As someone who gave up "big C" Christianity forty years ago, I recognize some of the anger inherent in the transition, and applaud this site for giving Xs a place to unload their pent-up anguish. What puzzles me, however, is that many of the folks here have replaced one form of negativity and absolutism with another, and thus seem to be intellectually in a not very different trap from the one they've recently escaped. I read comments, for instance, about Mary...rather than being a virgin...having been raped by a priest - or being the daughter of Tiberius, of all things. There is no more evidence (or logic) behind statements like that then there is behind the original lie. How about this...Mary was a young Jewish girl who married a nice Jewish guy and had five or six kids; one of who was named Jesus. The birth myths only began appearing a generation or so after Jesus' execution... we needn't slander either Jesus or Mary for them. The truth is that over a period o...

All of you are a prime example of a soldier that forgot his sword, shield, and helmet at home, and when he goes to battle naked of weapons, blames the commanding officer for his helplessness. All of you were tried just like any other human being is promised to be. All of you were sent to spiritual war and were given the tools (i.e., the Bible verses most of you admittedly grew up on) to win it. The difference is you chose to go into battle naked. Well, the enemy pierced you with a fiery dart and you’re convinced it’s God’s fault. Take accountability for your own actions—isn’t it fun being an adult? And by the way—the icon you have on your homepage, of the cross burning in the fire, is a belief that I wish you would live long enough to, no pun intended, go up in flames. There’s no way that cross is going to burn up in the fire; and if it gets anywhere near it, you know what will happen? It’ll be refined into gold. It won’t ever burn into the ashes that you’ve allowed yourself t...

I'm sure my testimony will contain nothing new- born into xtian home, raised to believe in all this nonsense, got out as soon as I could, blah,blah... My real story begins after I lost my faith, when I first realized just how fucked up my head was (and still is) from all of these "teachings". I suffer from neuroses that were all implanted by the church, and I'm having a very hard time shaking them. Even though I know sex is not "dirty" or "evil", I still have a horrible complex over it, with feelings of guilt and anger running unchecked in my head. They have a way of de-programming people abducted by cults... is there any comparable method of deprogramming people abducted at birth? If anyone sees this, feel free to drop me a line. I'm new online and don't really know anybody. Thanks. bluebeard ( Booker ) blue_beard75 at yahoo dot com

Hello! I stumbled across your websight and was intrigued enough to stay and read a while :) I enjoyed reading the story about "It Is Well With My Soul" ( I certainly had never heard the 'rest of the story'), as well as your life testimony. Thank you for the 'history after the hymn'.....it was educational and enlightening! Do you happen to know the 'rest of the story' of Spaffords daughter, Bertha? I do not, but would certainly be interested in finding out. Perhaps you have sent me on my own quest :) Your personal life history I found poignant at some places, challenging in others, directly honest and a much needed bright light shining in some dark, superficial, hidden and some 'not so hidden' corners within Christianity. I, too, have experienced some of what you have experienced...as well as questioned things (only to find few - if any- people willing to really look at my concerns and questions). I 'appreciated' (?) knowing, onc...

Thanks Dave for this wonderful website, I'm a regular lurker here :) I read some interesting posts on a DVD review site yesterday on the movie Luther. Here's the overpositive PR given for the DVD and the posts in response to it. (From http://www.dvdtimes.co.uk/content.php?contentid=57026 ) Grateful Lurker ---------------------------------------------------- From the PR… Luther was the most visible proponent of the Protestant Reformation and this balanced and historically accurate film shows how Luther, played by an intense and mesmerizing Joseph Fiennes, caused a riot and uprising that changed the path of history and the world of religion irrevocably. This dramatically gripping and visually stunning movie, depicting the first ever translation of the Bible from Latin and the beginning of the Protestant movement, has a powerhouse cast, with the charismatic Joseph Fiennes, Sir Peter Ustinov, Bruno Ganz and Alfred Molina. In his last ever screen role, 82 year old Peter Ustinov play...

Yes, there are a lot of bad and sad stories to say about the church. Believe me I know them all. I've known people to cheat on their wives, some people are mean and judgemental. Yes, it is confusing to date someone in church, believe me I've been there and done that. Not only that, but I'm part middle-eastern which makes it even more diffacult for me because everybody thinks bad of me before even getting to know me. BUT EVEN WITH ALL OF THAT, I HAVE NOT GIVEN UP BECAUSE EVEN WHEN I WAS IN THE WORST MOMENT IN MY LIFE BECAUSE MY MOM WAS IN THE HOSPITAL AND I HAD NO HUMAN PERSON TO COMFORT ME, I FELT A CERTAIN PEACE IN MY HEART. WHEN I GO TO A CHURCH I KNOW THERE ARE PEOPLE WHO WILL NOT LIKE ME, OR MAYBE EVEN JUDGE ME BUT WHO CARES!!!!! I'M GOING TO WALK THRU THOSE PEARLY GATES EVEN IF IT MEANS GOING IN BY THE SKIN OF MY TEETH. THE BIBLE SAYS THE KINGDON OF HEAVEN SUFFERS VIOLENCE AND VIOLENT WILL TAKE IT BY FORCE... YES ITS EXACTLY WHAT IT MEANS. IT MEANS TO HAV...

I wish to ask you something and particularly to the believer who accidentally ends up here: Can you explain to me the concept of praying? PLEASE! I am 30, come from France and lived in the UK Including Belfast), Germany and I am now in Switzerland. I am a doctor in chemistry and received a catholic education. I was baptised only a few weeks old and did 3 the communion sacraments. I was always there more to be like most people rather than by strong conviction but the death of my grand mother when I was 15 triggered the freeing from the religious ideas. I am now strongly against the philosophy of most known religions (those I know about anyway and in particular the religions attached to a revealed book). I have recently read a good chunk of the bible (could not bring myself to read the whole thing, I was too disgusted) and did pretty much the same with the coran. Now that you have a rough idea of where my reflection is coming from, I'll start. The roman catholic community has just be...