Over the Wall: Vague Belief to Confident Atheism
A logical path from the outer limits of faith to the beautiful world beyond
The pitch
I have spent 25 years writing about the world of Shakespeare and his contemporaries and I’ve recently turned my attention to writing fiction and popular non-fiction. The first book to emerge is Over the Wall, drawing on my own history both within and without Christianity. This is a book on escaping the faith and I'm keen for feedback from anyone really: those on the same path, those who would like to be on that path and those who object in any way to the very idea.
Over the Wall is a guide to leaving Christianity, suitable for any one the millions of people whose faith is dead but who remain tied to its corpse. Drawn to church still for aesthetic or family reasons, or simply out of inertia, we may linger in religion’s vague outskirts, uncertain what to do next. This book offers a logical path from those outer limits of the faith to the beautiful world beyond, towards greater integrity and well-being and the ideal of atheism.
Mapping the means of escape, the decisive getting out and some pitfalls to be avoided in the process, the book addresses key questions: ‘How can I be certain religion is over for me? What can I do instead of church? How will my believing family react? Where do I find morality outside the faith? Will I lose my sense of the transcendent, or of meaning? Can I be spiritual without God?’ As these barriers fall, be assured, reliable paths rise ahead of us.
I was a Christian for 30 years, between the ages of 22 and 52, in various roles. My transition over that time was from a basic fundamentalism, through a searching analytical phase, and finally to a genuine critique that led me back out to the real world. I also moved from being a full-time rock musician into an academic career in the early modern and the history of ideas. Since decisively coming out of the faith my inner life has improved hugely. My sense of selfhood, moral integrity and mental well being have grown immeasurably. I’m also having a much better time. If that sounds attractive, maybe this book is for you.
I’ll be posting the book here in bi-weekly instalments, and subscribers will also be able to comment and converse, and to access other writing, including poetry and early versions of novels as they are emerging. (They are emerging)…