The Buddha taught a couple of things that might help you. He taught to walk the middle path, because either extreme causes one to have a closed mind to the other side. He also taught to find your own answers, to challenge what you are taught, and draw your own conclusions based on logic and reason. So, as an atheist, you were on one extreme, closed off to the possibilities of anything metaphysical. As a religious person, you are on the other side of the path, listening to what is taught and accepting it with blind faith, closing off your mind to the possibility that there is no metaphysical entity or force. As an agnostic, you had your mind open and you were actively or passively seeking answers.