121823 Agnostic Advent: Myth #18: "My journey is the same as other agnostics or atheists."

I want to be the kind of Post-Christian who can still listen to a Christian apologist conversation without vomiting. I actually found one that didn't make me want to hurl and the content of the interview lines up with today's myth.

Why do Christians Abandon their Faith? (And what we can do about it.) with Sean Mcdowell and Dr. John Marriot.

Sean Mcdowell interviewed Dr. John Marriot who wrote a book called "The Anatomy of Deconversion" (I tried finding it in my iBooks and it didn't come up... oh well... I might be tempted to read the book had I access to it on my go-to source for reading.)

The book is one Christian author writing on the "phenomenon" of the rise of atheism. I listened to the interview and was actually somewhat impressed at Marriot's approach. It seemed like he actually involved atheists in his research. He seemed to value and point out that there were individuals in this story of deconversion and different reasons why people leave.

I know it is a hard mountain to climb for Christians to be okay with people moving on from Christianity. The premise of the belief system is that everyone on the planet needs Jesus. So as a Christian, John Marriott would need to provide answers to this rise of deconverted Christians and a solution to fix what he and other Christians see as a problem. I don't think he could let them go. There has to be an answer to bring people back into the fold or keep the ones on the verge of leaving from actually walking out the door.

I don't think anyone can read a book by anyone to find out what happened to me. The answers to why I left Christianity, after being a part of it for most of my life, can only be found in my story, not some author's analysis of me as part of a demographic or personality type. That being said, I would be interested in what John Marriott has to say, because it's his voice some Christians would listen to rather than mine or other agnostics or atheists. Maybe his book is worth a read some day.

I will end this post with the comment I left on on Sean's Youtube video. )

"I actually enjoyed this interview. John seems interested in listening to individual stories. I want to emphasize that each story is different and having a cookie cutter approach to deconversion isn't helpful for anyone. My advice to Christians who have family and friends who have deconverted - find common ground in your shared humanity. I know it is going to be challenging as you have been immersed in a belief system that doesn't allow for others to be okay with their own path in life. I hope humans "evolve" to the point that being right comes a far second to being loving. I long for a planet that finds beauty in different expressions of faith, instead of the idea that the whole planet needs one way up the mountain. It may never happen, but I hope families can start doing it within families regardless of their religious dogma and doctrine."

* * *

One more podcast to share with you. I did some digging on the internet looking for an actual interview that John Marriott did with an actual atheist and I found an interview from three years ago that David from "The Graceful Atheist" did with him. I just listened to that one. Here's the link to that interview.

"The Graceful Atheist": John Marriott: A Recipe for Disaster."

"It's never one reason why people lose their faith." Dr John Marriott on "The Graceful Atheist" podcast.

(written December 18, 2023)