Awards at #QEDcon – Leaving Fundamentalism

Last night at #QEDcon the best blog of the year award went to Jonny Scaramanga for his fabulous Leaving Fundamentalism website.

Here below you can see a picture (taken by Kevin Friery‏@Therapeutic1) where Nate Phelps presents Jonny Scaramanga with his award at #QEDcon #skeptic #atheism

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And yes, that is “the” Nate Phelps, the son of Fred Phelps of Westboro baptist. Nate has of course left all that Westboro Baptist Fundamentalism far behind, and so having him there to give out an award for a blog entitled “Leaving Fundamentalism” is indeed ever so appropriate; Jonny was of course thrilled to discover that it was Nate Phelps giving out the award.

The blog itself .. is here.

Now that link is a hint … you should go check it out.

So why should you read it?

Well, there in the about section with an answer, Jonny introduces it as follows …

Hey, I’m Jonny.

I grew up in the UK as a Christian fundamentalist. Most people think this kind of fundamentalism does not exist in Britain, or it is limited to certain ethnic communities, like black pentecostals. They have no idea what fundamentalists believe, and certainly no clue what it’s like to be one.

I know all of these things. I know what it is to be lied to for an entire childhood, and then to spend your 20s trying to separate fact from fiction while worrying that you could be condemning yourself to eternal damnation.

So I am writing a book about it. This blog is for the research I turn up along the way that doesn’t fit into my book.

If you do ever wonder what is going on inside the heads of those that truly do embrace some crazy ideas, and also how those inside manage to eventually think their way out, then yes, this is indeed a blog to add to your RSS feed.

One final observation, it is not simply a flow of information to those that no longer believe, but is also a go-to for those who currently sit on the fence and is indeed making a real difference out there.

 

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