Sy Garte is a 3rd generation atheist. He went on to become a scientist and in his education, Garte found many inconsistencies between what he was taught as a kid and what science was showing him. Garte found that there were many things happening that science could not explain. This gave him the idea that there must be something beyond his education and earthly knowledge. Garte encountered Jesus in a vivid dream of his, in which Jesus showed him the door toward faith. Since then, Garte became a believer in Christ and is willing to share the story of his conversion.
Sy shares a profound personal journey from atheism to faith, marked by deep introspection and life-altering experiences. Raised in an atheistic, anti-religious household where his parents, both former members of the American Communist Party, held the view that religion, particularly Christianity, was detrimental.
Sy grew up devoid of religious influence or celebration of religious holidays. His upbringing was strictly materialistic, influenced significantly by his father's scientific background and skepticism towards anything non-material, including psychology.
Throughout his childhood and early adulthood, he carried a sense of emptiness, a void he couldn't quite identify, which he later recognized as a missing spiritual element. This void remained unaddressed until his college and graduate studies in chemistry and biochemistry, which initially seemed to fill the gap. Science, with its transformative and demonstrably valuable nature, fascinated him and provided a sense of fulfillment and purpose. However, as he delved deeper into scientific disciplines, particularly physics and quantum mechanics, he encountered concepts that contradicted his materialistic worldview. The unpredictable and seemingly spiritual nature of reality, as presented by quantum mechanics, puzzled him and sparked a curiosity about the spiritual and the unknown.
During this period of scientific and personal growth, he became aware of the cultural shift towards New Age ideologies, which he mostly dismissed as baseless. Despite his skepticism towards these ideologies and a firm rejection of the concept of God, he couldn't ignore certain inexplicable experiences in his life, which he later recognized as encounters with the divine. His journey towards faith was further influenced by vivid dreams, which he described in his book, "The Works of His Hands: A Scientist's Journey from Atheism to Faith." These dreams, along with his first visit to a Catholic church, gradually shifted his perspective, challenging his long-held beliefs about Christianity and opening him up to the possibility of a spiritual reality.
His exploration of the Christian faith deepened through reading the Gospels, particularly the Book of Matthew and the Book of Acts, which resonated with him as historical and genuine accounts, contradicting his previous belief that Christianity was a fabricated religion. Concurrently, his advanced studies in biochemistry presented him with complex systems that seemed inexplicable by science alone, further eroding his atheistic stance and pushing him towards agnosticism.
The turning point in his journey came through two significant dreams. The first dream involved a high, insurmountable wall surrounding a garden, which he struggled to climb over until he encountered a man who simply pointed out an open door, symbolizing an effortless entry into faith. This dream challenged his preconceived notion that embracing faith was a complex and arduous process, revealing instead that faith is a gift, readily accessible. The second dream, which he had years earlier and initially dismissed, involved dangling off a cliff and being instructed by a mysterious voice to let go. Upon releasing his grip, the world shifted, aligning him safely on the ground, symbolizing the act of letting go of his deeply ingrained beliefs and fears.
His gradual acceptance of faith culminated during a solitary drive, where an impromptu, heartfelt sermon to himself led to an overwhelming realization of Jesus Christ's love and acceptance, regardless of his past rejections and skepticism. This profound moment of self-preaching marked his wholehearted acceptance of faith, filling him with an immense sense of relief, joy, and freedom, and forever altering his life's trajectory.
Sy concludes by affirming his steadfast belief and the profound impact it has had on his life since that transformative experience.
