
Dear Tim:

You say that you were a "catholic," but if you do not believe in the Christian
God (I suppose that means the God of the Bible) and publicly state this,   
you are in all probability not a Roman Catholic.  "Public heretics, even
those who err in good faith (material heretics), do not belong to the body
of the Church" (Fundamentals of Catholic Dogma, 1960, Ludwig Ott, p. 311).

All is not lost, however, as you still might belong spiritually to the
Church by your desire to belong to it.  As you said, only God can judge
the condition of a man's soul.  About judgment, on the other hand, St. Paul 
1 Cor 5:12) urges Christians to judge their fellow Christians. 
Following the Apostle's teaching, I judge that you should reconsider   
returning to the Christian fold and embrace the God of Abraham, Isaac,
and Jacob.  He is the God who lives.  

Concerning what you were told about non-believers when you were a catholic,
that is true.  As I have posted before, Vatican II (Lumen Gentium, II,   
n. 16) teaches: "Those who, through no fault of their own, do not know
the Gospel of Christ or His Chruch, but who nevertheless seek God with a
sincere heart, and moved by grace, try in their actions to do His will
as they know it through the dictates of their conscience - those too may
achieve eternal salvation."  

Responding to your solicitation for opinions on the thinking processes
of God, the best I can do is refer you to Scripture.  Scripture is one
of the best sources for learning what can be known about God.  

Stick with the best.
-- 
boundary, the catechist 