loss

I came upon this super interesting article from Psychology Today. Titled, An Atheist in the Pulpit, it discusses pastors who have lost (or radically changed in) their faith.

One of the people featured is Dan Barker, a former pastor who has some Minnesota connections and heads a group called the Freedom From Religion Foundation. I once saw Barker in a debate on religion and politics at North Heights church. It was about two or three years ago ... I remember being somewhat panicked at the time, because Barker was the lone atheist and of all the people on the panel, I thought he made the most sense. That seemed like a bad sign. Oh that debate! I was out of my element there (I had honest intentions. We had gone to hear Greg Boyd, but he ended up not being able to participate at the last minute). At one point, one audience member made the comment [regarding gay marriage] "God made "Adam and Eve, not Adam and Steve." The whole room erupted in whoops and applause. I, on the other hand, put my head in my hands and hoped that the floor would open up and swallow me. No such luck.

Here is an excerpt from the article:

Says Barker: "we surveyed our members 10 years ago, asking them: "If you were raised religious, why did you change your mind?" There was no one answer. Some people gave social reasons: the way the church treats women. Some people gave reasons like, 'the fear of hell—I just couldn't live with that.' But the answer people gave more often than any other was that it was intellectual: Religion eventually just did not make sense."

Carlton Pearson (in addition to kind of looking like Prince and being a protege of Oral Roberts) has a totally interesting trajectory. He didn't lose his faith, but his understanding of God fundamentally changed (which subsequently led to the loss of his thriving 5,000-person congregation), basically in a moment. He also shared about his experience on NPR's This American Life. I haven't listened to it yet. but am looking forward to doing so.

This piece (whether you agree with the participants interviewed or not) is worth a read. And though every story is different, I think it offers a lot of insight into the path of people who find themselves suddenly at odds with the faith they have embraced for most of their lives. Check it out.