Description
“Dear Dad,
You know, even though I’m not attending a religious school, I didn’t realize the topic of religion would come up so frequently. In fact, I didn’t realize I would be bombarded with a lot of criticism and questions about my religion. Even the professors are into it. The other day in class, one professor said, ‘Religion … relies on the gullibility of its clients, who have been educated to believe without evidence and without explanation.’ I don’t want to fall into that category.”
Research shows that the millennial generation is the most secular minded in the history of the United States. Consequently, this book is written for youth as well as adults who, because of societal trends, are curious about the data and evidence of the truths of spiritual records. In the form of emails from a father to his son, this book is clear and easy to digest. This son is away at school and is feeling “bombarded” by secular thought, thereby shaking his spirituality. He is exposed to many who maintain that religion has no credible evidence to support the stories and claims of the scriptures. These philosophies disturb him as he begins to question his own faith. Since this book is a reasoned and data-driven approach minimizing stereotypical generalizations, it can be appreciated by individuals of good will who are not only faith-based but also of a skeptical nature, an opportunity for civil discourse on common ground. The author, reared as a Protestant, spent his young adult years in religious rebellion and skepticism. Quite unexpectedly, having had a spiritual experience, he joined the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and has maintained a devout testimony ever since. As a result of his own personal journey the secular attacks are familiar to him and have been a focus of his study. This combined with considerable research into the empirical data that relate to scriptural records have given him the unique ability to address the evidence with respect to all sides. In addition, as a psychologist and researcher, he helps the reader know how to recognize when emotion is used over logic. Throughout this book, Dr. Johnsen demonstrates that religion is improperly characterized as “an opiate for the masses” to a reader of goodwill. In fact, after considering the evidence recorded in this book one prominent attorney said these facts could be upheld in a court of law.
