Chapter Fifteen
As The Dust Settles…
This Battle Between God and the Bible Is Over but the War Rages On.
-Thomas Paine, “The Age of Reason”
Here we conclude this book and its review of the Bible. The sacred tome of Christianity now stands in ruins, having been cut to ribbons by the twin blades of observation and reason. The shredded remains are beyond the repair of even the most skilled apologists. The Christian faith, which is built upon the foundation of these vaunted scriptures, is hereby exposed as logically absurd, spiritually vapid and morally bankrupt.
It would benefit humanity greatly if this triumph alone were sufficient to conclude the struggle between faith and reason. Were this so, everyone would now be freed of the fears of imaginary hells and angry sky-gods, scientific and sociological progress could move forward unimpeded by faith-based road blocks and people might live for this life and this world instead of a hereafter that may or may not be. Unfortunately, reasoned arguments alone will not close churches and open minds. There are many emotional factors that block a Christian’s path to freedom.
The reality is that the struggle between God and the Bible is not one that can be completely documented in any book. It is fought in the mind of every Christian. In each one, buried beneath fear, denial and social programming is God’s Gift of Reason, struggling to break free.
Testimonies of Ex-Christians
Ex-Christians who posted on ExChristian.net and other online discussion boards were asked to explain what led them to walk away from Christianity. In stark contrast to their “religious experiences” or moments of conversion, their deconversion was often neither sudden nor dramatic. They usually described a gradual process over multiple years where nagging questions slowly eroded their faith until they finally and reluctantly let go of it. With some extreme examples, ex-Christians were unable to even pinpoint exactly when they realized that they no longer believed. Often, they related that the journey was a painful one even if the final result was a feeling of joy, relief or liberation. [2]
“I think it's safe to say that NO ONE left Christianity after one single "a-ha!" moment. NO ONE was cruising along, content in their faith and then, viola!, they suddenly stopped believing. EVERYONE went through a period of doubt, questioning, inspection and introspection, that took months and years to labor through, before we finally had enough and left the faith.”
-“Mr. Grinch”, testimony on the ex-Christian forum
In reading these ex-Christian testimonies, one gets the sense that breaking free is not easy. There are a number of emotional shackles that keep the faithful tied down. Among them are the fear of Hell, the fear of death, the fear of life (going through it without the help of Jesus) and the fear of change. There may also be social pressures, from family and/or friends, to keep you in the faith. Many ex-Christians describe a painful process “coming out” as an unbeliever to a devoutly religious family. Others never do, keeping their views to themselves while masquerading as a Christian in order to please their family.
These roadblocks to spiritual and intellectual freedom are formidable. If you are a wavering Christian as you read these words, know that this book has been written in the hope that it will help you in your journey into the light of reason. It’s also important for you to know that you are not alone. Many others have successfully broken free of the shackles of faith. A good step now is to find a local freethought club or organization, or go to exchristian.net in order to get support from others who have been down this road and made it through.
May God’s Gift of Reason light your way.
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