Downfall

It's striking to observe how apostates almost always go straight from Christianity to atheism, in one unbroken motion. Theoretically, there are lots of options in-between Christian theism and atheism. You could become a deist, or adopt some form of philosophical theism. The proverbial "God of the philosophers." 

But in their precipitous descent from Christianity to atheism, they don't pause to consider a fallback position. They don't stop to catch their breath or wipe their sweat. For almost all apostates, it comes down to a stark unyielding choice between two alternatives: Christian theism or atheism. They treat Christianity as theism's last best hope. Why settle for second best?

And I'd say they're half right–only they opt for the wrong half. It's like a classic tragedy, where a man with everything loses everything he has.