Earlier this year, Daniel Dennett and Linda LaScola put out a report about pastors who were still in the pulpit but who no longer believed in a god.
Last night, ABC News did a report on a couple of their subjects. The video’s not up on their site as I write this, but it should be available when you’re reading this.
“The more I read the Bible, the more questions I had,” Jack said. “The more things didn’t make sense to me — what it said — and the more things didn’t add up.”
Jack said that 10 years ago, he started to feel his faith slipping away. He grew bothered by inconsistencies regarding the last days of Jesus’ life, what he described as the improbability of stories like “Noah’s Ark” and by attitudes expressed in the Bible regarding women and their place in the world.
“Reading the Bible is what led me not to believe in God,” he said.
He said it was difficult to continue to work in ministry. “I just look at it as a job and do what I’m supposed to do,” he said. “I’ve done it for years.”
Since only a handful of pastors were included in the report, there must be many, many more who feel the same way but dare not talk to anyone about it.
I hope they see this report and find some solace in it; they’re not alone. And hopefully, they can find another line of work that doesn’t involve spreading more false hope and superstition.
(Thanks to everyone for the link)
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