Posted by Jim Henderson on: 02.21.2006 /
I think that more than trying to convert Hemant there is a lot of learning that can and is going on.
A lot of the atheists that I know are really intimidated by evangelical Christians
I dont know how the evangelical Christains feel about atheists but dialogue and learning breaks down a lot of the misconceptions that the two groups have about each other.
If nothing else it makes it a lot harder (for me a least) to objectify all evangelical Christians, that is to see them only as that and not also as individual people.
I breaks down some of the fear… I think maybe that is the legacy of the project, for me at least
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Comment by: Siamang
1 02/21/06 10:58 AM | Comment Link |My feelings exactly.
Comment by: Cully
2 02/21/06 12:49 PM | Comment Link |Jim- I like these “pull quote” posts, taking comments that you feel are discussion worthy and bringing them to the fore, but can you mark them as such? Perhaps link to the post they originally appeared on? It’s hard to tell which are direct comments from you and which are quotes of other people’s commentings. Thanks!
Comment by: Jim Henderson
3 02/21/06 1:48 PM | Comment Link |Cully
Will do thanks
Comment by: Jessica
4 02/21/06 1:56 PM | Comment Link |Skikid’s comments here (or further down as the case may be) are right on. I’m getting ready to read a book recommended by an Atheist (it has the greatest title: “The Book Your Church Doesn’t Want You To Read”) from Hemant’s personal blog and he’s agreed to read a book I suggest. The problem: I don’t really have a book to suggest because that doesn’t really seem to be the point. Plenty of books came to mind but I’m more interested in learning and listening more than preaching. The reason I said I would read a book he suggested is because he said that he had never met a theist willing to read an material he recommended. If the conversation isn’t two sided then we are only making the divide deeper. Regardless of what we believe, there is much we can learn from each other if we’ll just shut up and listen.
Comment by: Siamang
5 02/21/06 1:58 PM | Comment Link |Don’t read it, Jessica! Your church hates that book!
Just kidding.
What a provocative title. I haven’t read it either. It seems like too jokey a title to be any good. Tell us what you think.
Comment by: Jessica
6 02/21/06 3:05 PM | Comment Link |I’m starting to think it’s not only my church that doesn’t want me to read it but the bookstores and libraries! I’m having difficulty finding it- gonna have to go through Amazon. What I’ve read on-line already seems very thought provocative and not at all jokey. I actually expected there to be some humor with it but it seems to be taking what it has to say very seriously. So far, I’m intrigued…
Comment by: Rick
7 02/21/06 10:01 PM | Comment Link |I agree with each and everyone of the above posts. Preaching or defending one’s position can’t get us anywhere, and like Jessica said, its makes the divide deeper.
If we for one moment we take off our religion (or non-religion) colored glasses, the person in front of us appears far too similar to ourselves. Who cares what the person behind you in a check out lane belives? Once you exchange a pleasant smile with each other, you have just erazed all the potential barriers that might have divided you.
Nice conversations rule!
Comment by: David Cho
8 02/21/06 10:38 PM | Comment Link |Ditto, Jim.
It is bad when the greatest wish of mine is that my fellow Christians shut up just for one day. What an experiment that would be.
Comment by: Winn
9 02/22/06 7:15 AM | Comment Link |Jessica, when I read the title “The Book Your Church Doesn’t Want You To Read” I thought you meant the Bible. Shucks, in general, it has been my experience that churches don’t want folks to read the Bible, only fragments of it.
I think that it is important to note that reading material outside one’s normal reading scope is healthy. I found the book at Amazon and intend to pick it up and read it. Thanks Jessica for your post and Hemant for your recommendation.
Comment by: Siamang
10 02/22/06 10:50 AM | Comment Link |Bertrand Russel’s “Why I am Not a Christian” gets consistantly high raves in the “used to be a Christian” community.
I have not read it either.
I’m not up on my atheist book reading.
My favorite atheist writer is Julia Sweeney the playwrite.
If you really want to see an athist play that lays out the entire kit and kaboodle of atheist thinking, and in a funny, sad and emotionally uplifting way, see “Letting Go of God” which is playing in los angeles.
Her book will be coming out next year.
I’ve linked to her site in my name above. Just click on my name to go to her site.
Comment by: skikid
11 02/22/06 11:53 AM | Comment Link |Julia Sweeney is very good… there is an audio recording of part of “Letting Go of God” on NPRs This American Life Website… if nothing else it posed a lot of really good questions.
Comment by: Siamang
12 02/22/06 12:06 PM | Comment Link |Her audio CD of the play will start being available in a week or two from her website.
Comment by: Jessica
13 02/22/06 1:07 PM | Comment Link |Oh yes, I think Julia Sweeney is great, very talented and a superb communicator. As a worship consultant I actually have used her material as an example of quality communication through the arts- something Christians are rather terrible at actually.
Siamang, I did pick up “Why I am Not a Christian” some time ago but I never got around to reading it, I’ll start on that while I wait on my other book. Thanks for the suggestion.
Winn, I laughed out loud with your comment. It couldn’t be better timed, I’m getting ready to post on my worship blog about this very thing (the other book your church doesn’t want you to read…), may I quote you? And actually, TXatheist recommended the book to me on Hemant’s personal blog, he’s the one to thank.
Rick, I like your analogy of taking off the glasses, a concept our family has struggled to learn. Ever time our families get together it stands out that the Christians are the ones behaving the worst and rejecting their own family members for being an un-believers/gays/democrats/etc. That’s when I go outside and smoke a cigar- give them something else to talk about. :)
Comment by: Siamang
14 02/22/06 2:29 PM | Comment Link |Jessica, you sound like a hoot.
What a great attitude you have.
Comment by: Jim Henderson
15 02/22/06 3:28 PM | Comment Link |Jessica
I like your version of “Lets Give Them Something to Talk About” - Jesus loved this approach
Also I appreciate your leadership in “noticing” the specific contributions of others - This is what we call CBT…
Catch people doing the right thing
Blame them for being successful
Tell on Them
Comment by: Bruce Lofland
16 02/22/06 7:37 PM | Comment Link |“A lot of the atheists that I know are really intimidated by evangelical Christians”
I am a Christian and I am intimidated by some evangelical Christians! I felt a little safer when I was an agnostic, because at least I was not open to the kind of scrutiny that I felt I would be placed under if I called myself a Christian. This is one of the things that prevented me from becoming a Christian even though I attended Christian churches regularly for over 10 years as an adult. I later found that I had to look really hard to find the people I was afraid of. They are out there, but seem to be a minority of Christians.
Comment by: skikid
17 02/22/06 9:05 PM | Comment Link |Ditto on the first bit…this site definately challenges my preconceptions.