62 of 67 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Powerful, intelligent, and kind, August 13, 2009
Ken Daniels has produced a powerful work that will give Christian readers much to think about. "Why I Believed: Reflections of a Former Missionary" is an important book that should be widely read. The author's approach is gentle and honest while still managing to be unflinching and thorough. As a former fundamentalist Christian missionary who devoted far more time and energy than most to serving that religion, he obviously remembers what it feels like to be fully immersed in belief. Fortunately, Daniels has retained plenty of sympathy for those who cannot yet see that the supernatural claims of Christianity cannot stand up to honest scrutiny.
This brilliant book is not a vicious attack on Christians. It is a strong but polite plea for them to see and hear new ideas, to consider the possibility that their belief system might be a mistake. Daniels maintains a humble tone throughout the book. He does not blast believers with arrogant claims of intellectual superiority on the question of faith. He simply shares thoughts and questions about his journey through Christianity and escape from it. This is a powerful story and Daniels has many piercing ideas that are likely to carry considerable weight with believers because of his difficult work as a missionary in Africa. Daniels earned his stripes as a committed Christian. He went way beyond the easy life of a casual Christian sitting in a pew on Sunday mornings. He lived his Christianity; he made serious commitments and followed through with sacrifices for his religion. For someone like him to walk away from it, with great reluctance, humility, and no rage says a lot. It gives Daniels tremendous credibility.
Daniels is well read and obviously knowledgeable about Christianity. Most importantly, however, he has retained a sense of respect and compassion for believers. Yes, he thinks they are wrong about their religious claims, but he has not turned his back on them as fellow humans. It is likely that many Christians will struggle to reconcile the wisdom and challenges found within "Why I Believed" with their own beliefs. The author's impressive logic and intelligence, combined with a sensitive approach and his top-notch credentials as a Christian missionary, make it impossible for anyone to dismiss him as an angry crank or an irrelevant outsider. Daniels walked the walk, believing and serving with far more sincerity and dedication than most believers do. He writes:
"I invite Christian readers to consider the possibility that my apostasy is a result not of divine or diabolical deception but of a simple weighing of the evidence. . . . It might be that I am wrong. It might be that I have not sought God sufficiently or studied the Bible thoroughly enough or listened carefully enough to the many Christians who have admonished me. . . . Maybe. But the knowledge that billions of seekers have lived and died, calling out to God for some definitive revelation without ever receiving it, or receiving revelation that conflicts with the revelation others have found, contributes to my suspicion that there is no personal God who reveals himself to anyone."
This is a book I will give to Christians because it is forceful and devastating to their irrational beliefs without belittling or mocking them. That Daniels is able to make such a powerful case against Christianity is impressive enough; that he is able to do it without drifting into attacks and name-calling makes "Why I Believed" an important book that should be read and discussed by both believes and nonbelievers.
Wisdom and compassion shine through on many pages of this book. The author clearly wants nothing more than a more rational and peaceful world. He does not seem interested in battering believers with a heavy club of merciless skepticism. Daniels writes:
"Most believers are not prepared to travel as far as I have from my former position as a fundamentalist believer. I implore such readers to consider a middle ground, one that acknowledges both the virtues and vices of the scriptures, as millions of moderate and liberal believers already do. While it is unrealistic to expect a large percentage of Muslims to abandon their faith, most of us can agree that the world would be a better place if Muslim fundamentalists moderated their rigid commitment to every precept of the Qur'an as the divine word of Allah, especially those that call for the destruction of infidels and apostates. Likewise, the world would be a better place if fundamentalist Christians could frankly acknowledge the good, the bad, and the ugly in their own scriptural tradition, whether or not they end up abandoning their faith outright."
I love the honesty of "Why I Believed." Daniels does not cherry pick by pointing out everything silly and negative about Christianity. In fact, he admits to missing some things about his days as a believer:
"I regret the loss of the almost automatic acceptance I enjoyed on the part of those who belonged with me to the same community of faith, the same church, the same missionary society. . . . There is no sugarcoating the reality that secularists in general do not enjoy the same benefits of a warm community that committed believers typically do. . . . I see the safety net and fellowship of the church, coupled with the lack thereof outside the church, as one of the most important impediments to the growth of free thought."
Yes, Christians are likely to struggle with this book and find their beliefs on shaky ground, for it packs a mighty combination punch of honesty, reason, and kindness.
--Guy P. Harrison, author of
Race and Reality: What Everyone Should Know About Our Biological Diversity
and
50 Reasons People Give for Believing in a God
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31 of 34 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Persuasive, Humble and Elegant, August 28, 2009
I've read the similar books by John Loftus and Dan Barker. Those are good, too, but Ken Daniels' book is the only one I'd give without hesitation to a believing friend.
Barker's otherwise excellent book suffers from a forward by Richard Dawkins that will cause the very people who most need to read the book to shut it before they reach page 1. Loftus' closely reasoned volume is at times too academic to appeal to the masses, yet too awkwardly written to appeal to the educated book-lover. Daniels' book is perfect: persuasive, humble and elegant.
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33 of 38 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
I Can Relate, August 24, 2009
I grew up in an evangelical, and might I say wonderful, Christian home. I've been a passionate follower of Jesus for as long as I can remember. I am a graduate of a famous Bible college, and spent 10 years overseas as a missionary. My doubts about hell, God, the reliability of the Bible, and other things brought me back to the U.S., and I eventually went through a deconversion of sorts. Reading Daniel's story was somewhat like reading my own story - there was so much I could relate to. His book was a great help as I was going through this process (still am). Daniels is really thoughtful in his presentation. I highly recommend it to anyone who is questioning their faith.
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