Deconversion stories from The Skeptical Review
Dr. Woodrow Coppedge
Care to hear from another grateful, recovering ex-fundamentalist? I strongly identified with the writer of the anonymous letter in the March/April issue. You may forward her a copy of this letter if you'd like; and she may feel free to correspond with me if desired. Apparently, there are a lot more of us out there than I ever expected. I've often considered starting a new organization, "Fundamentalists Anonymous," if only I had more free time. (I'm graduating from medical school in May 1996, and beginning residency training in psychiatry.)
My evolution into a free-thinking "Jeffersonian Deist," if you will, began at the end of my first year of medical school, when faced with a life-threatening cancer diagnosis. I was forced to reevaluate my priorities in life and reexamine my whole way of thinking. Well, I'm healthy as a horse now and much better off mentally for having gone through the experience!
I'm amazed now at what a sick religious addict I was. You know, fundamentalist Pharisees don't actually read their "Holy Word of God." It was only a short time ago that I realized that the contradictions begin on page one. The first two chapters of Genesis contain contradictory creation myths. One clearly states that plants and animals were created before man, and the next one says man was created first.
In reality, fundamentalists are idolaters; they blindly worship a book. Not "a book," per se but a 2000- to 4000-year-old collection of books, written by various authors to various diverse cultures, far removed from our own, that contradicts itself on every other page. To "literally interpret" such an ancient collection of literature as "absolute truth" is clearly delusional and borders on psychotic.
One good thing about being an ex-fundamentalist, I can proof-text with the best of them. I'm always happy to point out that they are condemned by their own "Holy Word of God." Matthew 7:22-23 says, "Many will say to me on that day, `Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name... cast out demons in your name... do many miracles in your name?' And I will declare to them solemnly, `Depart from me you evil doers, I never knew you.'" Red letter print and all! Now, who is it today who claims to prophesy, cast out demons, and do miracles "in the name of Jesus"? Why, the fundamentalist "church," of course!
See how the religious-hate game works? Delve into that wicked, self-contradictory book, and you can proof-text to condemn anyone. "God's Word" is truly an equal-opportunity offender.
EDITOR'S NOTE: Dr. Coppedge's letter was forwarded to the anonymous letter-writer as he requested. When I read letters like his, I recall my own experiences and wonder how people who read the Bible can keep from seeing the contradictions that Dr. Coppedge referred to. They are so obvious that I can't believe there was a time when I didn't see them, but there was. Religion has a remarkable power to blind believers to obvious truths and realities. As Dr. Coppedge noted, to believe that literature as ancient as the Bible could possibly be "absolute truth" is clearly delusional and borders on psychotic, but there are millions of people who have been deluded into believing it. And people actually ask me why I do what I do. Could there be a better reason than this?
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