Not unlike AA, there is now an organisation whose purpose is to support clergy addicted to unbelief. It is called The Clergy Project. It boasts a hundred members who:
use it to network and discuss what it’s like being an unbelieving leader in a religious community. The Clergy Project’s goal is to support members as they move beyond faith. Members freely discuss issues related to their transition from believer to unbeliever including:
- Wrestling with intellectual, ethical, philosophical and theological issues
- Coping with cognitive dissonance
- Addressing feelings of being stuck and fearing the future
- Looking for new careers
- Telling their families
- Sharing useful resources
- Living as a nonbeliever with religious spouses and family
- Using humor to soften the pain
- Finding a way out of the ministry
- Adjusting to life after the ministry
The organisation is sponsored by Richard Dawkins who devoutly encourages apostates who have, as he says, seen the light to join in a koinonia of disbelief with other faithless victims trapped in pulpits of pretend piety.
I’d love to get a list of the names of members to see if they include an Ingham, Hiltz or Bird.
Well, at least the final two items are useful…
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Ingham, Hiltz and Bird won’t appear on the list. They lack the self awareness to admit their apostasy.