Jonathan Noyes joins Tim to talk about why he gave up on atheism and how he came to where he is today. This is a conversation about logic, about reasoning and research, about doubt, and ultimately, about faith. Jonathan is a former atheist who has lived a journey that few have. He’s now a Christian.

In 2014, the Pew Research Center conducted a survey on a number of topics. One of those topics was faith and religion. According to that survey, atheists comprise roughly three percent of the total U.S. Population. A slightly greater number identified as agnostics.

For our purposes here today, let’s talk about what is an atheist versus and agnostic.

An atheist is someone who does not believe there is a God.

An agnostic is someone who has not decided for themselves whether there is a God or not. They leave open the possibility there could be a higher power, but they tend to reject God as we know Him in our society.

For comparison, let’s look at the numbers for the two most dominant religious faiths in America. Christianity and Judaism.

According to Statista.com, the United States is home to the largest number of Christians in the world. As of 2010, there were roughly 247 million Christians in America. This in a country of 330 million.

In 2020, the Pew Research Center conducted another study to look at Judaism in America. It found that about 5.8 million adults identify as Jewish by religion, and another 1.5 million identify as Jewish with no religion.  This amounts to roughly 2.5 percent of the total U.S. population.

Other religions are represented in smaller numbers in the U.S. population.

These numbers may surprise you. They did me. But, no matter what study you look at, the number o atheists in America is on the rise.

Jonathan Noyes was one of those atheists.

Links

• Stand to Reason Bio – Jonathan Noyes
• Roman’s, Chapter One
• C.S. Lewis, Website
• New Believer’s Bible, NLT, Amazon
• Lee Strobel, Website
• Leviathan, by Thomas Hobbes
• William Provine Dies, Cornell Website
• Richard Dawkins Foundation, Website
• Love Thy Body, by Nancy Pearcey (Amazon)

About this Episode’s Guest Jonathan Noyes

Jonathan has worked as a speaker with Stand to Reason since 2019. A former atheist, Jonathan used to think belief in God was unwarranted and irresponsible. Then, after examining the evidence for Christianity he was faced with the fact that Jesus is who He says He is and the Christian worldview tells the true story of reality. Since then Jon has been passionate about engaging the culture with honest, well thought-out reasons why people should trust the Christian worldview. Jon has developed a series of passionate talks to do just that.

In 2013 Jonathan earned a master’s degree in Christian Apologetics from Biola University, graduating with honors. Jon brings a unique perspective to his audiences and the Stand to Reason team, having more than ten years’ experience in the legal field and serving more than five as a pastor in his local church. Jon also serves on the board of directors for Life Without Limbs and at Beacon Hill Classical Academy, where he teaches discipleship.