In 2012 alone, over 200 pastors and church leaders in America alone became atheists, according to MSNBC.

MSNBC: More than 200 church leaders across the country now say they no longer believe in God, including a Houston-area pastor who was one of the first to publicly announce his decision. Mike Aus, who was pastor at Theophilus church in Katy, made that announcement during an appearance on a Sunday morning show on MSNBC.Up with Chris Hayes" program. "If they did, the whole thing would be in trouble."

Theophilus church members told Local 2 Investigates they were blind-sided by the announcement. They said they had no idea Aus had completely changed his beliefs until they saw him on the program.

"Are you going to preach next Sunday?" host Chris Hayes asked Aus.

"I'm going to go back next week and meet with my leadership and talk about where we go from here," said Aus. "We'll see."

Aus was a long-time Lutheran pastor at churches in the Houston area, but now he said he no longer believes in the message he had been preaching for almost 20 years. Aus declined Local 2's request for an interview. He said his statements on MSNBC explained his loss of faith.

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According to New York Times (click for full story), Jerry DeWitt, a former church leader shares his story.

New York Times: Late one night in early May 2011, a preacher named Jerry DeWitt was lying in bed in DeRidder, La., when his phone rang. He picked it up and heard an anguished, familiar voice. It was Natosha Davis, a friend and parishioner in a church where DeWitt had preached for more than five years. Her brother had been in a bad motorcycle accident, she said, and he might not survive. DeWitt knew what she wanted: for him to pray for her brother. It was the kind of call he had taken many times during his 25 years in the ministry. But now he found that the words would not come. He comforted her as best he could, but he couldn’t bring himself to invoke God’s help. Sensing her disappointment, he put the phone down and found himself sobbing. He was 41 and had spent almost his entire life in or near DeRidder, a small town in the heart of the Bible Belt. All he had ever wanted was to be a comfort and a support to the people he grew up with, but now a divide stood between him and them. He could no longer hide his disbelief. He walked into the bathroom and stared at himself in the mirror. “I remember thinking, Who on this planet has any idea what I’m going through?” DeWitt told me.

As his wife slept, he fumbled through the darkness for his laptop. After a few quick searches with the terms “pastor” and “atheist,” he discovered that a cottage industry of atheist outreach groups had grown up in the past few years. Within days, he joined an online network called the Clergy Project, created for clerics who no longer believe in God and want to communicate anonymously through a secure Web site.

Terea MacBain, a former Methodist worship and teaching pastor who served in ministry for 20 years tells how she lost her faith and became an atheist..

Terea MacBain: A former Methodist worship and teaching pastor who served in ministry for 20 years before becoming an atheist has been appointed as the American Atheist's public relations director. In an interview with The Christian Post, she revealed that despite initially being ostracized by friends, she is now happy and at peace with her decision.

"No it was very, very gradual. Actually there's not really one single moment where I can look back and say ah, that was the moment. It was kind of a slow progression," Teresa MacBain shared about her loss of faith with CP in a phone interview on Tuesday.

After leaving her ministry earlier this year, MacBain, a Florida resident, also served as executive director of the Clergy Project, which offers support to former clergy members who have lost their faith and become secularists.

"My husband and kids were fine, they knew that things had changed for me, but extended family, I lost those relationships. I lost all of my friendships except for one couple. I have one maybe from the church that I'm still in contact with, but initially they were all just very angry. They locked me out of the church and it took me some months to collect my belongings. It was a very difficult situation," MacBain explained about reaction to her initial announcement.

There were those from the church who tried to reach out and speak to her, but those discussions did not go far.

"One pastor that was a former colleague of mine did reach out immediately and I went and sat down and talked to him. He discussed everything and let me share. It was kind of an intense conversation, but after that I haven't heard from that person anymore. I'm not really sure, I guess he just wanted to find some answers," she said.

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Thousands of Arabs and Muslims also became atheists in 2012 alone according to the world atheist poll that closed recently.

The Flying Pig be praised as He celebrates this victory over yahweh and alla

^^^^^
All hail the Flying Pig, Pork so sweet, Mud so nourishing..

You don turn oomad o..

Btw, it takes nothing away from Christianity. Those pastors were never Christians to begin with.. lol

Hahahahaha, ooman, you're one funny crazy nigga, @topic, it's really commendable what these guys did, it took a lot of courage, kudos to them, they are welcome to the fold,

May the blessings of the flying spaghetti monster rest and abide with them forever more.

oyea, pastors not priests. Its easier to confuuse pastors . Ppriests are wiserr.

tobechi74: oyea, pastors not priests. Its easier to confuuse pastors . Ppriests are wiserr.

hahahahaha

musKeeto: ^^^^^
All hail the Flying Pig, Pork so sweet, Mud so nourishing..

You don turn oomad o..

Btw, it takes nothing away from Christianity. Those pastors were never Christians to begin with.. lol

got ya

musKeeto: ^^^^^
All hail the Flying Pig, Pork so sweet, Mud so nourishing..

You don turn oomad o..

Btw, it takes nothing away from Christianity. Those pastors were never Christians to begin with.. lol

Really? So what were they?

The dubious pastors will never stop lining their pockets and hence can never become atheist. The true ones working hard are beginning to see the light

Uwewu lyk d wia eva pastors,dis a pure case of biz gone bad.....maybe d wia loosin customers,sori members nd as such had 2 reverse 2 dia old selves....we al knw d church is a big biz

Dancing Azonto


Evangelical atheist!



lololol



It is inevitable in countries where there is a proper education system and fast internet

Logicboy03: Dancing Azonto


Evangelical atheist!



lololol



It is inevitable in countries where there is a proper education system and fast internet

It is inevitable in countries where people use their brain

ooman:

It is inevitable in countries where people use their brain

It is inevitable where there is freedom of speech and tools for research

Logicboy03:


It is inevitable where there is freedom of speech and tools for research

The bane of a religious zealot.

Christians will tell you they were never christians in the first place. . .

mazaje: Christians will tell you they were never christians in the first place. . .

And I always reply that the boko haram that bombed their fellow christians were never real muslims in the first place

Logicboy03:



And I always reply that the boko haram that bombed their fellow christians were never real muslims in the first place

Or all the muslims that left islam and converted to christianity were never muslims in the first place. . .

mazaje:

Or all the muslims that left islam and converted to christianity were never muslims in the first place. . .

#christians debunked

cool cool

Those pastors were never Christians to begin with...

striktlymi: Those pastors were never Christians to begin with...

Striky trollington


Troll harder bro!

striktlymi: Those pastors were never Christians to begin with...

So predictable.

Logicboy03:


Striky trollington


Troll harder bro!

No strength to troll pappy...

ezme:

So predictable.

...and what exactly did you predict?

striktlymi:


...and what exactly did you predict?

I didn't

ezme:

I didn't

Oh...

striktlymi: Those pastors were never Christians to begin with...

Even Paul wasn't a Christian, he only preached Jesus...

And Solomon wasn't an Israeli, he only ruled over Israel...

Pastor Chris isn't a Christian, he only pastors a church....

And am not an atheist, I only say there is no god

ooman:

Even Paul wasn't a Christian, he only preached Jesus...

And Solomon wasn't an Israeli, he only ruled over Israel...

Pastor Chris isn't a Christian, he only pastors a church....

And am not an atheist, I only say there is no god

where are the xtians, where them dey? why are they speechless?

the Flying Pig is indeed doing his work of salvation.

striktlymi:


...and what exactly did you predict?

that you'd say what you said.

ooman:

that you'd say what you said.

...and you don't know why I made that comment?

CLAP! CLAP!!

So what? So we should hail your piggy god?

nonthiests did convert whats the big deal if a pastor converts... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_converts_to_Christianity_from_nontheism

But that is not my interest, this had been foretold so aint surprised....

2 Thess 2:1-4

2 Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto him,

2 That ye be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as from us, as that the day of Christ is at hand.

3 Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition;

4 Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God.
KJV