Godless: How an Evangelical Preacher Became One of America's Leading Atheists

Earlier in discussions on this forum, I mentioned how I was impressed with though not in agreement with Matt Dillahunty and his debating skills supporting atheism.This latest audible book which I purchased is from an ex-evangelical pastor who became an atheist. He too has some well thought out arguments against Theism and in support of Atheism. Here is a quote: Five years ago I would have refused to even listen to such a book, but I feel as if my faith is strong enough to be questioned. He has some other gems as well...but I'm not sure how much I can be allowed to quote. Let me try: The apologists claim that God designed it this way to allow people a more fully honest choice rather than being "forced" to drop to their knees upon observing or experiencing overwhelming undeniable evidence. But Barker was an evangelical, so his claims carry a bit more weight. He goes on to describe what many evangelicals believe (incorrectly) about atheism: The arguments in this book encapsulate many of Tangles, AZPaul3's, and Theodoric's arguments which were attempts to persuade me to look at both sides (or all sides) of these spiritual discussions which we have here at EvC.In summation, I recommend the book for theists bold enough to want to understand (as I am struggling to do) and for atheists who want a good read and clarification of many issues which they may have been confused about.

Did you see the list of common assumptions above that many Christians have about why folks are atheists?

quote:

---

... many Christians have claimed to guess the true cause of unbelief. Here are some of the ad hominem arguments I have heard:

You resent moral guidelines and want to be free to live a life of sin and selfishness.

You dislike authority.

You want to be different and stir up trouble. (could apply to Christians also..."The Martyr Complex")
You are arrogant and hate God and want to be higher than God, like Lucifer (Satan).
Your heart is in the wrong place. (Could apply to many Christians...especially conservative wealthy ones...who will help feed their church and let the planet burn.)
You have been hurt by Christians, or offended by certain nonrepresentative immoralities and crimes in the Church. (Could apply to Christians in that they have been "hurt" by well educated atheists who deflated their confidance in their world view. )
You are impatient and disappointed that not all your prayers are answered.
You feel let down by God, who didn’t answer your prayers the way you wanted. (I will admit I feel this way too. Why does God ghave to bless all of the "least of these" before He takes care of me? My carnal nature is quite immature and selfish, you will note)
You are cold, empty and pessimistic. (It could be argued that some Christians who embrace last days theology are depressed and want the world to just end...damning the planet, the forests, the jungles and animals...and especially all the "heathen unbelievers"...)
You are an angry person. (same as above)
You are too stupid, blind, limited or afraid to see what is obvious to everyone else. (I hear this one from a lot of secular humanist critical thinkers, who laugh at my ignorance and beliefs )
You have been seduced by scientists into refusing to accept the possibility of miracles.
You are an atheist because you don’t know the true meaning of love. (Substitute the word "believer" for atheist and the same could apply)

---

What I like about this book is that it frames many of the arguments between us here at EvC and explains sound reasoning for them. While I could explain away your situation by charging you with never even making it through Genesis...(Hint: Jesus is the best part of the Bible) I can't say the same for Barker.I will agree with Faith in that you seem angry sometimes...even though it is one of the cliches on the list. Is it her personally that annoys you? I can understand how a logical person could get exasperated with Biblical Creationism (labeling it as willful ignorance) but I might ask if you feel the same about me and my belief that Jesus is alive and is Gods character.

From me? Sorry I didn't pick up on that impression. Why not start our dialogue by asking me specific questions, which I will attempt to answer honestly and briefly, if possible. Spoiler Alert: I may use "I Don't Know" a lot.