Andrew Brown has an interesting post on his personal site. Can you really call an “atheist minister” brave? Or are they simply wimps, who don’t have the courage of their convictions?
It suggests to clayboy not the question of brave or cowardly, so much as their willingness to put their own financial interests ahead of truthfulness. Hardly an advert for either Christianity or atheism.
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hold your panties, doug-
quite right on all counts!
(though i admit to being disturbed that you refer to yourself in the 3rd person. creepy).
Well there may be more than financial interests (or that of their families). They may seriously like ministering to people and don’t think the theology is that important in the overall scheme (though they realize some in their denominations will disagree). They may be married and fear the effects of coming out on their marriage and children (and/or parents).
I suspect each case is individual and that they are probably all hurting.
All of which is not unimportant, but I think all of the other issues could be faced if they knew that they would not be (in the Church of England at least) potentially jobless and homeless. I would have more sympathy if they hadn’t made themselves known to an apparently atheist researcher who clearly accepted them at their own face value: “The pressure they were under to conceal or distort their opinions was immense. They were so brave …”
Dennett lives and works in the US I doubt we are talking CoE ministers.
Personally I would say we (Dennett is a different matter) have insufficient information to make a judgment; however, it can be very difficult to come out of a closet.
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