Unfortunately, his story is not rare nor is it a new phenomenon. Defection from the Christian faith has been present throughout history, with Judas being the most popular. The interview with Mr. Gibson is one of the best I've viewed. He presents himself as a very nice man and his sincerity is obvious from the beginning. Undoubtedly, he is passionate about his beliefs and genuinely cares about people and what he perceives as truth. He was cordial during the interview and was not hostile toward Christianity while using language that would be acceptable even to young children. Some atheist apologists cut themselves off from the very audience they propose to reach by their arrogance and foul language, but that is not the case with Mr. Gibson.
In recollecting his experiences with Christianity, his honesty appeals to those having similar doubts about their faith. I found no hyperbole or dishonesty and many of the falsities of Christianity he described are found in most churches. It's called cultural Christianity and it fills the American Church today. As it develops in a society it at first appears to and does to some extent provide a positive aspect to the culture. However, the end result always produces rotten fruit. That fruit is a culture of Christianity where Church membership and religious emotion are equated with true Christianity.
Many of us of the older generation, like Mr. Gibson, grew up in Church and as he put it, we were born on the church pew so to speak. Like Mr. Gibson, we were taken to a Sunday School room and taught Bible stories that were watered down to our age level. We were told about Heaven and Hell and the way to escape Hell and go to Heaven was to accept Jesus into our lives. In the minds of most 7-year-olds, the thought of hell is quite frightening, and the aspect of a place called Heaven in contrast is quite appealing. If we acknowledged we didn't want to go to hell we were told to let Jesus into our hearts and accept Him as our Lord and Saviour. When we affirmed our assent we were pronounced saved and baptized and were from that moment considered Christians.
Mr. Gibson in his interview expressed a problem with being born a sinner and does not like to think he's the one who is responsible for being an offense to God. However, he states he buried such questions in his mind because at seven years of age he didn't have the maturity to process such information. He says later he felt a calling to become a pastor, but admits now looking back on it, it was more of the culture he was in that drew him to the pastorate. In the circles of Christianity that were influencing him, it was one of the highest achievements to become a Pastor and he wanted that. He elaborates how he wanted to be something more than a regular Christian, he wanted to do something great for God. He was constantly told to listen for the voice of God, there might be a call to the Pastorate. He interprets this desire to be a special person as this voice of God calling him to the ministry. He very honestly verbalizes some of the questions he was pondering in his mind which reveals he never really understood the concepts of the Gospel, the nature of God nor the true nature of man from a Biblical perspective. The concepts he was expressing were from a religious mystical and emotional understanding rather than a Biblical understanding of the Gospel. This is no fault of his, cultural Christianity had influenced his thinking and reasoning, and had it not done so, he may never have even entered the ministry.
As he gives decriptions of the sermons he preached, you realize they were not what historical Christianity would consider God-honoring sermons or conducive to true Christianity. They were emotionally based and man-centered self-promotional type sermons. Very little about God and much about what men can get out of Christianity. This though done in sincerity does not produce Christianity.
He mentions problems began to arise in his Pastorate when he took a stand on same-sex marriages. He had preached a message titled, “God loves Gays”. When it came out he was immediately questioned concerning his stand on the subject. He answered he did not believe homosexuality was a sin and began officiating same-sex marriages. This created all kinds of issues and he suggests the circles of Christianity he was a part of started advising him it was okay to hold these positions personally but he could not publicly present them or it would destroy his church. All this led him to question everything he had previously believed about Christianity and the way he had interpreted the Bible, the result being a complete apostatizing from the faith. Contradictions began to be apparent to him in the scriptures, he saw the Biblical text now as nothing more than a complete mess of contradicting statements.
This is not to demean his character, for he demonstrates true sincerity when stating his journey away from Christianity and affirming he couldn't preach something he didn't believe. This was a very honorable thing to do and he should be commended for leaving the ministry and being true to his beliefs. Most of the so-called pastors on Christian television should take note of his honesty and do the same. However, it is not likely they ever will for they love the popularity and the success it brings.
He continues expressing his frustrations with his Christian friends who were advising him to just fake it, he knew how to preach, so why didn't he just fake it. They should have encouraged him to leave and done the same thing themselves. The Visible Church, especially the American Church is every bit as bad if not worse than he suggests. However, Mr. Gibson does go on to say that most Pastors in the ministry live a moderate life and genuinely care about the people they serve. I assume he is talking about Christianity outside the Mega TV pastor environment we see so much of today. No doubt there is corruption and fakery everywhere, but certainly not at the levels we see in the TV Mega Church industry.
Mr. Gibson said if one could look at the Church and see there were no divorces, no one dying prematurely, no storms destroying their homes, one might say there was something to this Christianity. This again demonstrates he does not understand Biblical Christianity. Evolution has replaced the Gospel as truth. He now immensely enjoys learning all the evidence presented by science. When asked what advice he would give his younger self, say 25 years ago, he admits he probably wouldn't have listened to any advice anyway, his mind was not open enough to accept a different view of the world. I don't doubt that to be true, we all have a tendency to close our minds to opposing views in most cases, but he must admit that to be true now as well. The only difference is, his perspective based on his analysis of the information has only led him to another closed minded conclusion. He suggests one should read books on the other side just to get another perspective, which is good advice for anyone to follow. However, having a misunderstanding of one perspective while reading another can lead to a very wrong conclusion in a comparative annalist. Mr. Gibson is an excellent example of a cultural Christian and how the mind quickly turns when confronted with questions it cannot answer. The full interview can be viewed at the The Thinking Atheist
Contrary to what cultural Christianity taught Mr. Gibson, being a Christian is not about how you were raised, how sincerely you want to be good, or how much you want to do something great for God. Many are raised in good families who desire their children to be honest people and positively affect society. Many from such families grow up to be good people making great neighbors and faithful friends. Some go on to pursue these efforts through hard work in public service and charitable organizations. Some like Mr. Gibson seek to fulfill these desires through some religion or religious service. If human history tells us anything, it does not matter how high we bring society, it is only for it to fall with the need to build again. This is true with nations as well as individuals.
Mr. Gibson is not the first to find himself disillusioned with cultural Christianity. Justin Peters had a similar experience, Justin states, "I was supposedly “saved” and baptized at age seven. Growing up in church, I knew all the right answers. The two components of genuine conversion are faith in Christ (not just in Him but in His Person and sufficient atonement), and repentance of sins. Did I have faith in Christ? Yes, I did – just like I had faith in Santa Clause. He was real to me too. My faith in Jesus, like my faith in Santa, was immature and childish. There is a big difference between a child-like faith and a childish faith. A child-like faith (“Whoever does not receive the Kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it at all.” Mark 10:15) is one that acknowledges absolute helplessness and inability before God. Just as a child is completely unable to physically care for and provide for himself; i.e. a child cannot pay a mortgage, get a job, put food on the table, etc., so are we completely unable from a spiritual standpoint to provide for ourselves. And as far as repentance goes, exactly how does a 7 year-old repent? How does a child that young show genuine repentance? From what does he repent? The only commandment children are given in Scripture is to obey their parents. I dare say that as I grew older I disobeyed my Dad and Mom more, not less."
Justin describes how he felt called to the ministry, entered seminary, achieved two degrees, and preached eventually around the world. As his ministry grew, much like Mr. Gibson, he began to have questions and see contradictions in what he understood to be the Gospel. However, unlike Mr. Gibson, after years in the ministry, he found true repentance with the assurance of true faith. You can read Justin's full testimony by following this link: Justin Peter's Minsitries
Salvation is a gift, it is not a religion that binds us to a confining behavior as Mr. Gibson describes in his experience.
Ephesians 2:4-9 ESV
(4) But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us,
(5) even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved—
(6) and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus,
(7) so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.
(8) For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God,
(9) not a result of works, so that no one may boast.
The Gospel is a simple trust in the work of Christ.
1 Corinthians 15:1-4 ESV
(1) Now I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel I preached to you, which you received, in which you stand,
(2) and by which you are being saved, if you hold fast to the word I preached to you—unless you believed in vain. (Sadly Mr. Gibson believed in vain)
(3) For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures,
(4) that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures,
This is a faith the vast majority of mankind will not have.
Matthew 7:14 ESV
(14) For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few.
The way is hard not because of the work required, but because the unrepentant heart cannot see it. The heart that is given repentance finds liberty and rest from its burdens.
Matthew 11:28-30 ESV
(28) Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
(29) Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.
(30) For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”
If you find your heart burdened and have been given a desire for repentance, this Gospel is for your Salvation and the glory of God in Christ Jesus. However, if you have no fear of hell and judgment because you are convinced it does not exist. If you are not burdened by your sins because you do not believe they exist. You will have alieved yourself from a troubling conscience and acquired a limited peace. However, your conscience will not always sleep, you may not acknowledge it as a sin, but you know you have done wrong. You know you have hurt others with your actions and words. You know you have character flaws that trouble you. This you will never escape and you will take it to your grave. All the things you wish you had never done, things you wish you could do over again will meet you in the end leaving your last breath filled with regret. If you suggest your life is such that this will not be true, then you are one of which history has yet to record. If you give yourself to some religion to somehow become worthy of a god's approval or of some state of heavenly existence, in the end, you will likewise find yourself empty and troubled in spirit.
VOLTAIRE: "I am abandoned by God and man! I will give you half of what I am worth if you will give me six months' life. Then I shall go to hell; and you will go with me. O Christ! O Jesus Christ!" -Charles Buck, writing on the death of Voltaire, 1842.
The death of THOMAS PAINE: “We arrived at the house; a decent-looking elderly woman (probably his housekeeper,) came to the door and inquired whether we were the Catholic priests, for said she, ‘Mr. Paine has been so much annoyed of late by other denominations calling upon him that he has left express orders with me to admit no one to-day but the clergymen of the Catholic Church. Upon assuring her that we were Catholic clergymen she opened the door and showed us into the parlor. She then left the room and shortly after returned to inform us that Paine was asleep, and, at the same time, expressed a wish that we would not disturb him, ’for,’ said she, ‘he is always in a bad humor when roused out of his sleep. It is better we wait a little till he be awake.’ We accordingly sat down and resolved to await a more favorable moment. ‘Gentlemen,’ said the lady, after having taken her seat also, ‘I really wish you may succeed with Mr. Paine, for he is laboring under great distress of mind ever since he was informed by his physicians that he cannot possibly live and must die shortly. He sent for you to-day because he was told that if any one could do him good you might. Possibly he may think you know of some remedy which his physicians are ignorant of. He is truly to be pitied. His cries when he is left alone are heart-rending. ’O Lord help me! ’he will exclaim during his paroxysms of distress – ’God help me – Jesus Christ help me!’ repeating the same expressions without the least variation, in a tone of voice that would alarm the house. Sometimes he will say, ‘O God, what have I done to suffer so much! ’then, shortly after, ’But there is no God,’ and again a little after, ‘Yet if there should be, what would become of me hereafter.’ Thus he will continue for some time, when on a sudden he will scream, as if in terror and agony, and call out for me by name. On one of these occasions, which are very frequent, I went to him and inquired what he wanted. ‘Stay with me,’ he replied, ‘for God’s sake, for I cannot bear to be left alone.’ I then observed that I could not always be with him, as I had much to attend to in the house. ‘Then,’ said he, ‘send even a child to stay with me, for it is a hell to be alone.’ ‘I never saw,’ she concluded, ‘a more unhappy, a more forsaken man. It seems he cannot reconcile himself to die.’
“Such was the conversation of the woman who had received us, and who probably had been employed to nurse and take care of him during his illness. She was a Protestant, yet seemed very desirous that we should afford him some relief in his state of abandonment, bordering on complete despair. Having remained thus some time in the parlor, we at length heard a noise in the adjoining passage-way, which induced us to believe that Mr. Paine, who was sick in that room, had awoke. We accordingly proposed to proceed thither, which was assented to by the woman, and she opened the door for us. On entering, we found him just getting out of his slumber. A more wretched being in appearance I never beheld. He was lying in a bed sufficiently decent of itself, but at present besmeared with filth; his look was that of a man greatly tortured in mind; his eyes haggard, his countenance forbidding, and his whole appearance that of one whose better days had been one continued scene of debauch. His only nourishment at this time, as we were informed, was nothing more than milk punch, in which he indulged to the full extent of his weak state. He had partaken, undoubtedly, but very recently of it, as the sides and corners of his mouth exhibited very unequivocal traces of it, as well as of blood, which had also followed in the track and left its mark on the pillow. His face, to a certain extent, had also been besmeared with it.”
Immediately upon their making known the object of their visit, Paine interrupted the speaker by saying: “That’s enough, sir; that’s enough,” and again interrupting him, “I see what you would be about. I wish to hear no more from you, sir. My mind is made up on that subject. I look upon the whole of the Christian scheme to be a tissue of absurdities and lies, and Jesus Christ to be nothing more than a cunning knave and impostor.” He drove them out of the room, exclaiming: “Away with you and your God, too; leave the room instantly; all that you have uttered are lies – filthy lies; and if I had a little more time I would prove it, as I did about your impostor, Jesus Christ.”
This, we think, will suffice. We have a mass of letters containing statements confirmatory of what we have published in regard to the life and death of Paine, but nothing more can be required. - excerpt Thomas Paine National Historical Association
