Atheist helping christians find God.

1-800-DOUBTS: A new helpline for troubled atheists - CNN.com

"The man and woman are volunteers training for 1-84-I-DOUBT-IT, believed to be the country's first helpline for people wrestling with religion, suffering from a loss of faith, or confused about why their son or wife seems to have suddenly embraced atheism."

"Founded by the group Recovering From Religion and cobbled together with a small budget, the helpline launched on Friday. Nearly 100 volunteers are ready to field calls 24/7 on the weekends and from 6-12 Central Time on weeknights. Calls will be kept confidential and the callers can remain anonymous, said Sarah Morehead, Recovering From Religion's executive director. There's no physical call center; instead volunteers and callers are connected through a virtual private network. The volunteer agents, who are not licensed counselors or therapists, will not steer callers toward atheism, Morehead said. Rather, they will offer a sympathetic ear and practical tips for finding secular or religious communities. One script they can use, for example, asks callers about their beliefs and matches them with local congregations. Other guidelines direct callers with serious problems to secular therapists or, if necessary, a suicide hotline." -CNN

"Without a lifeline or support network, many former religious believers sink into depression or suffer from other emotional issues", Morehead said. "Many people feel isolated or rejected when they begin to ask questions," she said. "If churches suddenly started welcoming doubters to their potlucks, the hot line project wouldn't be necessary."

"Peer-to-peer counseling, Harrington said, takes the opposite approach. "Peer supporters ask questions but don't provide answers. They help people find their own answers."

""When I left my own faith, I understood why a lot of people would feel quite abandoned, especially if all their friends and family are tied to the church. It can be quite a lonely time."

LOL I'm so calling this.

I'm gonna have me some fun preachin' the good word...

Peter Grimm said:

LOL I'm so calling this.

I'm gonna have me some fun preachin' the good word...

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You don't believe that an atheist could provide some kind of help to a struggling Christian?

chad1389 said:

You don't believe that an atheist could provide some kind of help to a struggling Christian?

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If you were anemic, would you go to a doctor who believed in curing that with leeches?

This is a bad, bad idea for everyone involved Theist or otherwise. If you're having issues with your faith, you're much better off talking to somebody you trust than a stranger on a phone line. I can already see trolls from Theists and Atheists alike messing with poor souls who would need a service like this.

CMPancake said:

This is a bad, bad idea for everyone involved Theist or otherwise. If you're having issues with your faith, you're much better off talking to somebody you trust than a stranger on a phone line. I can already see trolls from Theists and Atheists alike messing with poor souls who would need a service like this.

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So your position is that this service is needed but should not exist?

Declan said:

So your position is that this service is needed but should not exist?

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I didn't imply it was a needed service, rather people who struggle with faith that would need counseling on whether or not they should believe/not believe turning to strangers on the phone is just a bad idea.

chad1389 said:

1-800-DOUBTS: A new helpline for troubled atheists - CNN.com

"The man and woman are volunteers training for 1-84-I-DOUBT-IT, believed to be the country's first helpline for people wrestling with religion, suffering from a loss of faith, or confused about why their son or wife seems to have suddenly embraced atheism."

"Founded by the group Recovering From Religion and cobbled together with a small budget, the helpline launched on Friday. Nearly 100 volunteers are ready to field calls 24/7 on the weekends and from 6-12 Central Time on weeknights. Calls will be kept confidential and the callers can remain anonymous, said Sarah Morehead, Recovering From Religion's executive director. There's no physical call center; instead volunteers and callers are connected through a virtual private network. The volunteer agents, who are not licensed counselors or therapists, will not steer callers toward atheism, Morehead said. Rather, they will offer a sympathetic ear and practical tips for finding secular or religious communities. One script they can use, for example, asks callers about their beliefs and matches them with local congregations. Other guidelines direct callers with serious problems to secular therapists or, if necessary, a suicide hotline." -CNN

"Without a lifeline or support network, many former religious believers sink into depression or suffer from other emotional issues", Morehead said. "Many people feel isolated or rejected when they begin to ask questions," she said. "If churches suddenly started welcoming doubters to their potlucks, the hot line project wouldn't be necessary."

"Peer-to-peer counseling, Harrington said, takes the opposite approach. "Peer supporters ask questions but don't provide answers. They help people find their own answers."

""When I left my own faith, I understood why a lot of people would feel quite abandoned, especially if all their friends and family are tied to the church. It can be quite a lonely time."

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Couldn't quite resist the dig at churches could they? I could just imagine some of our angrier atheists manning this hotline. "What? You still believe in God? No wonder you're depressed you delusional loser. You deserve everything that happens to you for all the oppression you've engaged it, you Holier Than Thou waste of human skin. You're one redeeming quality is that you're biodegradable". Lol.

CMPancake said:

I didn't imply it was a needed service, rather people who struggle with faith that would need counseling on whether or not they should believe/not believe turning to strangers on the phone is just a bad idea.

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No, you did not imply it. you did however state it outright:

"...messing with poor souls who would need a service like this"

cpwill said:

If you were anemic, would you go to a doctor who believed in curing that with leeches?

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To be fair, I absolutely do believe there are atheists who can and do support other's religious beliefs. In fact, I remember one atheist totally standing up for me in RL when he thought another atheist was belittling my faith (he actually wasn't, but it appeared that way to those who didn't know that that's just how we related to each other).

That is funny, because it was christians who helped me find agnosticism...

Your thread title is misleading. They are not helping Christians find god, but simply directing people, Christians included, to comm unities that match their beliefs. From your own OP any form of counseling is entirely reliant on the volunteer simply asking questions and listening to the caller.

CMPancake said:

This is a bad, bad idea for everyone involved Theist or otherwise. If you're having issues with your faith, you're much better off talking to somebody you trust than a stranger on a phone line. I can already see trolls from Theists and Atheists alike messing with poor souls who would need a service like this.

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Hard to find in some parts of America. Yeah, you think you trust them... until suddenly you're unclean and ungodly and they want nothing to do with you.

Yeah, America has places like that. I spent my high school years in one of them, and people who left religion, or even just belonged to a non-Christian one, were often subject to abuse.

Thus anonymous helplines. Sadly enough, some parts of America haven't progressed enough for the non-religious or questioning to be safe in their own communities.

I read the entire article. I'm rather ambivalent, but over all I think that non-religious individuals trying to help religious individuals having a crisis of faith is a bad idea.

However, it seems more like the hotline is set up for those who pretend they are religious for societal reasons, but don't really believe what others think they believe. It kinda struck me as an "atheist coming out of the closet" helpline, along the lines of homosexuals wanting help in telling their friends and family not to expect grandkids.

It's all rather convoluted. I suppose I could read the article again, but as I said, I'm pretty ambivalent about the whole thing. :shrug:

SmokeAndMirrors said:

Hard to find in some parts of America. Yeah, you think you trust them... until suddenly you're unclean and ungodly and they want nothing to do with you.

Yeah, America has places like that. I spent my high school years in one of them, and people who left religion, or even just belonged to a non-Christian one, were often subject to abuse.

Thus anonymous helplines. Sadly enough, some parts of America haven't progressed enough for the non-religious or questioning to be safe in their own communities.

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Well, that's a sobering thought. I hadn't considered that, because religion wasn't a big deal when I grew up. My folks were non-religious, although I went to church with my friend's family for years, and was myself a thunked-and-dunked Southern Baptist. In my childhood community, nobody really cared what church the neighbors went to, or if they even went to church at all. Those who did, did. And those who didn't, didn't. It would be terrible to be pressured by our entire surrounding society to either believe or not believe, lest one be shunned and outcast. Trying to wrap my head around that.

Declan said:

No, you did not imply it. you did however state it outright:

"...messing with poor souls who would need a service like this"

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I also said "Like" as in similar. If people are struggling with their faith it is important to seek out members of your faith, and other faiths to help you. However, what won't work will be a hotline filled with untrained, and non-certified strangers. I speak from experience when I was first denying and renouncing my Catholic faith I turned to strangers who wanted to hurt me more than harm me. I understand there is a need for a willing ear that would listen without calling you a heretic but anonymity brings out the worst in people.

DiAnna said:

Well, that's a sobering thought. I hadn't considered that, because religion wasn't a big deal when I grew up. My folks were non-religious, although I went to church with my friend's family for years, and was myself a thunked-and-dunked Southern Baptist. In my childhood community, nobody really cared what church the neighbors went to, or if they even went to church at all. Those who did, did. And those who didn't, didn't. It would be terrible to be pressured by our entire surrounding society to either believe or not believe, lest one be shunned and outcast. Trying to wrap my head around that.

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Lots of places are like that nowadays. But some aren't.

My situation was interesting. We moved there because there was a really good district. It had recently expanded, which was great for my father, because like most good districts, a lot of it was expensive to live in. The expansion gave him more options...

...But it also brought in some of the people from the district of Minnesota that is famous for having a record-setting rate of gay teen suicide and abusive conversion therapy practices. And they brought that into the schools.

I've recounted some of the things I saw and experienced before on DP. I felt unsafe even around some of my teachers. One time, in a choir I was in when we were having lunch after an event, the director and the other students were talking about what they'd do if an atheist ever started trying to tell them about evolution and that creationism was incorrect. Let's just say it wasn't "give them a cuddle."

Jews, gays, atheists, pagans, and Muslims were all targets. There were several violent incidents while I was there, one of which was near-fatal, a couple of which I actually saw, and one of which was aimed at me (along with a number of threats).

CMPancake said:

This is a bad, bad idea for everyone involved Theist or otherwise. If you're having issues with your faith, you're much better off talking to somebody you trust than a stranger on a phone line. I can already see trolls from Theists and Atheists alike messing with poor souls who would need a service like this.

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Oh I'm gonna troll the hell out of this hotline. It's gonna be good fun.

SmokeAndMirrors said:

Lots of places are like that nowadays. But some aren't.

My situation was interesting. We moved there because there was a really good district. It had recently expanded, which was great for my father, because like most good districts, a lot of it was expensive to live in. The expansion gave him more options...

...But it also brought in some of the people from the district of Minnesota that is famous for having a record-setting rate of gay teen suicide and abusive conversion therapy practices. And they brought that into the schools.

I've recounted some of the things I saw and experienced before on DP. I felt unsafe even around some of my teachers. One time, in a choir I was in when we were having lunch after an event, the director and the other students were talking about what they'd do if an atheist ever started trying to tell them about evolution and that creationism was incorrect. Let's just say it wasn't "give them a cuddle."

Jews, gays, atheists, pagans, and Muslims were all targets. There were several violent incidents while I was there, one of which was near-fatal, a couple of which I actually saw, and one of which was aimed at me (along with a number of threats).

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Wow. My childhood was quite sheltered in comparison. I'm sorry those things happened to you.

SmokeAndMirrors said:

Hard to find in some parts of America. Yeah, you think you trust them... until suddenly you're unclean and ungodly and they want nothing to do with you.

Yeah, America has places like that. I spent my high school years in one of them, and people who left religion, or even just belonged to a non-Christian one, were often subject to abuse.

Thus anonymous helplines. Sadly enough, some parts of America haven't progressed enough for the non-religious or questioning to be safe in their own communities.

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Yawn. There you go, overdramatizing things. Provide some statistics please of all these "unsafe" atheists who are being assaulted by Christians in this backward country.

Peter Grimm said:

Oh I'm gonna troll the hell out of this hotline. It's gonna be good fun.

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What would that accomplish, exactly?

DiAnna said:

Wow. My childhood was quite sheltered in comparison. I'm sorry those things happened to you.

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Eh, living well is the best revenge, and I made sure to make a fuss and make their lives harder while I was there. So I figure I did the best with it that could be done.

CMPancake said:

What would that accomplish, exactly?

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Amusement.

Hilarity.

The sad, sweet irony of making an atheist who thought he was going to talk a good Christian out of his faith shrivel up in a corner and cry. I don't know, there's a lot of reasons.

I'm sure these guys are going to love to hear from a loud, proud Texas conservative like me. I'll tell them all about Jesus.

I bet I get at least 10 of them to quit this little job by the end of the week.

Peter Grimm said:

Amusement.

Hilarity.

The sad, sweet irony of making an atheist who thought he was going to talk a good Christian out of his faith shrivel up in a corner and cry. I don't know, there's a lot of reasons.

I'm sure these guys are going to love to hear from a loud, proud Texas conservative like me. I'll tell them all about Jesus.

I bet I get at least 10 of them to quit this little job by the end of the week.

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So really you're just going to waste their time and yours?

Zinthaniel said:

Your thread title is misleading. They are not helping Christians find god, but simply directing people, Christians included, to comm unities that match their beliefs. From your own OP any form of counseling is entirely reliant on the volunteer simply asking questions and listening to the caller.

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But that doesn't steer them away from God either. Helping them find communities that share their same beliefs is, in a sense, directing them towards a "God" they can believe in. I'm not against this. I do believe that God can use anyone, even non-believers, in helping those who struggle with Him. On the other hand, a pastor and church members are where a believer is supposed to receive his help. The fact that there now needs to be a helpline for this shows how the church is becoming more of a political party.

"If you don't think like us, we can't be friends."

If one cannot go to their own family for help in the case of religious doubt, something is wrong.