What a beautiful post, D-fendr. I can relate to what you say, for you describe a process that I myself have experienced. Indeed, there is a Compassion that suffuses the cosmos, and it is connected with our individual being. Though it might sound somewhat mystical to put it in these terms, I've come to understand the living process you describe as God in search of us, to "bring us home" into His love, peace, truth, and grace, in fulfillment of His desire to be reunited with His sons, the sons of man. From the human standpoint, this is a "re-binding" to Him in the fullness of His Truth, which is what is meant by salvation. IMHO FWIW.
Thank you so much for your gracious and beautiful post.
It would be interesting to find out how many former atheists there are, compared to believers turned atheist.
Of course, if someone believes in God and turns atheist, he generally either committed something really wrong which hardened his heart, or was not experiencing the reality of God's presence.
I would liken it (in a general sort of way) to being a conservative-who-used-to-be-a-liberal. There are many of us.
But how many liberals who used to be conservative? I don't think as many.