Caught in the Pulpit

What Hacker News says

1. gwbas1cSep 2026
   People form religions, the power gets abused, they form new ones, the power gets abused, rinse, lather, repeat.

   I consider myself lucky to live in a time and place where I'm not forced to participate or financially support a religion.

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   Now, if you don't want to sound like a random person on the internet talking about something they don't understand, a good book to look at is "Caught in the Pulpit: Leaving Belief Behind". (Co-authored by Daniel C. Dennett, one of the "big four" atheists and Linda LaScola.)

   The book is based around interviews with clergy who've become atheist. It exposes the different kinds of social and power structures that exist within common religions. I distinctly remember reading about a Hasidic clergy member who has a secret atheist club in his community, but they all love their community so much that they would never leave. I also distinctly remember an Episcopalian minister who's "trapped" in a conservative church where the elderly parishioners still believe, even though he doesn't, nor does official church doctrine require him to.

   The book humanizes the power structure to the point where you realize it exists because of social momentum and peoples' desire for a social support system.

   https://www.amazon.com/Caught-Pulpit-Leaving-Belief-Behind/d...

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2. rumcajzJun 2015
   Also see "Caught in the pulpit", about preachers turned atheists yet unable to quit. One of the authors of the book is Daniel Dennett, one of the most inspiring rationalist contemporary philosphers.

   http://www.amazon.com/Caught-The-Pulpit-Leaving-Belief/dp/06...

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