I’m currently reading an excellent book written by a former Christian who ‘believed’ for nearly three d
ecades. In fact, at one time he served as a pastor and missionary so when he left ‘the faith,’ it was not a snap decision.
The writer has expressed many of my own ‘conscious’ thoughts and has also brought many of my ‘dormant’ persuasions to the forefront as well.
The book is titled “Why I Believed: Confessions of a Former Missionary” and was written by Kenneth W. Daniels. It is available to read online, or you can also purchase it as a paperback or ebook. Proceeds go to Doctors Without Borders, PATH, and UNICEF.
Last night, I came across a portion that jumped off the page at me. In my opinion, it describes many in the Christian faith today:
It is comforting to be able to look upon others more conservative or fanatical than we are and to believe our religion — or our particular version of it — to be more urbane and less prone to excess. Thus, the killing of infidels is now seen primarily as a Muslim practice, even though in times past it was a Catholic, Protestant and Jewish practice also, supported by various biblical texts.
I would add that not only in times past, but also in the current day, there are those in the Christian faith who feel that killing people who disagree with their interpretation of biblical texts is justified.
If you are someone who is confused or unsettled about your Christian faith, I urge you to investigate this book. This writer has not set out to ‘slam’ Christians. Rather, he humbly takes readers along on his journey from evangelical missionary to secular humanist. He urges those in the faith to closely examine what they believe and, more importantly, why they believe as they do. He asks that they be open to new ideas and even to consider that their belief system might be a mistake.
P.S. The book has been rated 4.5 stars at Amazon.
Nan's Notebook 