Reddit reviews Why I Believed: Reflections of a Former Missionary
We found 10 Reddit comments about Why I Believed: Reflections of a Former Missionary. Here are the top ones, ranked by their Reddit score.
I think much of what got me, as a former Christian, was not "reasoning for becoming an atheist", but rather realizing the reasons I believed did not hold up, and slowly arriving there by default. This makes sense given that atheism is really nothing more than a lack of a belief.
Kenneth Daniels' book, Why I Believed: Reflections of a Former Missionary captures this fairly well, and it's also the first book I'd recommend to a Christian that wants to understand why someone would leave the faith.
Edit: If you missed their comment, warebec has pointed out that you can go read it for free here: http://infidels.org/library/modern/ken_daniels/why.html
I basically just realized I didn't believe what I was selling anymore. Most people of faith will talk about doubts and dark nights of the soul as challenges they overcame. I stopped looking at them that way.
I got to see how faith is actually transferred from generation to generation. I was pretty deep into the leadership circles of a few denominations. I never liked what I saw in the lives of the people around me. I get the whole "follow Jesus, not his followers" thing, but I really stopped believing there was anything "different" about Christians. Getting out of my shell and meeting a few atheists, Mormons, Buddhists, etc... was a big deal in my deconversion.
After discovering r/atheism I went on a reading rampage. The four horsemen were interesting, but pieces like this and this were a much bigger deal for me.
I got to a point where I felt dishonest about continuing in church leadership. I quit and basically said, "God, if you're real, all truth is your truth. Guide me through this journey and show me your will." I was expecting to come out on the other side with a stronger faith but that simply didn't happen.
Does that answer your question? It's kind of hard to make a quick summation but I think that covers the main bases.
I know of a couple of books written by ex-evangelicals that might be useful to you at this time in your life:
godless
or Why I Believed
Why I believed is also free here
To take a step back, how do you see this dialogue going? If you give them resources or make arguments, do you expect them to listen, say "good point," and accept that your position is valid?
Said another way, stuff that's convincing to you won't be convincing to them, and vice versa. After a few long conversations, I couldn't even get my family to admit the possibility that they may be wrong about their faith, or even that believers of other religions feel their religion to be true in the same way they do (and aren't deluded by Satan). Might be useful to start there rather than diving into the deep end with God Doesn't Exist.
It's a tough road ahead. Getting that first crack in the "the bible is 100% perfect" armor is a huge deal. For me it came in OT history (specifically the nonexistence of the Exodus and the book of Daniel, for which even N.T. Wright accepts a late date), which is easier to debunk than the NT stuff. Good luck.
Here's one though: check out works by former pastors and missionaries, like this book or this blog (the author of which has unfortunately passed away). When I was still on my journey I was basically immune to arguments from atheists, but these guys could get through.
This is the book you want
Why I Believed - Kenneth Daniels
It is exactly what you're looking for. Kindle edition is only 99 cents.
A descent selection so far from the other comments. I'll throw in a few, as well:
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Some of the above is specifically related to atheism, while others I've used to help shape and inform my understanding and my worldview. Out of the entire list, the Carl Sagan book and the Sean Carroll book rank highest, for me, in level of importance. Those books didn't just change what I think, they changed how I think, and I am forever indebted to them.
I like Why I believed: Reflections of a Former Missionary. It's written from the point of view of an extremely commited Christian, and how they gradually lost their faith. It's available for free if you don't mind reading it on the web.
I like it as a "first course" because, though I really like Dawkins/Harris/Loftus/Carrier/etc, they all have lost such respect for Christianity over the years of being apologists (if they ever had any) that it sometimes leaks through in the writing. A sense of "what kind of idiot would think..." Because Ken Daniels is writing as someone who was really in it to win it, it's far more sympathetic to the position of a current believer.
Another great book to read is Why I Believed by Kenneth W. Daniels. He has a really candid and honest approach to how he lost his faith. Highly recommended.
http://www.amazon.com/Why-Believed-Reflections-Former-Missionary/dp/0578003880/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1368751142&sr=8-1&keywords=why+i+believed
Edit: I posted the wrong link. My bad.
Have her read Why I Believed: Reflections of a Former Missionary by Ken Daniels. Very well written and by a former Christian who left Christianity in stages. Bonus if you have Kindle it's only $.99.
Doubting Jesus Resurrection by Komarnitsky (an agnostic) is good. http://www.amazon.com/Doubting-Jesus-Resurrection-Happened-Black-ebook/dp/B00I6DDLUO
Also, it's been a while, but Why I Believed: Reflections of a Former Missionary was good. http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0578003880/ref%3Dcm_cr_asin_lnk