he was preaching, A very generous way of saying “the gospels didn’t exist yet.” ---
**Author:** ![Bullitt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bullitt/32/5725_2.png) [@Bullitt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bullitt)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2023, 7:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prominent-atheist-ayaan-hirsi-ali-converts-to-christianity/993260/47 "2023-11-17T07:00:09Z")
Your reasoning is faulty, there. He doesn’t have to read about them to know, right? There are other ways. ---
**Author:** ![Bullitt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bullitt/32/5725_2.png) [@Bullitt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bullitt)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2023, 7:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prominent-atheist-ayaan-hirsi-ali-converts-to-christianity/993260/48 "2023-11-17T07:00:36Z")
> [@ASL\_v2.0](#): > > > [@Smapti](#): > > > > Paul would never have been able to read the Gospels because they hadn’t yet been compiled in their present form at the time he was preaching, > > A very generous way of saying “the gospels didn’t exist yet.” And they did not. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2023, 7:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prominent-atheist-ayaan-hirsi-ali-converts-to-christianity/993260/49 "2023-11-17T07:12:36Z")
> [@Larry\_Borgia](#): > > Ok, one last post. Jesus said a lot of cool things. I agree with a lot of them, …t Oddly if someone reads a Red Letter book of Gospels, the ones that highlight what Jesus actually said, you will find that the preaching of the Right Wing church totally at odds with Him. > [@Bullitt](#): > > Much of the New Testament is his writings. And many of Pauls writing go diametrically the opposite of what Jesus taught. > [@Smapti](#): > > IIRC, Paul would never have been able to read the Gospels because they hadn’t yet been compiled in their present form at the time he was preaching, so there’s quite a bit of difference between what the Gospels say about Jesus and what he was teaching. Yep. He likely had some reference to the Q documents. > [@ASL\_v2.0](#): > > A very generous way of saying “the gospels didn’t exist yet.” Very close. The oldest Gospel came out about the time Paul died. But Paul pushed intolerance, and Jesus taught tolerance. ---
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2023, 7:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prominent-atheist-ayaan-hirsi-ali-converts-to-christianity/993260/50 "2023-11-17T07:19:45Z")
> [@Bullitt](#): > > He doesn’t have to read about them to know, right? I don’t have a source handy, but ISTR that Paul wasn’t even _aware_ of the Gospels during the time he was writing, as he speaks of Jesus as being knowable only through supernatural revelation and not as a living being that his contemporaries could have met in the flesh, implying that he was informed about Jesus by pre-Gospel sources that regarded him as a celestial entity and not a human being. ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2023, 8:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prominent-atheist-ayaan-hirsi-ali-converts-to-christianity/993260/51 "2023-11-17T08:58:06Z")
My take on Ali: For many of us religion fulfils a fundamental psychological need - it’s why we invented it in the first place. Ali walked away from Islam and tried to define herself through Atheism, but found out that while lack of belief may be better in so many ways, it still doesn’t scratch that religious itch. So now she’s trying something else. Not because of the specifics of Christianity, but because she needs some sort of religion in her life, and why not do that? ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2023, 10:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prominent-atheist-ayaan-hirsi-ali-converts-to-christianity/993260/52 "2023-11-17T10:40:22Z")
> [@BigT](#): > > She finds atheism unsatisfying. I find atheism unsatisfying too. Doesn’t mean it’s wrong. The universe is not required to cater to my personal satisfaction. ---
**Author:** ![Eric1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/3bc359/32.png) [@Eric1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eric1)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2023, 10:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prominent-atheist-ayaan-hirsi-ali-converts-to-christianity/993260/53 "2023-11-17T10:40:30Z")
I’m related to four evangelical Christian head pastors. I’ve read their doctrines and many commentaries but have found a) the spiritual salvation and b) sacrificing one’s motivation each day themes to be jive. My relatives know I think it and have told me it is to an almost overwhelming extent. They’ve each said privately to me it’s not a spirit from a god but really their spouses telling them to do things, be kind, gentle, patient, generous and other good qualities. As to people trying to justify things with religion, my employer’s CEOs sent out the corniest letter each year on the employees’ anniversaries where it says as an aside " we’re on a mission from God." Since our team members are on contracts with the US govt, they’ve been reminded by lawyers that they can no longer espouse that. I’m glad they’ve figured that out. ---
**Author:** ![Love\_Rhombus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/love_rhombus/32/10694_2.png) [@Love\_Rhombus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Love_Rhombus)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2023, 10:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prominent-atheist-ayaan-hirsi-ali-converts-to-christianity/993260/54 "2023-11-17T10:48:27Z")
Probably because he was jealous that the OG. guys got to go on road trips with the fleshy Jesus and all he got were some fried eyes and a big spooky voice. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2023, 11:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prominent-atheist-ayaan-hirsi-ali-converts-to-christianity/993260/55 "2023-11-17T11:08:05Z")
> [@Gyrate](#): > > > [@BigT](#): > > > > She finds atheism unsatisfying. ⁢ > > I find atheism unsatisfying too. Doesn’t mean it’s wrong. The universe is not required to cater to my personal satisfaction. ⁢ That’s really a semantics issue. What I means is that she doesn’t find an atheistic world view to be a satisfactory explanation for the reality she observes. Not that she is dissatisfied with the way things actually are. The main reason I posted was that I thought the posters were misreading her letter. She does seem to actually believe in God, and is not becoming a Christian for social reasons. ---
**Author:** ![Jasmine](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jasmine/32/2964_2.png) [@Jasmine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jasmine)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2023, 12:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prominent-atheist-ayaan-hirsi-ali-converts-to-christianity/993260/56 "2023-11-17T12:03:51Z")
> [@mjmartin](#): > > She announced recently that she had converted to Christianity. This is quite the shock, given how vocal she has been in the past toward religion. I’m willing to bet that it is not because of anything she read or because of anything anyone said but because of the things she has seen true Christians do. ---
**Author:** ![crowmanyclouds](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crowmanyclouds/32/19884_2.png) [@crowmanyclouds](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/crowmanyclouds)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2023, 12:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prominent-atheist-ayaan-hirsi-ali-converts-to-christianity/993260/57 "2023-11-17T12:33:03Z")
> [@Jasmine](#): > > true Christians And they would be who exactly? Give us the names. ---
**Author:** ![Jasmine](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jasmine/32/2964_2.png) [@Jasmine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jasmine)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2023, 12:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prominent-atheist-ayaan-hirsi-ali-converts-to-christianity/993260/58 "2023-11-17T12:36:45Z")
> [@crowmanyclouds](#): > > And they would be who exactly? Give us the names. We shouldn’t mock others for their beliefs but rather concentrate on living up to our own to the best of our abilities. ---
**Author:** ![crowmanyclouds](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crowmanyclouds/32/19884_2.png) [@crowmanyclouds](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/crowmanyclouds)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2023, 12:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prominent-atheist-ayaan-hirsi-ali-converts-to-christianity/993260/59 "2023-11-17T12:42:56Z")
Would that be like claiming that there are professing Christians that are not “true Christians”? I mean, for “true Christians” to be a coherent concept there by necessity there must be, what, false Christians? Less than true Christians? It clearly can’t be all Christians or you wouldn’t have modified _Christians_ with _true_. ---
**Author:** ![Jasmine](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jasmine/32/2964_2.png) [@Jasmine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jasmine)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2023, 12:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prominent-atheist-ayaan-hirsi-ali-converts-to-christianity/993260/60 "2023-11-17T12:47:46Z")
I won’t address that “question” because this is a classic example a thread mentioning religion being hijacked and turned into one of those “religious wars” kind of threads, and we certainly have an ample number of those. Besides, you already know the answer. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prominent-atheist-ayaan-hirsi-ali-converts-to-christianity/993260.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prominent-atheist-ayaan-hirsi-ali-converts-to-christianity/993260.md?page=4)