(Note: this is from our blogs, not the local newspaper; I’m categorizing it with the newspaper dialog since relates to not going to church anymore)
Karen is a regular commenter on here, the eBay atheist blog and the discussion board. Karen used to be an evangelical Christian; now she’s an atheist.
Karen recently wrote about her last day at church (which was a little over a year ago) in a comment on the eBay atheist blog:
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I was surprised to see that there were seven letters/articles in last week’s newspaper related to the dialog about going to/not going to church my newspaper article started! The links are below:
I made a table of all the dialog-related articles that have been in the newspaper here. I’ll update it if/when anything else related is printed. I didn’t see anything in this week’s (yesterday’s) newspaper.
Posted in Why I don't go to Church Anymore | 14 Comments »The main editorial in this week’s newspaper is about the dialog which developed after they printed my article (about why I don’t go to church anymore):
Can God be found in letters to the editor?
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There’s another response to me from Rev Lueking in today’s newspaper:
Who’s who in the faith/doubt dialog
Here’s an excerpt from it:
If we who confess faith in God do so with humility instead of vanity, open in mind and heart instead of closed, then surely the congregation is appropriate for the faith/doubt encounter. And the marvel is that the mercies of God keep on bringing us together for the long haul as we grow in faith by doing works of truth and love that reach well beyond ourselves.
When the congregation falls short of this high calling, we begin to look too much like a football team in a tight huddle. Outsiders have no idea of what’s going on in there but can’t help noticing that we don’t show our best side to the world.
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The local newspaper editor who invited me to write about why I don’t go to church anymore has shared his own views on going to church (or not) in today’s newspaper:
Why I do, and don’t, go to church
Posted in Why I don't go to Church Anymore | 5 Comments »I was pleased to have the opportunity to meet Rev. Lueking in person yesterday. He was as kind and respectful and affirming in person as he has been to me in his responses in the local newspaper. We enjoyed talking with each other and are going to meet again next week to ‘continue the conversation’.
We shared our lives with each other a little and also talked about beliefs a little. I’ll make some general observations about what was special about Rev Lueking and this conversation rather than give all the details of it:
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In addition to my latest response to Rev. Lueking, there are two other letters in today’s newspaper related to my article Why I don’t go to church anymore or to the subsequent discussion of it.
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This is the title the newspaper editor gave my latest response to Rev. Lueking, in today’s edition:
Is dialog possible between people of faith and people of doubt?
I definitely hope the answer to the question is ‘yes’! Nevertheless, in the letter I did my best to explain what makes me hesitant to pursue dialog through a) attending church services b) attending Bible studies c) one on one.
On the other hand, I realize the irony that this letter about my problems pursuing dialog is part of a (written) dialog between a person of faith and a person of doubt.
By the way, I have news for those of you who suggested I should meet Rev. Lueking. I had been thinking that too and that’s why I decided to call him last week (for the first time). He was just as kind and friendly on the phone as he has been to me in the newspaper. It turns out that he’s interested in meeting me too, so we arranged that I’ll have coffee with him and his wife this afternoon. I’m looking forward to it!
Posted in Why I don't go to Church Anymore | 6 Comments »Last week I ran across a mention of my newspaper article on a blog called Theology Brief. The author begins his blog entry Changing Faith with:
Helen Mildenhall, a former Christian turned atheist, writes of her experience and why she has changed. At first, my righteous indignation was invoked and I wondered how someone could be so brazen and wrong. But the more I read, the more I found myself identifying with her. Her honesty is what makes her story plausible. Her struggles are common, while her decisions are a bit off the hook.
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I looked at last week’s local newspaper when we got back late yesterday, not expecting anything more in connection with my article. In fact I found a second response from Rev. Lueking to me. Here’s how our exchange has gone so far:
Me: Why I don’t go to church anymore
Rev. Lueking: Going to church anyway … and why
Me: Thank you, Rev. Lueking for your kind, humble response
Rev. Lueking: Mildenhall asks big questions, in the right spirit
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