The Michael Shermer Show Can a Skeptic Believe in God?
Feb 15, 2026
Christopher Beha, author and former Harper's Magazine editor, recounts leaving Catholicism and later returning to church. He discusses reading philosophers while searching for a secular footing. He explores how skepticism can coexist with metaphysical belief, the difference between lived belief and doctrinal assent, and pragmatic reasons people choose faith.
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From Devout Childhood To Return
- Christopher Beha recounts growing up devoutly Catholic, becoming an altar boy and considering the Jesuits.
- He left faith during the New Atheist era, then later reread philosophy and returned to Catholicism with his family attending Mass weekly.
Raising Kids With Differing Beliefs
- Beha describes raising children with a Catholic father and a non-Catholic mother and telling them 'nobody knows'.
- He encourages them to explore beliefs themselves and says either path will be acceptable.
A Personal Intellectual History, Not Apologetics
- Beha says his book is part intellectual history and part memoir, aiming to show why atheism felt untenable to him.
- He avoids systematic apologetics and focuses on metaphysical questions that materialism cannot well address.
