Chapter 3: A Skeptic's Journey Summary and Analysis

In this chapter, Shermer reveals his personal journey of beliefs - religious, political, economic, and social. Shermer was once a born-again Christian who lapsed into disbelief. Creationists blamed Shermer's secular education and his belief in evolution on his religious demise. He was not born into a born-again family. In his senior year in high school, influenced by friends, he announced to his family that he was born-again. Shermer became a "Bible thumper" and a "Jesus freak." At Pepperdine, he maintained his faith during his undergraduate studies.

But in his graduate work at California State University, the foundations of Shermer's belief were beginning to crack. He took a course in evolutionary biology. During this time, Shermer was not surrounded by a throng of believers and he began to feel free to question things. He was intrigued...