ICBS Everywhere

Over a year ago, a man named Ryan Bell announced to the world that he was going to spend a year exploring life without God. A former pastor with wavering faith, he consciously chose to act as if there is no god and to record and share his experiences.

My first thought when I read about this was “It’s a gimmick”. I scoffed when Ardent Atheist co-host, Emery Emery told me (before a recording of his and Heather Henderson’s other podcast, Skeptically Yours) that he wanted to talk to Ryan.

However, I met Ryan. I talked to Ryan. I have read some of his work. And I think his story has value–a lot of value.

The “Year Without God” concept might be a little gimmicky, but the idea of giving up religion is not. It can be a long process or a short one. It can be quiet or public. I think Ryan’s willingness to go through this in such a public manner is a good opportunity to educate others about what it does and does not mean to be nonreligious. It may also help others in his position to make the transition from belief to agnosticism or unbelief.

Now his story will be told in film. The film is currently in post production, and you can help make it a finished product (while securing a copy of the film and other goodies) by donating to their crowdfund campaign. Here is the teaser released in March of last year:

And the full trailer:

There are a few other videos which will give you an idea of the quality you can expect from these filmmakers, including Ryan’s statement at the end of the year and a sneak peek and a pitch for Indigogo.

From what I have seen, this story isn’t about atheism. It’s about a dramatic shift in one person’s worldview. Ryan’s life before this was devoted to God. What does a life without God look like? It’s an interesting question, and just one of many. Can someone simply decide not to believe? I don’t think so, but that is not quite what Ryan did. I will let the film and Ryan tell you the rest.

Full disclosure: I interviewed with Ryan for the film, so there is a possibility that I will appear in it at some point. But I am certainly not plugging the film for that reason; I don’t care much for the spotlight myself. I participated because a friend asked me to and suggested that I might offer some value. I can only hope that I gave them something good to work with.