The writer Christopher Beha is a former Roman Catholic who lost his faith, and found that "faith became much more interesting to me once I didn't have it." His latest novel, What Happened to Sophie Wilder, is driven in part by a fascination with religious conversion. In an interview, Beha expresses his frustrations with much of American religion:
One of the things that I find dissatisfying about a lot of modern or contemporary versions of religion is the extent to which they're geared towards the therapeutic. If you look at say, the Prosperity Gospel, religion is supposed to make you feel good about the things you naturally want already. And I'm interested in religion as a challenge. The Jesus bringing us 'not peace but the sword.' So I had an idea of having a character who is converted, but that conversion doesn't necessarily lead to peace, doesn't end her struggle — but rather leads to a new struggle.
The Dish 