Why are most atheists ex-Christians & Jews, mostly priests, and other clergy?

Question

As scholars of the Bible do they know something we don't???

Answer 1

We certainly seem to know a lot more about the bible and the history of christianity than the believers do.
For instance, if you ask a typical christians what happened at the council of Nicea, they'll give you a blank stare. Tell them that at said council is where Jesus was invented and they'll walk awway disbelieving...

Answer 2

I suggest you've hit the nail on the head: in order to fully understand the Bible, we have to learn where it came from, the context in which it's contents were written, the anthropology of the places and times, and who the authors were.
The first thing you come to realize is that the Christian Bible is not an unbroken narrative, but a collection of many documents from many different sources, written over a considerable period of time by people who often were as different from each other as Irishmen differ from Apaches. The next thing you realize is that the present collection of those documents, which we call the Bible, has been heavily and repeatedly edited over much of that time by editors who also happened to be astonishingly diverse in their lifestyles, their life times, their history...and who deliberately picked and chose only certain fragments and bits of the original documents, and even rejected many valid and valuable Christian documents in their entirety because they didn't fit the politically correct notions of the day. Just one example: your protestant Bible mentions but four Gospels - but there were more than twice that many. Several of those Gospels still exist and may be read elsewhere.
And as one studies all this, one comes to realize that the Bible cannot possibly be portrayed by honest people as the infallible and complete word of God. Then as you study further, you begin to realize that some of the ideas put forth in those documents probably are not the wisest nor best approach to many questions of critical importance to humankind. At that point, if you are entirely honest, you begin to question the whole idea of an omnipotent and omniscient God. You wonder how such a God could offer an incorrect or insufficient response - and then you question whether there exists such a God at all. And that's just the beginning of the enlightenment that leads to atheism.

Answer 3

We literally know the same thing. Don't forget that no matter who you are you will get tempted and if you're faith is not strong enough you will, I repeat you will fall. We all read the same Bible but if you have to live a life of looking/wondering at what others are doing or why they left that particular church or religion you will get lost. Look to the Living and Almighty God and read the Bible.

I think that's why many people today are abundaning the church because they see that the Pastor has sinned so they lose their faith because of that. A Pastor is just like any normal person on the street, they too sin so don't look to the Pastor rather look to God, for God will never ever disappoint you.

Answer 4

Many people have fallen away from their faith....and went back to counting on something that "could be seen". This is to be expected when many "church's" today base their teaching on specific verses or passages and ignore the things they don't agree with. Also, it is human nature not to like the idea that we will be held accountable for the things we do in this life. Reading the Bible is not the end all in the knowledge of God. It is merely the beginning. In fact, even as a Christian, I will admit that many of it's passages are confusing and sometimes even appear at first glance to be contradictory. I will not condemn anyone for the choices they make but I do object to non-believers constantly bad mouthing those of us who do believe. Like you, we have made our choice. Whether or not you consider us stupid or foolish or weak is your business but you do not have the right to call us names any more than we have the right to condemn you for your beliefs. Please think about this. For me...I will let God decide.

Answer 5

My husband and I were never clergy, but we are ex-Christians extraordinaire. We even make Atheists gasp at our gall. Both of us have studied the Bible extensively (I've read it all the way through twice and my husband three times) and taken courses on the Bible in college. The course I took is actually what caused me to question everything I had ever believed. The sad part about Christianity is that it does not hold up to close scrutiny, that is why so many church officials and teachers tell you that it is wrong and blasphemous to question the "Word of God" and the teachings of the church. They don't want you to know the answers, or they don't know the answers themselves and just don't know what to say.

In answer to the last part of your question: Yep, we know something they don't know, na na na na na na!

Answer 6

I would venture to say that most atheists have actually taken the time to read the Christian bible cover to cover at some point in their lifetime, quite possibly while they were believers. It was this very action that led to their surrending of faith.

I would also guess that if every living Christian opted to read their bible cover to cover, instead of accepting spoonfed scriptures at their churches every Sunday, that the numbers for Christianity would be sliced in half.

Answer 7

generally ex-Christian considering's such an intollerant faith, has brought about lots destruction and dying for the period of history, and on a similar time right this moment threatens greater of the comparable. don't be conscious of approximately Judaism nonetheless. generally biblical scholars via fact those are the human beings who've studied their faith and could no longer clarify all of the holes those examine dropped at mild. It became greater or much less the comparable for me - I grew to become remote from Christianity via fact of its small-mindedness, and then left it for good after analyzing the bible and comparative faith myself. EDIT: undergo in suggestions nonetheless, that it additionally has to do with demographics. Christianity is maximum folk faith interior the West, so of course the biggest type of human beings who turn remote from faith will come from those ranks...

Answer 8

I certainly wouldn't say most of us were clergy.

A lot of us have taken the time to actually read the Bible and I do think that simple act will push you in our direction. But I know a lot of atheists and I only know one ex-preacher.

Answer 9

The first answer on here state that at the council of Nicea, Jesus was invented. That is an interesting take. Having studied this extensively, it was not to invent Jesus, because they knew without a doubt that he lived and what he taught, but to come to a consensus among themselves if he was who he claimed to be.

Answer 10

Don't know where you get your stats. I am an Atheist and ex-xtian. I think that a lot of Atheists are people who have a desire for knowledge and truth. We want to make sound decisions based on logic..We have the desire to know , the religious do not want to know. They only want to feel good.