This is not an accurate characterisation of what I went through. You know nothing about me other than what I have written on this site. I was not looking for excuses to leave Christianity. In fact the opposite was true. I wanted to become a better Christian. This eventually clashed with the real world and I was presented with new information that I had not previously considered. This new information eventually won out over my presuppositions.
Nonsense:
That's all just nonsense.
You could spend a lifetime just reading academic works which intelligently and logically defend theism.
You clearly didn't investigate these answers thoroughly because you weren't interested.
If you had any interest in rational explanations for theism, and you wanted theistic answers, you would STILL BE READING ACADEMIC WORKS on the subject... there is a virtually endless supply of scholarly works written over many centuries by some of the greatest minds who ever lived.
I doubt you read ANY serious or scholarly works by top Christian academics or philosophers.
Nonetheless, if you were trying to do THOROUGH research on your doubts, you would STILL be reading academic works supporting theism, because there are centuries of great thought put into these topics.
You could spend several lifetimes just studying the philosophical defenses for theism.
If you aren't STILL studying Christian scholars, then you weren't really looking for theistic answers.
That is the proof.
Rigorous Debate:
Furthermore, in genuine academic debate, atheism does NOT hold up well against theism.
Atheism is actually rife with coherency problems.
Most atheist scholars, when entering into academic debate, will usually turn out to be completely ignorant of the topics they're addressing.
They're usually so given over to presupposition, that they actually have no awareness of the finer points of the topics, or of their own commitment to logical fallacy.
They don't have good arguments.
Atheists are not atheists because they have better arguments... they are atheists because they simply WANT to be.
Epistemology:
Really?
Instead of discussing the finer points of deeper arguments, you're here trying to deconvert believers by challenging their epistemology?
That's all you've got?
Isn't that like atheism 101?
You clearly read somewhere that would stump most Christians.
It's what atheists always do.
Why?
Because most Christians are just normal folks; they're just trying to get through the day and be good people... they aren't trained in philosophy and dealing with rigorous logical defenses to epistemic challenges.
ALMOST NO ONE IS.
Because they aren't trained in this, they are likely to STATE THEIR CASE in a way which leaves some holes, and you're already prepared to move into the gap and attack those holes.
This is typical atheism.
They read up on a few debate tricks, and a few tricky sounding arguments (which almost always contain logical fallacies), and then they go around trying to stump Christians.
Ugh.
By the way, NOBODY who is untrained can give logically defensible answers to epistemic challenges.
That includes atheists.
Atheists quickly melt down, and come apart, if the Christian starts asking all the questions.
That's why I don't tolerate all this nonsense.
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I am a former prodigal myself, as many of us no doubt were at one time, and we are all born enemies of God, and fall short of the glory of God, which is why we need a Savior. I think it is wonderful that you did experience the forgiveness God offers through the covering of the shed righteous blood of Jesus Christ.