Why I Became an Atheist: A Former Preacher Rejects Christianity

Revised & Expanded

De: John W. Loftus

Narrado por: Buzz Kemper

For about two decades, John W. Loftus was a devout evangelical Christian, an ordained minister of the Church of Christ, and an ardent apologist for Christianity. With three degrees - in philosophy, theology, and philosophy of religion - he was adept at using rational argumentation to defend the faith. But over the years, doubts about the credibility of key Christian tenets began to creep into his thinking. By the late 1990s, he experienced a full-blown crisis of faith.

In this honest appraisal of his journey from believer to atheist, the author carefully explains the experiences and the reasoning process that led him to reject religious belief. The original edition of this book was published in 2006 and reissued in 2008. Since that time, Loftus has received a good deal of critical feedback from Christians and skeptics alike. In this revised and expanded edition, the author addresses criticisms of the original, adds new argumentation and references, and refines his presentation. For every issue, he succinctly summarizes the various points of view and provides references for further analyzation. In conclusion, he describes the implications of life without belief in God - some liberating, some sobering.

This frank critique of Christian belief from a former insider will interest freethinkers as well as anyone with doubts about the claims of religion.

©2012 John W. Loftus (P)2015 Pitchstone Publishing

Enjoyable, but annoying

What did you like best about this story?

I really enjoyed listening to, "Why I Became an Atheist". It is a well reasoned and constructed treatise about the intellectual journey of a dedicated Christian to the realization that there is no way any of this makes sense. I have a lot of respect for Mr. Loftus for what must have been a difficult, soul-wrenching quest.

What aspect of Buzz Kemper’s performance would you have changed?

The reader, Buzz Kemper, goes back and forth referring to the ultimate book in the Bible "Revelation" and Revelations". The book is entitled, "The Book of Revelation", or often known simply as "Revelation" or "The Apocalypse of John". Also, when referring to numbered books, he'll say, "2 Corinthians" instead of "Second Corinthians". I know the book is usually written as 2 Corinthians, but when we say it, we say Second Corinthians or Second Epistle to the Corinthians.

Any additional comments?

There are some other grammatical constructions that I find annoying, like saying, "the reason ... is BECAUSE ..." instead of, "the reason ... is THAT...". However, this was a very enjoyable book. I highly recommend it.

omg the narrator

the info in the book is great but the mispronunciations and lack of editing out screwups and him talking to himself are terrible. really need to get a real narrator

Answer

This author explains simply and clearly the many things wrong with the Holy Bible. You will see it all very differently and hear answers you Mary have not heard before. I definitely recommend this book.

Very edifying

I really enjoyed this book and found it very insightful. It’s also comforting, as a former believer, to know that other people have rejected faith for the same reasons that I rejected mine.

Excellent read!

Really liked he author's perspective on things. Great for those that are in the process of de-converting from Christianity.

Good Read

I liked the audio version but the print would probably be better. the author uses many quotes and with the audio book it becomes difficult to keep up with whether he is quoting or providing his own content. There is a ton of information provided which will keep you entertained.

meh

I guess I thought I would be getting more of an autobiography rather than a lecture on why you should be an atheist. I'm already an atheist. I get it. I know there's a lot about the Bible that just doesn't make sense and that outright contradicts itself. That's not why I picked this book up. 😹

And then on top of that, the narration is just terrible. The voice was fine, but there was clearly no editing done. There's multiple do-overs that were left in and even a part where the narrator talks about running out of breath. Like, what!? Why was that not edited out! I can't even daily the narrator, really, because I doubt they're in control of the editing... But damn.

Very Informative

The book is interesting and gave me great arguments to use against my theist friends

One odd thing with the editing of the narration. There are many times in the second half where the editors kept in flubs and repeated sentences

Great book but serious recording issues.

I am not sure if the audio book was not listened to before releasing or if that person needs to be fired, lol. There are many errors in the recording I.e. The reader says a mistake and then he goes back and rereads it again correctly. At one point he works to figure out the correct pronunciation for a few seconds and then goes on. Quite funny. Also it would be nice if the narrator had an idea how to pronounce biblical words. It makes the listener feel the writer has no clue what he is talking about. But of course it is the narrator that is ignorant to this. Great book though. Mr Loftus is great!!

One of the best books on the subject

Would you listen to Why I Became an Atheist: A Former Preacher Rejects Christianity again? Why?

Not only would I, but I am. There is so much information that even going through it again a couple of times, I guarantee you'll find things you missed the first time around. The language is simple, the ideas are powerful, and it has a perspective from someone who understand that it means to be a Christian.

What other book might you compare Why I Became an Atheist: A Former Preacher Rejects Christianity to and why?

The God Delusion by Richard Dawkins and also The End of Faith by Sam Harris - they address the argument for and against the existence of a deity.

What does Buzz Kemper bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

He is one of the best readers, perfect intonation, speed and perfect pauses. The editing has some minor mistakes, but nothing that would distract from the topic (one of those minor editing mistakes did make me laugh when the reader's comment "oh, I'm out of breath" was not deleted from the final product. Still, excellent reader and I highly recommend him.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

Several, too many to mention. I had to stop the audio book many times to take some notes on some great points being made.

Any additional comments?

This book treats Christians with a great deal of respect and I think this would make a great present to family and friends who are Christian and are interested in knowing more about the Christian theology.