Some very interesting highlights of a testimony from the US:

1….if there’s only one Christ, why was His church divided into so many denominations? ...

2….I began attending a Unity Church in Lawton, Oklahoma, and, after positing questions and ideas to the group, I soon became elected as its principle teacher. The congregation “paid” me for my services in books from their bookstore, such as A Course in Miracles, the Bhagavad Gita, and books on UFOs and astral projection.

…We had a very eclectic group among the congregants, to include tarot card readers, mediums, Satanists, and American Indian worship adherents. The chief idea of this movement is that signs and acts of power can be demonstrated if you understand what they are and how to manipulate them.

…God isn’t a Person in their minds; rather, a Force that can be manipulated to your desired ends if you understand the laws that operate the universe.  You don’t have to love Him or anyone else. And this is exactly what I found among its adherents, whether in local or statewide gatherings. …

3… One of the members of the nondenominational church I first attended splintered and started his own church, which I began attending. I became a teacher at the church, and while I was very successful in that ministry, I still felt a void. …

4…It was actually my job to study the Bible — what joy! I had realized my dream. What I also realized was that the tens of thousands of hours I put into study (all Protestant-based) had taken me no closer to answering basic questions of faith, and I lived in constant fear of embarrassment — that one day I would be asked questions for which I had no answer. My major doubts were about the nature of hell. ….

5…I attended one Universalist church meeting and a couple of Universalist house meetings, and the more I did this, the more I became convinced that there was no eternal punishment for me, no matter what I did. I found I had no reason to believe in God, other than being raised to do so. I became agnostic and then an atheist. …

…They are not the open-minded lot they purport to be. The hatred and vitriol I discovered among atheists was a wake-up call. I realized I was their pawn as long as I allowed myself to be used as ammo against others. I did not want that. …

6… She also recorded the Divine Mercy chaplet, and when she would leave the room, I would play it over and over and sing it. I didn’t want her to notice how much the chaplet moved me because I wasn’t ready to admit, to myself or anyone else, that my atheistic foundation was beginning to crumble. …

…The chaplet touched me so deeply I almost cried, though I didn’t understand its history or significance. I found myself singing it at odd times, and it always brought great comfort to me…

7…After several months of attending Mass (I began doing it every Sunday with her), Cindy began talking to me about RCIA. …

…I am not sure she knew this at the time, but months before, I had begun reading Catholic books that showed, not only an embrace of faith and reason, but offered substantial proof of God that amazed and convinced me. It was the first time a church had offered a reasoned defense of belief that made perfect sense. …

8… Some of the books I began to read included the 4-volume set of Catholic For A Reason by Scott Hahn; Answering the New Atheism: Dismantling Dawkins’ Case Against God by Scott Hahn; Reasons to Believe: How To Understand, Explain, and Defend the Catholic Faith by Scott Hahn; Fundamentals of Catholic Dogma by Ludwig Ott; From Atheism to Catholicism: How Scientists and Philosophers Led Me To The Truth by Kevin Vost; and Theology and Sanity by Frank J. Sheed. …

…I was very impressed with the Catholic Church, but not entirely convinced I wanted to commit to its belief system just yet. I accepted Cindy’s offer to attend RCIA with her as my sponsor …

… At the first meeting, I was introduced to one of the most wonderful women I have ever met, Sister Treva Heinberg, the overseer of the RCIA program at my parish. Her love melted my heart. …

9… Slowly but surely, my faith began the slow, arduous process of being repaired from decades of pain and distortion. At Easter Vigil 2010, I was welcomed into my Catholic family — I had come home…

10… One of the things I’m most grateful for is that, for the first time, I can defend my faith without hoping I won’t be asked certain questions. I feel like a kid in a candy store — so much information, so much knowledge, so little time! I’m 51 years old, but if I lived to be 150, I think I will still enjoy my fascination with the seemingly bottomless pot of knowledge contained in the Catholic Church!

[Excerpts from Testimony of Leonard Adams’. Leonard Adams is a U.S. government employee and fitness instructor in Madison, Alabama, who enjoys life with his wife, reading, and music]

For full testimony please Visit: http://chnetwork.org/2012/08/from-pain-to-peace-conversion-story-of-leonard-l-adams-jr/