#36 Millennial Hindu Mystic Meets Jesus - Atticus Carr — Compelled Podcast

Atticus Carr, was a young man completely devoted to Hindu mysticism and New Age philosophy.

But then one night, for inexplicable reasons he began reading the Bible and was completely unprepared for what would happen next.

The following is a summary of the podcast interview above with Atticus Carr. Many more details are included in the original podcast episode and we encourage you to listen.

The Texas Hill Country

Atticus Carr grew up in a place where you would least expect to find someone who would later become a devoted follower of Hinduism...

His story begins on a ranch in the Texas Hill Country, surrounded by 200 acres of land to play on, a big Texas sky, and all kinds of animals he and his brothers turned into pets. A great place for 4 young boys to grow up… or so one would think.

Even though it seemed that Atticus had an idyllic childhood, his family had some very painful skeletons in their closet.

Difficult Childhood

Growing up, Atticus’ dad was at times physically abusive toward him and his siblings. His mom was a travel nurse, which frequently took her out of state and left Atticus and his brothers home alone with their father.

Whenever Atticus’ mom left for work, she would give her sons a phone card. If things ever became dangerous, they were to take the phone card, run 2 miles to their nearest neighbor’s house, and call her.

The day came when Atticus and his brothers had to escape to their neighbors and call their mom. She returned home immediately and insisted that the family move from the ranch to a Houston suburb, where she felt the boys would be safer.

Shortly after the move, Atticus’ dad left his family, and his parents were divorced.

“Christian” in name only

During his early years, Atticus was aware of Jesus and the Gospel through sporadic church attendance. He also attended AWANA for a year, where he memorized many verses and learned about the Bible.

But even though Atticus would have said that he was a Christian, the Gospel had no tangible effect on his life.

And as Atticus grew older and moved with his family from the ranch and into town, his interest in God diminished further.

A New Life

Atticus embraced the move from the ranch. He was excited to explore a new area, and he was eager to make friends, something he had had little opportunity to do living so far away from other people while on the ranch.

But making friends didn’t come easily for Atticus. He didn’t realize it right away, but his country upbringing made him awkwardly stand out from the other kids. And, when Atticus was enrolled in a private school, it became painfully obvious that he had fallen far behind his peers academically.

Atticus hated private school and felt that all his problems making friends would be solved if he could attend public school instead, just like all the kids in his neighborhood.

The Wrong Friends

At public school, Atticus quickly made friendships, but these friendships did not prove to be healthy. They took Atticus on as a sort of project and took it upon themselves to help him learn how to be “cool.”

Unfortunately, “being cool” involved Atticus completely rejecting his family which he did willingly in exchange for acceptance among his new-found friends. And it wasn’t long before Atticus’ desire to look cool in front of other people around him began affecting his behavior in more ways than just rejecting his brothers.

A Young Pothead

Encouraged by his new set of friends, Atticus began drinking alcohol and smoking cigarettes. Then, one summer at church camp, Atticus smoked pot for the first time.

What started as a way to impress his friends quickly turned into an addiction. As soon as Atticus got home, he found a way to buy weed through friends at school with his lunch money.

At this point, Atticus had lost all interest in school. He was often tired and hungry during class because of skipping lunch and he smoked pot every chance he got.

Not surprisingly, Atticus’ grades plummeted. He lost all motivation to attend school and eventually dropped out. Soon after he left his home and began living on the streets or at friend’s houses.

Searing His Conscience

From ages 15 to 18, Atticus continued down an incredibly destructive path of drinking, smoking, and drugs. During the day, he broke into houses to steal either alcohol or money which financed his habit.

Atticus’ heart was completely hardened. He was determined to be in complete control and continued in his out-of-control lifestyle, actively trying to squelch his conscience so he wouldn’t even be restrained by guilt.

It was working. Atticus had no fear of man or of God, and his life decisions reflected that. He was constantly in trouble with the law, and at one point even burned down an abandoned house in his neighborhood.

He rejected every semblance of authority in his life. And nothing was going to stop him from living the way that he wanted.

Even Then… God Was Near

Submission to anyone or anything was the farthest thing from Atticus’ mind. But unknown to Atticus, God was still protecting him from his darkest impulses.

Atticus often felt so much pain that he wished he were dead, but he was always restrained from taking his life by a false belief that suicide would result in him automatically going to Hell.

Instead, Atticus put himself in dangerous situations, hoping they would be enough to take his life. Yet God mercifully preserved Atticus time and time again during this chapter of his life.

A Life and Death Accident

Atticus was in Colorado when his life unexpectedly turned a corner. He caused a horrible car accident while driving under the influence. He walked away from the experience essentially untouched, but others involved in the accident were rushed to the emergency room in critical condition.

The next several weeks were intense as Atticus was stranded out of state, waiting to find out whether or not the victims of the wreck would survive. He faced the very real possibility of being charged with manslaughter, and, for once, the experience shook him.

In the end, everyone involved in the accident survived and all that Atticus faced was strict probation. But even though this was a fairly mild consequence, it caused a significant disruption to the life Atticus was used to living, with no more access to alcohol or drugs.

Avatar: The Last Airbender

It was a seemingly innocent cartoon. But the night that Atticus watched Avatar: The Last Airbender, whatever vestiges of his spiritual life remained took a nosedive.

Atticus’ curiosity was piqued by a scene in the film that taught meditation and afterwards he spent some time researching it. One thing led to another, and it wasn’t long before Atticus found himself steeped in the teachings of Hinduism, Eastern mysticism, and the New Age.

Atticus’ life started to look better to onlookers. He stopped smoking, drinking, doing drugs, and no longer committed crimes. He completed cosmetology school, began a successful career as a hairstylist, and started a relationship with his future wife, Lauren.

However, his spiritual state was even worse than before.

Interrupted Plans

Atticus’ life became consumed with what he called “spirituality.” He was rapidly learning more about various religions as he devoured religious texts of all sorts.

Atticus’ goal was to work enough to pay off all his debts so he could move to the Himalayas and live as a Yogi monk.

His plans were interrupted abruptly when his then-girlfriend Lauren found out she was pregnant. Atticus was immediately disappointed because he felt that having a child would limit his spirituality.

Their baby son, Ezra, was born, but nothing changed in Atticus’ life or his heart. Instead of welcoming their son with joy, he began to distance himself from both his son and from Lauren.

He and Lauren lived together peacefully, but Atticus stopped investing in their relationship. And soon they were just friends raising a child together.

Uncomfortable Questions

But while Atticus's self-righteous attitude was growing stronger, and his affection for Lauren was declining, God was working in unexpected ways.

For reasons Atticus could never explain, he and Lauren decided that they wanted to have another child. It was the beginning of a chain of events, perfectly orchestrated by God.

Atticus and Lauren’s second son, Ira, was born, and shortly after Ira’s birth, Atticus began to question everything he believed about sin - once again, for inexplicable reasons.

Questions kept popping into his mind. What if he really would be judged for his sin? What if Jesus Christ really was God?

Despite his best efforts to ignore the doubts in his mind and heart, they continued resurfacing.

The Bible Was Too Simple

Providentially, it was right around this time that the Bible came up as the next spiritual text on Atticus’ reading list.

Atticus’ initial impression of the Bible was that it was shallow when compared to the other Eastern and Hindu texts he had consumed. The Bible and its message were too simple. It was all just too easy.

Atticus didn’t even finish the Bible but wrote it off, not even halfway through. But even though Atticus concluded that he was finished with the Bible, God was not finished with Atticus.

What If Jesus Really is the Only Way?

One night, Atticus began watching a YouTube video featuring a creationist debate 3 evolutionists about the origins of the earth.

He wasn’t even sure why he had a sudden interest in watching the debate. But as Atticus listened, he found himself second-guessing everything he had previously believed about the Earth’s origins.

As the debate neared its end, the creationist shifted to talking about the Gospel. And, even though Atticus had already written off Jesus as “too simple”, the words of the Gospel wouldn’t leave his mind.

Once again, a question surfaced in Atticus’ mind, one that he couldn’t escape. What if Jesus truly was the only way?

No Other Name Under Heaven

Atticus had often prayed to a generic god in the course of his spiritual journey. But, on this particular night, he decided to pray to God instead.

He asked for truth and clarity and then asked a very specific question: “Are You the only way?”

What happened next was nothing short of a miracle. Walking to the shelf, Atticus took down the Bible he had deposited months before when he had judged it too simple. When he opened it up, his eyes fell immediately to Acts 4:12.

“And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”
Acts 4:12

“But, God,” Atticus probed. “What about the experiences I’ve had with beings of light? How can they not lead to salvation?”

Another very specific answer, straight from the Bible (2 Corinthians 11:14-15).

“And no wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light. So it is no surprise if his servants, also, disguise themselves as servants of righteousness. Their end will correspond to their deeds.”
2 Corinthians 11:14-15

Immediately, all of Atticus’ questions and doubts subsided, and he became a believer in Jesus Christ and Jesus Christ alone.

24 Hour Transformation

Within 24 hours Atticus had experienced a complete heart change. He had started the day as a Hindu mystic wondering if the teachings of Jesus were actually true but was ending it as a born-again Believer.

God’s timing was providential. After being convicted of his sin, repenting of his idolatry, and placing his complete trust and faith in Christ, Atticus had the opportunity that very night to share with Lauren their need to ask Jesus to protect them from the powers of spiritual darkness.

Jesus Holds Power Over Darkness

Immediately after trusting in Christ as his Savior, Atticus went to tell Lauren about the change that had taken place in his heart. Lauren had no reaction, as she felt that this was simply another vein of spirituality that Atticus was exploring.

Their relationship had already been damaged by Atticus's aloofness, and although they had two children together and lived under the same roof, they slept in different bedrooms.

Atticus went to bed but was woken up just a few hours later by frantic screams coming from Lauren and immediately he ran to her room.

When Lauren had gone to sleep, she had been struck by a form of sleep paralysis and a “waking dream” of sorts in which her legs were moving on their own. She could sense that her legs were moving toward the crib with the intention to kill their baby. Lauren had tried to scream for help, but had been overcome by the paralysis, until finally she had been able to scream for help.

It was in this moment in which Lauren’s heart was more open than ever to what Atticus shared with her about Jesus and His power over darkness. He told her that they needed to call on Jesus to protect them.

And in one night, years of beliefs were erased. It was a change that would last.

Atticus Carr Today

Together, Atticus and Lauren began making changes to their lives. They were officially married, began attending a local church, and while not mandated by the Bible, decided to begin eating meat after having been vegetarians for years.

The day after Atticus’ conversion he tore up all his spiritual texts. He had come to realize through personal experience, that unlike the Bible, none of them were alive nor held any power.

Today, Atticus enjoys sharing the transforming power of the Gospel of Jesus with others.