Towards the Light
Towards the Light describes the agonizing journey of a devout minister and fifth generation clergyman from faith to atheism. The book details the logical necessity for his outgrowing the religion of his forebears and moving towards the light of reason. Upon leaving the ministry, the author went back to graduate school for a PhD in Clinical Psychology, and the book includes psychological explanations for many religious phenomena including being “born again”, believing in the efficacy of prayer, and why religion continues to be so ubiquitous in an otherwise modern society.
The author is convinced that many people of faith have entertained serious questions about the religion they inherited and should be supported in their search for how to live a good life without a belief in the supernatural. Dr. Compere provides an analysis of all the essential tenets of the Christian faith, an explanation of their origin, and cogent reasons for no longer accepting the myths upon which the Christian faith rests.
"Growing up a minister's son, the church was not just a part of my life -- it WAS my life. Everything in my world revolved around the church and its teachings. From my earliest memories, it was relentlessly drilled into me that my only purpose on earth was to glorify God. Anything short of that was failure. I got the message. I gave my first sermon at age fifteen and became an ordained minister in the Southern Baptist Church at eighteen. Although serious theological doubts began in college, I managed to continue in the ministry until I had completed a seminary degree and served two pastorates of 3 1/2 years each. Finally, I admitted to myself that if I stayed in the church, I would most certainly become publicly phony and privately cynical. At age 32, I left the ministry, which had been my whole life, and struck out in a new direction, one which would allow me to live with integrity. This is the story of my journey “Towards the Light” and of the logical, but heretical, conclusions about religion which occurred along the way."
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The author is convinced that many people of faith have entertained serious questions about the religion they inherited and should be supported in their search for how to live a good life without a belief in the supernatural. Dr. Compere provides an analysis of all the essential tenets of the Christian faith, an explanation of their origin, and cogent reasons for no longer accepting the myths upon which the Christian faith rests.
"Growing up a minister's son, the church was not just a part of my life -- it WAS my life. Everything in my world revolved around the church and its teachings. From my earliest memories, it was relentlessly drilled into me that my only purpose on earth was to glorify God. Anything short of that was failure. I got the message. I gave my first sermon at age fifteen and became an ordained minister in the Southern Baptist Church at eighteen. Although serious theological doubts began in college, I managed to continue in the ministry until I had completed a seminary degree and served two pastorates of 3 1/2 years each. Finally, I admitted to myself that if I stayed in the church, I would most certainly become publicly phony and privately cynical. At age 32, I left the ministry, which had been my whole life, and struck out in a new direction, one which would allow me to live with integrity. This is the story of my journey “Towards the Light” and of the logical, but heretical, conclusions about religion which occurred along the way."
Towards the Light
Towards the Light describes the agonizing journey of a devout minister and fifth generation clergyman from faith to atheism. The book details the logical necessity for his outgrowing the religion of his forebears and moving towards the light of reason. Upon leaving the ministry, the author went back to graduate school for a PhD in Clinical Psychology, and the book includes psychological explanations for many religious phenomena including being “born again”, believing in the efficacy of prayer, and why religion continues to be so ubiquitous in an otherwise modern society.
The author is convinced that many people of faith have entertained serious questions about the religion they inherited and should be supported in their search for how to live a good life without a belief in the supernatural. Dr. Compere provides an analysis of all the essential tenets of the Christian faith, an explanation of their origin, and cogent reasons for no longer accepting the myths upon which the Christian faith rests.
"Growing up a minister's son, the church was not just a part of my life -- it WAS my life. Everything in my world revolved around the church and its teachings. From my earliest memories, it was relentlessly drilled into me that my only purpose on earth was to glorify God. Anything short of that was failure. I got the message. I gave my first sermon at age fifteen and became an ordained minister in the Southern Baptist Church at eighteen. Although serious theological doubts began in college, I managed to continue in the ministry until I had completed a seminary degree and served two pastorates of 3 1/2 years each. Finally, I admitted to myself that if I stayed in the church, I would most certainly become publicly phony and privately cynical. At age 32, I left the ministry, which had been my whole life, and struck out in a new direction, one which would allow me to live with integrity. This is the story of my journey “Towards the Light” and of the logical, but heretical, conclusions about religion which occurred along the way."
The author is convinced that many people of faith have entertained serious questions about the religion they inherited and should be supported in their search for how to live a good life without a belief in the supernatural. Dr. Compere provides an analysis of all the essential tenets of the Christian faith, an explanation of their origin, and cogent reasons for no longer accepting the myths upon which the Christian faith rests.
"Growing up a minister's son, the church was not just a part of my life -- it WAS my life. Everything in my world revolved around the church and its teachings. From my earliest memories, it was relentlessly drilled into me that my only purpose on earth was to glorify God. Anything short of that was failure. I got the message. I gave my first sermon at age fifteen and became an ordained minister in the Southern Baptist Church at eighteen. Although serious theological doubts began in college, I managed to continue in the ministry until I had completed a seminary degree and served two pastorates of 3 1/2 years each. Finally, I admitted to myself that if I stayed in the church, I would most certainly become publicly phony and privately cynical. At age 32, I left the ministry, which had been my whole life, and struck out in a new direction, one which would allow me to live with integrity. This is the story of my journey “Towards the Light” and of the logical, but heretical, conclusions about religion which occurred along the way."
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Product Details
BN ID: | 2940014536202 |
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Publisher: | Writers Cramp Publishing |
Publication date: | 04/23/2012 |
Sold by: | Barnes & Noble |
Format: | eBook |
Pages: | 226 |
File size: | 4 MB |
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