(This article is about the pastor turned atheist. For the other people with the same name, see Ryan Bell.) Ryan J. Bell (born September 26, 1971) is an American former Seventh-day Adventist pastor who became an atheist after spending a "year without God" as an experiment. He has publicly spoken about his experiences before, during, and after this year, and he wrote about it in his blog "Year Without God" (later hosted by Patheos). He is a regular contributor at the The Huffington Post and, in August 2015, launched a new blog and podcast "Life After God."