Description:
In a time when religious conservatives have placed their faith and values at the forefront of the so-called "culture wars," this book is extremely relevant. The stories in Leaving Fundamentalism provide a personal and intimate look behind sermons, religious services, and church life, and promote an understanding of those who have been deeply involved in the conservative Christian church. These autobiographies come from within the congregations and homes of religious fundamentalists, where their highly idealized faith, in all its complexities and problems, meets the reality of everyday life. Told from the perspective of distance gained by leaving fundamentalism, each story gives the reader a snapshot of what it is like to go through the experiences, thoughts, feelings, passions, and pains that, for many of the writers, are still raw. Explaining how their lives might continue after fundamentalism, these writers offer a spiritual lifeline for others who may be questioning their faith.
Foreword by Thomas Moore
Brief description: G. Elijah Dann has taught in departments of philosophy, religion, and health studies at various universities in southern Ontario, and most recently was Visiting Research Fellow at the Centre for Studies in Religion and Society, University of Victoria. He is the author of After Rorty: Possibilities for Ethics and Religion (2006) and co-editor of Philosophy: A New Introduction (2004). He is presently completing a book on the role of religious values in the public square.
Review Quotes: This book will enlighten ex-fundamentalists along with those having no experience in the movement.... [It] will give non-fundamentalists some astonishing insight into how otherwise rational, humane people might plunge into such an anti-rational, harsh world view, and why its so hard for them to escape. But for former fundamentalists, reliving their our own traumatic experiences through these stories, the understanding will go much deeper. We will think to ourselves, in relief and empathy, I was not alone.-- "Confessions of a Cultural Idiot Blog, February 2, 2009, 2009 February"