UnbelievableA journey from faith via evidence. Why a university professor gave up religion and became an unbeliever. Rob J Hyndman is Professor of Statistics at Monash University, Australia. He was a Christadelphian for nearly 30 years, and was well-known as a writer and Bible teacher within the Christadelphian community. He gave up Christianity when he no longer thought that there was sufficient evidence to support belief in the Bible. This is a personal memoir describing Rob's journey of deconversion. Until recently, he was regularly speaking at church conferences internationally, and his books are still used in Bible classes and Sunday Schools around the world. He even helped establish an innovative new church, which became a model for similar churches in other countries. Eventually he came to the view that he was mistaken, and that there was little or no evidence that the Bible was inspired or that God exists. In this book, he reflects on how he was fooled, and why he changed his mind. Whether you agree with his conclusions or not, you will be led to reflect on the nature of faith and evidence, and how they interact.
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'Unbelievable' by Rob Hyndman is the Christadelphian equivalent of 'The God Delusion' by Richard Dawkins. It explains in detail why all of the different brands of Christianity are mistaken, but with especial emphasis on the Christadelphian version of this man-made religion.
Unlike the militant 'New Atheists', Rob's approach to the subject is measured, diplomatic and at times almost understated. He is careful not to offend religious sensitivities as he sifts through the miriad of reasons why Christianity cannot be true. His background as a university professor of statistics gives him an expert's viewpoint as he weighs the statistical likelihood that Biblical passages may or may not be telling the truth.
The book explains the psychological reasons why humans believe in extraordinary things that have no credible supporting evidence, and why they find it almost impossible to challenge their own misconceptions and beliefs. Rob discovered how to think objectively about his own faith and as a result he came to abandon it as ill founded.
The reader is left to decide for themselves if they want to continue to believe that the Bible is the work of a divine creator, or that it is a collection of books intended to fool people into belief in a complex myth invented by humans.
The book is not intended to deconvert Christians or Christadelphians. It's primary purpose is to help the reader to think rationally and objectively about faith based religion. It does not seek to dictate what people should think about these issues, but rather it explains a better way to consider the probabilities.
People have to deconvert, or choose to believe, themselves. No one could or should make up their minds for them. But after reading this book they will be better equipped to make an informed decision.
Contents
| 5 | |
| 15 | |
What would convince you? | 25 |
Talking to myself | 31 |
What are the chances? | 37 |
Thank God | 43 |
Repent or die | 103 |
You made me cry | 109 |
Was the pressure too much? | 121 |
What now? | 131 |
Me too | 143 |
Common terms and phrases
Bibliographic information
| Title | Unbelievable |
| Author | Rob J Hyndman |
| Publisher | Rob Hyndman, 2015 |
| ISBN | 1517363195, 9781517363192 |
| Length | 158 pages |
| Subjects | › Biography & Autobiography / Religious |
| Export Citation | BiBTeX EndNote RefMan |