From: Fred Allman
Columbus
Commenting on Jan Cundiff’s letter to The Republic on May 17, she is correct. People are leaving the church in numbers. The ratio of converts to those who leave is one to three. For everyone who joins the church, there are three who leave.
But Cundiff is mistaken as to why they are leaving. They are leaving the church not because they are opposed to Jesus and his teachings. Most of them still call themselves Christians.
I will tell you why they are leaving. They are leaving the church for the same reason I left years ago. Being citizens of this 21st century world, they cannot accept the unbelievable myths and Bronze Age theology of the church. Like myself, these modern people see that the church has remained centuries behind the advance of reality.
Many intelligent Christians (like myself years ago) are trying to stay with the church by establishing logic-tight compartments in their minds where they can separate the real world from their mythical Christian world. Thus they don’t have to deal with the contradictions. But it didn’t work for me, and I don’t believe it will work for any intellectually honest person.
I solved my dilemma by writing a letter of resignation to the church. My closest friend, a minister I had worked with for years, went into the pulpit and with tears in his eyes said, “Brother Allman has committed spiritual suicide.” I have Christian friends who see this crisis in the church the same way I do, but they don’t have the courage to do what I did.
However, I believe if enough Christians would do what I have done, the church could be brought into the modern world and become the true disciples of Jesus and his beautiful message.
