> I think it would be interesting for non-believing
> list-members to share their stories of how they came
> to outright reject, or, as is the case with me, simply
> (without sturm und drang and snarky, anti-belief super
> irony) find no place for, religious belief.
I was raised in the United Methodist Church, dutifully attending through my early teen years. My parents still attend that same church, when they have time.
Early on (8 or 10 or so), like many little boys, I loved Dinosaurs. I loved reading about them and studying their pictures and their evolution and what little we knew about them. How they became extinct and how mammals ascended as a result...
In "Sunday School", a pre-church-ceremony time of education based on the Bible, organized by age, I used to question much of the Bible (I was an avid reader and the Bible was no exception). Initially the factual issues surrounding the Bible's stories and what I knew of evolution and biology caused much confusion and concern.
My Sunday School teachers referred me directly to the pastor, who talked to me about the difference between reason and faith. The UMC is decidedly pro-reason and are not biblical literalists. He explained that nothing one finds through reason can be contradicted by faith, and that the Bible was a collection of old stories where we can often find metaphor for how to live a just, kind life. It was how we treat others on earth NOW that mattered, not the details of the stories in the Bible.
He told my parents that I would be likely to question and challenge statements they make from authority, including religion, and that they should encourage this and nurture my interest in science and math even if it is at odds with their faith. If they did not, the Church's and their inability to answer my queries could cause unnecessary conflict in our family.
Over the next few years my study of ancient history and mathematics and secular humanism made it fairly apparent to me that religion did not exist outside of the context of the rest of the world: government, trade, war, etc., and that I had concluded it was all mythical nonsense which offered me no value.
The immorality of the Old Testament god sent me for a short time into a period of anti-religious fervor, but I've since come to realize that humanity's dependence upon religion will not end over night and it will be a long road of attrition.
I have always felt I great debt of gratitude to my pastor, and was sad to hear he had died. American churches could use more leaders like him.
Matt
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