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Why so many abandon God… and how to find Him again
Introduction: Why do so many lose faith today?
We live in an age where speaking about God seems, for many, like a thing of the past. Atheism has spread with surprising force, not as a result of deep reflection, but as a silent, almost unconscious abandonment. Many do not declare themselves atheists convinced by philosophical or scientific arguments, but simply “stop believing,” as someone who discards something that no longer serves them. The tragedy is that in many cases, they never really knew what it was to have faith.
The problem is not that the modern world has defeated God, but that many Christians were poorly prepared for the challenges of adult life. How many have left their religious education at what they learned at age eight, when they were preparing for First Communion? How can that childlike faith support the blows of life, death, injustice, crisis, doubt, suffering…?
A child may recite the catechism, but only a well-formed adult in the faith can look evil in the eye and still believe that God is good. That’s what this article is about: the paths that lead to atheism… and how to walk the way back to the Father’s heart.
I. Atheism doesn’t always begin by denying God
Before becoming an ideology, atheism is often a symptom. Not everyone who abandons faith does so out of hatred for God, but out of disillusionment, ignorance, exhaustion, or unhealed wounds. These are some of the most frequent paths that lead to atheism:
1. Religious ignorance: believing with a child’s faith in an adult world
“My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge” (Hosea 4:6)
Many adults retain the same idea of God they were taught as children: a kind old man in the sky, who rewards if you’re good and punishes if you’re bad. But when real problems arrive – cancer, betrayal, the death of a child, war, scandal in the Church – that childish image shatters into a thousand pieces. And since no one taught them anything more, they conclude: “God doesn’t exist.”
What happened is that they were taught to love a cardboard god, not the living God—Trinitarian, personal, Redeemer, who embraces the Cross with us.
Faith must mature. And like everything that is not cared for, if it is not nourished, it withers. A catechetical preparation for First Communion is not enough. That’s just the beginning!
2. Scandal and bad example within the Church
The sins of Church men have caused many to lose their faith. And rightly so. When someone you trusted disappoints you—a priest, a catechist, a believing family member—the wound can be so deep that God is confused with His representatives.
But we must not forget this key truth: the sins of Christians do not nullify the holiness of Christ. Judas’ betrayal did not destroy Jesus’ divinity.
Abandoning Christ because of men is like refusing to go to the doctor because some patients didn’t get cured. Christ is still the only one who can heal our deepest wounds.
3. The culture of relativism and hedonism
We live in a world that repeats like a mantra: “Nothing is true; everything depends on how you look at it.” In this context, Christian faith—with its affirmation of absolute truths (such as there being one God, one Savior, one Church, one path to heaven)—seems intolerant or outdated.
Moreover, hedonism—the pursuit of pleasure above all—has made God an inconvenience to many. “If God tells me I can’t do whatever I want, then I’d rather live without Him.”
But truth doesn’t stop being true just because we don’t like it, and good doesn’t disappear just because many reject it.
“The time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine… and will turn away from the truth, turning aside to myths” (2 Timothy 4:3–4)
4. Suffering not understood
One of the most common reasons many abandon faith is this: “If God exists, why does He allow so much suffering?”
This is the great question of the human heart. And it cannot be answered with clichés but with the experience of the Crucified. God doesn’t give us a cold explanation for pain, He gives us His Son dying with us and for us.
A God who doesn’t suffer is of no use. A God who doesn’t enter our night is not the true God. That’s why the Cross is the center of our faith. And only those who understand the Cross can understand God’s love.
II. The mistake of many Catholics: thinking they no longer need formation
How many adults today consider themselves “non-practicing Catholics,” but are in reality functionally ignorant in matters of faith? They made their First Communion, perhaps married in the Church, but never again studied, read the Gospel, explored the Catechism, or participated in serious formation.
Would you feed yourself your whole life with the food you ate at age six? Why then do so many pretend that the faith of their childhood will support them in today’s world?
A faith that is not formed becomes deformed. A faith that does not mature, rots.
Adults need a solid religious formation, suited to adults. Theology, far from being distant or reserved for clerics, is the Church’s wisdom that gives meaning to life. The Catechism of the Catholic Church is an inexhaustible treasure. The Magisterium, the liturgy, the sacraments… they are beacons that light the path in a world of darkness.
“Always be ready to give an answer to anyone who asks you for a reason for your hope” (1 Peter 3:15)
III. How to prevent atheism? Paths back to the Father
1. Re-educate yourself in the faith
The first step to avoid (or rise from) atheism is to learn the faith again. As adults, we must return to the catechism, the Gospel, the Magisterium. Seek authentic Catholic formation, read the Church Fathers, go on retreats, study in depth… not to become know-it-alls, but to know and love God more.
2. Seek community
Faith is not lived in isolation. If you surround yourself with people who despise God, little by little you will become like them. But if you surround yourself with Christians who pray, study, struggle, love… their example will strengthen you.
That’s why parish groups, traditional communities, and ecclesial movements faithful to the Magisterium are essential. No one is saved alone.
3. Return to the sacraments
Many have lost the faith because they stopped receiving Communion, stopped going to Confession, stopped praying. Grace withers if not nourished.
Return to Mass, rediscover Eucharistic adoration, seek frequent Confession… these are real and secure paths to rekindle the flame of faith. The traditional liturgy, for its beauty, depth, and sense of mystery, is especially powerful for guiding lost souls back to God.
4. Accept that you don’t know everything
One of the most subtle sins of modern atheism is intellectual pride. Believing that because I don’t understand something, it can’t be true. But humility is the door to wisdom.
God is greater than our minds. If we do not accept that there are Mysteries beyond us, we will never find Him.
Conclusion: It’s not enough to have once believed
Faith is a battle. And the enemy never sleeps. If we do not form our souls, if we do not nourish our faith, if we do not renew our knowledge of God, sooner or later we will end up losing Him. Atheism is not lightning that strikes suddenly: it’s the result of years of neglect, ignorance, unhealed wounds, spiritual solitude.
But God abandons no one. Even if you’ve stopped believing, He still believes in you. Even if you’ve wandered far, He is still waiting in the tabernacle.
Now more than ever, Catholics must return to the sources: Sacred Scripture, Tradition, the Magisterium, the sacraments, prayer… and not with a child’s mentality, but with the intelligence and heart of mature men and women who seek and love the Truth with all their being.
“Seek the Lord while He may be found; call on Him while He is near” (Isaiah 55:6)
Practical applications for the reader
- Dedicate 10 minutes a day to studying the faith: the Catechism, a book of apologetics, a saint’s life.
- Find a faithful Catholic community where you can grow and share the faith.
- Approach Confession and the Eucharist regularly.
- Don’t be afraid of your doubts. Bring them to a priest, a theologian, or to God Himself in prayer.
- Pray every day. Even if you feel nothing. Faith is not emotion; it is fidelity.
God never tires of waiting. Don’t let ignorance, pain, or pride rob you of the most precious gift: faith. If you once believed, you can believe again. And this time, not as a child… but as an adult son who has come to understand the love of the Father.
