I was only a very small child... or young, anyways, when the attacks happened and they had no affect on my faith, I didn't really get anything happening. But since then, yes, I've pulled away from religion.

I dont think anything can deter my faith.

I was moving away long before that. The actual event, however, didn't really affect me in any way. Not like that, anyway.

It was not Him, who attacked the World Trade Center. He saved you .And He is still with you, even you don`t trust Him anymore. I know His heard is also bleeding because of this tragedy.Don`r leave Him because these criminals-terrorists.....

"God" lost me long before that happened. I just see more reason to leave the church than to come towards it.

I never believed in God in the first place. But in a similar vein, my maternal grandparents were Jewish before the holocaust. After their friends and family were slaughtered, they became atheists. There really is no point in worshiping a God who would let that happen.

Hi CF I dont think you are a true atheist because you talk about God in your question in the first person, maybe you were so badly affected (and your belief) understandably so, that you couldn't understand WHY he would let this happen. I dont understand either, it is mystifying and I hope in the bigger picture all becomes clear.

I think it brought me closer. I was terrified and I had good reason to be and my faith helped me through it. My sister-in-law worked in the towers, thankfully that day everything was going wrong for her and caused her to be very late getting to work. My Dad was in the Federal Court buildings, my sister was flying across the country from LA to DFW... It was a tough day and we didn't know everyone was safe for several hours.

Closer, definitely closer. I find it interesting that so many people blame God when bad things happen in our lives. "If He is so loving, why would He allow this to happen?" We are not puppets on strings, we make our own choices. We make our own world and,as such, are responsible for the things that happen in it. Yes, some things that happen seem senseless and sometimes things happen to really good people that seem so unfair. But good things also happen to people who do not deserve it - rain falls on all of us. When my husband got cancer last year, we were devastated. It was hard not to ask God, why he was allowing this to happen. Richard had none of the risk factors for the type of cancer he had - never smoked, didn't drink, didn't do drugs - and yet here we were. But I found a better question. I asked instead what God was going to do with this event in our lives. The answer amazed even me and my faith was strong to begin with - so many people have been touched through what happened to us. So much good has come from something terrible. Please do not feel that I am judging you. Everyone has to find their own answer. I'm just sharing mine.

What should He have done? He does not intervene in world affairs like that, He uses tragedy in many ways to fullfill His purposes, we may never understand why but suffice it to say we are in His care and keeping. Everyone thinks that death is this terrible thing, but it can be a new beginning of something far better. Remember this: what the caterpillar sees as death the butterfly sees as birth.

The attacks did not affect me in any great way, although now I smell vanilla when I go to the toilet.

I would have to say that yes, I did grow closer to God because the attack showed me that we, as a nation and individuals, aren't invulnerable. We have glaring weaknesses in our government and in the people as a whole. We had become too complacent and too proud to think that anyone would ever or could ever attack this great nation. We were wrong; I was wrong and God is right. So I grew nearer to Him for the protection (protection that I already had but didn't realize it) that this country can no longer provide. It woke me up to the fact that I could die in 5 minutes and I had better be ready.

it didnt affect me in any way...

I think it brought the believers in this country together in prayer

It's the belief system that lets you down. I never subscribed to the punitive God that was taught in Roman Catholicism, at least not in my heart of hearts. What disappoints and lets-down people is their own mistaken notion of "God" as the patriarchal God we were taught. If God is unconditional love then what conditions do "we" judge as a let-down? That would be a good question to ponder. (fortunately I was a lousy catechism student.)

"It is unthinkable for the true God to act wickedly, for the Almighty to do wrong!

Tell ya what, let's clear this up: forget about God. America made 9-11 happen, and responded to that RETALIATORY ACT - not by finding why someone hated us so badly so we could do something to restore peace, NO! - but to GO DO SOME KILLING (and make them hate us worse than ever) (and while citing God as reason and co-conspirator in the mission). So don't blame your giant spaghetti monster. Blame the stupid stupid violent stupid US!

Also note that whenever someone mentions they were (or know someone who was)(or are related to a friend of a cousin who worked with a friend of someone WHO WAS....in 9-11 *frown* they're just trying to be famous somehow, and that's pathetic. What would REALLY be the difference between dying in a car smash and dying from jumping to the ground? What? Do you smash differently, WHEN YOU GET TO CLAIM TO BE SOMEHOW FAMOUS? *frown frown frown* ??

That scripture can be found in the book of Job 34:10