I Hope I Was Wrong About Eternal Damnation

An Absolutely True Memoir

De: Tim Mathis

Narrado por: Virtual Voice

A “funny, gently touching, and brutally honest” memoir, I Hope I Was Wrong About Eternal Damnation is a story about how to adjust when you realize that your life is built on false beliefs.

In the 1990s, Evangelical culture was an outrageous mishmash of Christian ska concerts, sexual abstinence pledges, and mega-church worship services.

Thrust into Christian leadership in his youth, Tim Mathis built his entire life around that sort of thing. By his twenties, religion provided his career path, his identity, and a tight-knit social circle of priests, missionaries, and evangelists.

His only problem? The dawning recognition that his faith was entirely disconnected from reality.

Tim Mathis is the author of the independent hit The Dirtbag’s Guide to Life: Eternal Truth for Hiker Trash, Ski Bums and Vagabonds. He has written for Trailrunner Magazine, Grit City Magazine, The New Zealand Herald, and The Intrepid Times. He’s won awards for his short travel pieces and has been featured on The Art of Manliness Podcast, among others.

Subscribe for his new projects at www.TimMathisWrites.com
Follow him on Instagram @dirtbagguide

Reader Praise

"I must confess I don't get a lot of time to read books and it takes something special to hook me in - this book did just that, I couldn't put it down. As an atheist with very little religious education I dove in with an open mind and came away feeling intrigued, reflective and somewhat validated of my own opinions. Tim has an exceptional way of engaging his reader using humor, intellect and just plain raw and honest accounts of real life experiences which I found both entertaining and humble.
A must read for all, no matter your life journey - I highly recommend this book."

- Sarah A., New Zealand

"Mathis has an uncanny, honest and humorous way to make you think about the hard stuff of life."

- Scott W., United States

"The book is laugh-out-loud funny in parts, and it’s compelling...Sometimes the acute portion of whatever upheaval you are in *is* the right time to make a decision."

- Neil S., Seattle

Well written, candid, insightful

I have never been Evangelical or Orthodox. Still, I was raised in a high-demand religion in which I nvested most of my life, perceiving myself as belonging to the one true church. In this way, many of my experiences have mirrored those of the author with unexpected similarities, especially the emotional ones - spiritual highs and the trauma of losing friends and respect when I could no longer embrace what I was told I must. No matter which religion we embrace, we have to admit that the great majority of the world will disagree with our heartfelt and deep convictions. I'm finding that even atheists want to save me from erroneous beliefs. Everyone is certain they are right. I was drawn to his book because of its title. It did not express certainty. I crave openness and learning about the experiences of others. Yes, looking outside our prescribed box can destroy one's faith, but when we discover too many false narratives and when we can take off the blinders and see the harm that is done by the manipulations of those in power, I would say that rejecting this kind of faith becomes a matter of integrity.

I'm about halfway through the book, but so far each chapter has offered something supportive, logical, helpful, or insightful to help me on this journey of transition. The occasional humor is natural and flows with the narrative. I dislike forced or silly humor, and being as this book was free, I worried about that. I'm glad I didn't avoid it thinking it would not be very good because I'd have missed out on a very worthwhile book.

The virtual voice is pretty darn good. There are flaws, but forgivable. One time it says "read" present tense when it should have been "read" past tense. English can be so ridiculous. Another time he accents the wrong word and changes the meaning from "Worship Music" to "worship MUSIC, as in verb and object. Overall though, it sounds very natural and real.