Deconversion stories from The Skeptical Review

Carol Faulkenberry

Another Happy Atheist...

A friend passed his May/June 1997 issue of The Skeptical Review on to me, and I read it with great delight. This is a wonderful publication. I was especially pleased to find an article by Judith Hayes. Certainly I want a year's free subscription. As a matter of fact, I would appreciate it if you would also send a subscription to my son, whose name and address I will place at the bottom of this letter.

You quoted Jung as saying that a majority of mental illnesses are caused by religion. I believe it! I was raised in a fundamentalist home. Although I changed denominations several times, I was a churchgoing and dedicated Christian for many years. From my middle teens onward, I suffered depression. Sometimes the only thing that kept me from committing suicide was the fear of hell. From time to time, I suffered from totally irrational fears. I remember a time when I, a grown woman and mother of three school age children, would run and hide under the bed if the phone rang when I was home alone. I went to doctors, a clinical psychologist, and clergymen for help. I took various medications, and I prayed--and prayed! Nothing helped. In January 1995, both my husband and I (I was 56 and he was 61) found the courage and honesty to give up religion altogether. After a little reading, we realized we were atheists and have proclaimed it proudly ever since. And guess what? Since then I have not had one second of depression or irrational fear. I didn't know life could be so enjoyable. I now believe with all my heart that teaching a child to fear hell is the very worst form of child abuse.

Thank you for offering this publication. I am looking forward to receiving my first copy.

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