Wednesday night I made my way down to Kepler’s Bookstore in Menlo Park to hear the L.A. Times Religion writer, William Lobdell talk about his new book Losing My Religion: How I Lost My Faith Reporting on Religion in America-and Found Unexpected Peace. I didn’t really know what to expect walking in, but I was quickly overwhelmed at the large gathering of people that had come to listen. I would estimate there was in upwards of 125 people packed in (standing room only) to listen to William talk about his journey. (You can read, a short version of last nights lecture here.)
As an investigative reporter (and Christian at the time), Lobdell turned his investigative prowess on Christianity and the church to help ease some of his doubts created in large part (by his own admission) to what he was experiencing in his investigation of the Catholic Sex Abuse Scandal. His doubts emerged from one experience (recounted in in this article) where the church came to the defense of Father Harris, a priest accused of 12 counts of molestation. Lobdell found himself perplexed and devastated at the church’s misplaced compassion–they were rallying around Father Harris, but didn’t seem to care for the victim one iota. This was only one step in his journey that included investigating The Trinity Broadcasting Network, their preaching/practice of the prosperity gospel and specifically Benny Hinn whom he labeled as a fraud. (Hinn rakes in an estimated $90/year in salary while his followers “pay” for healing to the point of poverty.)
These investigations led Lobdell to specifically investigate the validity (fruits) of the gospel in the lives of Christians. His basic thesis/assumption was: If the gospel is true, then the behavior of Christians should be better than that of Atheists. Unfortunately, Lobdell found what most of us know to be true–there is no difference, statistically speaking, between professing Christians and professing Atheists–divorce rates in the church are higher, Generosity is lower, and scientific studies of prayer found no difference on healing for a Christian vs. non-healing for an Atheist. Lobdell concluded, “Every investigation led me against faith.” (Lobdell seems to be the “anti-Strobel“)
As Lobdell spoke about his investigations I resonated with his conclusions regarding the actions/behavior of Christians vs. the rest of the world (much like everyone else present in the room), however I could not and have not been able to come to his ultimate conclusion that “Faith is wishful thinking, not reality.”
Lobdell went on to lament that Christianity and the Church is unable to live with and embrace doubt, that it’s not valued by Christians and the Church and as a result, it something that pushes people away more than it gives them certainty. I have agreed with this assessment for years. There is a tension that is always prevalent between faith and doubt, and it’s living in that tension that allows space for growth, space for relationship with God to build, and space for a new way of life to emerge. Faith is not a verifiable, provable certainty in the same way that doubt is not a verifiable, provable certainty–many see doubt as the opposite of faith, the polar-opposite and in a sense a polar-certainty (atheists included–see Richard Dawkins). Lobdell, although stating that he is now more comfortable with his doubts moved paradoxically to state definitively that he believes there is no personal God, trading in one set of certainties for another instead of living in the tension he claims to desire. This is a philosophical dilemma he seemingly doesn’t recognize and blatantly obvious in his final, ironic statement of the evening: “If I were on the plane that landed on the Hudson, would I be praying? I hope not… but the flesh is weak.”
Related posts:
- is christianity around the world becoming just another religion?
- resurrection.
- ::::aaron’s musings::::
- stupid christians
- the status quo
[...] //re:generate created an interesting post today on Losing My ReligionHere’s a short outlineWednesday night I made my way down to Kepler’s Bookstore in Menlo Park to hear the L.A. Times Religion writer, William Lobdell talk about his new book Losing My Religion: How I Lost My Faith Reporting on Religion in America-and Found Unexpected Peace . I didn’t really know what to expect walking in, but I was quickly overwhelmed at the large gathering of people that had come to listen. I would estimate there was in upwards of 125 people packed in (standing room only) to listen to William ta [...]
Wow, good assessment Monts. Thanks. I’ve heard about this book, but I haven’t read it. I think that I might have my faith seriously challenged too if I assumed that the Catholic sex scandal or the Benny Hinn’s of the world represented in any comprehensive way the teachings of Christ. See, that is the fundamental difference between this gentleman and Strobel. Strobel investigated Christ and found him true. This man investigated his followers (at least a selective and ridiculous portion of them – perhaps a problematic approach) and found them frauds. It is baffling that this man – who at least on the surface seems to be intelligent and authentic – fails to see the irony in his new absolutist position. It is ironic and heartbreaking that so many other people like him are led away from Christ by his followers.
“I like your Christ, I do not like your Christians. Your Christians are so unlike your Christ.” – Gandhi
“Lord protect me from your folowers.”
These sayings gain a ton of traction in our community because of the Christian “lifestyle”. One thing that perplexed me about Lobdell and I didn’t mention it above was his questioning of whether or not Jesus actually lived and walked the earth. He said that outside of the NT there isn’t any primary source material to substantiate his actual life other than a blurb in Josephus. Is that completely factual Rags?
An intellectually dishonest overstatement. Only the most radical of sceptics still advocate such a silly theory. Most every academic that I know of – skeptic or not – acknowledges that there was indeed a man named Jesus of Nazareth. And no, Josephus is not alone…
1. Tacitus, Annals, ad 115. Tacitus was a Roman historian who lived through the reigns of over a half dozen Roman emperors. Some have called him the greatest historian of ancient Rome.
Consequently, to get rid of the report, Nero fastened the guilt and inflicted the most exquisite tortures on a class hated for their abominations, called Christians by the populace. Christus, from whom the name had its origin, suffered the extreme penalty during the reign of Tiberius at the hands of one of our procurators, Pontius Pilatus, and a most mischievous superstition, thus checked for the moment, again broke out not only in Judaea, the first source of the evil, but even in Rome, where all things hideous and shameful from every part of the world find their center and become popular. Accordingly, an arrest was first made of all who pleaded guilty; then, upon their information, an immense multitude was convicted, not so much of the crime of firing the city, as of hatred against mankind. Mockery of every sort was added to their deaths. Covered with the skins of beasts, they were torn by dogs and perished, or were nailed to crosses, or were doomed to the flames and burnt, to serve as a nightly illumination, when daylight had expired. Nero offered his gardens for the spectacle, and was exhibiting a show in the circus, while he mingled with the people in the dress of a charioteer or stood aloft on a car. Hence, even for criminals who deserved extreme and exemplary punishment, there arose a feeling of compassion; for it was not, as it seemed, for the public good, but to glut one man’s cruelty, that they were being destroyed.
2. Suetonius. Suetonius was another Roman historian who wrote at about the same time as Tacitus.
Because the Jews at Rome caused continuous disturbances at the instigation of Chrestus, he expelled them from the city.
After the great fire at Rome . . . Punishments were also inflicted on the Christians, a sect professing a new and mischievous religious belief.
(In the first quote from Claudius, he is referring to riots that took place under Claudius that eventually led to the expulsion of Jews from Rome in 49. In the second quote from Nero, he is referring to the persecutions that took place under Nero.)
3. Josephus. Josephus was a Jewish historian who lived from around 37-97. His work Antiquities provides some valuable but often disputed evidence concerning Jesus (many have suggested that Christians edited Josephus at a later date). The following is a more reliable quote from an Arabic version of Josephus.
At this time there was a wise man who was called Jesus. His conduct was good and he was known to be virtuous. And many people from among the Jews and the other nations became his disciples. Pilate condemned him to be crucified and to die. But those who had become his disciples did not abandon his discipleship. They reported that he had appeared to them three days after his crucifixion, and that he was alive; accordingly he was perhaps the Messiah, concerning whom the prophets have recounted wonders.
4. Pliny the Younger. He was a Roman author and administrator who was governor of Bithynia in Asia Minor. He wrote numerous letters, one of which was a request to the emperor on how to properly deal with rebellious Christians.
They (the Christians) were in the habit of meeting on a certain fixed day before it was light, when they sang in alternate verses a hymn to Christ, as to a god, and bound themselves by a solemn oath, not to any wicked deeds, but never to commit any fraud, theft or adultery, never to falsify their word, nor deny a trust when they should be called upon to deliver it up; after which it was their custom to separate, and then reassemble to partake of food—but food of an ordinary and innocent kind.
5. The Jewish Talmud (around 200 ad based on material from before 135)
On the eve of the Passover Yeshu was hanged. For forty days before the execution took place, a herald went forth and cried, “He is going forth to be stoned because he has practiced sorcery and enticed Israel to apostasy. Any one who can say anything in his favor, let him come forward and plead on his behalf.” But since nothing was brought forward in his favor he was handed on the eve of the Passover.
6. Lucian. Lucian was a second century Greek satirist who criticized Christians for being gullible.
The Christians, you know, worship a man to this day—the distinguished personage who introduced their novel rites, and was crucified on that account . . . you see, these misguided creatures start with the general conviction that they are immortal for all time, which explains the contempt of death and voluntary self-devotion which are so common among them; and then it was impressed on them by their original lawgiver that they are all brothers, from the moment that they are converted, and deny the gods of Greece, and worship the crucified sage, and live after his laws. All this they take quite on faith, with the result that they despise all worldly goods alike, regarding them merely as common property.
“. . . ancient extrabiblical sources do present a surprisingly large amount of detail concerning both the life of Jesus and the nature of early Christianity. While many of these facts are quite well known, we must remember that they have been documented here apart from the usage of the New Testament. When viewed in that light, we should realize that it is quite extraordinary that we could provide a broad outline of most of the major facts of Jesus’ life from ‘secular’ history alone. Such is surely significant.” (Gary Habermas, 224)
Or, consider this summary on the NT evidence offered by F.F. Bruce – “There is no body of ancient literature in the whole world which enjoys such a wealth of good textual attestation as the New Testament.” But based on the methodology used by some critical scholars, you could make the argument that Alexander the Great or Socrates never existed, “yet no classical scholar would listen to an argument that the authenticity of Herodotus or Thucydides is in doubt because the earliest mss of their works which are of any use to us are over 1,300 years later than the originals.” (Bruce, 16)