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Testimony of a Missionary?s Kid
2008-05-20 14:52:00
Sent in by Elizabeth BPeople like me who have been indoctrinated into a belief system since birth have many obstacles to overcome in order to free themselves up to think critically. There is a substantial raft of belief which has kept us afloat in this world.I'll start at the beginning, which was before I was born. My parents got together and decided they were being led by the Lord to become missionaries. Well before my Mother met my Father she had had an ambition to become a missionary. Her own Mother -- a charismatic Pentecostal lover of Jesus -- had bemoaned the fact that her own desire to go abroad and minister to the countess heathens in the world had been thwarted (no specific reason being given). I am quite convinced that this disappointment was made up for by my Mother finally going off to do God's work in her place. Her Father had been an adult convert to fundamental Christianity and was a lay, street preacher. He used to stand on Preachers Corner in Hyde Park in London y...
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Handling death
2008-05-20 07:37:00
A question from DominickHow do we handle it when someone we know and care about dies? The reason I ask this question is because a good friend of mine died today. I guess it would have been easier if she had died from some kind of illness, but she died in a house fire at 6:45 a.m. this morning. I saw her on Friday and we spoke a bit on Sunday and I was planning on going to see her at work on that day, just to mess with her a bit :) I am not telling you about my friend?s death to make you feel sorry for me or anything like that, it is just that I have to go to her funeral , when I find out what day it is, and i don't think I can handle that very well.I have never had anyone this close to me before dying, plus the fact when I last saw her, she was smiling and laughing and now she is gone.I am sure some of you asking why I am posting about my friend's death on an ex-Christian site. It is because I am a lifelong atheist and I wanted to know how other atheists handle it when someone clo...
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Spiritual, but no longer religious
2008-05-20 06:59:00
From Adam WLike many of you, I was raised an evangelical Christian along with my entire family. I went to church on Sundays, bible study on Wednesdays, church camp during the summer, you name it. But during all of that, there was some part of me that realized, on a very deep level, that a lot of it was just total b.s., especially the parts about "non-believers" going to hell.It is totally impossible to believe that your fellow brothers and sisters on this planet are going to hell and also be happy yourself at the same time. Happiness requires being able to sense the worth and goodness of every human being. Christianity, on the other hand, teaches people that they are worthless sinners. It is a despicable religion that we should do away with. Has anybody else noticed that Chrisitians are by far the most neurotic people in society?Although I am no longer religious, I consider myself to be very spiritual. Have you guys read the works of Joseph Campbell, where he identifies the similari...
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Love for fellow human beings
2008-05-19 22:01:00
By ClairMost of us come in regular contact with others, and when the subject of religion comes up a person can react in many ways:1.Happiness and agreement.2. Silence and a vague pleasant expression.3. Silence, waiting for them to drop it.4.Irritation and voicing non-agreement, with or without eye rolling.5. Louder more serious disagreement. 6.Shouting with very unpleasant outcome.But, we move on, get over it ASAP.People that we truly care about though can cause serious mental anguish. Parents can push buttons with great emotional dexterity.This is no suprise, since they are usually the ones who at least helped to indoctrinate their children. When the kids are grown, and have their own children, some grandparents are secretly afraid that all that bullshit has been found out. They want the illness to be carried on so they will be assured of having someone to agree with them. Or maybe they just want everyone to be physically uncomfortable for a minimum of two hours at the same time ea...
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Pastor charged with armed robbery
2008-05-19 18:11:00
WOODSTOCK, Va. - A Luray area pastor will appear in a Shenandoah County court today on charges he robbed a dollar store at gunpoint this month.Police charged 55-year-old Hobert Wayne Bryant with robbery, use of a firearm during the commission of a felony, and eluding police during the May 8 incident.Employees at a local Dollar General store told police a man wearing a blue coat, dark knit hat and sunglasses entered the store some time after 4 p.m., displayed a gun and demanded the contents of the cash register before fleeing in a white Ford Taurus.Woodstock police later stopped Bryant driving the same car. Inside, police found cash, a disassembled shotgun and a 40-caliber, semiautomatic shotgun.Bryant has been the longtime pastor of Rocky Branch Baptist Church, near Luray.STORY LINK
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Minister caught in sex sting resigns
2008-05-18 14:31:00
PLANO ? A Prestonwood Baptist Church minister arrested on charges of soliciting a minor online has resigned from the church, Pastor Jack Graham told his congregation Saturday evening.Dr. Graham addressed the crowd at the start of the church's regular worship service. He said the church had accepted Joe Barron's resignation, which took effect immediately."You need to know that we are appalled and we are disgraced by this terrible action, an unacceptable action by a minister on our staff," Dr. Graham said. "I'm so sorry for the injury that this kind of behavior has brought to many people in our church and outside of our church."Police arrested Mr. Barron, 52, Thursday morning after he drove from Plano to Bryan to meet with what he thought was a 13-year-old girl he had met online, authorities say.The girl turned out to be a Bryan police officer working in an ongoing Internet sex sting.Bryan police said Mr. Barron had spent about two weeks chatting online with the officer posing as a...
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Sent parents home without dinner
2008-05-17 09:27:00
Sent in by TedMy story is typical of everyone else. I was raised in a fundy home. My father, who thinks he can sing, would occasionally torture, I mean sing for the church. He would have my siblings and I sit before him while he sang. This was an overt display to his "Christian friends" that he was a "godly family man." My parents were number one first class hypocrites. Jesus says to give to the poor, but when my folks see a homeless person begging they turn their nose up at them saying, "The reason that they are poor is because they are lazy." The final nail in the Christian coffin was when my older and favorite brother came out of the closet and said he was gay. My parents have been trying for years to "correct and to save him." I finally left Christianity when I started attending college, where I was exposed to a wide variety of people.Anyway, last Thanksgiving my wife and I were planning a secular, non-religious dinner. Instead of praying to an invisible God we were going to be ...
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10 questions that every intelligent Christian must answer
2008-05-17 09:24:00
If you are an educated Christian , I would like to talk with you today about an important and interesting question. Have you ever thought about using your college education to think about your faith? Your life and your career demand that you behave and act rationally. Let's apply your critical thinking skills as we discuss 10 simple questions about your religion. The answers will amaze you. -- http://whywontgodhealamputees.com
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Question about Christians and evolution
2008-05-17 08:32:00
A letter from Linda WI am an ex-Christian; my brother is a fundamentalist Christian. We were discussing evolution again...He believes that animals evolved, but humans did not -- they were created. So, he believes in evolution, just not for people. I had never heard this viewpoint before and I thought I had heard them all. Is the new way for fundamentalist Christians to accept the fact of evolution, but just not for people? Has anyone else ever heard this explanation?
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The Pagan Christ
2008-05-15 21:57:00
What if it could be proved that Jesus never existed? What if there was evidence that every word of the New Testament is based on myth and metaphor? And what if those revelations extended beyond Christ ianity, putting into question even the fundamental beliefs of Judaism and Islam?These are the ideas presented in The Pagan Christ, a documentary based on theologian Tom Harpur's explosive, best-selling book. Using an investigative reporting approach to the topic, the cameras journey from the Egyptian temple at Luxor and the Great Pyramids of Giza to Vatican City and Jerusalem's wailing wall.What do you think about the ideas presented in this film?

It all seemed so empty
2008-05-15 06:17:00
Sent in by A Bit LonelyI'm the only child of Christian Parents. I was born into it. From a very early age I attended church, had a children's bible, children's devotional books.All through my childhood I believed in Jesus. I believed in his love for me and felt he had picked me personally as one of the chosen saved. I felt honored and grateful. I would get choked up thinking about how some one could love me so much as to die on a cross for me. I was home-schooled along with a few other Christian friends, quite sheltered. I really thought I knew the truth, because that was all that was ever pumped into my head, over and over. I felt sure I knew things my secular neighbors and relatives did not. I prayed for them to know God. I'd wish I were in heaven all ready, so I wouldn't have to grow up and spend so much time on earth. I hardly gave hell a second thought.The only time in childhood I remember questioning whether Christianity was true, I was about seven. I was in Vacation Bibl...
More About: Empty

Einstein letter calls Bible 'pretty childish'
2008-05-13 23:50:00
Famous scientist also dismisses belief in God as product of human weaknessLONDON - Albert Einstein : arch rationalist or scientist with a spiritual core?A letter being auctioned in London this week adds more fuel to the long-simmering debate about the Nobel Prize-winning physicist's religious views. In the note, written the year before his death, Einstein dismissed the idea of God as the product of human weakness and the Bible as "pretty childish."The letter, handwritten in German, is being sold by Bloomsbury Auctions on Thursday and is expected to fetch between $12,000 and $16,000.Einstein, who helped unravel the mysteries of the universe with his theory of relativity, expressed complex and arguably contradictory views on faith, perceiving a universe suffused with spirituality while rejecting organized religion.The letter up for sale, written to philosopher Eric Gutkind in January 1954, suggests his views on religion did not mellow with age.In it, Einstein said that "the word God i...
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Pastor charged with sexual assault of teenage girl
2008-05-13 08:34:00
A Northern Illinois pastor faces charges of sexually assaulting a teenage girl.Forty-year-old Jonathon Christopher Powell faces two counts of criminal sexual assault of a victim between 13 and 17 years old.According to the church's Web site, Powell is a senior pastor at New Hope Baptist Church in the village of Machesney Park. ed: (This information has already been removed from their website)A telephone message left at the church after business hours Monday was not immediately returned. No telephone listing for Jonathon Christopher Powell could be found.Powell is being held in the Winnebago County Jail on $250,000 bond. STORY LINK
More About: Assault , Girl , Sexual , Teenage , Sexual Assault

All Christians are moral relativists
2008-05-12 08:29:00
By GeoffI tend to avoid writing about or discussing the topic of religion. In general, my unconventional views on the subject get me into a heated discussion with a zealous, but well meaning believer concerned with my eternal destiny or a mentally draining screaming match with a pretentious asshat who believes I worship Darwin and who seems convinced that atheism is just another religion (which is like saying that not playing sports is a sport). Despite this, I usually try to remain civil. After all, we are all entitled to believe whatever we want, right?HOWEVER! There are a few annoying arguments Christians use that quite frankly make about as much sense as a gay republican. Were I to go into all of them, I would be typing here for hours and hours. So, I will focus on one for now: Moral RelativityMoral relativity essentially states that analysis into whether an action is right or wrong should come from several facets of study, culture, context, usefulness, etc. This ideas lies in s...

Parenting Beyond Belief
2008-05-11 20:59:00
An interview with Dale McGowan, author of Parenting Beyond Belief .

Licona vs. Carrier: On the Resurrection of Jesus Christ
2008-05-11 07:57:00
This debate, which examined the rational evidence for faith in Jesus ' resurrection, was given at the University of California, Los Angeles on April 19, 2004, and was moderated by S. Scott Bartchy, Professor of History at UCLA and Director of the Center for the Study of Religion.Richard Carrier is a historian and philosopher, whose articles have appeared in many publications, including the Skeptical Inquirer and the Secular Web. His book, Sense and Goodness without God: A Defense of Metaphysical Naturalism, is due out next year, along with an anthology, Jesus Is Dead, which includes three chapters by Carrier on the Resurrection . He is currently writing a dissertation on ancient Roman science at Columbia University. He has been involved in online, atheist-theist debates for more than ten years and served as Feedback Editor and Editor in Chief of the Secular Web for many years.Mike Licona is a New Testament historian with a Master of Arts degree in Religious Studies from Liberty Unive...
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Noah's Flood: Myth upon myth upon....
2008-05-11 00:41:00
By James C Most of us are aware of the Noah's Flood story. People of the earth evil. God upset. Floods the world but saves Noah & family and enough animals to re-populate the world. But, for an interesting "another take" on that story, link over to the Wikipedia story about the same, with inputs concerning the other Abrahamic religions and their look at the whole thing. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki /Noah's_Ark#cite_note-14 The ark itself. Skeptics have, for a long time, questioned how a small family with no boat-building experience could have accomplished the ark; what kind of wood was used; that the dimensions are larger than any known successful wooden ship; and that it could not have held all the animals and the food and water necessary to keep them alive. So let's explore comments on that: Origen stated that Moses had been thinking of the (larger) Egyptian cubit, meaning the Ark was even larger vs the historically successful wooden ships! Origen also speculated that the a...
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High School Freethought
2008-05-10 09:46:00
by Lucia Guatney, Cherry Creek High School If you saw things the way I do, you'd think that the title of this article was an oxymoron. High school, from my personal experience at least, is rampant with anti-intellectualism and general ignorance (lamentable considering that it's supposed to be a place where ignorance is eliminated). It seems that only a minuscule minority of students cares about anything other than which friend is dating which other friend, which band just came out with a new album, or anything outside of their social lives. That's why it seemed so important to me to start a freethought group. Not just because there was a lack of skepticism (though there are quite a lot of creationists), but also to get students to start thinking and caring about the world around them. I went to my first CFI conference (The Secular Society and Its Enemies) last November in the splendid city of New York. I hadn't a clue that meeting fellow student freethinkers could be so much fun...
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Pi: 3.1415926535897932384626433832795?
2008-05-10 00:36:00
Sent in by Tim BMy childhood was a fairly typical one as far as growing up goes. My parents were hard working middle class folks who weren?t particularly religious. For a time, we did attend an Anglican church where I was able to dress up as a camel for the Christmas pageant or go to the annual church picnic for lots of candy and games. My parents told me that when I was confirmed into the church, I was old enough to decide for myself if I wanted to keep going or not. I looked forward to my Confirmation with glee, knowing I could finally sleep in on Sunday mornings and never go to stupid, boring church again. And that?s what I did.Then, a few years later, I went to University to study theater arts (I wanted to be a movie star at the time lol). When I got there I started to have a lot of fun doing drugs, dating girls and partying as hard as I could. One of my friends there was a Christian, and he enjoyed partying as much as I did. We became very good friends and ended up as roommates...

Evangelical Manifesto
2008-05-07 12:37:00
By Doc MikeThis is hilarious! Christian scholars and theologians are releasing a manifesto today to "take back" the term Evangelical from the politicians. Apparently, it's starting to have a negative connotation in the world of politics. I wonder why?USA Today says in Manifesto aims to make 'evangelical' less political:"Evangelical" has been widely used to refer to Christians who have conservative political views, but the Evangelical Theological Society requires members to agree on just two points: inerrancy of Scripture, and belief in God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit as "separate but equal in attributes and glory" and essential for salvation.This really makes me laugh because if "Scripture" is nothing else it is errant. In fact that's exactly what my blog (By The Book Comics) is all about. And don't even get me started on the "holy trinity"... Ha!Technorati Tags:humor Atheist Bible Christian Comics religion Evangelical

Pastor found guilty of money laundering
2008-05-06 22:17:00
CLEVELAND, OHIO -- Artis Caver, former pastor of Harvest Missionary Baptist Church, has been judged harshly by a jury of his peers.Caver was found guilty Thursday in Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Court on 25 counts of money laundering, perjury and theft stemming from accusations he stole nearly $400,000 from the church's bank account.Jurors in Judge Nancy Margaret Russo's courtroom deliberated for about two hours before reaching the verdicts.Caver was found guilty on single counts of theft and forgery, three counts of perjury and 20 counts of money laundering stemming from 2000.The pastor, indicted by a Cuyahoga County grand jury in December, had used the majority of the money to rescue his failing bus business, AFC Charters Inc., according to Assistant County Prosecutor James Gutierrez.The 56-year-old Caver, now pastor of New Life Cathedral in Cleveland, was led away in handcuffs after the verdict as a handful of members of the financially struggling Harvest Missionary Baptist Chu...
More About: Money , Money Laundering , Guilty , Pastor

Church recognizes Virgin Mary appearances in France
2008-05-05 08:47:00
The Roman Catholic Church has officially recognised a shrine in the French Alps where the Virgin Mary is said to have appeared to a young shepherdess - the first such recognition in France for almost 150 years.But the presence of a government minister drew instant political fire, with the French Left claiming that the country's staunchly secular values were being undermined.Notre Dame du Laus, which already draws some 120,000 pilgrims each year, was formally acknowledged by the Vatican after three years of research into its credentials by a team of theologians, historians and psychologists.There have been suggestions it could grow to rival Lourdes, the last place in France to receive the Church's official apparition stamp ? in 1862 ? and which today struggles to cope with five million pilgrims each year.About 6,000 Catholics, including more than 20 bishops and cardinals, attended a solemn Mass at the sanctuary of Benôite Rencurel ? who was 16 when she first reported seeing the Vir...
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The Combination Lock of Religion
2008-05-04 04:02:00
By AstrejaTrying to get something of value out of religion is kind of like trying to open a locked box.At the beginning of our experience, we are informed that the box contains something of inexpressible value, something that exists only in the box, something that we can't buy or borrow or build.And then we see... the lock.A combination lock forged from dogma, tradition and our own expectations. Before we can open that magic treasure chest, we have to crack the code.Some combinations appear to be fairly simple, but the gears stiff and heavy... The actual day-to-day practice of the creed proves too arduous, and we walk away.At other times, the lock has so many parameters that we can twirl the dial for a lifetime without actually getting anywhere. Once in the while we do hear something go 'click', which reinforces the desire to keep trying.But, once in a while -- Sometimes totally by accident -- the lock just opens by itself.Some people find peace, love, a sense of purpose. Others,...
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Why is evolution so unpopular?
2008-05-03 19:43:00
By AL Hello. I?m Al. I?m an atheist, I actively believe that supernatural gods don?t exist.In my previous video, ?What Science Isn?t?, I detailed the case that the intelligent design movement had motivations that were far more political than scientific.Creationism never had the anywhere near the level of objective evidence that evolution provided, but creationism still sees popular support in the United States.Although I?d like to go into the overwhelming evidence that evolution has, in this video I?ll detail my thoughts on why anti-evolutionism is so prevelant in America.This video doesn?t touch on atheism as much as my previous videos, but I think everyone, atheists included, has a stake in seeing that our education system stays true to scientific principles.Also, because this video is centered on religion in America, I?ll mostly be talking about Christianity instead of theism in general.I think I have some good insights into why science comes under assault when it deals with thi...
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If a watch points to a watchmaker, then...
2008-05-03 17:20:00
By Dave, the WMA look around at the tremendous variety, beauty, power, and complexity in nature can evoke admiration, awe, and wonder from even the most hardened cynic. Modern Christians often appeal to these emotions to argue the existence of a creator deity. Many Christians consider the arguments from nature to be powerful and convincing evangelistic, apologetic tools. The concept of nature somehow proving the existence of god isn?t particularly new. In 1691, John Ray, one of the most eminent naturalists of his time, as well as an influential philosopher and a theologian, wrote, ?The Wisdom of God Manifested in the Works of Creation.? One of the most popular books on the subject was written in 1802. Authored by William Paley -- British Christian apologist, philosopher, and utilitarian ? the book was entitled ?Natural Theology, or Evidences of the Existence and Attributes of the Deity Collected from the Appearances of Nature.? Paley is also the one credited with birthing the now fa...
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The Age of American Unreason
2008-05-03 01:01:00
On C-SPAN's Book TV, reason's Nick Gillespie recently sat down with Susan Jacoby, author of the new book The Age of American Unreason, to talk about anti-intellectualism on the right and left, trends in popular culture, and what Jacoby sees as a dangerous decline in the level of academic and political discourse.From C-SPAN's description of the book: In "The Age of American Unreason," Susan Jacoby offers a critique on American society and says that the combination of anti-intellectualism and anti-rationalism in American culture is becoming a serious problem. In the book she focuses on issues including society's addiction to mass media, ineffective educational systems, and religious fundamentalism. It's a spirited and intense conversation between a cultural pessimist and a cultural optimist that lasts for about an hour.

Do you miss yourself?
2008-05-02 07:40:00
Sent in by ClaireDo you miss yourself?When I hear a question such as this, I recoil in disappointment; I sigh with disgust. It is posed in such a way as if to assume that the person being asked about is no longer authentic, real, or are somehow empty.It's condescending, presumptuous and I find it downright rude."Do you miss yourself?" has been asked of me in various forms since my journey outside the realm of religion and faith began, just over a year ago. Due to my lack of certainty (and the lack of evidence), I have officially de-converted from Christianity. Since then, questions have been raised about the validity of my reasoning and in turn, my very self.Don't you miss who you used to be?I am not surprised by these questions, knowing full well the world in which I used to live is constructed of persons who are taught to hold each other accountable for a myriad of things: actions, tastes in music, emotions, sexual preferences, interpretations of scripture... and doubts.While I ...
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What Does Crime and Religion Have In Common?
2008-05-01 19:03:00
By Bill JeffreysEvery criminal act committed was done so for emotional reasons. No one acts rational and logical and then goes out and commits a crime. Yes, even serial killers have emotional reasons for the crimes they commit. They just don?t have guilt. It never is, "I just realized how logical it is for me to murder". It?s always some underlying emotionally based dysfunctional belief that they are acting upon.Religion is very similar. No one goes out and follows god for reasonable and logical reasons because the foundation of religion isn?t based on accurate evidence, reason or logic. People don?t convert because of the supposed evidence. They convert for emotional reasons. They convert because it's supposed to make them feel better and give them hope.If I remember my Christian stats correctly (when I was a Christian) most people convert in their childhood or youth when the brain is most susceptible to fantastical thinking. That was why we always targeted young people. They were...
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National Day of Prayer
2008-04-30 16:11:00
Tomorrow, May 1st, is being promoted by Christians as the National Day of Prayer . So they all get together and pray for... what? It's hard to believe that nobody has ever prayed to end the war or feed all of the starving children or end poverty or rid the world of all suffering, etc. And if they have (and they surely have) and we still have all of these things (and we certainly do), then how the hell can they still believe prayer works?It's the same old thing. The Bible-God just can't lose! If Christians pray for something and they get it, they thank him for answering their prayers. And if the thing they prayed for doesn't happen, they excuse him with something like, "It wasn't God's will" or "God has his reasons." (I wonder what his reasons could be for allowing innocent children to suffer through sexual and physical abuse, starving, and disease.)And if their god is going to do whatever the hell he wants to do anyway, then why the hell pray in the first place?Technorati Tags:...
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Your blasphemous mouths will be stopped!
2008-04-30 09:57:00
Radical Preacher Takes on Ohio State Students Crazy Christian dudes at University of Oregon