Tag Archives: John Loftus

Fundamentalist Atheism

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bridging_the_gap

Atheists pride themselves in being people of reason. They think of themselves as superior to the religious, untainted by delusion. Is this really true?

By and large, most atheists are decent people who just want to live their life without being bothered and harassed by  Christians. They want the United States to live up to its secular ideals and keep Fundamentalist Christianity from infiltrating the schools and  government policy. These kind of atheists take a live and let live approach to life and other people.

There’s another type of atheist that unfortunately has become the stereotype for religious people when they think of atheism. This is the Fundamentalist atheist.

My friend Geds left an insightful comment on a previous post. He wrote:

…The first and last atheist book I read was Hitchens’ god is not Great. I found it awful, shallow, and judgmental. I’ve been fighting his stupid “religion poisons everything” formulation ever since, especially because a certain stripe of fundamentalist atheist (which is totally possible, might I add, any belief can have fundamentalists) seems to think that it’s the answer to any and every positive statement about religion and the religious. It’s just begging the question, though. Define “religion” as “superstition,” define “superstition” as an impediment to all things good and positive, and then define “poisons” as “introducing the possibility of rejecting appropriate thinking in favor of superstition” and you’ve got yourself a begged question.

I followed PZ Myers’ blog for a long time and was totally anti-accomodationist for a bit. In the back of my mind it never sat well, though. I remembered all the fights about the right way to be a Christian and who was or wasn’t in the tribe and I knew that it was exhausting and pointless. I also didn’t think of “Christians.” If someone mentioned Christianity in conjunction with a behavior I could usually think of several people I knew who represented that behavior or belief. I also realized that my decision to leave Christianity didn’t come because I was argued out of it. I had friends who weren’t Christians and knowing that I wouldn’t be alone if I left Christianity helped immensely.

The mistake that the confrontational atheist types make is exactly the same mistake that the confrontational Evangelists make. They imagine that there’s a Platonic ideal of a Christian out there who strives to live up to all their negative stereotypes: hates gays, stockpiles guns, blows up abortion clinics, etc. Then they say that since that Christian could exist that means that all Christians are like or want to be like or will inevitably become like that Christian, so it’s totally okay to hate on and argue with every Christian they meet.

But it doesn’t work that way. And, as Nietzsche said, if you spend too much time fighting the monster you become the monster. So they become that atheist Bryan Fischer or Pat Robertson or Fred Phelps and whenever someone tries to tell them they’re doing it wrong they say, “No, that”s impossible, I can’t be like that guy because he’s wrong and I’m right.” It’s annoying and it’s stupid, but it’s also incredibly human.

I couldn’t have said it better myself.

For those of us who came from Evangelicalism, we are quite sensitive to Fundamentalist thinking wherever it might be found. Personally, I think Fundamentalist thinking lies at the root of MOST of the problems we face in the world today.

A Fundamentalist is unable to see a person as a real flesh and blood human being. They see them as either being for or opposed to their ideology. They see them as a statistic, a demographic. They see them as part of a collective whole and not as an individual.

Look at what is going on in Washington now. Fundamentalist Tea Party members have successfully brought the U.S. government to a halt. A 4 million member club, the NRA, has successfully stopped background check legislation that 90% of Americans, and most NRA members, support. This is what Fundamentalist thinking does…it stifles debate, discussion, and working for the common good.

Our common humanity demands that we see each other as we are. Yes, I am an atheist, an agnostic, a humanist, a liberal, at times a socialist, and at times a libertarian. I am ALL these things and more, but these are only the labels I wear.  They are not the sum of who I am.

Part of the problem is the internet.  People read blogs and they think that they “know” a person by reading their writing. They think they “know” all about me. In fact, several Christians have told me that they know me better than I know myself.

When we read a person’s blog or book, we are only catching a glimpse of who and what they are. We only get to read what they decide to share with readers. I don’t know of one writer who shares every intimate detail of their life. For those of us who write about  our past, we know that our memories are selective and may even be wrong at times.  The story we present to the reading public about our past is the past as we “remember” it. (I have caught myself more than once writing something about the past that I later had to correct)

what_is_your_name

Many Christians want to divide the world into two neat categories: Christian and non-Christian.  Either you worship the Christian God, who is the true and living God, or you don’t.

Some atheists do the same. They divide the world into two groups: Religious and atheist.  Either a person believes in a God or they don’t. End of story…

Both of these  views lack nuance. Christians and atheists who think like this have tunnel vision and are unable to see degrees or shades. Their thinking is black and white. Both are guilty of Fundamentalist thinking.

Over the past six years, through this blog, I have met countless Christians who I admire and respect.  Yes, their beliefs are antithetical to mine, yet they are decent people who I know I would love to be friends with in the “real” world.

I have to be careful that I do not let the nasty, hateful Christians that frequent this blog and attack me in the local newspaper keep me from seeing the good in religion and those who practice it.

Christians need to do the same. Not all atheists are the same. Yes, there are nasty, hateful, mean-spirited atheists. (and don’t bother telling me I am tone trolling) They love attacking the religious, ridiculing them for their stone-age beliefs.

When I began questioning my faith, I wrote a post that was cross posted on exchristian.net.  I thought that on a site called exchristian, that my story would be embraced and understood.  Boy, was I wrong. The Fundamentalist atheists eviscerated me for not being as atheistic as them. They attacked the words I used and even went so far as to suggest I was still a Christian.

Their treatment of me caused me to run in full-scale retreat from atheism/agnosticism. I thought, these guys are just like a bunch of Independent Fundamentalist Baptist preachers. Even the moderator of exchristian thought their treatment was excessive and my post was removed. (he was, by the way, very kind to me)

A few years ago, my friend Jim Schoch and I drove to Fort Wayne to hear Robert Price speak. After his lecture, a young man stood up and challenged Price’s comment about the “good” religion has done in the world. This young man refused to allow that Christianity had done one good thing in 2,000 years. He badgered and berated Price to the point where a flustered Price gave him a quick answer and moved on.

Now, I am not suggesting that we never need vocal atheist Evangelists to use their rhetoric to spur the faithful on. I recognize the value of the people like Richard Dawkins, Christopher Hitchens, PZ Myers, and company. However, I also know that the real work of advancing the humanist cause will be done by people who patiently engage the religious, treating them with decency and respect.

Confrontationalism has its place, but it is not the approach that will elicit the greatest gain. It may make us feel good to put the religious zealot in their place, but what have we really gained? I know it feels good to get in shit-throwing contests with Christians on Facebook and Twitter, but, ask yourself, what have you really accomplished?

Now, many atheists don’t care what others think about atheism in general. They take the, fuck them, approach. While I certainly understand this sentiment, I must always remind myself of what my real objective is….to advance the humanist ideal.

We must find ways to productively work with the religious to bring about a more just society.  This requires both sides to accept each other at face value. Take the issue of abortion. One side takes a life begins at fertilization position and the other side takes an unrestricted right to abortion position.  Neither side is willing to work with the other to actually reduce the number of abortions. Far too often, this is the same thing that happens when atheists and Christians battle one another. Neither side can see the value of what the other believes.

I realize that hard-core, dare I say, Fundamentalist atheists despise my accommodationist approach. They think of me as a compromiser, a facilitator of superstition. They see me as a coddler of the religious, a person who is hindering progress.

They are certainly entitled to think what they will about me. I can’t control how people view me and the things I write. All I can do is stay true to my objective:

  • To help those who are considering leaving  Christianity
  • To help those who have already left Christianity
  • To promote and advance the humanist ideal

If these are my objectives, then I know being an in-your-face confrontationalist is not the approach I should take with the religious. That does not mean, however, that I should not be pointed and direct in what I write or in the discussions I have with Christians. Frankness should not be confused for confrontationalism. Directness should not be viewed as an attack.

When beliefs are brought to the public square they should be discussed, challenged, critiqued, and debated. If a person is unwilling to have their beliefs challenged or questioned, then they need to stay out of the public square.

Let me end with this. There is a time and place for ridicule. When people like Sarah Palin, Bryan Fischer, Sean Hannity, David Barton, and Ken Ham attempt to spread utter foolishness, they deserve to be laughed at and ridiculed. But, remember these talking-heads don’t speak for every Christian. (as a Christian, it upset me when people assumed when Jerry Falwell said something, he was speaking for me)

And to my Christian readers let me say, when Richard Dawkins, Sam Harris, Daniel Dennett, John Loftus, Dan Barker, Jerry Dewitt…or GEDS or Bruce Gerencser, for that matter, speak or write, they do not represent all atheists.

As I have often said, I am one man with a story to tell. I do not represent any organization or group. I am not a spokesman for atheism. I am one man trying to flesh out on this blog what he thinks and believes. I hope that you can see beyond the words and see the man.  If you cannot  see the man behind the words then I have failed as a writer. If all you see is sterile words and beliefs and cannot  see my humanity, then I must do better.

What Are You Going To Tell Me I Haven’t Heard Already?

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John Loftus writes:

I have talked to many believers face to face and online for about six years. Not one of them believes me when I say there isn’t anything important they can tell me that I haven’t considered before. Almost to a person they speak and write as if they can share something new that would cause me to change my mind. It’s pathetic to me, and frustrating. I have to start all over with each new believer to convince them of this. Even now some believer just may comment below with what is perceived as something new, or a new approach to reaching me. Many have tried arguing with me. Others have ridiculed me–remember, it’s supposed to have an effect when we do it to believers!? Some have tried being kind to me. A few have asked me to come “experience God” at their worship service.

I agree completely with John’s sentiment.

I was part of the Christian church for fifty years. I was an Evangelical pastor for twenty five years. I spent most of my life DAILY reading and studying the Bible. I have spent countless hours reading theology books. While the Bible may be a “timeless” book, as some Christians say, it is not an inexhaustible book. I am quite confident that I have exhausted its contents and that it has nothing more to say to me.

I am quite sure many Christians will find my words quite arrogant. They are convinced that the Bible is a magic book that keeps on giving. No matter how many times you read it, it tells you something new and original, the Christian says.

No, it doesn’t and I think a lot of Christians who SAY this really don’t believe it. How else do we explain the fact the most Christians rarely, if ever read the Bible, and IF they read it, they read Psalms, Proverbs, and portions of the New Testament, leaving vast portions of the Bible untouched?

The Bible may still be a bestseller but it is a bestseller that is collecting dust or found residing in the back window of the car, only to removed from its resting place for an hour or two on Sunday.

Yet, these same Christians think they have something they can tell me that will cause me to repent and return, or come for the first time, to Jesus. Since most Christians never read the Bible from cover to cover how is it they think they have anything to say to me? Their theology is as deep as the 3 minutes they spend in Our Daily Bread. Their reading habit consists of reading books written by pabulum giving Evangelical authors of the day. These people think Joel Osteen and TD Jakes are scholars.

No bragging here, just facts. I know the Bible inside and out. Over the past four  years, countless Christians have tried to win me back to Jesus. Some have tried to use all the apologetical magic tricks in the book to get me to see the error of my way. No matter the ploy, I have heard nothing new. Nothing that would cause me to change my mind or reconsider the false claims of Christianity.

If that is arrogance, so be it. I prefer to think that I am a man who has weighed God/Jesus/Christianity/Bible in the balance and found them wanting.

The Cognitive Dissonance of Educated Fundamentalists

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Cognitive Dissonance

Cognitive dissonance is a discomfort caused by holding conflicting ideas simultaneously. The theory of cognitive dissonance proposes that people have a motivational drive to reduce dissonance. They do this by changing their attitudes, beliefs, and actions. Dissonance is also reduced by justifying, blaming, and denying. The phrase was coined by Leon Festinger in his 1956 book When Prophecy Fails, which chronicled the followers of a UFO cult as reality clashed with their fervent beliefs. It is one of the most influential and extensively studied theories in social psychology. A closely related term, cognitive disequilibrium, was coined by Jean Piaget to refer to the experience of a discrepancy between something new and something already known or believed.

Experience can clash with expectations, as, for example, with buyer’s remorse following the purchase of an expensive item. In a state of dissonance, people may feel surprise, dread, guilt, anger, or embarrassment. People are biased to think of their choices as correct, despite any contrary evidence. This bias gives dissonance theory its predictive power, shedding light on otherwise puzzling irrational and destructive behavior. (Wikipedia)

Christian Fundamentalism

Fundamentalism is strict adherence to specific theological doctrines usually understood as a reaction against Modernist theology. The term “fundamentalism” was originally coined by its supporters to describe a specific package of theological beliefs that developed into a movement within the Protestant community of the United States in the early part of the 20th century, and that had its roots in the Fundamentalist–Modernist Controversy of that time.The term usually has a religious connotation indicating unwavering attachment to a set of irreducible beliefs (Wikipedia)

The Christian fundamentalist has an unwavering attachment to a set of irreducible (not able to be reduced or simplified) beliefs. These beliefs are often called the “faith once delivered to the saints.” (Jude 1:3) These beliefs include doctrines like:

  • God created the universe
  • The deity of Jesus Christ
  • The virgin birth and sinless life of Jesus Christ
  • The triune nature of God
  • The atoning death and resurrection of Jesus Christ
  • The sinfulness of humankind and the need for personal salvation
  • The final judgment of humanity  by God
  • A literal heaven and hell/a new heaven and a new earth, with all of humanity, after death, living eternally in one place or the other
  • The Second Coming of Christ
  • The inspiration and infallibility of the Bible

Every Christian fundamentalist sect generally adheres to the above doctrines. They may explain them in different ways and they may have other “fundamentals” they believe are part of the “faith once delivered to the saints”, but most all Fundamentalists willingly embrace the above doctrines.

It is for this reason that I consider Evangelicalism to be a fundamentalist subset of Christianity. Evangelicals HATE to be called fundamentalists BUT their beliefs betray them. Granted, they are not social fundamentalists like Independent Fundamentalist Baptists (IFB) but they are every bit as much theological fundamentalists as IFB adherents. (and fundamentalists can be found In EVERY sect, including sects like the Roman Catholic Church, The Episcopal Church, The United Church of Christ, and the Greek Orthodox Church)

My wife’s uncle pastors the Newark Baptist Temple, a hard-core IFB church. He has been the pastor of the church for over 40 years. The church is associated with colleges like Pensacola Christian College and Bob Jones University, two hard-core fundamentalist institutions.

My wife and I attended the Newark Baptist Temple for about a year or so when we were first married.(the late 1970’s)There are many fine people at the church, people we have known for decades. The church is considered by most to be a middle/upper middle class church. A large number of the members have college educations. (though many of them have degrees from Christian institutions) Over the years, the church has had members who were doctors, nurses, lawyers, business owners, engineers, public school teachers, etc. Educated people.

How do we square the hard-core fundamentalism of the church with the education many of the members have? Education has always been considered an antidote for fundamentalism. The more educated a person becomes the less likely it is they will be a fundamentalist. How do we explain the disconnect between fundamentalist beliefs and the education a person has?

Every time I watch Rod Parsley on TV (and I do occasionally for entertainment) I am reminded that in his congregation of thousands are many well-educated people. People who have been educated at secular, public and private institutions. Smart people. People who worked very hard to attain the degrees they have. Yet, they are members of a church that is pastored by a whacked-out, bizarre, hard-core fundamentalist charismatic pastor who thinks he is a prophet with a special anointing from God. Granted, Parley is a great orator (and I personally love hearing him preach) but his beliefs, while fundamentalist, go far beyond core fundamentalist beliefs.

How do we square the hard-core fundamentalism of the church and the whacked out beliefs of Pastor Rod Parsley with the education many of the members have?

Before I answer this question there are several issues we must consider first. The answer to this question is not a simple……well Bruce, they are a bunch of idiots. No one in their right mind believes this stuff. Truth is, tens of millions of educated people whole-heartedly embrace fundamentalist beliefs.

Many people come into Christian fundamentalism through a radical adult conversion experience. Their lives are a mess, falling apart at the seams. Maybe they are addicted to drugs or alcohol. Maybe their marriage is on the rocks. Maybe they are in trouble with the law. The reasons for seeking God and deliverance are myriad. During my time in the ministry I saw hundreds of adults have a radical adult conversion experience. They were indeed “born again.” (John 3, 2 Corinthians 5:17)

Their lives change overnight. They become a “new creation in Christ.”  New life has been breathed into every aspect of their life. They have the same educational background after being converted but their point of view has been radically altered. As a new convert they are hungry for truth and they are part of a church that has a pastor who says, “listen to me, I have the truth. The truth is found right here in the Bible, the Word of God.”

The educated, new fundamentalist convert pushes his past education into the back recesses of his mind. All that matters, for a time, is knowing God better. After all, look at what Jesus did for them! (and we err if we neglect to consider the power of the conversion experience) The convert might spend years immersing themselves in the teachings of the Bible. Their bookshelves, RSS reader, and browser bookmarks are dominated by writers who reinforce the truth their fundamentalist pastor is teaching them.

Over time one of two things will likely happen. The educated fundamentalist convert will go one of two ways and understanding this helps explain WHY there are educated fundamentalists.

Over time,some educated fundamentalist converts settle into their church and become like the vast majority of church members, passive and compliant.  The newness of their conversion experience has worn off and they have to come to realize that their “deliverance” by Jesus wasn’t as complete as they first thought it was.  The pastor warned them that this could happen. The convert is encouraged to pray and read the Bible more. But, try as they might, the education they pushed back into the recesses of their mind starts to reassert itself.  The convert begins to have doubts or questions. When these doubts or questions are verbalized the convert is told that the Devil is trying to destroy their faith and they just need to “hang on to Jesus.”

The educated fundamentalist convert continues to have doubts and questions. Cognitive dissonance sets in.  The convert decides to leave the Christian fundamentalist sect that birthed him into Jesus. Perhaps another church, another sect will have answers for his questions. He wants to reconcile the cognitive dissonance he has so he uses the very skills his education taught him. He studies. He reads. He analyzes.  Over time….he begins to have a radically different view of Christianity than the one he was taught in the fundamentalist church. Maybe he embraces liberal Christianity. Maybe he becomes a universalist or a deist. Or maybe he finally admits that whatever his conversion experience might have been, he can no longer square the beliefs of Christianity with what he knows to be true. In that moment an agnostic or atheist is born. (or a skeptic, a humanist)

Perhaps he is outgrown Jesus and Christianity. While he is grateful for the deliverance he found through the fundamentalist Christian church he can no longer intellectually embrace their belief system. The fundamentalist pastor who helped bring him to saving faith in Jesus Christ likely warned him about following after the wisdom and philosophies of the world. (Colossians 2:8, 1 Corinthians 1:20,1 Corinthians 3:19) The pastor no doubt encouraged the convert, turned doubter, to run to the foot of the cross and stay there.  The pastor’s attempts at damage control failed and the educated fundamentalist convert is now considered:

Little children, it is the last time: and as ye have heard that antichrist shall come, even now are there many antichrists; whereby we know that it is the last time.They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would no doubt have continued with us: but they went out, that they might be made manifest that they were not all of us. (1 John 2:18,19)

Over time, other educated fundamentalist converts take another path. They recognize the cognitive dissonance that exists between their fundamentalist religious beliefs and the college education they received. Instead of responding to doubts and questions with inquiry they set out to “prove” that their education and religious beliefs can be reconciled. Result? Groups like Answers in Genesis and The Institute for Creation Research. There are thousands of writers and websites dedicated to making science and religion and archeology/history and the Bible mesh with one another. The result is often farcical and embarrassing.

Some within this group wisely realize that attempting to reconcile science with their fundamentalist beliefs is a fool’s errand. So they compartmentalize their thinking. They convince themselves that matters of faith and matters of science exist on two separate planes. They convince themselves that religion and science are attempting to answer different questions and have no connection with each other.

It is not uncommon to find fundamentalist Christians in this group believing Genesis 1-3 accurately describes how God created the world and, at the same time, believing in evolution. I can only imagine the mental gymnastics that must take place a person to hold such a view. I couldn’t do it but I know a number of people who do. One moment they can be talking reasonably and rationally about evolution and the next thing you know they are talking about a God who created the world in six days or six indeterminate periods of time. (for many years, fundamentalist Christians who used the Scofield Reference Bible saw a study note about the Gap Theory,C. I. Scofield’s attempt to embrace evolution and Genesis 1-3)

I know many educated, fundamentalist pastors and educators who have made it their life’s mission to reconcile the ever-pressing claims of science, geology, archeology and history with the Bible. They are considered the “educated ones” the “defenders of the the faith.” They provide the laity with sufficient enough answers to allay their doubts and fears. Their answers, coupled with faith are enough..

Other educated, fundamentalist pastors and educators I know, and a host of not-very-educated pastors and educators, think that Satan is chancellor of the American educational system. They are suspect of ALL secular education. They encourage church embers to reject ANYTHING that is contrary to the explicit, literal teachings of the Bible. No matter what science, geology, archeology and history says……..the Bible trumps all. Sadly, this thinking dominates the majority of fundamentalist churches.

I still think that education is the antidote for fundamentalism. If I can get a fundamentalist to step outside of their theological rut and read books that challenge their sincerely held beliefs there is hope. If I can get a pastor or fundamentalist church member to openly and completely read books written by the likes of Bart Ehrman or John Loftus I have high hopes that  their fundamentalist mindset can be changed. Even a little Barth or Nietzsche can go a long ways in moving a person off the fundamentalist  path. Any movement leftward is progress.

I know many of us have a hard time wrapping our minds around educated people who are also fundamentalists. They exist, and I hope this post helps a bit in explaining how a person can be educated, while at the same time embracing fundamentalist beliefs.

The Divinity of Doubt by Vincent Bugliosi, A Book Review

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This entry is part 3 of 12 in the seriesBook Reviews

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The publisher, Vanguard Press,  sent me a  review copy of  Vincent Bugliosi’s latest book Divinity of Doubt, The God Question. Divinity of Doubt is 272 pages (338 pages with chapter notes and index) long and is Bugliosi’s attempt to establish agnosticism as the only valid choice in the God debate. Bugliosi neatly divides views about God into three categories: organized religion, agnosticism, and atheism.

Bugliosi spends significant time, in fact the entire book save 3 chapters, dismantling and shredding Christianity. He makes it clear that he does not believe the Christian God exists. He dismisses the rest of the major religions of the world in a chapter titled Hey ,Look at Us. We are Just as Silly as They Are. Bugliosi makes it clear that the world would be far better off if much of organized religion died a quick death.

Bugliosi’s critique of Christianity is standard atheistic fare. Long time atheists and agnostics will bore quickly when reading  Divinity of Doubt. I found myself saying yeah,, yeah , yeah I agree. Ok, next.  That said Bugliosi’s book is a great primer on the theological and textual issues the Christian church faces.  This would be a great book to give to someone who is considering leaving Christianity.

Bugliosi is rightly critical of those who believe in certainty but he himself often appeals to theological certainty when he writes about  what  bible scholars believe concerning this or that theological or historical issue.  He often makes it sound like bible scholars are unified when it comes to the textual and historical problems of the Christian bible, when, in fact, unity is a word rarely used to describe bible scholarship. Proof? Consult the true God of this world Google and you will quickly find out that virtually every aspect of the Christian religion is endlessly debated. Christians can’t even agree on basic things like God, communion, baptism, or how a person becomes a Christian.

I was astounded that Bugliosi did not mention Bart Ehrman one time. (I did not read the chapter notes so there is a small possibility Ehrman makes an honorary appearance there) Ehrman is clearly the most popular and most read theologian of the 21st century. His books are a devastating critique of Christianity and Bugliosi not mentioning Ehrman’s books is troubling. (not that Ehrman would have necessarily added anything to the book. Bugliosi comes to many of the same conclusions as Ehrman.)  In passing I  should note that Bugliosi incorrectly states that William Lane Craig is a Catholic apologist. Craig is actually an Evangelical Christian apologist. .

Bugliosi spends several chapters on the subject of evolution, creationism, and intelligent design. He admits he is not a scientist but this does not keep Bugliosi from diving right in anyway.  Bugliosi writes:

But apart from science, I have problems with the Big Bang theory. For one thing, I simply cannot even begin to imagine how at some tiny point in time and space, some microorganism, or what have you, self exploded and created the universe, though I obviously am in no position to challenge this theory…But I do know that whatever they are, they are something, and that is the big problem. It would seem that no one can actually believe that the Big Bang exploded out of nothing, completely empty space, which would be an impossibility. It had to have exploded out of something. And no matter how small or subatomic that something is, the question is who put that something there? If it wasn’t the creator, and how did it come into existence? Remember, nothing can create itself because if it did, it would proceed itself, an impossibility.

Unlike Bugliosi, I confess not only am I quite deficient when it comes to matters of science, I also have no intentions of exposing my ignorance to those who are experts in science. I will leave it to my readers who are well-schooled in science to deal with Bugliosi’s claims. I will stick to  the Bible and theology.

In a chapter titled Atheism and Its Current Leading Prolocutors Bugliosi deals with the subject of atheism. Bugliosi  focuses only on  the writings of Richard Dawkins, Sam Harris, and Christopher Hitchens. For some unexplainable reason Bugliosi assumes that if he reads the books of  Big Three of the Atheist movement (he ignores Daniel Dennett)  he has adequately surveyed the necessary material to make a proper judgment concerning atheism.  As a result Bugliosi paints a truncated, incomplete picture of atheism. His book would carry far more weight with atheists IF he had broadened his horizons and referenced books written by atheists, agnostics, humanists, and skeptics who offer a different viewpoint than Harris/Hitchens/Dawkins.

Bugliosi hates the certainty he sees in the writings of Harris/Dawkins/Hitchens. Bugliosi wrongly assumes that these thee authors are the face of atheism and that their beliefs are the beliefs of all atheists. Bugliosi rightly contends that no one can know for certain whether or not there is a God yet he discounts atheists who say just that. Dawkins admits that a person can not with certainly know whether or not a God exists. Dawkins states “God almost certainly does not exist” and Bugliosi takes this to be a disingenuous statement. Why?

Atheism is all about probabilities. Does God exist? I don’t know. Is it probable God exists? No. Is it likely God exists? No. Does the Christian God, as taught in the Bible, exist? No.  Rare is the atheist who says with certainty that no God exists. In fact Bugliosi proves in his book that he is every bit as much an atheist as most of the atheists I know. Bugliosi would have been better informed about atheism if he would have, at a bare minimum read the WIKI on atheism.

In the future, I hope Bugliosi will broaden his horizons when it comes to atheism.I have profited greatly from  the books of Richard Dawkins, Sam Harris, and Christopher Hitchens. That said,   there are many other authors like Michael Shermer, Richard Carrier, Hector Avalos, David Eller, S.T. Joshi, A.C. Grayling, Paul Kurtz, Bart Ehrman, and Scott Aiken/Robert Talisse who have written significant books about atheism and humanism that I have found quite helpful, books, it seems, that Bugliosi paid no attention to. Bugliosi also fails to mention the books by John Loftus, Why I Became an Atheist and The Christian Delusion, two books that are very helpful in laying the foundation of modern atheism.

If you are a confirmed atheist or agnostic Divinity of Doubt will not plow any new ground for you and it certainly does a poor job at surveying the current, popular atheist scene. The book is bombastic at times and the biggest defect in the book is how Vincent Bugliosi views himself.

Bugliosi says this about himself:

I seem to naturally—and not as a result, I can assure you , of any special intelligence at all—see what’s in front of me completely uninfluenced by the trappings of reputation, hoopla, conventional wisdom, and so on, put on it by others.

I suspect some readers of Divinity of Doubt will not be able to get beyond Bugliosi’s naïve view of himself. As I read what Bugliosi said about himself I found myself wanting to toss the book in the corner where I store all the books I have read by authors filled with self-importance.(Granted my sensitivity to this stems from a lifetime in a religious movement dominated by arrogant, self important preachers) I didn’t toss the book and I am glad I didn’t.  I had to remind myself that sometimes you have to get beyond the messenger and listen to the message. Forget Bugliosi’s character flaws. Is what he preaches the truth? The answer is Yes, especially when dealing with Christianity.

I  heartily  recommend Divinity of Doubt, especially for people who considering leaving the Christian faith. The book should be helpful to Christians who are questioning the tenets of the Christian faith. Divinity of Doubt answers many of the questions pastor’s hope their members never ask.

I close this review with Bugliosi’s own words concerning religion:

I can say with relative confidence (because what I’m saying, at least it would seem, has to be true) that there is only one necessary religion that has any merit to the people who inhabit this earth, and that’s the Golden Rule: “Do unto others what you would want them to do unto you” (from the Beatitudes of the Sermon on the Mount [Matthew 7:12]). To treat others as you would want them to treat you is the highest, most noble form of human behavior and the basis of all morality. No matter what some papal encyclical says; no matter what some bishops’ conference says; no matter how many sacraments of the Catholic church there are, or chapters and verses in the bible, or thick and complex books by theologians, or Sunday school classes and sermons by pastors; no matter how many heated arguments there are about God, Jesus, and religion; no matter how many pilgrimages there are to Mecca, Jerusalem, and other holy places; no matter how many thousands of hours Jewish scholars struggle over the meaning of the Torah; no matter how many multimillion-dollar churches and synagogues and grand cathedrals to Christ are constructed, nothing can ever change that simple reality…..

If we must have religion, the seminal test as to the value and merit of any religion worth its salt has to be not what you believe, but what you do—that is, how you treat your fellow man. Yet in the thousands upon thousands of books, and billions upon billions of words that have been written, particularly about Christianity and the bible, what percentage of these books do you think are devoted to the only thing that counts—the Golden Rule?

To these words this atheist says Amen.

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Two Years the Dust has Settled, Almost

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My defection from the Christian faith and the ministry is well documented and has been hashed out here, there, and everywhere, Blogs, churches, pastors, friends, parishioners, and acquaintances, have had their say. I have been weighed in the balance and found wanting. I am either saved but backslidden or never was saved according to all those who have weighed in on the state of my eternal soul. (they say I have a soul but I don’t think I do)

A pastor, who is also a former parishioner, visited me  in hopes of turning me from the error of my way. He is an Arminian and he believes I once was saved but now I am lost.

Other pastors have taken it upon themselves to send me missives of judgment in the mail or via email. Every letter, every email is the same. They are certain of what they know the truth to be, and since I am living contrary to their version of truth, they believe God is going to judge me, chastise me, or even kill me. If he doesn’t, what does that say about their God? I shudder to even think about it.

Former parishioners send me letters and emails and leave comments on this blog in hopes of turning me back to the Way of Jesus. Several people suggested that my reading habits and education is the problem and they encouraged me to get rid of all my books except the Bible and become stupid for Jesus. The real issue is not even about me, it is about them. My apostasy invalidates their life and they don’t like it. They fear, if I could apostatize no one is safe from the snare of Satan.

As time moves on the dust of my life settles a bit. I know  the more distant traumatic issues are  the easier it becomes to embrace the pain and move on with life.  Leaving the Christian church and leaving the ministry are indeed difficult things to deal with. The emotional and mental toll has been enormous.

Most every day I get email from people who are trying to find their way out of the Christian wilderness.  Some emails come from pastors who don’t know what to do about their changing beliefs. I have had contact with a few agnostic or atheist pastors who feel trapped. They know they are living a lie but they fear what will happen if they abandon the ministry. Walking away from a life-long career is not an easy choice to make.

I  also hear from pastor’s wives. Some of these dear women no longer believe but their preaching husband does. They suffer in silence for fear of destroying their husbands livelihood if they speak the truth about what they believe.

The Fallen from Grace blog has put me in the way of large numbers of disaffected people. Some are still Christians, others are atheists, agnostics, or deists. Some have abandoned organized religion for some form of spirituality.  My goal as a writer is to help those who read what I write. No writer writes for the hell of it.  I want my writing to make a difference in the lives of my readers. I hope the stories I share and the personal confessions resonate with them.

I know this blog  attracts those who are bent of being God’s avenging mortals. They view me as a heretic, a threat to the Christian church. They pray imprecatory prayers, calling on Jehovah to silence me and to, if necessary, kill me.

I think I have have crossed an important milestone in my journey………I don’t care what  the keeper’s of the light, the warring avengers of all heresy, think. I know I poke at them sometimes, like a boy taking a swing at a hornet’s nest, but I am becoming immune to their invectives.

I am used, far and wide, as an illustration of what happens when a person abandons the truth. I am ok with this. I am learning to embrace my notoriety. People like John Loftus, Dan Barker, and the late Ken Pulliam, among others, have learned to embrace their lostness, and the shit thrown at them no longer sticks. I am getting to the same place in my life. I am waiting for that moment when out of the dark I hear a Darth Vader Like voice, Bruce, I am your Father.

I still have family, friends,former parishioners, and an occasional Christian zealot who try and “connect” with me on Facebook or Twitter. I don’t mind catching up with people from my past.  I have a lot of fond memories from my days as a pastor and a member of the Christian church.

Sadly, some people who contact me have ulterior motives.  They think God is leading them to try and restore me to the Christian faith.  What a big notch on their gospel gun if they can reclaim Bruce Gerencser for Jesus. They think if they just quote enough Bible verses or spout enough Christian clichés that I will be so overwhelmed that I’d have no choice but to praise the name of Jesus.

God knows where I am and he can come get me if he wants me. Personally, I think God is so busy helping the various athletes win their respective games that he has no time for me. He is so busy helping Republicans abolish abortion and deny homosexuals basic civil rights that I am not even in his radar. (no matter how many times Christians mention my name in prayer to the Heavenly Father)

I am not a good prospect for heaven, and those who contact me to evangelize me will be sorely disappointed. My interest is –100%. If given the choice of going to heaven with those evangelizing me or going to a sporting event with beer drinking, foul mouthed sports fans, I will choose the sporting event every time. Fun always wins out in the end.

If the Bible says anything true at all, surely it is true when it says in Hebrews:

For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost, And have tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come, If they shall fall away, to renew them again unto repentance; seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put him to an open shame. For the earth which drinketh in the rain that cometh oft upon it, and bringeth forth herbs meet for them by whom it is dressed, receiveth blessing from God: But that which beareth thorns and briers is rejected, and is nigh unto cursing; whose end is to be burned….

Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord: Looking diligently lest any man fail of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you, and thereby many be defiled; Lest there be any fornicator, or profane person, as Esau, who for one morsel of meat sold his birthright. 7For ye know how that afterward, when he would have inherited the blessing, he was rejected: for he found no place of repentance, though he sought it carefully with tears.

Apostates like me  are described in the Bible as pigs wallowing in the mud and dogs who vomit and eat it.

God has passed me by. I am nothing more than a mud living pig that, like a dog who eats his own vomit. What a life. Of course what the Bible is really saying is that I have returned to my old ways before I was a Christian.

Here’s the problem with this kind of thinking .  I was a Christian most of my life. I was born into and raised in the Christian church.  I have no evil life to return to. I have never smoked, I  was a virgin when I got married, and I took my first drink 3 years ago. I don’t have any testimony of debauchery and licentiousness to share.  I was a good Christian kid, and quite frankly I am a far better Christian now than I was way back when I was a real, super-dooper, washed by the blood, sanctified, heaven loving, hell shunning, Holy Ghost filled Independent, Fundamentalist, Evangelical, Reformed, Calvinistic Baptist preacher. 

God doesn’t bother with me and I wish his guard dogs would do the same. But they wont, they cant. If they don’t confront me, if they don’t stand up, stand up for Jesus (remember the tune fellow Baptists) what does that say about them? Yes, what does that say about them?

Truth is, many Christians are afraid of people like me. If someone like me can fall of the gospel wagon no one is safe. My apostasy seems to invalidate their own Jesus experience, especially if I used to be their pastor. They wonder “was Bruce even saved when he was our pastor?”  They wonder how I could have deceived all of them so easily.  I was the devil in their midst and they didn’t even notice. What happened to their discernment skills?

I am grateful that the dust of my life is settling.  I think I can now handle the occasional Rip Van Winkle who suddenly wakes up to find their friend and former pastor now playing for the other team. As long as the letters, emails, and personal invectives don’t come my way as a denial of service (DoS) attack  I think I will be fine. When the occasional onslaught comes I hope I have learned enough to just turn the computer off and hibernate until the attack passes.