Chariots of Iron Episode 66: Seventh-day Atheists with Dustin Williams

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I’m back on the Chariots of Iron for episode 66 (too bad there isn’t one more six there). As always, I really enjoyed being on the show again. Eli and Lamar are fun guys to BS with. Unfortunately I had worked 11 days straight prior to it, so I was a bit tired. The title for the episode is, “Seventh-day Atheists with Dustin Williams.” I recently coined the term Seventh-day Atheist (although I think this is the first I’ve used it on the blog) to describe those closet atheists who are still in the Adventist church. This would be atheists who still attend SDA churches, keep the Sabbath, and essentially live a good Adventist lifestyle. This doesn’t describe me, at all.

So head on over to Chariots of Iron and download or stream the episode, and while you’re at it subscribe on iTunes, a feed reader, or your favorite podcast management program (an an Android based phone I recommend Google Listen).

5 Comments


  1. Hi Dustin,

    I very much enjoyed this episode, especially since I fit into the seventh day atheist category and enjoy hearing stories of other SD atheists. I’m in the process of figuring out how and when to come out to my wife of five years, who I have two children with.

    I was still an SDA when we got married, and gradually over the years I’ve lost my belief, transitioning first to agnostic theism and then to atheism. Through our many debates and discussions on theology, philosophy, and science I’ve told her that I see no evidence for God, but that I choose to believe, telling her that I’m an agnostic theist. I haven’t yet had the fortitude to be fully honest with her and let her know that I lack a belief in god.

    I would be interested in finding other SD atheists. Do you have any idea how many non-believers there are in the church, or how to connect us all together?

    P.S. I’ve heard the term ‘Seventh Day Atheist’ before, as well as ‘Cultural Adventist,’ and I think both are good terms.


  2. A lot of this is going to take a bit more time and space to unpack than I like to do in a comment, so you're getting a blog post with a big surprise dedicated to you tomorrow.

    As far as your wife goes, she knows you're an agnostic. One thing I know from my own departure from the church is whether you call yourself a deist, agnostic, or atheist (I shifted through all three in a six month period of time) you are not part of the remnant. The difference is meaningless in the mind of an Adventist.

    You went through the process with much more transparency than I did, of course you owed that to your wife. When I left the church and then when I finally identified as an atheist those I was close to were far from surprised.

    It sounds like you've already covered all the reasons why you don't see any evidence for a God, all that's left is to tell her that your integrity demands that you follow the evidence. Which obviously means that you are an atheist.

    Ok, a teaser for what to expect tomorrow is a group to help Seventh-day Atheists and ex-SDAs connect.


  3. Thanks for the reply, I look forward to being able to connect with other ex-SDAs!


  4. Thanks for the reply, I look forward to being able to connect with other ex-SDAs!


  5. Thanks for the reply, I look forward to being able to connect with other ex-SDAs!

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