Read Losing My Religion Online
Authors: William Lobdell
Reading this now, I’m amazed that it took another three years to admit to myself that I had lost my faith, and 12 more months to tell my friends and family—a testament to the power of faith and my lack of courage. The essay reminded me of exactly how I was feeling. It was as though I were sitting at a no-limit poker game, knowing that I should push my stacks of chips to the middle of the table and say with confidence, “All in.” But I couldn’t. I was frozen, too scared to move.
It took me a while, but now I’ve gone all in.
I guess time will tell whether my decision was foolish or smart. But I have no regrets. For me, it was the move I had to make.
Note: Entries in this index, carried over verbatim from the print edition of this title, are unlikely to correspond to the pagination of any given e-book reader. However, entries in this index, and other terms, may be easily located by using the search feature of your e-book reader.
abortion, 29, 63, 100, 206
Abraham, 52–53, 248
Alaska Natives, 215–16, 220–22, 224, 226–34
Altar Boy, Altered Life
(Price), 114
“Amazing Grace” (hymn), 20
Ananias, 104
Anthony, Ole E., 173–77, 179
Anton, Mike, 167, 168
Arzube, Bishop Juan A., 101
Ashcroft, John, 80
atheists, 145, 204, 205, 207, 213, 247, 250, 267, 276, 277
arguments of, 208, 270–71
certainty of, 246
Augustine, St., 9, 120
Baird, Monsignor Lawrence, 115
Bakker, Jim and Tammy, 177
Ballard, Guy, 82–83
Barman, Father Bill, 88–89
Barna, George, 205
Barnett, John, 115
Barris, Mike, 20–22
Basil of Caesarea, St., 147
Benedict XVI, Pope, 142, 256
Benny Hinn Miracle Crusade, 181–84, 186, 212
Berg, Amy, 218
Berger, Rabbi David, 75
Bernstein, Carl, 59
Beshore, Kenton, 10, 11–12, 26
Bevilacqua, Cardinal, 143
Bible, 7–8, 121, 126–27, 160, 170, 198, 206, 239, 277
contradictions in, 49–50, 52–53, 248–49
hell and, 166–67, 168, 169
on Job’s testing, 201–2
on Joshua’s faith, 141–42
as literary work, 51–53
personal belief in, 36–37, 54, 64, 66, 209
relevance of, 10–12
shortest sentence in, 133
study of, 13, 14, 16, 84, 160
See also
New Testament
Bible Answer Man, The
(radio program), 71
Bible Tales
(Gregory), 10–11
Biola University, 275
birth control, 85, 206, 256, 257
Boggess, Donna, 41–43
Boggess, Keri, 42
Book of Gomorrah
(Damian), 147
Book of Mormon, 122–23, 126, 280, 281
Born Again
(Colson), 14
Bosch, Hieronymus, 166
Boster, Mark, 64
Boston, Archdiocese of, 135–39, 142
Boston Globe,
135, 136–37
Bridle, James, 40, 41
Brigham Young University, 123
Broadcom Corporation, 64, 65
Brown, Bishop Tod D., 86, 98, 151, 152
Buddha, 279
Burns, Father Robert M., 138
Bush, George W., 69
Cafeteria Catholics, 84, 85
Cameron, Kirk, 195, 268
Camino de Santiago, El,
203
Case, Father Frank, 219
Case for Christ, The
(Strobel), 14, 197
Catholic Church, 33, 43–44, 85–89, 272, 281
in Alaska, 227–38
anti-Catholicism and, 55
attractions of, 54–55
conscience and, 85, 218–20
conversion process and, 84–86, 99, 119–20, 135, 140–41, 147, 148–49
disillusionment with, 156–59, 244–46, 248, 268
good works and, 62–63, 66–68, 198–99, 200
hierarchal structure of, 99, 161–62, 164, 245–46
institutional problems of, 145–48, 161–62
loyalty to clergy of, 99–100, 141
personal behavior and, 85, 206
priest paternity cases and, 254–58
teachings of, 84–85, 140, 166
See also
clergy sexual abuse cases
Catholic Worker movement, 66–68
celibacy, 218
Chabad-Lubavitch movement, 73–76
charities, 64–65, 66–67, 75, 205
Cheemuk, Tommy, 228, 230
Chesterton, G. K., 14
Christian apologetics, 13–14, 50–51, 165, 210
Christian media, 70, 187, 195
Christian Research Institute, 71
Claremont Graduate University, 280
clergy sexual abuse cases, 61–62, 89–120, 135–38, 215–34
blaming of victims and, 101, 102, 115, 143, 156
euphemistic reporting of, 102–3
historical instances of, 147–48
Internet discussions of, 139
legal prosecution team and, 216–18
numbers of reported cases of, 139
priest treatment policy and, 96, 109–12
priest whistle-blowers and, 164–65
responses to, 94–100, 102, 108, 109–19, 136–39, 142–44, 152–56, 164–66, 168–69, 217, 219–24, 226–27
settlements paid for, 95–98, 152, 217, 227, 230
wounds of survivors of, 103–5
Clohessy, David, 146
CNN, 180, 184, 187
Cody, Sharon, 115
Colice, Lenora and Vincent, 108–9
Colson, Charles, 14
Columbia University, 207
Colver, Suzy, 131
Come By My Light
(Mother Teresa), 200
Comfort, Ray, 168
Conley, Father John, 164–65
Crean, John, 47
Creasy, Bill, 51–53
Crouch, Jan, 188–91, 194
Crouch, Paul, 188–94
Crouch, Paul, Jr. (PJ), 189, 190
Crucified God, The
(Multmann), 242
Damian, St. Peter, 147–48
Daniel, 66
Dante, 166
Darby, Brian, 183
Darwin, Charles, 209
Dateline
(TV show), 187
David, 120
Dawkins, Richard, 208, 270–71
Day, Dorothy, 67
death, 247, 250, 278–79
deists, 269
Deliver Us From Evil
(film), 218
DiMaria, Diane, 117
DiMaria, Ryan, 94–98, 107, 108, 111, 115, 152, 215, 216, 224
abuse claims of, 116–18
abuse settlement to, 95, 152, 217
Douglas, William O., 82–83
Doyle, Father Thomas, 105, 218
Drivon, Larry, 142
Dumb Ox, The
(Chesterton), 14
Einstein, Albert, 269
Eliezrie, David, 72–73
Emmett, Sue, 130
eternity, 240–42, 247, 250, 279
Eucharist, 84–85, 99
evangelical Christians, 133, 169, 202, 267, 272
attraction Lobdell of, 3–4, 8–16, 20–21, 25–26, 30–32, 46, 54, 84
Catholic tensions with, 55
classic testimony stories of, 16
doubts and, 200
faith and, 65–66
financial abuses and, 71–72
hell view of, 166–68
human failings of, 205
intercessory prayer and, 207
journalists and, 28–32
men’s weekend retreat and, 16–22, 203, 243
rational explanations and, 243–44
Warren’s ministry and, 68–71, 166–67, 178
See also
televangelists
Evangelical Council for Financial
Accountability, 72
Evans, Pete, 176
evil, 170, 231
Ex-Mormon General Conference, 130–33, 135
Fairbanks, Diocese of, 226–27, 228
faith, 31, 32, 45–46, 54, 120, 125, 128, 215, 240
as burden, 280
challenge to, 127, 213, 282–83
doubt and, 6–7, 47, 49–50, 148, 149, 162, 163, 169–70, 198–99, 206, 211, 231, 251
as gift, 244
Joshua’s statement of, 141–42
leap of, 244
loss of, 130–31, 159–61, 201, 223–25, 233, 235–37, 246, 249–50, 259–60, 275–80, 283
price of, 48
public confession of, 21
spiritual crises and, 200–202
testing of, 65–66
See also
prayer
faith healers, 177–88
Falwell, Jerry, 17, 20, 29
Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas
(Thompson), 58–59
Fight Club
(film), 278
“Footsteps in the Sand” (story), 200–201
Ford, Lonnie, 192–94
Francis of Assisi, St., 14, 32, 62–63, 120, 171
Freberg, Katherine K., 94–95, 108, 216
Freud, Sigmund, 211, 235
Fuller Seminary, 268
Galton, Sir Francis, 208–9
Gannon, Bob, 86
Genesis, 51, 52–53, 248
Geoghan, Father John, 136–37, 138
“Getting Religion” (Lobdell column), 35–37, 39–53
Gibson, Jordie, 184
Gilmore, Father Vincent, 85–86, 88, 120, 141, 157
God Delusion, The
(Dawkins), 208
God in the Dock
(Lewis), 77
God’s plan, 211–12, 237
“God thing,” 28–29
Goffard, Christopher, 259–60
Graham, Billy, 167–68, 178, 182, 194–95
Graham, Franklin, 194–95