Possible Candidates for deflating the Asymmetry of Conversion

i.e. possible candidates weakening the asymmetry of conversion observation. These are leads I am still following to find out what exactly their background was. Any information is much appreciated!

Also see Possible Candidates for Reinflating the Asymmetry of Conversion

Dear reader,

Here are a few more people whom I have in mind but haven't been able to find much about yet. Feedback is welcome from all. So far most of the names and details of those I have researched I have got from ex-Christians but maybe Christian visitors might have some luck with the Christian resources you know of? Anyway, here are the names of those on my "to do" list - I've just pasted here the information I have gathered (not my own words - incase it looks impersonal or curiously edited!) Some of their writings (e.g. Vitz) I know from the Internet, but I'd be interested in any inside information you might be able to find. Although I am doing this research too, it is possible that Christians might get a different response to myself so it would be interesting to pool resources on what we both find. Also responses from ex-Christians (or anyone) are appreciated of course. Criticism, leads, falsified hypotheses! - anything enlightening.

Don't forget to read the FAQ please, and for background see the main page on all this.

Gerard Thomas Straub.

Raised a very ultra-conservative Catholic, he became a fundamentalist in his early 20s, and
became the right-hand man of Pat Robertson as TV producer of the 700 club. Over
a period of several years, he became convinced Robertson was a dangerous
lunatic, left his organization and for many years considered himself a secular
humanist. During that phase he published an expose of Robertson called
"Salvation for Sale". But since then he seems to have embraced a very liberal
and modern version of Catholicism very different from the traditional one on
which he has raised and has published a biography of Saint Francis.
traditional Catholic-->fundamentalist-->secular humanist-->liberal Catholic

Richard Gilman

in "Faith, Sex, Mystery: A Memoir" by Richard Gilman.
Gilman was raised Jewish then became an unreflective atheist (meaning not too
familiar with atheological thought) and then had a conversion to Catholicism
that lasted 5 or 8 years (time-frame depends on blurb of hardback or paperback-
the text does not say). He abandoned Catholicism, but retained a sort of
generic theism which to my knowledge he never left. Gilman was for many years
the Broadway theater critic for both "The New Republic" and "The Nation" two
leading political liberal magazines.
Jewish-->atheist-->Catholic-->generic theist

Paul Vitz

(author of "Atheism: Faith of the Fatherless") claims that he used to be an atheist.

Annie Besant.

She was a very active freethinker who wrote a number of skeptical pamphlets, etc. She did not become a Christian, but converted to what we would now call New Age spiritualism.

Amazing Conversions

I understand there is a book called "Amazing Conversions" that discusses conversions going both ways.

Richard Neuhaus

There are of course people who go from liberal Christian to conservative of
which I suppose the most notorious example in America is Richard Neuhaus editor
of the journal "First Things". He has also gone from Lutheran minister to
Catholic priest. He is also a member of "Second Thoughts" a support group for
folks who were zealous radicals in the 60s and became Reagan-supporting
conservatives in the 80s, founded by Jewish writer David Horowitz.

?

Bernard Nathanson

"The Hand of God" by Bernard Nathanson, wherein he
writes of his conversion to Catholicism.

Ralph O. Muncaster

Says he was a former atheist and hard core Bible skeptic, now a
creationist and Bible believer, author and lecturer. Apparently he's a
buddy of Tim LaHaye and has spoken on his wife's radio program about his
"conversion" back to the Bible and away from "Skepticism."

Some details at http://www.evidenceofgod.com/history.htm

Others (very sketchy!)

Prince,
Alston,
maybe Glynn?
The philosopher Mortimer Adler as (I think) an atheist Jew who converted to Catholicism.
Lew Wallace.

The Reverend William G. Sinkford

President of the Unitarian Universalist Association (UUA). He claims that he is an atheist-turned
theist. More on him can be found here: http://www.uua.org/news/2002/020310.html .

He caused a big storm within UUA earlier this year when he suggested that
UUA should add "god" into its principle
(http://www.dfw.com/mld/startelegram/news/local/4934945.htm). He later
claimed that he was misquoted, and he just wanted the UUA to be more
attractive to theists.

He appealed to his own personal experience in accounting for his conversion.