Atheist Has Conversion Experience, Becomes a Believer During the UK Reality TV Series The Monastery

Aimee Herd, Davin Dahlgren reporting : May 9, 2005
London Telegraph

Five men, including an atheist in the adult entertainment trade, who participated in the UK Television reality series The Monastery have had significant experiences that seem to have transformed their lives.

According to the report in the London Telegraph, the five lent themselves to an experiment in "spiritual makeover," living with Catholic monks in Worth Abbey, West Sussex, for 40 days and 40 nights. The program, which aired on the BBC this month, was designed to reveal whether or not the monastic tradition still has relevance in the modern world.

The participants faced the challenge of communal living, and followed a strict regimen of prayer and work. At the end of the time, confessed Atheist Tony Burke became a Believer after what he described as a "religious experience." "I didn't want this to happen," he said. "But something touched me, something spoke to me very deeply. When I woke up this morning, I didn't believe in this but, as I speak to you now, I do. Whatever it is, I believe in it." Burke also gave up his job promoting an adult chat line.

Other participants were noted as being able to finally deal with life issues that had troubled them for years, a teacher recommitted to the faith he had abandoned as a boy and a Cambridge under-graduate inched closer to becoming an Anglican priest.