Religion Beat Costs Him His Faith

Hugh Hewitt points to an article in the LA Times by the former religion beat writer, and how his work cost him his faith:

WHEN Times editors assigned me to the religion beat, I believed God had answered my prayers.

As a serious Christian, I had cringed at some of the coverage in the mainstream media. Faith frequently was treated like a circus, even a freak show.

I wanted to report objectively and respectfully about how belief shapes people's lives. Along the way, I believed, my own faith would grow deeper and sturdier.

But during the eight years I covered religion, something very different happened.

You may have to register with The Times to read the article, but registration is free and it's worth reading. Unfortunately, when you work the religion beat you're not going to be inundated with stories about the good guys. You're going to spend your days dealing with those who abuse religion, and the article gives plenty of examples of that, from Catholic priests to TBN and Benny Hinn. I can see how dealing with those people could mess you up.