I was a “moderate” Christian (Lutheran, then Anglican) on and off for many years, but the more I learned about the history of religion and the nature of the universe, the more mental gymnastics I found myself going through, much to my cost. Okay, I can believe X if by X I mean Y. It was one of those moments at a Good Friday service a few years ago–Okay, I can accept that I’m a hopeless sinner if by hopeless sinner I mean… what?– that forced me mid-service to pick up my vestments and exit the choir, to which I haven’t returned.
The other issue I just could not reconcile, gymnastics and all, was theodicy: explaining how a good, wise, and powerful god could allow needless and vast pain and suffering. I’ve never heard an explanation that made sense! The misery of billions, human and otherwise, testifies to the absence of any god like that.
And so, rather painlessly and much to my gain in mental health, I’ve renounced god, the church, and all their empty promises.
Nick Chackowsky
Canada
Cool story! I like that ‘exiting mid service’ bit. I can just see the looks on their faces, ‘WTF just happened to Nick?’.
And then, ‘pssst…did you hear about Nick?…he’s an “Atheist” now…Lord help him!’
Not.
Turns out you can eliminate the problem of theodicy with quantum physics. The twin-slit experiment which famously produces an interference pattern of particles passing through with their locations undetermined only works if the particles are not observed (simplifying). Basically, if there were an all-knowing god, aware of the fall of the least sparrow, he/she/it would know the position and momentum of every particle and the experiment would fail. Hey, presto, it may not prove there is no god, but it does prove god is not watching.
Preaching to the choir CAN work!
That’s the most dramatic exit from religion I’ve ever heard about. Wish I’d been there to see it.
You left during the service! That’s a man of action.