The Truth Shall Make You Free: How an All-American, Southern Boy and Preacher Became an Atheist

By Samuel W. Whitehead

Sam Whitehead was raised in a strict religious family and was a teenage preacher. At age twenty-two he began a forty-year quest of research and reflection to prove that his faith was the one "true" religion and that God was real. He reluctantly came to the conclusion that there is no God and that no religion is true. Staunch believers in God and readers who are trying to find their own truth will find Sam's journey compelling. It moves from Alabama to Ohio and back to the Deep South in Atlanta. This serious work challenges believers to live up to their creed and reflects the humor in many situations along the way. Sam holds an MBA degree from Georgia State University with a major in finance. He retired from a lengthy and varied career with one of the largest petroleum transportation companies in the world. Most of his work was in human resources management and public affairs.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Page Publishing, Inc.
• Release date: Oct 13, 2020
• ISBN: 9781647013424

Book preview

Chapter 1

What Would Jesus Do?

One of the compelling reasons I had to search for the truth of God’s existence was clear. If I was going to live according to my faith, I would have to do many things I would not want to do. I see very few Christians who fulfill the teachings of Christ, and I understand why.

As an all or nothing kind of guy, however, I would have to be all in! Many people simply dabble in Christianity. They’ll read their Bibles and attend church on Sunday. They may send their children to church schools and tithe 10 percent of their incomes, but I’m talking hard-core be-like-Christ. What would Jesus Do?, or WWJD, has been a popular phrase that makes one think when confronted with just about any decision. So what did he tell us to do?

I think Jesus, whoever that was, was telling us to be like him and perhaps like Mother Teresa. At one time I had great respect for her. She exemplified Christlike, with her life’s devotion to others. Mother Teresa (1910–1997) was a Roman Catholic Religious Sister and missionary from Albania who lived most of her life in India.

She founded the Missionaries of Charity, which in 2012 consisted of more than 4,500 sisters and active in 133 countries. They run hospices and homes for people with HIV/AIDS, leprosy, and tuberculosis; soup kitchens; dispensaries and mobile clinics; children’s and family counselling programs; orphanages; and schools. Members of the order must adhere to the vows of chastity, poverty, and obedience, and the fourth vow—to give wholehearted free service to the poorest of the poor.

Mother Teresa was the recipient of numerous honors, including the 1979 Nobel Peace Prize. In 2003 she was beatified as Blessed Teresa of Calcutta.

I found out, or at least finally paid attention, that she was also controversial. Mother Teresa was widely admired for her charitable works, but also widely criticized, particularly for her campaigns against contraception. I also criticize her for being against contraception, which surely created more of the poor and infirm that she was trying to help. I know the official position of the Catholic Church is against contraception, so she had little choice.

Maybe I shouldn’t hold it against mother Teresa, since she was just following the rules of the church. I cannot find any Bible verse that explicitly says contraceptives are wrong. Genesis 1:28, however, says, God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it. So that leads me to believe the Catholic Church uses that verse and other similar ones to ensure its ranks continue to grow and fill their coffers.

If I were to remain a believer, I would abide by the Ten Commandments, as well as the specific teachings of Jesus, which are printed red in my Bible. It would be difficult to know for sure what to do because the Bible is full of contradictions, confusion, and the need for interpretation.

The second thing I would do is live like I really believed in the promise of eternal life after death. The eighty-or-so years we live here are not even a speck of time compared to eternity. So why do so many Christians act like this is all there is by seeking comfort, material possessions, and personal fulfillment?

The Beatitudes comprise one of my favorite passages in the Bible. I would consider them frequently as I followed Christ. Tom Robbins, one of my favorite secular authors, wrote an excellent book of fiction (I think!) titled Another Roadside Attraction. It’s about a modern-day discovery of Christ’s body that would prove Jesus did not ascend into heaven and therefore disprove a basic tenet of Christianity. The book includes the following (page 325 of 381 on my e-reader), What difference does it make if the Gospel is mostly a lie? It’s an engrossing story and the words of its hero are excellent words to live by, even today.

Consider the Beatitudes from Matthew 5:1–12:

And seeing the multitudes, he went up into a mountain: and when he was set, his disciples came unto him:

And he opened his mouth, and taught them, saying,

Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted.

Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth.

Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.

Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy.

Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God.

Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God.

Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness’ sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake.

Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.

If I was a Christian, some of the things I would do differently would contradict my beliefs in personal freedom and personal responsibility. I think Jesus would, at least, be a democrat and probably a socialist while I believe in limited government, free enterprise, and the economics of supply and demand.

When Christians start following the practices identified below, I would be more inclined to think they really believe in God. Forgive me if I seem a little too preachy.

I would live as simply as I possibly could. I would give any wealth to the poor or spend it to tell others about Christ. No vacations. No fancy cars. No vacation homes. No jewelry (another reason my wife doesn’t object to me being an atheist).

I would oppose capital punishment. How much clearer can it be: Thou shalt not kill? I’ve seen interpretations that substitute murder for kill, but that is a cop-out. I believe there are many criminals who more than deserve the death penalty, and God did his own share of killing in the Old Testament, but the worst thing is that capital punishment makes all of us killers in a society with blood on its hands. Those who carry out the death penalty are just our pawns. We should abolish it for our own sakes not because criminals don’t deserve it.

I would serve my country in the military only as a conscientious objector because thou shall not kill.

I would consider gay sex a sin. The Bible is pretty clear that I would have to do that, but I believe sexual orientation is a natural biological occurrence and not a choice. I support gay rights and would do so even as a Christian. Love for my fellow man and woman would trump any objection to same-sex marriage or any other right of equality. In the last couple of years, bakeries in Oregon and Colorado stirred controversies by refusing to bake cakes for gay weddings. I would have shown the happy couples some Christian love by providing the cakes without charge. If invited, I would also have attended the weddings.

I would not pray in public. "And when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are: for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men. Verily I say unto you, they have their reward" (Matthew 6:5). (Is that really sarcasm in the last sentence?) I would not support public prayer on the National Day of Prayer, held on the first Thursday of May, nor prayer before government meetings because both violate Jesus’s teaching. Maybe those who bow their heads in restaurants before their meals are also in violation. I noticed this issue fifty years ago: Matthew 6:6 But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly. See Appendix 2 for the song I wrote in 1966 on this theme, My Closet of Prayer.

I would invite a homeless person or family to live in my house. The 2013 Annual Homeless Assessment Report (AHAR) to Congress estimated there are about 600,000 homeless people in the United States. There are about 250 million people in the United States who identify as Christians. That’s about 400 Christians to every homeless person. Homelessness could be wiped out almost overnight with this one application of Christian love and charity. This would be really hard for me to do because I like my privacy and may not be able to control what we watch on television. But someday, in heaven, I assume I could have the cable TV gold package for eternity, so I should be able to tolerate a little inconvenience here.

I would strongly support the separation of church and state. I believe it is in everyone’s best interest to support freedom of, and from, religion. It would keep us out of many sticky situations. I have felt this way long before I questioned my faith. Every day at Benteen Elementary School the teachers would lead us in the Lord’s Prayer. Then we would put our right hands over our hearts and pledge allegiance to the United States flag. The praying ended when I was in the sixth grade after the Supreme Court ruling that prohibited the teachers from leading the practice. The ruling did not prohibit students from praying on their own, but I never saw any of my classmates do that. During the early 1960s, when the issue was being debated, Sister Largin, the pastor of our church, expressed her opinion to the Evangel Temple congregation. Much to my surprise and most of the church members, she agreed with the Supreme Court! Her logic was simple: children should be taught reading, writing and arithmetic in school, and should be taught about their faith in church and at home. Smart lady!

I would urge churches to not invest in large impressive buildings. Some may see these as testaments to the glory of God. I see them as gross embarrassments in total contradiction to the teachings of Christ. This applies directly to the Vatican, the Mormon Tabernacle, and so many more.

I would support very liberal immigration reform. Presently I support legal immigration but not illegal immigration. What would Jesus do? I believe he would welcome everyone across borderlines. Their souls are more important than where they live. This could upset things in the United States. Currently there are about twice as many Protestants as there are Catholics. It’s easy to want your religion to be part of government when you are in the majority. This could eventually reverse, however, and cause more Protestant Christians to support separation of church and state. The Hispanic population is increasing rapidly as more and more Latinos immigrate to the United States. As they are largely Catholic, they are prohibited from using birth control, which typically leads to large families, accelerating their numbers. How would Protestant Christians feel if the pope had more influence in US government?

I would work day and night toward bringing souls to Christ to be saved. As I have told my Christian friends who have talked to me about where I will spend eternity, I find proselytizing very annoying, but I wouldn’t have any respect for them if they didn’t try. One of my Jewish friends takes a softer approach. He claims they are open for business but are not recruiting.

It would be extremely difficult for anyone, Christian or not, to live the way Christ tells us to live. But if he were the Son of God, hadn’t we better do it?

Consider Matthew 5: 38–48, where Jesus said:

Ye have heard that it hath been said, An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth:

But I say unto you, that ye resist not evil: but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also.

And if any man will sue thee at the law, and take away thy coat, let him have thy cloak also.

And whosoever shall compel thee to go a mile, go with him twain.

Give to him that asketh thee, and from him that would borrow of thee turn not thou away.

Ye have heard that it hath been said, thou shalt love thy neighbor, and hate thine enemy.

But I say unto you, love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you;

That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust.

For if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye? do not even the publicans the same?

And if ye salute your brethren only, what do ye more than others? do not even the publicans so?

Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.

Chapter 2

Sweet Home Alabama

1950–1953

My beginning was in the very small town of Grant in northeast Alabama in 1950. Grant has a total area of less than two square miles and fewer than one thousand residents. It sits on the plateau atop Gunters Mountain. My birth was the first event that led to one of the things about which I can brag. To wit, I have never spent the night in a hospital as a patient. When most people hear that, they say, What about when you were born? Aha! That’s my opening to the story.

Guntersville is about fifteen miles from Grant and had the closest hospital to where my parents were living with my maternal, McLain, grandparents and great-grandparents. My paternal grandparents lived in Guntersville. (I come