After Year Of Atheism, Former Pastor: 'I Don't Think God Exists'

[yortsed snacilbuper]

At the start of 2014, former Seventh-Day Adventist pastor Ryan Bell made an unusual New Year's resolution: to live for one year without God. This, reflecting his own loss of faith.

"I've looked at the majority of the arguments that I've been able to find for the existence of God and on the question of God's existence or not, I have to say I don't find there to be a convincing case in my view.

http://www.npr.org/2014/12/27/373298310/after-year-of-atheism-former-pastor-i-dont-think-god-exists

[RussBLib]

1. think critically and most will agree with Bell

Getting people to think critically, however, appears to be the biggest challenge.

Welcome to reality, Ryan. It ain't so bad. Unfortunately, a lot of "believers" will not believe that he's still a good person. OTOH, it's another brick in the wall.

"It's, I think, an expression of really the part of me that hasn't changed. I'm still the same person deep down that I was before. I care about justice and equality and I want to see opportunities spread more evenly in our society," Bell says.

Bell says he still feels like atheism is "an awkward fit," and also feels uncomfortable around his former Christian friends who are adjusting to his new views.

One of his biggest lessons from the year is "that people very much value certainty and knowing and are uncomfortable saying that they don't know." Now he thinks certainty is a bit overrated.

"I think before I wanted a closer relationship to God and today I just want a closer relationship with reality," Bell says.

[Cartoonist]

2. He gets it

"I think before I wanted a closer relationship to God and today I just want a closer relationship with reality," Bell says.
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That there is my whole problem with religion. I would like to be more tolerant of believers as I'm sure there are some who are well meaning and do good deeds. But eventually they come to the door of reality and believers don't have a key.

[Warren Stupidity]

3. I see he is still not participating in the baby roasts.

He'll come around, they all do.