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 Minister-turned-atheist Jerry DeWitt speaks at ReasonFest in Kansas earlier this year.
June 13th, 2012
10:47 AM ET
Unbelieving preachers get help to 'come out' as open atheistsBy Dan Merica, CNN (CNN) - Jerry DeWitt entered the ministry when he was 17, launching a 25-year career as a Pentecostal preacher. He traveled all around his home state of Louisiana, preaching and ministering wherever he could. All these years later, DeWitt, 42, is still on the road, and now takes his message all over the United States. But the nature of that message, along with his audience, has changed dramatically. DeWitt is now an avowed atheist, and his audiences are made up of religious “nones,” the growing number of Americans who are atheist, agnostic, humanist or just plain disinterested in identifying with a religion. Today, DeWitt preaches a gospel of disbelief. During his speeches, he talks about the process of leaving his preacher job. “If you don’t believe, then you will be like me - you’ll suddenly find yourself where you only have two choices,” DeWitt told a group in Johnson County, Kansas, earlier this year. “You can either be honest that you don’t believe ... or you can pretend that you do,” he said. “Which is what so many people are doing and that is called faith.” CNN’s Belief Blog: The faith angles behind the biggest stories The transition from preacher to outspoken atheist has not been easy, and DeWitt is trying to smooth the way for other former believers. He is executive director of Recovering from Religion, an organization founded in 2009. Its slogan: “Thousands of organizations will help you get INTO religion, but we’re the only one helping you OUT.” But a relatively new effort goes a step further than his own group by focusing on helping clergy in particular. In March 2011, a coalition that includes national groups such as American Atheists, the Freedom From Religion Foundation and the Richard Dawkins Foundation helped launch the Clergy Project, which is aimed at giving doubting and atheist preachers a community in which they can talk about their disbelief. The program's ultimate goal: to help unbelieving preachers to “come out” in real life. A safe online community The Clergy Project’s key component is a private online community of active and former pastors discussing their conversions to lives of active disbelief. It lets congregational leaders come out anonymously, using an alias. “It is important to focus on any group of people who are in a lot of pain,” said Linda LaScola, a co-founder of the Clergy Project. “That is why the Clergy Project exists, and it wouldn’t be growing if there wasn’t a need for it.” When it launched last year, 52 clergy signed up for the online community, according to LaScola. A little more than a year later, 270 members are contributing to the message boards and connecting anonymously with one another. Follow the CNN Belief Blog on Twitter According to LaScola, the community includes some rabbis, imams and Catholic priests, but the majority are Protestants. Members are barred from disclosing what is discussed on the boards, but DeWitt said it’s a blend of humor, advice and encouragement. DeWitt, who left his congregation just over a year ago, is considered the group’s first graduate. “It gave me confidence to come out,” DeWitt said of the Clergy Project. “Knowing that I was not alone, that I was not a fluke, that I was not a freak of religious nature, but that this is a process; it most definitely gave me confidence and a purpose.”  Jerry DeWitt, far right, in his days as a minister. DeWitt said that after connecting with people on the message boards, he realized he faced fewer obstacles than some others who are trying to leave the ministry. For example, DeWitt's wife and son already knew about his disbelief, while other questioning preachers had not yet told their families. “I think it is important when you are struggling that you talk it out, that you write about it, that you find support,” said Teresa MacBain, acting executive director of the Clergy Project. “I still try to reach out to people who are questioning, who are doubting, clergy people and laypeople alike, and let them know they are not alone, that there are people who care.” How does he feed his family? For 44 years, MacBain was involved in some sort of ministry, from organizing worship music to being a senior pastor at a Methodist church in Florida. At a recent American Atheists convention in North Bethesda, Maryland, MacBain first publicly announced her atheism, inspiring a roaring round of applause. American Atheists President David Silverman walked onstage and hugged her as MacBain began to cry. "I was the one on the right track, and you were the ones that were going to burn in hell," MacBain told the crowd. "And I'm happy to say as I stand before you right now, I'm going to burn with you." She said she sees plenty of growth potential in the Clergy Project. In the near future, she said she hopes to incorporate it as a nonprofit and begin raising funds for clergy who have decided to leave ministry jobs. She also wants to compile a group of employment recruiters to help former clergy find new jobs. DeWitt, for his part, is struggling financially and said his house could be foreclosed on in the next few months. For former preachers in search of work, their old skills can be hard to translate into new fields. What references do former ministers use if they have disappointed their congregants by leaving the pulpit? MacBain said that some “formers,” as she calls ex-clergy, have left their hometowns for new jobs in fields ranging from radio to counseling. To aid those transitions, Recovering from Religion has started the Clergy Professional Relief Fund, dedicated to “helping ex-ministers have a soft landing after coming out of the ministry.” Though little money has been collected so far, the hope is to help former ministers with job training and relocation expenses. “Even if you have a degree in divinity, that doesn’t really mean anything,” DeWitt said. “That is the biggest fear that a nonbelieving clergy member has. How does he feed his family?” Losing faith, losing friends As a young fresh-faced minister, DeWitt was first confronted with his disbelief when he “became the person who got the burden of preaching about hell,” he said. “I really loved the people I preached to, I loved them like family. So imagine preaching that if you don’t do this, you are going to burn in hell. That wasn’t easy for me.” After doubt about hell, DeWitt began to research other schools of thought about God and belief. He began to develop other doubts, about certain biblical translations and about healing. “The next big issue was the failure of prayer,” DeWitt said. “People are passing away, whenever we pray for them to live. People aren’t getting jobs, whenever we pray for them to have jobs. “The harder we tried to alleviate suffering within our church, it seemed like the worse things got,” he said. “It didn’t seem like prayer made any difference. It just continually crushed my heart.” When DeWitt decided to come out as an atheist, some in his congregation appeared shocked. “I was very heartbroken actually because his family means so much to me; they are actually like family,” said Natosha Davis, 30, who attended DeWitt’s church for four years. “I was very heartbroken for him that he had to go through that and struggle.” Many congregants were less charitable. “Some people where he lives just totally turned their backs on him,” Davis said. “He was ostracized, excommunicated. It is like he has a disease, but he doesn’t.” When DeWitt runs into people he used to preach to, he still averts his eyes. Going to the post office and to Walmart, he said, can be stressful because of the possibility of running into a former congregant. “It is because places in which you were once admired now you are suddenly scorned or pitied,” DeWitt said, who admits not having many friends anymore. “It makes for an extremely uncomfortable life.” And yet DeWitt said his atheist life mirrors his old religious one in some key respects. In some ways, he said, he’s still a minister. “The origin of the symmetry is me, is my personality, my love for people, my love for ministering,” DeWitt said. “What I have always tried to do is to minster from where I personally am at. “When I was 17, I preached what I believed was best for people at the time; when I was 20, it was a little different; at 25 it was different, too,” he said. “And now at 42, I am still the same guy preaching what I see is best for people.” soundoff (5,298 Responses)« Previous 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 Next »
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The TV preachers and people like James Dobson and Doug Coe are all phonies, in it for their egos and the tex free income. They don't really believe the garbage they spew, it's a means to make money and lots of it.
If he is such an avid non-believer, he's never going to feel whole until he returns all the wages, gifts, and other items of value he received in the name of the Lord back to the faithful. this story is a level of hypocracy beyond belief. "Athiests" do 5 times worse of exactly what they say they are against. It's a ploy for attention, something that makes them feel accepted.
So his 25 years of devotion and service don't matter? Why should the church get the money back? I don't like my current job, does that mean I should give my paychecks back? Because I'm not a true believer in my company?
He lost his faith, because the book he was reading didn't make common sense. It's not like he got into preaching with an alterior athiest motive
You Christians are so righteous it's sickening. You really think your a higher level of human, but you come off as the lowest form of ignorant.
Let him keep the money he received from the 'faithful' ~ because at that time he was spreading the Word of God. He has changed his course, and whatever those in the congregation gave to him they gave it to him freely without strings attached. You may not like that, but it's best not for them to pressure him and keep driving him in the opposing direction.
christianity is the most fantastic business to be in – you sell an invisible product – and you're gullible clients cant collect until they are dead! You have got to be kidding me what a hoax!
If you can show exactly how disbelief affected the results of him doing the job, then perhaps he should. Now if preacher were routinely dismissed due to say... lack of effective praying or... not actually hearing the voice of God then you might have a point.
*cough* *self-righteous
"hypocracy beyond belief. "Athiests"" If you want to be taken seriously, kid, you need to learn to spell. "Hypocracy" wuold mean 'ruling from underneath?' Their king would be the Hypocrat because he was the farthest underground? And an "Athiest" would be someone who didn't believe in "Thiesm." According to Google, most religious people can only spell 'Atheist' as "Athiest" because of chapter bla bla verse la la la. Good luck convincing me your opinion's worth ANYTHING if you can't even define your terms.
Post by 'return the money' is an instance of the circu-mstantial ad hominem fallacy.
http://www.fallacyfiles.org/glossary.html
@Scotty, He never had a saving faith to begin with.
Sorry, a saving faith?
Bible Clown.. 90% of what you wrote is unintelligible. But if you're trying to rebutt arguements using the Grammar Police tactic. You're just making yourself look llike you have nothing intelligent to say.
All organized religions are cults that depend on parents brainwashing their children with the same delusions they inherited from their parents.
nail on the head.
First, find out the theological definition of the word cult. It is clear you do not know the meaning of the word. Second, what if your parents weren't Christian at all? Third, the authentic Christian didn't go looking for God. God came and found him/her in accordance with his timing.
Thank you for this article. I was unaware of the Transition Fund to help those who have left the clergy and plan to donate there now. Best of luck to Mr DeWitt and his family!
Don't forget that the late Sam Kinneson – he of the screaming troll character ( remember him in "Back to School"?) started off as a minister.
Some people finally do reach maturity – it just takes longer for them.
Wasn't Jimmy Swaggert related ot Jerry Lee Lewis? They are all just performers, each with their own unique shtick.
These fools will preach anythng that can draw nieve fools to listen to thier bunk. Little do they know anything about Karma, and they will get what they sow.
yes! they are sowing reason, responsibility and compassion - they'll get what they deserve some day! those b.astardos!
Whats really amazing is that, to put down people who believe (or believed) in supernatural nonsense, you invoke yet more supernatural nonsense with which you believe they would be punished (Karma). May as well screech "yer goin' ta heeeell!!!" with that karma nonsense.
Wow James – Way to mix those metaphors!
And it is "Reap what you sow" – that's from the bible in case you missed it.
Between your terrible spelling, baffling grammar, multi-mixed metaphors, and your blinded-by-anger ignorance, your post was quite amusing. Thank you.
There are times in a Christian's life when Jesus tests you and you either 1) come crawling out of the fire more faithful or 2) completely against Jesus and still burning. This man is, unfortunately, still burning.
Jesus sounds like kind of dick.
Why would an omnipotent being need to test you? Why would a loving being make those tests so painful?
"DeWitt is now an avowed atheist"
All this really means is for 25 years the guy was a hypocrite.
or just deluded, like most of the country.
Actually, he never was a true believer to begin with is what I believe was going on with him. That or he's demonically oppressed. Take your pick.
sounds like he was the truest of believers. he just woke up.
@Demonology 501, Being a hypocrite is synonomous with not being a true believer. It what we derived our word ACTOR from.
LOL! All that proves is that religious people don't really care if you believe or not, as long as you simply give the impression that you do, you'll still be accepted.
This has been my theory for a long time – that a majority of religious people only claim to believe because, as this article has proven, were they to announce their non-belief the religious people turn into a pack of rabid dogs and attack.
No, it just means he did what most religious zealots never do - he used his brain. His "beliefs" evolved. Amazing how atheists are today's versions of yesteryear's Christians being thrown to the lions. Such hateful scorn from the so-called believers.
"It what we derived our word ACTOR from." What? You nuts will believe ANYTHING.
I no longer believe and I have no say in it. I need God, no question, and I don't understand people who say they don't. But I have asked God, pleaded with God, to allow me to believe for more than 40 years and have heard nothing. I have been prayed over, read a lot, listened a lot, prayed my heart out, and all I'm left with is a big empty space, like knocking on a door to a room that's empty–you can hear the emptiness booming on the other side. There's nothing there. I can think of no reason why God would allow someone who wants to believe to just fall off the train like that. Even Mother Teresa (sp?) admitted, before she died, that she hadn't believed in 50 years. So cut this guy some slack. I'm certain he once believed, as I did, and as several of my friends did, who tell me they no longer do and that they can't do anything about it. Don't judge. We're told not to, you know.
@Bible Clown, "It what we derived our word ACTOR from." What? You nuts will believe ANYTHING.
And you apparently will believe nothing yet continue to speak on that which you do not know anyway:
Origin:
1175–1225; Middle English ipocrite < Old French < Late Latin hypocrita < Greek hypokritḗs a stage actor, hence one who pretends to be what he is not, equivalent to hypokrī́ ( nesthai ) ( see hypocrisy) + -tēs agent suffix
@Mike K, Well have you accepted Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior? The only way to get to God is through him. I think therein lies your problem. Observe:
Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.
and
9“I (Jesus) am the door; if anyone enters through Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture.
Pentecostalism is not a system of faith in the unseen. On the contrary, it is a "seeing is believing" system. Its miracles, healings, direct operation of the Holy Spirit define it as such. The truth of faith in Christ is not "seeing is believing." It is believing in what one cannot see. It is the evidence of things not seen (Hebrews 11:1). Therefore, it makes perfectly sense that a Pentecostal would become the victim of atheism.
LOL! You're silly.
"Victim of atheism"??? You are delusional. The victims are those who blindly follow unsupportable and self-contradticting beliefs based on bronze-age mythologies that have no relevance in modern society.
Not to worry. As soon as you die the argument will be settled once and for all. God is just. He lets you choose. I am a Christian and my husband is not. I can't make him believe and I don't beat him over the head with my beliefs either. He has to choose for himself.
sounds like your husband chooses not to believe in superst.ition and fairy tale.
What an as.sine statement! Life ends the second you die, there is no evidence to state otherwise. You should listen to your husband, he is a smart, intelligent man married to a delusional brainwashed child (only children have imaginary friends). Why is he wasting his valuable energy on you when he could be with someone with a functioning brain?
And it sounds to me like he has chosen for himself....you, being the self-righteous religious person you seem to be, simply refuse to accept his choice – so in a sense, by not accepting his choice you are in fact beating him over the head with your beliefs.
@TruthPrevails.. the truth is.. you're an idiot, now we all know the truth.
"As soon as you die the argument will be settled once and for all" Sounds like a threat to me...and what if you are wrong? Maybe god let humans make religions in order to see who are the hypocrites, and the people who will judge depending on how you look say and unfairly treat others because of their faiths. Just like it say's in the bible "Christians" will be known on how they treat each other and ironically you are doing the opposite.
Bunnine
God is just. He lets you choose.
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Choose what, a religious path? Well, that's just it isn't it? If there's only 1 "correct" choice, how come all human beings in the world are not privy to it? Do you think you're special because God let you in on the secret?
And then he. Will. Know. Hell
That is one giant leap for mankind.Glad to know you.
We should love this guy as Christ loves us. Doubtful that he really ever accepted Christ into his heart. Christianity is not about the church , it is about a personal relatioship with him and the church is a by product of that relationship to worship Christ and serve others. It said to hear that his former congregation didnt continue to love him but instead has judged him. They should continue to show love towards him. I could say much more , but time to go back to work and deal with something worth my time , just throwing in my 2 cents during a coffee break
he woke up and realized believing in jesus is like believing in hercules. you should try thinking for yourself, too.
When life is discovered from other planets , pray to you're personal jesus ,mohammad , budda or whoever to help you & see where you get . Nowhere as usual . I've never seen or heard of thiese fictional charatures doing anything for anybody to help them . Only in a book written & rewritten & rewritten by man .
Janna
I always wondered who in the world watched those ridiculous shows. Now I know.
****
My posting about it caught your attention. That's a start.
I never said all the paranormal investigating was truthful. But that said, knowing what I know from both an academic and spiritual standpoint, there is so much more out there than what readily meets the eye.
I wonder when the next "This is who Jesus REALLY was" book is coming out. Those are always smart sources to rely on.
LOL
"Oh let the insults rain down, I love seeing the insecurity of idiots when you point out how stupid they are."
Another Christian hypocrite. Shocking.
"You realize that you're the minority right?"
Logical fallacy: appeal to majority/ad populum. Weak sauce, friend.
" you're subscribing to is a theory not a proven fact,"
Why am I not surprised that you don't know what the word 'theory' entails in a scientific context?
Pretty pathetic.
It is super-important to them not to know the difference between a theory and a Grand Theory, like gravity. "Gravity is O-o-only a "theory," they huff. "It's really Gawd a-holdin' you down to the ground. All is illusion." I think they worship lower-case theory as a demigod or something.
All Christians, hear me for I speak for God! On your knees and open your mouths, for Jesus is coming again!
Well, I guess that settles it.
"I was the one on the right track, and you were the ones that were going to burn in hell," MacBain told the crowd. "And I'm happy to say as I stand before you right now, I'm going to burn with you."
this is enough proof for me.......... may GOD have mercy on all of your souls...:(
Proof of what, that some people can believe differently than you AND have a sense of humor about it?
So God gives you life, oxygen, food and warmth and you want to cry because he doesn't answer all of your prayers? Your own parents didn't give you everything you asked for when you were a kid. Just because you don't get your way you're going to turn your back on God? That's really sad. May God have mercy on your soul. God doesn't make it easy for us to believe in Him. That's how he knows who is truly His.
Nope, "god" gave me or anyone else nothing...that you think you have those things due to some belief is laughable, yet a bit unsettling at the same time!
I don't think that, I know it. I know God. I have all the proof I need.
Proof of God. When you belong to God you know. I have a great sense of humor. I know that people have beliefs that are different from mine and that I have no power to change that. That is between them and God.
Beth: You know God??? You're a liar!!! No-one can know a creature that has never been proven with evidence to exist. Only schizophrenics and children have imaginary friends...which one are you?
Faith Vs. Reason eh Beth?
Carl Sagan was once asked if he believed in God. His response?
"I don't want to believe. I want to know".
That is the crux Beth, you prefer God to be invisible and out of reach so you can blame him for bad behavior or maybe if something good happens. It is this finall lack of being responsible for your beliefs and acitons that see most people recognizing that God is simply a scapegoat for your predjudices and actions.
"God gives you life, oxygen, food and warmth " God's never given me any of that stuff. You are a triple-dip liar. My mom gave m life, and oxygen's made by plants. I get warmth from the sun in summer, and I'd freeze to death in winter if I didn't pay my bills.
Pffff christians you can never win one over them.
Either they get offended, go on the defensive, start speaking in tongues etc. on just about any topic and also if they don't fully understand of does not like a certain conversation they automatically call it satanic. or the usual " i'll pray for you" crap. To be honest i don't think a faith of love and brotherhood gets spread to the masses by the point of a sword.
Beth
I don't think that, I know it. I know God. I have all the proof I need.
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Arrogant fool. So, you alone out of all human beings in existance "know" God? Wow, aren't you special?
You know I believe that he's the worst kind of atheist there is.... a minister of God turning his back on God and instead of leading the flock to God he's leading them to satan. What a shame. As a Christian all I can do and say is I'll pray for him, I'll pray for his soul, and I pray that God won't turn His back against him when judgement day comes.
LOL! As an Atheist he CAN'T lead anybody to "satan" since there's no such person.
Phew, all you're going to do is pray for him.
For a moment there I though you might do something that had a tangible, measurable effect.
LOL! run! it's raining fire and brimstone! hahaha!
Tammy: You're another one who needs to visit the asylum. Are you incapable of understanding that a soul is not physical and therefore can't be proven with any evidence to exist? Religion is attune to mental illness.
Tammy.....you do realize that atheists can't fear this supposed "judgement day", don't you?