When I started this thread with my questions:
| 1. How important were the problems between Genesis and Science to your
| decision to leave Christianity?
and
| 2. If it wasn't this issue what issue was the most important?
I said I would post the results in a few days. I got a total of 11 replies.
6 said the conflict between Genesis and Science were important
1 said the conflict was somewhat influential
4 said the conflict wasn't important to their leaving Christianity.
Of the other issues mentioned,
2 mentioned the OT killings ordered by God
1 mentioned the general problem of evil
2 mentioned hypocrisy on the part of christians.
***end of T.O. post*****
For members of this board I thought some might find the following very
interesting. I received this post after I posted the last list. It makes me sad.
GRMorton wrote:
>
> This apparetnly didn't make it out of here this morning. so I will try
> again. On another listserve, the issue came up as to who cares about
> Genesis being history. I mentioned that there are lots of former
> Christians, who are now atheists who did care that Genesis didn't seem to
> concord with science and history and because of this left the faith.
>
> What I would like to do is test that assertion. If you are an atheist,
> who was a Christian in the past, I would like the answer to a couple of
> questions.
>
> 1. How important were the problems between Genesis and Science to your
> decision to leave Christianity?
Very. While my father was a liberal Christian pastor, the other folks
teaching Sunday School were Fundamentalists, and they constantly harped on
issues which I knew to be untrue. If I pointed any of them out, I was
verbally abused and made to look stupid. Genesis was a huge problem because
they insisted on literalist interpretations of it's passages.
They eventually argued that I was disruptive for disagreeing with them, and
had me removed from the classes. I was strongly affected by this
experience; it was the first I'd had with people who claimed religious
beliefs but clearly hated and discriminated against those who simply
disagreed or were curious. I was taught to respect and love my opponents;
they were taught to walk roughshod over their remains, apparently, in the
Name of God.
That's how they behaved.
> 2. If it wasn't this issue what issue was the most important?
You should see it by now. My father's career was cut short when he was
assigned to a church which didn't want him. After he demanded the return of
financial instruments owned by the church, but used by the controlling
council to secure loans on houses and the like, he was accused of being
mentally ill. Oh, funny, these were fundamentalists. He had several other
power struggles in churches with various fundamentalists, several of which
took the time to explain to me - around the age of 12 - 14, numerous times -
that my father was evil, and such. These were the most Christian of the
people in the church, the "wear-it- on-their-sleeve" kinds. Funny thing,
what they wanted was control of the church.
After noting this, I became very interested in other religions, and found
them to be as plausible and sincere as Christianity. But only the
professionals could be said to embody their religions - for most others, it
was a pastime, not a sincere observance; or, it was an all-consuming power
struggle. And many of the priests and rabbis were themselves wrapped up in
disdain or prejudice.
So the main questions for me were: Why are so many Christians un-Christian?
Why are other religions just as sincere, if they are wrong, and how can we
choose?
> 3. Can I post your reply to another listserv which is generally
> inhabited by Christians?
If you can do so anonymously, that would be fine. I'd rather not be swamped
by well-meaning people out to bring me back to the fold. I know some very
fine Christians who'd do that any day of the week, should I so desire.
***end of response***
glenn
Foundation, Fall and Flood
http://www.isource.net/~grmorton/dmd.htm