Guest indiefishsteak Posted August 28, 2007 Share Posted August 28, 2007 I looked through the FAQ's to find books by people who have done what I am doing, but I couldn't find what I was looking for. I'm not looking for books that go to great lengths to disprove xtianity or about atheism or anything like that. I'm looking for people who have gone through this and written about it. Did I miss that section, or can you point me in the direction of some good books? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grandpa Harley Posted August 28, 2007 Share Posted August 28, 2007 Bart D Ehrman Robert M. Price Both write pretty heavy duty books on Biblical stuff, and neither a 'Christians' any more, although Price claims to be an atheist Episcopalian. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
R. S. Martin Posted September 3, 2007 Share Posted September 3, 2007 Here's some online bookstores that probably carry these books. And here is exC's bookstore. The section on exC for Testimonies of Former Christians also contains very many stories of people who left Christianity. I hope this helps. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest indiefishsteak Posted December 29, 2007 Share Posted December 29, 2007 really late reply, but thank you! Bart D Ehrman Robert M. Price Both write pretty heavy duty books on Biblical stuff, and neither a 'Christians' any more, although Price claims to be an atheist Episcopalian. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest indiefishsteak Posted December 29, 2007 Share Posted December 29, 2007 again late, but thanks for your help Here's some online bookstores that probably carry these books. And here is exC's bookstore. The section on exC for Testimonies of Former Christians also contains very many stories of people who left Christianity. I hope this helps. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Llwellyn Posted December 29, 2007 Share Posted December 29, 2007 The "Calvin Becker Trilogy" by Frank Schaeffer is a set of semi-autobiographical novels by someone who left protestant Christianity. VERY funny! I laughed so hard reading the last book that I thought I would wake the neighbors. Frank Schaeffer wrote a memoir of growing up a fundamentalist in "Crazy for God" which I also recommend. Another novel about leaving Christianity is Samuel Butler's "The Way of All Flesh." Also "Leaving the Fold" by Marlene Winell is great. It is a kind of self-help book for people who suffer from emotional distress from Christianity. Also in this vein is "Serpents in the Manger" which is also very good. A compilation of deconversion stories can be found in E T Babinski's book by the same name "Leaving the Fold." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SWIM Posted December 29, 2007 Share Posted December 29, 2007 Here's some online bookstores that probably carry these books. And here is exC's bookstore. The section on exC for Testimonies of Former Christians also contains very many stories of people who left Christianity. I hope this helps. Ruby, I have a question for you (or anyone else who can answer). What books, precisely, do you recommend that my xtian wife won't be offended by, that would help her start to get a "it's starting to dawn on my why you don't believe" feeling? Sort of a book, that is intelligent, easy to read and won't outright offend an xtian? Shes not the sharpest knife in the drawer, if you know what I mean, and needs a book on, say, 8th grade reading level? One that is gentle? I would like to have her at least understand my views, I don't think she will ever agree with me on it, but it would make life a little easier if she understood me a bit more. I am asking you because you appear to have done a lot of reading on the subject. Thanks Ruby! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alice Posted December 29, 2007 Share Posted December 29, 2007 I looked through the FAQ's to find books by people who have done what I am doing, but I couldn't find what I was looking for. I'm not looking for books that go to great lengths to disprove xtianity or about atheism or anything like that. I'm looking for people who have gone through this and written about it. Did I miss that section, or can you point me in the direction of some good books? I'm just reading 'The Dark Side' by Valerie Tarico - the book advertised on the front page here, its excellent and very personal and honest. Here's some online bookstores that probably carry these books. And here is exC's bookstore. The section on exC for Testimonies of Former Christians also contains very many stories of people who left Christianity. I hope this helps. Ruby, I have a question for you (or anyone else who can answer). What books, precisely, do you recommend that my xtian wife won't be offended by, that would help her start to get a "it's starting to dawn on my why you don't believe" feeling? Sort of a book, that is intelligent, easy to read and won't outright offend an xtian? Shes not the sharpest knife in the drawer, if you know what I mean, and needs a book on, say, 8th grade reading level? One that is gentle? I would like to have her at least understand my views, I don't think she will ever agree with me on it, but it would make life a little easier if she understood me a bit more. I am asking you because you appear to have done a lot of reading on the subject. Somewhat weirdly Micheal, I'd recommend a book called 'finding faith' by Brian McClaren as a first step in deconverting from christian literalism, it opened my eyes to all kinds of problems with my christianity but left me still in a 'safe place' from whence to consider my next move as it were. It wouldn't be threatening at all - as its a christian book by a christian but it points out things like the ridiculousness of thinking that christianity is exclusive, or that the Bible is the actual 'word of God' and so forth but each chapter even ends with a prayer ... by the end of it my thinking had been transformed in a way that meant I would never be able to return to literalism. The Dark Side would be a good book to perhaps explain your position but might be scary to pick up if your wife is very much into her christianity. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SWIM Posted December 29, 2007 Share Posted December 29, 2007 Somewhat weirdly Micheal, I'd recommend a book called 'finding faith' by Brian McClaren as a first step in deconverting from christian literalism, it opened my eyes to all kinds of problems with my christianity but left me still in a 'safe place' from whence to consider my next move as it were. It wouldn't be threatening at all - as its a christian book by a christian but it points out things like the ridiculousness of thinking that christianity is exclusive, or that the Bible is the actual 'word of God' and so forth but each chapter even ends with a prayer ... by the end of it my thinking had been transformed in a way that meant I would never be able to return to literalism. The Dark Side would be a good book to perhaps explain your position but might be scary to pick up if your wife is very much into her christianity. Thanks Alice! I will most likely pick it up as a started/primer, a good follow up? What would go great on the heels of that? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hereticzero Posted December 30, 2007 Share Posted December 30, 2007 I looked through the FAQ's to find books by people who have done what I am doing, but I couldn't find what I was looking for. I'm not looking for books that go to great lengths to disprove xtianity or about atheism or anything like that. I'm looking for people who have gone through this and written about it. Did I miss that section, or can you point me in the direction of some good books? Farewell to God: My Reasons for Rejecting the Christian Faith--Charles Templeton. Templeton was the other half of the Billy Graham evangelism team. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rhia Posted December 30, 2007 Share Posted December 30, 2007 Michael, may I suggest (maybe more for yourself more than your wife) the book "The Bible Against Itself", by Dr. Randel Helms (some places also say Michael Shermer). It's not exactly for or against Christianity, and to a Christian SHOULD appear as nothing more than a book on Biblical commentary regarding inconsistencies of *very human* Biblical authors. Maybe not 8th grade level, but still quite good - especially the chapter speculating on the nature of different major and minor Prophet's "visions" being severe migraines. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
R. S. Martin Posted December 30, 2007 Share Posted December 30, 2007 I am asking you because you appear to have done a lot of reading on the subject. Thanks Ruby! Thanks for your vote of confidence. I didn't find this post and I see Alice was able to help you. I don't think I would have known what to offer for that particular need. I've been focusing more on people who are seeking for answers. The theology I have read is above eighth grade level. I'm so glad Alice knew of a book. A suggestion that occurs to me as I write is grade school text books on science if she happens to have an interest in any specific area. Or books for teenagers about archaeology in biblical lands that prove how little is known of bible figures. Liberal Christians would be writing and selling those. Amazon would carry them, too, I would think. I don't know if she would appreciate being given books for children and teenagers. I don't know if the liberal Christians write books for adults on the eighth grade level. These are things one could check into. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
R. S. Martin Posted December 30, 2007 Share Posted December 30, 2007 Michael, may I suggest (maybe more for yourself more than your wife) the book "The Bible Against Itself", by Dr. Randel Helms (some places also say Michael Shermer). It's not exactly for or against Christianity, and to a Christian SHOULD appear as nothing more than a book on Biblical commentary regarding inconsistencies of *very human* Biblical authors. Maybe not 8th grade level, but still quite good - especially the chapter speculating on the nature of different major and minor Prophet's "visions" being severe migraines. On that note, I would recommend the HarperCollins Study Bible, New Revised Standard Version. Its study notes steer a person totally out of fundamentalist thinking. That is what we used for my OT course and I loved it. I learned so much. I can't vouch for grade level but surely if it's in the Bible it can't be too difficult. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mongo Posted December 31, 2007 Share Posted December 31, 2007 To explain your views, a (very) short and basic book is Shermer's Letter to a Christian Nation but I'd hardly consider it inoffensive although it does attempt a concilliatory tone. Shermer minces no words in it but I found it well written, easy to read and to the point. You might buy it for yourself and if she asks you about it, you could say that "If you'd really like to understand where I'm coming from, this book does a better job of explaining me than I do" or something like that. Mongo Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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