Story highlights A new helpline is believed to be the first for people suffering from a loss of faith Founded by the group Recovering From Religion, 1-84-I-DOUBT-IT launched on Friday. <\/p>\n
Find out what it means to be an atheist -- and why you should care -- in a one-hour special airing March 24 at 9 p.m. ET on CNN.<\/p>\n
He's been a Christian for 20 years but can't believe in the Bible anymore. He hasn't told his friends or family and still sits, uneasy, in church each Sunday. <\/p>\n
\"I feel like I'm lying,\" he tells the woman on the other end of the phone. \"I'm pretending to be a person that I'm not. <\/p>\n
\"But what if I'm wrong?\" he asks. \"Will I go to hell?\" <\/p>\n
\"Hmmm...\" the woman says, after stumbling through an awkward answer. \"I thought you weren't going to make this hard.\" <\/p>\n
If this call had been real, the woman says, she would have dissuaded the man from falling for Pascal's Wager, the argument that it's better to believe in God because -- well, hell is an awfully hot place to spend eternity. <\/p>\n
But the call wasn't real. 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. <\/p>\n
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. <\/p>\n
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 <\/p>\n
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Original post: Story highlights A new helpline is believed to be the first for people suffering from a loss of faith Founded by the group Recovering From Religion, 1-84-I-DOUBT-IT launched on Friday. Find out what it means to be an atheist -- and why you should care -- in a one-hour special airing March 24 at 9 p.m. Continue reading
\n1-800-DOUBTS: A new helpline for troubled atheists<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"