My Pastor Made Me an Atheist
Creation apologetics planted a seed of doubt
Submitted by James Fielding
Alright, so maybe I am exaggerating slightly. I can’t give my pastor all the credit for my eventual departure from religion. Let’s just say he planted a very important seed in fertile soil.
While it took several years, a few hundred miles, and some life changes to finally blossom, my “fall from grace” can be traced back to a single point in time on a fateful Sunday. This part of my story is just about how it all got started.
I’m happy to report that the planting of this seed of doubt was not a traumatic experience, as it can be for so many. It was actually a valiant attempt by my pastor to step outside the bounds of normal biblical literalism and try to offer an alternative view of the creation story in Genesis. Looking back, I can see it was just an apologetic exercise but at the time, it was exciting and almost scandalous.
One Sunday, my pastor finished up his normal sermon and made a special announcement. He would be holding a special series for the next few Sunday evenings to explore the true meanings of the Hebrew translation of the Genesis creation account. He stated that because some may find it a bit uncomfortable, he was not willing to discuss it during a normal sermon; but rather…
