Bizarro Lee Strobel

William Lobdell, a reporter covering the religion beat for the Los Angeles Times, describes in a recent column how the mounting evidence against faith in stories he wrote about caused him to eventually lose it.

At the beginning of his story:

My desire to be a religion reporter grew as I read stories about faith in the mainstream media. Spiritual people often appeared as nuts or simpletons.
...
It took several years and numerous memos and e-mails, but editors finally agreed in 1998 to let me write "Getting Religion," a weekly column about faith in Orange County. I felt like all the tumblers of my life had clicked. I had a strong marriage, great kids and a new column. I attributed it all to God's grace.

At the end of his story:

As I walked into the long twilight of a Portland summer evening, I felt used up and numb. My soul, for lack of a better term, had lost faith long ago — probably around the time I stopped going to church. My brain, which had been in denial, had finally caught up.

Clearly, I saw now that belief in God, no matter how grounded, requires at some point a leap of faith. Either you have the gift of faith or you don't. It's not a choice. It can't be willed into existence. And there's no faking it if you're honest about the state of your soul.

via Unorthdox Atheism