A letter from Barbara Perhaps in response to this testimonial ? -- webmdave I am sorry to know that you did not get to know the God of mankind as I have. Being a Agnostic or an athesist does not solve your problem for God is Lord of all and is a reality. Should you choose to ignore God it will not cause God to disappear. I as a parent can understand why a man who is a pastor react to you becoming his son-in-law. I am indeed sorry that you are hurt by his reaction but one day you may feel what he felt when you came into his circle and "changed the atmosphere. Man was born with a self-satisfying nature. It is a nature which seek to satisfy itself without regard for the creator's glorification. The Bible teaches that all glory belongs to God and that He, God, will not share His glory with another. Your wife is a disappointment to her parents because she did not stand up for what is considered the faith of her father. Her reaction shows that she is not deeply rooted in God a...

A letter from Ken Im all for free speech and creativity, and i enjoy coming to this site as i am in a transition mode spiritually...but i would just suggest to try and remain as respectul as possible with the content you can control. The gallery with the artwork and the shirt and key chains leave a bad taste in my mouth. Once i viewed the gallery and shop this site switched from something mature and intellectual to something juvenille and mocking, and that is no way to have people listen to you. To me this should be a place where Christians and exchristians alike can come and talk faith, an open forum where doubting christians can come without fear of mocking attacks or being made the villian. Obviously since this site is called exchristian i would assume that those in charge would understand where people are coming from and the long held emotional connections to imagery and beliefs they have. I once fought for my faith so strongly and it built up in me extremly powerful emotions ...

or still feeling the effects? It's not the end of the world! Join the recovery retreat in August, 2008, in Berkeley, CA. Release and Reclaim I , Aug. 8-10, will be a supportive retreat for those who are beginning to let go of toxic beliefs and recover from an authoritarian religion such as Christian fundamentalism. Release and Reclaim II , Aug. 15-17, will be an advanced weekend for moving beyond religion and reclaiming a life of joy, creativity, and connection. It will be open to those who have already attended a retreat or have done healing work already. Both retreats are led by Dr. Marlene Winell, author of Leaving the Fold: A Guide for Former Fundamentalists and Others Leaving the Fold. Interested participants are asked to discuss their situation with Marlene first. Both weekends are also open to professionals by special arrangement. Call Dr. Winell at 510-292-0509 RELEASE and RECLAIM I: Sorting it out ...

A question from William H I have a question and I hope that someone can answer it for me. I have heard that the story of Jesus was basically stolen from earlier pagan religions and films such as The God Who Wasn't There and Zeitgeist have both made these claims. This knowledge did much to help me in my de-conversion process, but now I am hearing people claim that Christianity didn't plagiarize older pagan religions the way many people claim. It seems like there is kind of a battle going on right now at least from what I have seen online as to whether or not this is the case. I was wondering if someone who actually knows something about ancient history could please tell me what the truth is regarding this matter. Is the Jesus myth actually copied from earlier pagan religions, and if so to what extent? Any accurate sources of information such as links to websites would also be greatly appreciated. I was just about to come out to my fundamentalist Christian family regarding ...

A letter from Patsy Over the past month, I have been e-conversing with Pastor Tim O’Brien who has some limited national recognition throughout the US. The conversation started because I was upset after seeing how the children were treated in Jesus Camp , and I expressed that to him. As a result, the conversation continued to grow. He and I are polar opposites. I am an atheist and I have been questioning much of what he does. He has told me in several emails that he has healed the sick with prayer. He says has healed leukemia. He has told me of two incidents where he has prayed and “watched” a leg grow, one inch in front of him and another one inch overnight. He says he has healed back problems. His claims own hearing was healed by prayer when he was 10 years old. His church sends out missionaries and they have recently been to India supposedly healing at least 12 AIDS patients. They have been totally cured for at least a month, so it is said. I have never been able to get ...