So aggravating!

By Houndie

Image by Alanna@VanIsle via Flickr

So, this morning taking my old doggie to the vet for a little procedure I noticed a sign in front of a church that is enroute. It's one of those churches where they always think they have something clever to say and post it out front for all the world to see. Today's little gem:

"Dear God, I have a problem. Its me."

I saw red! I wanted to turn the car around and go back and change it to read "Dear God, I have a problem... with You!"

How aggravating that churches sell such a mantra of low self esteem! It as if to say "Hey! Not only are you part of a doomed race, but you suck too"

I would love to convince those people that they are NOT a problem. That the problem lies in a ridiculous dogma that tries to tell them they are a problem. They need to know that they are worthwhile on their own merits, not because of some god.

Truly, when I look at the amount of people who are still ruled by fear, superstition, and oppression of religion, I know we have not evolved much at all.

Desconstructionism beliefs?

A letter from Mike

Image by SnippyHolloW via Flickr

A lot of content and study on this site. According to you an educated Christian would have to go to great lengths in order to "interpret" the Bible and still believe. Deconstructionism is a beautiful thing, isn't it?

Truth is, deconstruction is much simpler than construction... a house can come down quickly but it may take months to build... you get the point. Your conclusion is Christianity is all about faith and only fools would believe it... you celebrate those who reject the Bible and make insinuations that people who believe in Christ as being the Son of God and follow his teachings are foolish. Any one can do that.

Your response, according to what I've read on this web site, is to completely discount the Bible and blow holes in Christ's words while slamming biblical "interpretation" of educated Christians (this, of course, according to your "interpretation"). My point is interpretation goes both ways.

So you have put together your argument against Christianity... and run with the assumption your interpretation is correct. You have found what you believe to be your smoking guns. Props for whatever that is worth to you.

But if you want real props here on earth you really should try constructing something. What I'm really asking is, "What is it you do believe?" Because so far all I've read is you don't believe in a God. But the problem is you obviously believe something or you wouldn't work so stinking hard to spread your message. I mean stop taking so much time to fight against something you do not believe... If there is not a God why go to such great lengths to dismiss Him? If you are sure there is no God why not just walk away? What does it ultimately matter to you?

According to you... In the end we will die and that is all...? Why take so much time to disprove a God that does not exist and try to discourage people to who do? You say you are about "encouraging de-converting and former Christians." I guess it's all in how you word it. Because I bet you have done your fair share of "discouraging converting and current Christians." Which, to be honest, in my opinion, is more to the point... according to my interpretation of your faith... though I am not sure what you have faith in - just that you have established you do not have faith in God.

Here's the point:

If your goal is to discourage people or try to get them to not believe in God then you are accomplishing your goal. The problem is you are still cowardly hanging out as a deconstructionist (still with an undefined belief). The problem is... you are not giving these people anything TO believe in. At least be bold enough to have a message people can believe... not just state a long argument for why people should disbelieve. Sounds so discouraging, doesn't it?

Questions I would like to know... if not Christianity... what? What is your alternative? How does it answer all of life's biggest questions? How can we know it is true? What is YOUR Bible so to speak? Your framework for belief? Or do you take the "easy" way out and call yourself an athiest? I'd like to hear your answer on that one because if you simply say you are an athiest I would like to know your reasoning why you are and not your reasoning why you don't believe. Then I would ask you to defend your position for athiesm and you would have to construct your belief system (not what you do NOT believe in but what you DO believe in).

It is obvious to me that, partially, this web site is a celebration for those who have moved beyond Christianity to a state of enlightenment in the reality there is no living Christ, the Bible is a lie, etc. But, again, the problem is you haven't stated what people should believe in, what you've been enlightened to, and how you know it's not true.

I have noticed you highlight science and it seems as though you have determined Christianity and Science are opposed, but what do you believe? Construction is much harder, right? And if you state what you do believe you begin to build. And when you begin to build you would have to defend your position against those who try to deconstruct your position... or you simply change your position. In so doing people would start web sites with mantra's like, "encouraging deconverting and former athiests, agnostics, etc."

So if not the Bible... What is it we should turn to? If not Jesus, who? you? Do you have a message that is truly encouraging? Do you have a message I can go to? Or are you simply going to try to focus on what I should run from?

Finally, if you ever do decide to be bold enough to construct your belief system... shall I apply the same principles to your belief system as you do to the Bible and Jesus' teaching?

You seem so bent on stating your case against something you do not believe in. Seems like a waste of time to me. Let it go... move on... right? Either that or build something and tell me what to believe in. But please don't disguise yourself and be honest that you have no real answers... just criticism.

I think you believe you have adequately deconstructed Christianity... and if that is your goal I don't think I'll ever understand why you took on that endeavor. But even more troubling to me is, "What have you constructed in its place?"

Thanks for taking the time to read this.

Humanist Charities Sends Food and Supplies to Haiti

Dear Friend, Thank you to everyone who answered our call for donations to support the American Humanist Association's Humanist Charities project and Sebastian Velez's efforts in Haiti to bring food, water, and supplies to the people of Jacmel, a city also devastated by the earthquake but received little media attention. Thanks to the generosity of our members, Sebastian's team of volunteers and Dominican Republic NGOs were able to work through the night to pack food, water, medical supplies, and rescue tools to send to Haiti. Yesterday, the supplies were put on a Dominican Navy boat and arrived in Jacmel. Humanist Charities' shipment of supplies was the first to arrive. Medical supplies and rescue tools were put to use immediately, and food and water were distributed successfully. Read the letter from Sebastian and a news article in El Nuevo Diario, a Dominican Republic newspaper, that highlights the AHA's efforts. The photos to the right show just how your donation made an immediate impact. You can see more photos on our Flickr page.  Your donations were immediately put to use to buy food, medicine, water and other supplies to Haitians who desperately needed our help. Thank you. All of this would not have been possible without the generosity and quick response of AHA members like you. Over $32,000 has been raised so far, and we want to keep sending our support. Together, as humanists, we are making a difference. Donate today. Sincerely, Roy Speckhardt Executive Director P.S. Humanist Charities will continue to send donations from the Haiti Emergency Relief Fund to aid in more shipments to Haiti. Your tax-deductable donation right now will make an immediate impact. Please give generously.                All contributions through Humanist Charities of the American Humanist Association are tax-deductible to the fullest extent of the law. Five percent (5%) of your contribution will be reserved for administrative and management purposes.

Ex-Christian Question

By Master's of Nothing

At the age of forty-something I’ve spent over half of my life engaged with, supporting and preparing to work in the xtian church. About three years ago I read Richard Dawkins’ God Delusion and from the day I finished the last page, I’ve not looked back. Indeed, I’ve found atheism to be the most honest, refreshing and liberating experience of my life. That said, I now have a bit of a dilemma.

When I was in college I decided that I was going to study to become a xtian pastor. I went to school and obtained a Masters of Divinity degree. Recently my employer asked a number of workers at my company to submit standard “resume type” information because they wanted to re-evaluate our pay scales and, because of a computer problem, files for employees hired before thus and such a date had been lost. When it came time to fill out that paperwork, I found myself stuck between a rock and hard place. It’s not that I don’t believe in god. It’s that I now know that god doesn’t exist and, since I essentially have a Master’s Degree in god, I realistically have a Master’s Degree in nothing. My direct supervisor and I talked and I decided not to put my advanced degree on my paperwork even though if I had I might have received a pay raise.

On the one hand, I know that a Master’s Degree is an academic achievement and that I did the academic work and received the academic degree. On the other hand, I am no longer a xtian, my degree is useless apart from working in or teaching about religion/ the church– something I won’t do-and it’s not like I have a degree in a field with which I disagree (which I could happily live with) but, rather, that I have a degree in something that isn’t even real. It’s like having a Master’s of Flying Spaghetti Monsters or a Master’s of Pink Unicorns. I’m an “expert” is something that doesn’t exist – in nothing!

Before this event at work, I’d never considered this issue. I’ve also recently started dating again and I am perplexed when it comes to talking about education because I’m very smart, education is extremely important to me but my degree no longer reflects me as a person, what I believe or any sound sense of reality. And so, my dear fellow non-theists, I would be most grateful for your thoughts into how I might wrangle my way through this little maze of uncertainty that I unknowingly created for myself in my pre-enlightenment days.

Many thanks.

Help me deconstruct this!

A letter from Autumn

This would probably be better posted in the forums but, I know there are some brilliant minds on here that could help me work though this puzzle. My in-laws are challenging my husband on his lack of belief, and I struggle to understand what they're saying, let alone where they're coming from, and therefore I cannot deconstruct what they are trying to argue. They've started discussing it on his Facebook (great idea, since most of our friends don't know about his lack of belief) and I don't really have a lot of time before all our other religious friends (we attended a bible college) jump in and make a huge mess of things.

It's from a website, http://www.christcenter.net/godisnot.htm. What I think the gist of the argument is, is because god is god, god does not have to prove it's existence... or something like that. Reading it hurts my brain.

This is the part my FIL posted: "And what kind of proof is required? The answer of course is physical, empirical proof. The evidence must fit the unbeliever’s own specifications in order to meet a certain criteria for belief. In other words, the unbeliever tries to set the rules of inquiry and demands that God follow them. Making himself sovereign, the secularist proceeds to dictate the boundaries of acceptable information. Instead of considering the existing evidence, he insists on having other information as a precondition for personal faith."

If there's a section on the forum that already covers this, please feel free to direct me there!

Thanks!

Reverse Witnessing

by eveningmeadows

Recently I ran into a woman I knew from my last church. We really weren't friends, just acquaintances. We talked for awhile, and when asked, I said I didn't go to church anymore, and I didn't believe in god anymore. After the look of shock, I explained to her the frustration of not being able to ask questions, and the stupid responses from the elders of the church when I did. I shared the frustrations over what I saw in the church. We exchanged email addresses, and to my surprise, she actually did email me.

When emailing back and forth, she kept thinking over and over that I left the church because of the idiots in the church. She said that we are all working out our salvation, and we shouldn't blame god for what people do. Yes, they make god look bad, but we should keep our eyes on god only. Yup, that's easy. I would take the time to explain over and over that I didn't leave for that reason. I left because none of the teaching made sense to me anymore. I was frustrated because I couldn't think for myself. After many years of praying, reading, researching, I couldn't believe any of it anymore. And what do I keep getting back? I have to take my eyes off of the people.

I keep getting the statements about "truth." Of course the difficulty is knowing what she has been taught. I KNOW what's in her head. I know where this all leads. We were taught that there was only one truth, and she has it. She can never have understanding or tolerance for what I believe. There is no room for that.

How can anyone keep their sanity, and still keep friendships with xtians? How do you listen to all that dribble, and not just scream? How can you have discussions, when these people think they are the righteous ones? Since I'm just getting out of this "cult" mentality and brainwashing, this is really overwhelming at times. Can I have a friendship with this woman?

Well, I don't know if I can. We have gotten together a few times, and it's like there's this elephant in the room, and we just pretend it's not there. She seems to be very careful about what she talks about.

So I emailed her with my problem with this relationship. I told her about the "elephant." I explained that it would be nice if we could talk about what she was doing in the church, etc., and what caused me to leave, and what I believe now. An equal back and forth discussion. Of course, the statement back was we could talk about her and her church work, and how god was working in her life, and I could talk about what I believe and why I left, but I wasn't going to get her to leave her faith. Did I say that? No. I just wanted to scream. What I got out of it was she could talk about the "truth", and I could talk about my garbage. Of course she's afraid I'm going to stuff my beliefs down her throat, but that's wrong, only xtians can do that!

I find I just want to break this off. My self-esteem doesn't seem to be at the place where I can feel sorry for her intolerance and fear. I hate the feeling that she's looking down at me. I find myself avoiding xtians that I knew from my past. She said she wanted me to see that a xtian could be a kind and loving person, and I told her I hope she could see through me that there is no absolute truth, and to accept people and their beliefs.

I know I should continue this for the same reason she's continuing this, to "witness". I suppose fundamentalist thinking will only stop when exposed to people who challenge that belief system and show them something different. Reverse witnessing. Go figure.

Coming out as an Atheist

by Confused Kate

Image by Thomas Hawk via Flickr

I will try to keep it short and simple.

I am a faux-baptist and my fiancee is a faux-catholic. We are both atheists and want to get married soon. My family wants him to be baptized. His family is not as demanding (yet). I've been thinking of coming out instead of doing this whole circus act. I'm not financially stable enough to move in with my fiancee, but when I am, I think I'll move in with him, come out, and live my own life, and get married whenever.

I want this more than anything, but I'm scared. My family is physically abusive, and while they are against physical abuse, they feel justified in my case. (Weird, I know.)

How do you come out with the least about of battle scars? Do you just leave and never even officially come out? I think I would prefer the latter.

I have no need to yell my beliefs from rooftops. I just want to live a peaceful life where I can make decisions for myself.

Please help.

Religious Tattoos (don't ever get them)

by J.D. Killarney

I began collecting tattoos when I was sixteen. It would have been sooner, but in Virginia one must be at least sixteen with parental permission. I was raised a Christian, and from the ages of about 16-18 I was very Jesus-centric.

During that time I got several tattoos reflecting as much, including: a cross, a lion of Judah, a very pretty and detailed portrait of Jesus on the side of my neck, and last but not least, 'Jesus Saves' on the back of my hands.

That was over two years ago and in that time I have used my intellect and rationality to face facts and dismiss the bible as a fallacy. I am now an Atheist.

Unfortunately, my tattoos don't know that. I still have elderly cashiers noticing my hands and smiling warmly say things like 'well God bless you' or 'can't nobody complain about THOSE tattoos!'

The moral of the story is: listen to your Grandma, your religious views really may change some day. And having visible tattoos really DOES decrease your opportunities of employment.

If anyone has any advice on secular cover-ups, I'd love to hear them.

“God Hates You, Hate Him Back!”

Says Controversial Author in A New Book That Pokes Fun At The Holy Scriptures

With people like Richard Dawkins and Christopher Hitchens leading the way, more and more books discrediting the idea that a single sentient being created everything around us are being devoured by atheists tired of being labeled as un-godly and silenced legally, socially and culturally by the prevalent creationist systems lying behind the world’s most powerful (and arguably most violent) governments.

The problem with all these books, as the author sees it, is these books are brilliant if you have mind for science, and/or a genuine interest in theology, but for a majority of people they are cumbersome to read. While making them popular with the intellectual elite, they are for your average literary hobbyist, complex, and far from entertaining.

CJ Werleman, Australian-born author of “God Hates You, Hate Him Back” says, “I believe people learn more when they find reading a pleasure, and with an entire genre of anti-religious texts sprouting up all over the place, I hadn’t come across any title that just laid out the entire Bible in a manner that for me was pleasurable. And the scriptures of the Bible are wonderful stories that are just begging to be told with a giggle.”

CJ, who witnessed first-hand the religiously motivated terrorist atrocities in Bali in 2005, continues, “The objective of the book is to provide the reader with a thorough understanding of the Bible, from end-t0-end, while also demonstrating that the ‘God’ people worship so readily and unquestioningly is a vengeful bully, with a monopoly on evil. Which I guess is primarily why the Devil had no reason to publish his own book.”

CJ hopes that his approach of using the source of the creationists’ belief-system to make a compelling argument against worshipping such a malevolent patriarch can bridge the gap between superstitious belief and rational understanding by at least shaking believers out of their hypnotized state of relying on “faith over logic”.

Many critics of atheism claim that the fanatical fervor displayed by Dawkins and his ilk, betrays their cause. Similarly CJ believes labeling believers as infantile or moronic is counter-productive in leading religious folk to rationality, and ultimately secularism.

“The best device we have for secularism or atheism is the Bible itself. When you have all the Biblical assertions laid out in front of you, it is almost impossible to continue holding onto the beliefs created by a tribe of nomadic goat herders, who believed the shovel to be emergent technology!”

CJ adds, “Essentially this book demystifies The Bible by using plain speak and humor. I show the reader what it is that pleases God invariably baby killing, and ethnic cleansing. While also demonstrating that not only was Jesus an overtly racist false prophet, and not very nice to his mother, his biography was crudely hammered together by people who never met him.”

When asked what he hoped to achieve with his book, CJ quipped, “I hope my book provides one small stepping stone on humanity’s journey away from ancient beliefs that retard social progress and promote human conflict rather than solidarity.”

How many congregations on its knees does it take to...

Sent in by Lisa

Image by star5112 via Flickr

Yesterday, one of my daughter's friends had a terrible accident. Her husband called my daughter from the hospital. And here's what happened then:

My daughter and her husband called another friend to go pick up the couple's baby from the hospital. My daughter took off to a town about an hour away to pick up her friend's mother from the airport. Her husband went to be with the friend's husband at the hospital.

Today, my daughter made cookies and nut bread to take to the hospital for those who would be staying with the friend, then she and another friend took the young woman's nephews and baby to the park and then to her house so the adult family members could stay at the hospital without worrying about the kids.

This evening, she and the other friend are making lasagna and several other freezable meals to take to the family so that when they come home to rest, they will not have to worry about food. Her husband has been providing taxi service all day to and from the hospital for family member who flew in.

All these young people who are helping out this family are atheists.

My question to the Christians lurking on this site (especially those who say good works are not necessary, only true belief is necessary to be good Christians): if you or a family member were in an accident and in intensive care, how many congregations on their knees praying for you would it take to equal a few good people doing some practical things to help your family make it through the day?

How do we undo the brainwashing?

A letter from Emma

Image by jenschmen via Flickr

My sister became a Baptist in the UK four years ago. From being happy and smug for herself and her husband (whom she followed down this path), she has become paranoid about the Devil in the world and desperate to convert me and others she loves. She believes every word in the Bible is true and the Word of God - an indication to me that those that are teaching her are insane. I know many lifelong and good Christians who recognise the Bible as being man-made, mistranslated, having tenuous links to Christ's true message etc., etc., yet maintain their love of Christ and God and live according to Christ's word.

My questions are:

Do I try to show her the error of her ways? (So far a waste of time. She doesn't listen, only thinks up Bible-speak counterarguments and resorts to the old retort: "That's the Devil speaking in you").

Or, do I try to ignore it and seek the old personality of my sister that still in there somewhere? She was loving and happy-go-lucky. Now she is arrogant, self-satisfied, bigoted and hateful.

She's really put her brain on hold to see how far she can suspend her sense of disbelief. One little step towards believing Christ is the Son of God has led to the giant leap of believing (no, sorry: "KNOWING") that just because she believes in this thing, it doesn't matter what she DOES in life -- she will still be saved and live happily ever after with Christ when the rest of humanity, who doesn't think exactly like her, will perish.

There is no talk of Love in their beliefs, only about being Right.

Will she be devastated when/if she finally sees how STUPID she's been??

Does anyone else out there know what I'm going through?

Thanks, please help.

A question to Christians

A letter from Lock

Image by ideacreamanuelaPps via Flickr

My question is for christians who visit this site. I myself am an ex-believer and I've posted comments on here in the past as anonymous.

My question is "How can christians possibly explain the contradiction between the character of God in the Old Testament and the character of God that Jesus teaches in the New Testament?

The Old Testament makes God out to be extremely vengeful, wrathful, and apparently hardens people's hearts so they won't repent. He even allows Moses to command the Israelite men to kill all the Midianite men, boys, and women who were not virgins, and sanctions the men to keep the young virgin girls for themselves.

Jesus describes God as all loving and merciful. The New Testament says there is no partiality with God... ect... ect... How do christians reconcile this?

When I was a believer, I was always taught that in the Old Testament it was the time before mercy, and that is why God's judgment presided over us rather then His mercy. The New Testament was based on the fact Christ changed things by bringing in the time of mercy.

Lol....thats a crock! Anyone who knows their Bible knows that God chose to forgive David for committing adultery with Bathsheba and having her husband murdered. God also sent Jonah to Nineveh to warn them cause He chose to have mercy on that city!

Yet, all through Old Testament, God chooses to be horribly wrathful on people for the stupidest things -- sometimes for nothing.

Can any Christians explain this to me?

Call for stories

A letter from Tina Dupuy

Hello! I was referred to you by Troy Conrad AKA Comedy Jesus.

I'm an investigative journalist and I'm working on a project about the "Satanic Panic" of the 1980's.

I'm are looking for stories about people accused of devil worship by listening to the heavy metal genre of music in the 1980's. Did your mom take away your Faith No More records? Were you sent off to bible camp or a mental hospital? Did the hysteria over satanic cults impact your teenage years?

I want hoping to contact any of your members who have experiences they'd like to share with me. Also if there is any other resources you can think of - I'd love to hear about them.

Thanks in advance for your help.

Note: Anyone with stories they'd like to share should send the stories and their contact information by clicking here. The stories and contact information will be forwarded to Ms. Dupuy.

Modern Christian Miracles?

A letter from Jari in Finland:

I searched some skeptical/ex-Christian sites and wanted to ask my question to someone who possible may have some ideas of the things I am gonna ask and maybe provide some helpful information.

I am myself agnostic at the moment. Was believer in past, but really started doubts some things in Christian faith. So much confusion and wrong prophecies, much fear instead spreading love and courage to peoples life.

Since I lost my faith I have read much skeptical material from the net and from books too.

My question to you is this: Have you or do you know if there is any study made about the current Christian miracle claims? I mean basically those extreme Charismatic meetings which report jewels materializing from thin air, instant weight loss, angel feathers from thin air, oils pouring from hands and gold/sapphire dust from bodies.

Basically I first heard of those claims from my Christian friend, who watching Sid Roth "Supernatural" programs on Christian TV.

There have been in guests on the programs like Patricia King, Joshua Mills and David Herzog who shows those miracles in their meetings.

On YouTube there are many videos claiming and showing those kind of strange manifestations, like different kinds of things appearing from thin air.

I am a bit worried myself about my current Christian friends who are watching those and believing them at face value.

What I have myself read from the Net, there are some guys who have been caught in some frauds, but there are much more of these phenomenon that seem to be coming from ordinary and seemingly decent people.

So basically I'd just be thankful for any advice, book or article recommendations.

Questions I asked of Sunday School Teachers

A letter from Mikel

Image by bhardy via Flickr

I was thinking back on times I had questioned a religious teacher, and thought up a short list of questions I asked. I asked all of these perfectly sincerely, maybe a bit naively. Anyone is welcome to try answering--most of the time I was just given "that look" as if I was just trying to disrupt the lesson, or was told that "that's just what we believe."

I should also point out that none of these thing stands out as "the one thing" that caused to to leave Christianity. They are just little things that got my skeptical juices flowing.

Why should I expect to apply a Biblical passage to my life, if it's history, poetry, or prophecy? (Asked when a Sunday School teacher wanted the class to write down what how passage or other applies to our lives.)

Isn't claiming 'promises' from Psalms pulling those quotes out of context?
How do you know your beliefs are true, when there are lots of sincere followers of other religions out there who are equally convinced that you are wrong?
Why do you equate skepticism with cynicism? Skepticism is not wanting to believe without proof, and cynicism is more like unthinking rejection? (Not the exact words--at the time was was not too sure what cynicism was except that it was associated with negativity.)

And here is one that I have not asked, but would be curious to know an answer for.

If you believe that a person will not be judged harshly by God for sincere and honest disbelief, or mistaken belief in the wrong thing:

Why have Christian missionaries? If humanitarian aid is needed in some places, why not send humanitarian aid though non-sectarian charities such as Doctors Without Borders instead?

Does your church teach that it is not really so necessary and urgent for people to convert to Christianity in order to be accepted by God? Is that what is taught to the kids in your Sunday School?

Why should it matter to me what your personal beliefs are if they don't match what your church and Christian leaders are teaching?

Like I said, anyone is welcome to volunteer answers or make comments.

Greiving my death

A letter from Gee Will

Image via Wikipedia

Last weekend my wife and I sent out e-mails to notify our family members that we aren't going back to church and are actually not christians any more.

All four parents and four siblings and each of their spouses are all committed evangelical christians - one brother is a pastor. None of them live anywhere close to us. We had talked directly to my wife's parents, and they took it very well - they are actually almost supportive. I talked with my younger sister on the phone when she called to talk about the elephant in the room.

So, we got calm but questioning responses from my wife's brother and sister, with reassurance that a change in beliefs wouldn't change their love for us.

But, I just got a response from my Mom, and as I expected, she is pretty much grieving my death. Though I'm not surprised, I'm still devastated that she is so hurt.

I don't need a bunch of condolences or anything... just writing therapeutically.

GW

What do you say when someone says, "I am praying for you?"

A letter from Lisa

Image by zedzap via Flickr

My daughter went to the gynecologist the other day for a sonogram (12 weeks) and the fetus no longer had a heartbeat. I went to my daughter and son-in-law's town to take care of the baby they are adopting while they went to the hospital for the procedure.

Just got home.

People were telling both them and me, "I am praying for you." "It was god's will." "It was meant to be." . . .

None of us believe that god killed that potential (and very much wanted) child. And we don't believe "it was meant to be" for her to go through that whole in-vitro process twice in two years to end up with two dead babies before they ever got a chance to become babies.

When they say they are praying, I say thank you. They mean well.

But "meant to be" and "god's will" make me mad. Oh, and "God needed another little angel up in heaven," was lucky she was on the other end of the phone.

This is a real question. What do you say?

Finding my moral compass

A letter from Ian

Image via Wikipedia

I am a fully convinced ex-Christian, and have been for a couple of years. Before my de-conversion I was from a fundamentalist evangelical background and had lived in it all of my life. Whilst life is much better with a free mind I do have some challenges and difficulties resulting from my journey out of religion.

I suppose it is the matter of a "moral compass" that I am not sure I can trust- or perhaps one that I have never learned to use.

I have known morality as a set of rules imposed- instead of feeling equipped to make good moral judgments as I work through life. This was all very well when I wholly accepted the regime in which I lived, and I had no real choices because everything was simple and proscribed for me.

Now I feel weighed down by the burden of having to work things out- and more to the point I feel I keep making bad decisions. My Christian friends see this as my natural moral decline after losing my relationship with "the Lord". I see it as a result of being cast suddenly into a moral universe where I am truly responsible, without ever learning the skills to navigate it properly.

Is this just me? Any thoughts and or encouragements? Does it get easier?

Celebration of Life or Propaganda Tool?

A letter from Dave

Image via Wikipedia

I recently attended the celebration of life ceremony of my best friend, who recently died from a bacterial infection while camping in Hawaii.

I spent many years of my life discussing the deep questions with my friend, and both of us left the church together. His family did not take it the same way as my family. Both of his parents and other siblings constantly chided him and urged him to return to the fold.

My friend refused to see the world in such morally black and white terms that Christianity presented to him. When he died, his family wanted so badly to believe that he would be in heaven with them, that they began saying he had went back to Christ days before his death.

The family decided to hold a celebration of life ceremony at their long-time church. What started out as a celebration of stories and memories turned into the pastor explaining that our dear friend had returned back to Christ and that others should follow him. The pastor explained our friends struggle with faith in Christ, but said that he (our friend) eventually discovered he was wrong and decided to embrace the truth of Christ.

Having spent the last weekend with him, and hearing him discuss his lack of faith, made me angry to see this pastor turn the philosophy of a good friend into a propaganda tool for those attending the ceremony; who came to simply celebrate the life of another.

In the end, my friend's life and world view was wrongfully twisted to uphold something, he never believed in. I am not sure if I should contact the pastor to let him know how I felt by his actions, or just let it be my friend's family's final say.

deluded

A letter from DS, "The voice of one crying in the..."

Image by Colin Purrington via Flickr

this is what happens when faux christians have a little bit of knowledge of the truth, but not enough to defend themselves against the onslaught of the lies of Satan. For example, it is a scientific fact that the theory of evolution is scientifically IMPOSSIBLE, according to all of the LAWS of SCIENCE, but most faux christians heve never learned this so the bald-faced, idiotic, asinine and absurd lie of evolution lingers around in their heads as a means to destroy the truth of God's Word... Genesis.

I am writing a book about the truth where I expose all of the lies of Satan that keep people from coming to the knowledge of the truth, or steal the truth away from under-educated, ill-equipped christians. If anyone is interested, then e-mail me. The confusion and illogic of your site and the people that agree with you is staggering, but easily refuted. If you seek the truth you will find it. Thus far, you have not sought it, so you have settled for the horseshit of the father of lies, B-L-Z-BUB.

Good "luck"

DS