Product Description

Born in the Bible Belt of the American South, Betty Brogaard, even as a child, had questions regarding God and the Bible, which adults in her life couldn't answer. At age 20, she allowed herself to be snagged by a male-dominated cultic religion. They seemed to have all the answers. There, she met and married a young man who became a minister in the cult. Primarily because of growing doubts about the organization's teachings and secondarily because of the decadent lifestyle of some in leadership, the couple eventually left amidst threats of eternal judgment and punishment. Betty continued to study various religions and eventually joined, with her husband, an orthodox church. She remained a member there for fifteen years when she could no longer convince herself that religion holds the truth about things that matter. Years of continuous research have taken Betty from faith as a dedicated Christian to reason and a satisfying but nonreligious way of life. Without malice, her Dare to Think for Yourself challenges readers to analyze why they believe what they believe.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1571502 in Books
• Published on: 2004-09-13
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 188 pages

Customer Reviews

This book would make an OSCAR-winning movie!!!
This is one of the few books I've ever read that held my attention from the first page to the last, with no dry spots in between. This entire book progresses magnificently along two distinct, yet beautifully interwoven lines -- a personal story and the introduction of the scientific method to the reader.

Betty Brogaard is a very talented writer and storyteller. She is also a gifted rationalist in the mode of Carl Sagan or Isaac Asimov. Perhaps I am overly optimistic, but I hope that a Hollywood producer will read this wonderful book and make it into a motion picture. America would greatly benefit from its timely message of adopting a rational worldview, free of religious mysticism.

One of the most fascinating things about this book -- and there were many! -- is the author's past working relationship with Garner Ted Armstrong, former TV evangelist. Through an interesting twist of circumstances (which she relates in the book), she became his secretary and office assistant. Ms. Brogaard tells how she herself became disenchanted with the Armstrongs and their teachings, but how her husband, to this very day, is a believer in God. This makes for riveting reading, regardless of one's personal religious beliefs.

This book is an outstanding volume and tutorial, both on a personal and philosophical level. When I say "philosophical," I don't mean to discourage potential readers who might think this book is full of long-winded and boring arguments against theology. It's not. This book is full of private observations, insights, and good, sound commentary about "the other point of view" -- the point of view rarely even discussed in the media.

You will be happy that you purchased this exceptional book. It's one of the finest I've read in many years. Thank you, Betty Brogaard, for the time and devotion to detail which you put into every page. It showed!

David Mills
Author of "Atheist Universe"

Dare to read this wonderful book!
Dare to Think for Yourself is Godiva chocolate from cover to cover. Written with love for the religious, the non-religious, and the questioning, it does not seek to convert or deconvert readers, but rather to make them think about what they believe.

Those tired of wordy, pretentious tracts supporting or opposing specific religious beliefs will open Dare to Think for Yourself with a sigh of relief: Betty Brogaard's language is crisp and clear. While she has done her research and is able to quote a variety of sources, her writing is always accessible and outright fun.

Brogaard takes a no holds barred approach in describing her journey from mainstream Christianity to an abusive religious cult (the late Herbert W. Armstrong's Worldwide Church of God) and then back to mainstream Christianity, over into Universalism, and finally into non-belief. What impresses me most is her spirit in accepting and embracing those who disagree with her. Her husband, once a minister in Armstrong's cult, remains a devout mainstream Lutheran and church elder; nevertheless, Brogaard is tolerant of his views and of those held by others in her family. She urges her readers--including the non-believers among them--to be just as tolerant. A little kindness and understanding, she rightfully explains, goes a long way when core beliefs diverge.

I have long been a fan of Brogaard's on-line articles, and every time I read her words I shake my head and wonder how she could have gotten inside it. Although I am a male a generation younger than Brogaard whose ethnic/racial/geographical background differs greatly from hers, it is clear to me that her journey mirrors mine. Her strength and wisdom are applicable to all regardless of belief, philosophy, or life situation.

I cannot recommend this book more highly.

Part personal journey, part list of facts and questions, all heart
"Dare to think for yourself" is the personal story of Betty Brogaard's journey of developing beliefs and a life philosophy. This book essentially has three intertwined themes: (1) Betty's biographical account of her experiences with organized religion, (2) a number of questions people should ask about their own beliefs and the basis of those beliefs, and (3) some facts and analysis in relation to religion (particularly Christianity) that have been pulled together from various sources.

On the first theme (Betty's autobiography of her experience with religion), there is a fascinating, personal, and sincere story in this book. Betty's experiences are eye-opening, especially her experiences with a cultic religion that she was a member of for many years.

I would recommend this book to most Christians on the basis of the questions it asks and the facts it highlights in relation to the Bible and the usual practices of Christian religion. It may not change their minds about religion, but it will open their eyes to matters they should confront, but rarely do, in their personal journey of belief and understanding.

Unlike many books that fall within the general topic of atheism/agnosticism this is not a complex philosophical work. It is one woman's heart-felt and well thought out analysis of the role of religion in her own life and in the lives of others. I would recommend this book to anyone, but people with some knowledge of, or experience with, Christian denominations have the most to gain by reading it.