Why I Became an Atheist: A Former Preacher Rejects Christianity

399 Pages·2008·2.49 MB·English

by  John W. Loftus

ADVANCE PRAISE
"Christians routinely dismiss objections advanced by skeptics on the ground that they are outsiders
who are not in a position to understand the doctrines they presume to criticize. Nobody can say that
about John W. Loftus. As an ex-pastor and Christian apologist, he understands these doctrines from
the inside and is able to expose the logical flaws of the arguments offered in support of them-textual,
scientific, theological, and philosophical-with luminous clarity and devastating force. His scholarship
is impressive, but he also knows how to write in a way that engages the nonscholarly reader. The
result is a startlingly honest book that ought to be required reading for every Christian."
Dr. John Beversluis
Author of C. S. Lewis and the Search for Rational Religion
"Of the spate of books coming from the so-called New Atheists that have appeared in the past few
years-Hitchens, Dawkins, Harris, and so on-John W. Loftus's critique of Christian theism is by far the
most sophisticated. Where, say, Dawkins might be found attacking a man of straw, Loftus understands
and assesses the arguments of today's premier Christian apologists and philosophers. Evangelicals
cannot afford to ignore Why I Became an Atheist."
Dr. Mark D. Linville
Christian philosopher and contributor to The Blackwell Companion to Natural Theology
"Scholarly unbelief is far more sophisticated, far more defensible than any of us would like to
believe. John W. Loftus is a scholar and a former Christian who was overwhelmed by that
sophistication. His story is a wake-up call to the church: it's time for us to start living in, and speaking
to, the real world."
Dr. James F. Sennett
Christian philosopher and author of Modality, Probability, and Rationality: A Critical
Examination of Alvin Plantinga's Philosophy
"Loftus writes with great honesty and candor about his experiences from both sides of the
theistic/nontheistic landscape. His chapters on the problem of evil offer a fine overview of the
complex historical debate over the obstacle that evil presents to rational theistic belief. His writing is
admirable for maintaining conceptual accuracy while engendering accessibility for the nontechnical
reader. Highly recommendedboth as a valuable sourcebook for all involved in religious debate and as
a good read."
Dr. A. M. Weisberger
Nontheistic philosopher and author of Suffering Belief.* Evil and the Anglo-American Defense
of Theism
"John W. Loftus's book presents even greater challenges to the religious community than those
presented by authors like Dawkins, Hitchens, and Harris. The latter authors probably alienate many
readers who are unaccustomed to reading anything written by authors who obviously never have had
much sympathy with religion. Loftus not only presents logically tight arguments against religious
beliefs but also confesses a personal journey from deep religious commitment to rational
independence from all religion."
Dr. Charles Echelbarger
Professor of philosophy, State University of New York at Oswego
"John W. Loftus has written an important book that should be read by every Christian who cares about
truth and reality. This is not the angry rant of some disgruntled former believer with an ax to grind.
Loftus is thorough, fair, and convincing. As a former Christian minister and apologist who became
an atheist, he knows both sides of the belief question very well. The insights and detailed information
contained in this book make for enlightening reading. The chapter on superstition in the Bible was
nothing less than mind-blowing. I highly recommend this book."
Guy P. Harrison
Author of 50 Reasons People Give for Believing in a God
"This is a wonderful book, responding to numerous aspects of the claims of religion. If Christians,
who have the courage to explore challenges to their faith, asked me to recommend books, I would
definitely include this one on the list. John Loftus's alternating between his personal odyssey and
technical arguments shows the reader how a life's journey, coupled with science and philosophy, can
lead to freedom from the shackles of superstitious beliefs."
Edward Tabash
Chair, First Amendment Task Force, Council for Secular Humanism
"As a former fundamentalist minister who has followed a similar path from apostle to apostate, I
empathize completely with the deep struggle Loftus had to make in order to shed his former
cherished beliefs. I respect his scholarship, but more than that, I admire his courage. There are many
treasures in this book, as well as provocative and controversial arguments, all presented with a
crystal-clear and brutal honesty that is rare in religious scholarship. Loftus is a true freethinker,
willing to follow the facts wherever they happen to lead."
Dan Barker
Author of Losing Faith in Faith: From Preacher to Atheist
"In this fascinating work you will witness the profound processes that led John W. Loftus out of a
deep but finally wrongheaded commitment to Christ and the Christian worldview. There is no way the
book will not be of great help with your own journey. For years, apologists have thrown down the
gauntlet. Now it is being picked up-by their own students!"
Dr. Robert M. Price
Author of The Reason-Driven Life, The Incredible Shrinking Son of Man, and The Paperback
Apocalypse
(Of "The Outsider Test for Faith ..." chapter) "That's an excellent chapter. The logic of it is
insurmountable, in my opinion, even by a so-called reformed or `holy spirit' epistemologist."
Dr. Richard Carrier
Author of Sense and Goodness without God
"Loftus wrote his book primarily to explain why he ceased to be a believer, but its main value is that it
spells out the falsifying evidence that finally cured him and will cure anyone who reads it. Loftus has
brought together sufficient evidence of religion's Achilles' heel to cause all but the most intransigent
believers to ask themselves: Could he be right?"
Dr. William Harwood
Author of Mythology's Last Gods: Yahweh and Jesus
"What is unusual about Loftus is his breadth and depth of research in defense of the Christian faith
before finally rejecting his faith. Loftus applies himself in this book with the same intellectual rigor
he had applied to defending the faith, and effectively dissects those very same arguments. I found
myself marveling at the impressively contorted reasoning used by apologists through the ages in
defense of their received traditions. They are worth reading from the standpoint of cognitive
psychology alone."
Dr. Valerie Tarico
Author of The Dark Side: How Evangelical Teachings Corrupt Love and Truth
"The book's central strength lies in its information-rich content. John speaks the language of
competent and well-known Christian scholars and apologists of both liberal and conservative
affiliation, employing their own words against them, demonstrating that they themselves recognize
the grave position they are in when facing the critical eye of a skeptical, modern world. `The Outsider
Test for Faith . . .' is one of those chapters that says what every doubter of religion has always thought
but perhaps never said so well. The chapter is an absolute jewel. This work covers some ground that
is seldom touched on in other comparable free thought works."
Joe E. Holman
Founder of www.ministerturnsatheist.org and author of Project Bible Truth: A Minister Turns
Atheist and Tells All
"This book is an absolute `must have' for anyone who has left the Christian faith or is having serious
intellectual doubts about the Christian religion. While the book starts out explaining some of his
experiential reasons for leaving Christianity, the volume goes far beyond a mere personal testimony
and dives deeply into the elemental contradictions of Christianity. Loftus deals evenly with the issues,
carefully explaining the strengths and weaknesses of each argument. Loftus's coverage of the
problems inherent in the claims of Christianity is comprehensive. Much of what he wrote sounds like
an echo of many of my own introspections except expressed through the well-oiled mind of an
academician."
David Van Allen
Webmaster of www.ex-christian.net
"I have read hundreds of Christian apologetics books. I have read all of C. S Lewis, all of Francis
Schaeffer, all of Peter Kreeft, all of Dr. Geisler's works, along with the writings of Josh McDowell,
William Lane Craig, Ravi Zacharias, J. P. Moreland, Richard Swinburne, N. T. Wright, Paul Copan,
and so on. I was until recently enrolled at Dr. Geisler's school to study apologetics and philosophy.
This year I decided, in order to be fair and honest, to read all the top skeptical books on religion.
John's book was one of the first I read. It was the first skeptic book I read that made me seriously
realize that I could be dead wrong! I think John has written by far the best overall refutation of
Christianity in print. John's book is much more accessible, it covers a lot more arguments, it has the
best chapters on the problem of evil you can find, it is more interesting to read, it refutes more
apologetic arguments than any other book, and it addresses more central issues."
Andrew Atkinson
"If you have questions about your faith, read this book. Those nagging questions are addressed and
exposed. Every skeptic should have this concise reference book on the desk, dog-eared, tagged, and
highlighted. I've read Sam Harris's book The End of Faith and Richard Dawkins's book The God
Delusion. The other books hit the target but John's book hits the bulls-eye. I doubt anyone with faith
could walk away from this book with that faith intact. Awesome book!!!! It is honestly everything I've
been looking for so far in my `quest' for knowledge. Thank you!"
Chris Knight-Griffin
"This book is one of the best introductory texts on the philosophical problems with Christianity."
Matthew J. Green
"I have read numerous publications on this topic, but I don't believe I've ever seen as many great
reasons to reject religion in one place. John's arguments are numerous and rock-solid. The level of
research and brutal logic applied to the Bible is absolutely stunning, as is the sheer number of
examples given. There is `no stone unturned,' as Loftus takes on nearly every apologist angle ever
conceived. This book will give more insight into scholarly unbelief than you ever thought possible."
Greg Meeuwsen
"If you read Christian apologetics, you owe it to yourself to have this anthology of the best arguments
against Christian apologetics in your library."
Paul Harrison
why I became an
ATHEIST
why i became an
ATHEIST
A Former Preacher Rejects
CHRISTIANITY
john w . LOFTUS

CONTENTS
Foreword by Edward T. Babinski 7
Introduction 11
PART 1: THE BASIS FOR MY CONTROL BELIEFS
1. My Christian Conversion and Deconversion 19
2. The Christian Illusion of Rational and Moral Superiority 35
3. Faith, Reason, and the Cumulative Case Method 46
4. The Outsider Test for Faith ... 66
5. Does God Exist? 78
6. The Lessons of Galileo, Science, and Religion 106
7. The Strange and Superstitious World of the Bible 124
7:1 Pseudonymity in the Bible 167
7:2 Archaeology, Exodus, and the Canaanite Conquest 177
8. The Poor Evidence of Historical Evidence 181
9. Do Miracles Take Place? 199
10. The Self-Authenticating Witness of the Holy Spirit 213
11. The Problem of Unanswered Prayer 220
12. The Problem of Evil-Part 1: My Specific Case 228
13. The Problem of Evil-Part 2: Objections Answered 243
PART 2: THE BIBLICAL EVIDENCE EXAMINED
14. Science and the Genesis Creation Accounts 265
15. Science and Genesis 1-11 281
16. Prophecy and Biblical Authority 289
17. Was Jesus Born of a Virgin in Bethlehem? 317