FROM RELIGION TO REASON: MY JOURNEY is for those who are questioning a childhood faith. It’s a thoughtful query about the infallibility of scripture. And it’s for anyone exploring a non-theistic way of life. This thought-provoking memoir takes readers on a journey of self-discovery, belief, and identity. The author reflects on her personal path from a deeply rooted Fundamentalist Protestant upbringing and comments, along the way, on changes in the America she experienced. Following her degree from Union Theological Seminary in New York City and work in her dream job in a large urban church in Buffalo, New York, she explores the pivotal moments that led her to question and ultimately reshape her worldview. From the intense theological schooling that shaped her early career to the challenges of maintaining her Christian values in secular work environments, this book provides an honest and unflinching look at the complexities of faith, career, and personal growth. The author cites experts in decision-making as she explores the conscious and unconscious choices she made in her quest to understand who she truly was. The ending of her career in the church marked a new beginning with a PhD from SUNY/Buffalo in Interpersonal Communication. She found embracing the importance of interpersonal communication, work in higher education, and civic engagement allowed her to discover a more authentic sense of self. FROM RELIGION TO REASON will resonate with anyone navigating their own journey of belief, personal transformation, or identify. It is a testament to the value of confronting difficult truths, embracing change, and ultimately finding peace with one’s own path. Informative, insightful, candid, thoughtful and thought-provoking, an extraordinary and emotionally engaging read from start to finish. A deftly crafted and intensely personal life story with universal resonance and relevance for readers with an interest in Religious Fundamentalism and the role of Critical Thinking, Rationalism, and Faith. Submitted by Midwest Book Review A memoir about leaving the Christian faith. In Shadle's account, her journey from the Christianity of her parents and upbringing to her current beliefs began in earnest in 2011 when, visiting the Louvre, she first encountered the stele containing the Code of Hammurabi, dating from the 18th century B.C.E.—at least 300 years before Moses and his Ten Commandments. "That," she reflects, "was when I first doubted what I'd been taught about the infallibility of the scriptures." The author reflects on her younger years, when going to church gave her a sense of belonging, and she traces her life through the social upheavals of the 1960s.... Eventually, Shadle attended Union Theological Seminary in New York City for a two-year graduate program, immersing herself in religious studies. The narrative moves forward through her young adulthood, her marriage, the start of her family, her divorce, her involvement in various social causes, and her career in higher education. As the author's reading and thinking broadened, and as she had more experiences like the one with the Code of Hammurabi, she began to question the existence of God. "I determined my beliefs based on reason, not on faith," she writes, concluding that reason and science have reduced more human suffering than any religion. Shadle writes with a brisk energy that makes for smooth reading, and her narrative is given a good deal of extra texture by her frequent quotes from and allusions to the many books she's read, including fundamental texts like John Dominic Crossan's The Historical Jesus and Walter Sinnott-Armstrong's Morality Without God . Virtually any erstwhile believer who has left Christianity behind will find some aspect of their own experience relatably recounted in these pages. An appealingly personal story of leaving the world of organized religion. --Kirkus Book Review Critique: Informative, insightful, candid, thoughtful and thought-provoking, "From Religion to Reason: My Journey" is an extraordinary and emotionally engaging read from start to finish. A deftly crafted and intensely personal life story with universal resonance and relevance for readers with an interest in Religious Fundamentalism and the role of Critical Thinking, Rationalism, and Faith, "From Religion to Reason: My Journey" is especially and unreservedly recommended for personal, professional, community, and college/university library Contemporary American Biography/Memoir collections. Prepared by Midwest Book Review Synopsis: With the publication of "From Religion to Reason: My Journey", Carolyn C. Shadle presents her thought-provoking memoir which will takes her readers on a journey of self-discovery, belief, and identity. In this narrative, Carolyn reflects on her personal path from a deeply rooted Fundamentalist Protestant upbringing to her eventual transition to non-theism. Following her degree from a major theological seminary and working