Acceptance

| Tue 1 May 2012 | 4 Comments | 347 Views

Author Emily Dietle

My focus is on state-church separation & social issues. I'm an avid reader, and feel that one of our most valuable tools is the free movement of information and ideas. | @emilyhasbooks

With the current media buzz around The Clergy Project, and two of its graduates, Teresa MacBain and Jerry DeWitt, I wonder how this looks to religious people. It must be rather confusing on their end- rejecting these wonderful people, while the growing secular community welcomes them with open arms.  Perhaps they’re used to that experience, what with all their rejections of gay people over the years. I imagine it’s still disturbing though, as they truly believe that people like Terri and Jerry have lost their way- and that we’re “encouraging them to stray.”

It’s honorable for religious leaders that no longer believe in what they’re preaching to walk away from the ‘ministry’- to be honest with the people that they care about. It’s that level of honesty, clarity, and bravery that their ex-’flock’ should respect them for.

Instead of the hateful responses that believers are giving to ex-pastors, they would appear far less hypocritical if they would simply accept these individual’s right to think for themselves. Maybe, as a recent study shows, religious people are truly less capable of compassion- because they act out of obligation to doctrine, not because it feels right. 1 2

Even if you truly feel we atheists are “wasting our lives” or that we’ll “suffer eternally,” or simply not exist after life- just love us now, and support us as we choose to be honest with who we are. If I could share one thing with these congregants, and all families and friends of newly announced non-theists, it would be to remind them that while we may be rejecting their view that a god exists, we are not rejecting them.

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If you are, or know someone that is, a non-believing religious leader, please visit The Clergy Project, and if you have recently left a religion, or are struggling with unanswerable doubts- there is support available for you with Recovering From Religion.

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  • Thomas Adams

    I heard about Teresa on NPR this morning. Much as I want to hope there are religious folks who will accept and “love” a person who becomes an atheist, deep down they can’t escape their indoctrination (brainwashing?). This country is lucky there is a firewall called the bill of rights that respects all American’s rights. Otherwise I guarantee you that the so-called open-minded, loving believer will be the first in line to put us in shackles and carve an “A” on our foreheads. The best we can hope for is an uneasy truce.

  • Andrew

    A local pastor in Houston, Mike Aus, resigned from the clergy on national TV a couple of months ago. Is this turning into a trend?

  • http://lhthomson.blogspot.ca LH Thomson

    Cheers Emily, saw your comment on The Clergy Project Page. Encouraging at the speed with which objectivity and common sense are beginning to spread. Probably won’t kill off mankind’s addiction to group belief any time soon, but the future’s a little brighter.

  • Robyn

    I don’t think it’s a trend. People are becoming more enlightened. The way the world is advancing, it would be difficult not to follow. At the end of the day, I hope followers will see that the person they once “followed” is not only the same loving, caring human being as before….they are also honest and non hypocritical. This alone should make the former flock love and respect them more so than before.

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Category: Atheism & Religion