For approximately twenty years John W. Loftus was once a religious evangelical Christian, an ordained minister of the Church of Christ, and an ardent apologist for Christianity. With 3 degrees--in philosophy, theology, and philosophy of religion--he used to be adept at utilizing rational argumentation to protect the religion. yet through the years, doubts in regards to the credibility of key Christian tenets started to creep into his pondering. by means of the overdue Nineteen Nineties he skilled a full-blown trouble of religion.
In this sincere appraisal of his trip from believer to atheist, the writer rigorously explains the stories and the reasoning approach that led him to reject spiritual trust. the unique variation of this booklet was once released in 2006 and reissued in 2008. considering that point, Loftus has bought a great deal of serious suggestions from Christians and skeptics alike. during this revised and increased variation, the writer addresses criticisms of the unique, provides new argumentation and references, and refines his presentation. for each factor he succinctly summarizes a few of the issues of view and offers references for additional analyzing. In end, he describes the consequences of existence with no trust in God, a few releasing, a few sobering.
This frank critique of Christian trust from a former insider will curiosity freethinkers in addition to someone with doubts concerning the claims of faith.
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Extra info for Why I Became an Atheist: A Former Preacher Rejects Christianity (Revised & Expanded)
WHAT MOTIVATES CHRISTIANS TO OBEY GOD? Christians think that if we disbelieve and disobey God, we will “fry in hell,” as atheist Kai Nielsen describes it. but, this “is natural prudence masquerading as morality…. [T]hat is hardly ever an excellent ethical reason behind doing something. ”40 absolutely this is often the case, differently why are believers so scared of heavily wonderful their doubts? Why is it so mentally painful for them to question their religion? I had a chum who learn a prior version of this booklet. She stated a bit prayer whenever she opened it up: “Please God, do not enable devil lie to me via what i am approximately to learn. ” She was once scared of what she may learn. If she have been quite drawn to the reality, instead of being nervous, she would've prayed, “Please God, express me if there's any fact in what i am approximately to learn. ” Having undergone this painful means of doubt i do know what it really is like. Christians worry going to hell if they are unsuitable. that is why Christians can't abandon their religion till they're yes that what they suspect is fake, for the terror of hell is simply that powerful. it really is thought of disobedience to the divine instructions to noticeably entertain their doubts. Doubting may perhaps ship them to hell. this type of morality is an childish one. For until there's a the reason for this is that we must always obey God's instructions, we're merely obeying simply because God tells us to. we are obeying God completely simply because we need his approval and worry his punishment. yet when we are given a cause to obey God we do not want God to command us what to do. grownup morality is a reflective one the place we will be able to see the explanation why we should always do strong deeds instead of reason damage. simply photo a baby who's instructed by means of his mom and dad to chorus from hitting his sister. If he disobeys then he'll undergo a few kind of punishment, say, status within the nook for ten mins. So why is he to obey? simply because his mom and dad inform him to, in any other case. till he learns to not hit his sister since it harms her, he has no longer discovered to be an grownup ethical agent, and he'll stay purely a prudent baby looking in simple terms to prevent punishment. an analogous factor is going with reference to divine instructions. except we chorus from doing an act since it harms others, we aren't grownup ethical brokers both, simply prudent humans looking to keep away from punishment. Patrick Nowell-Smith has made this argument forcefully: For a few Christians the elemental sin, the fount and beginning of all sin, is disobedience to God. it isn't the character of the act of homicide or of perjury that makes it improper; it's the proven fact that such acts are transgressions of God's instructions. however, sturdy acts usually are not stable in themselves, strong of their personal nature, yet solid merely as acts of obedience to God…here charity itself is held to be solid purely simply because God has informed us to be charitable. it truly is tricky to not see during this a mirrored image of the small kid's angle in the direction of his mom and dad and the opposite professionals from whom he learns what it's correct to do. forty-one If Christians are looking to retain that they obey God simply because they love God, all we need to do is ask them if they would nonetheless obey if he threatened to ship them to hell in the event that they refused to scouse borrow from and kill humans.