Dave8 wrote: Well, thought I would look at some history and see what the predictions were for the Fundies about ten years ago... The U.S. Army War College published an article "How Vulnerable is the U.S." within the Strategic Studies Institute... So, ten years ago... http://nsi.org/Library/Terrorism/usterror.htm "The threat posed by fundamentalist religious groups of all faiths cannot be discounted. Not only Islamic extremists, but other "true believers" of a variety of faiths are likely to engage in terrorist acts against American targets. These groups might be supported or joined in their operations by domestic religious extremists. In addition, they might also seek alliances with a variety of cultists, survivalists, or neo-fascists who, for their own reasons, reject the existing social, economic, and political order and await their own versions of Armageddon." One could say hindsight is 20/20, but there are many sharp people who knew the threat, but l...

by George Carlin - Here’s my problem. Why are there 10 Commandments? You don’t need 10. The list of Commandments was deliberately and artificial inflated to get it up to 10. It’s a padded list. Here’s what they did: About 5000 years ago, a bunch of religious and political hustlers got together to try and figure out how to control people and how to keep them in line. They knew people were basically unintelligent and would believe whatever they were told. So they announced that God had given them some Commandments up on a mountain.........when nooooooo one was around. But why did they pick the number 10? Why not 9 or 11? I’ll tell you why - because 10 sounds official, 10 sounds important. They knew if it was 11, the people wouldn’t take them seriously. What, are you kidding me? The 11 Commandments? Get the F*&#K outta here! 10 is the basis for the decimal, it’s a decade, it’s a psychologically satisfying number. The 10 most wanted, the 10 best dressed. So having 10 Co...

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from Lark News : OTTAWA — The Rapture occurred March 31, 2005, at 9:43 a.m. Greenwich Mean Time and took both people on the planet whose theology was exactly correct. Dan Wilson of Ottawa, Canada, was snatched away while sleeping. "He spent years refining his eschatological scheme," says his wife. "Just last week he told me he had it all right, but I still disagreed with him on a minor point. I regret that now." Rejna Thanawalla of New Delhi, India, also experienced the Rapture, say friends. "She knew exactly what the books of Revelation and Daniel meant," they say. "Sadly, none of us listened to her." In a surprise, Tim LaHaye says he was "slightly wrong on the subject of the Beast," and was left behind. Other prophecy experts say they, too, botched minor points in their end times charts. "Looks like we'll have to stay and wait this out," said one disappointed pastor.

Thanks be to Khan for posting this! Consider: 1. During the 1988 election campaign, George Bush said that Christians should not be considered patriots or real American citizens. 2. Bill Clinton steadfastly refused to give any speeches at local churches. 3. Both major political parties are dominated by anti-Christians. The Republican party, for example, gave us such hard-core atheists as Pat Buchanan, Dan Quayle, Phyllis Schlafly and Ronald Reagan. And the Democrats have given us such personalities as the Rev. Martin Luther King and the Rev. Jesse Jackson-- both noted for their vicious attacks on all forms of Christianity. 4. Let's talk about the media. On Sunday mornings, nearly all major television channels broadcast pro-atheist shows; it is nearly impossible to find religious programming during that time period. Further, Madalyn Murray O'Hair has her own cable TV channel, while Pat Robertson has been unable to obtain one for himself. 5. Most major newspapers run a special we...

HEAVEN—The soul of Pope John Paul, which entered heaven last week following a long illness, expressed confusion and disappointment Saturday, upon learning that the Celestial Kingdom of God to which the departed faithful ascend in the afterlife is significantly less luxurious than the Vatican's Papal Palace, in which the pope spent the past 26 years of his earthly life. "Where are all the marble statues, sterling-silver chalices, and gem-encrusted scepters?" the visibly disappointed pope asked. "Where are the 60-foot-tall stained-glass windows and hand-painted cupolas? Where are the elaborately outfitted ranks of Swiss Guards? Why isn't every single surface gilded? This is my eternal reward?" Heaven, according to the New Testament, has "brilliance like a very costly stone... of pure gold, like clear glass..." with "twelve gates... each gate a single pearl." Yet the pope, who spoke from the afterlife, said heaven is nothing like the "...

sent in by Sarah My favorite bible story in the bible is Noah's Ark--What a demonstration of God's unconditional love and such a scientifically based logical story to say the least. The fact that two of every kind unclean animal and seven of every kind of clean animal, a male and its mate were able to live in a boat for 40 days outside their natural habitat and survive. The fact that Noah, his family, and all the animals were able to live peacefully on the boat for 40 days and nights without having a serious waste contamination and water borne illnesses. And oh the unconditional love of God outpouring on his creation as he let it rain and rain and rain for forty days and nights, "To wipe from the face of the earth every living creature I have made." Genesis 7:4 What Grace and Compassion! That is the type of God I want to spend eternity with. But be careful everyone, he can strike you down at any moment, just because, he is, well... God. Don't question him. ...

sent in by Matt I will start now by saying that I have not had a bad experience with Christianity. It made me feel good and it gave me an answer for the inexplicable. I don't blame people for being Christians, nor do I hate them when they 'witness' to me. I was one of them, too. Some of my best friends are still Christian, and most of my family is Christian, with a significant portion of them Fundamentalist. My most intense Christian experience came when I just started High School. My youth pastor invited me to a Bible Camp. I happily agreed, and my life was suddenly changed. Looking back now, a whole week of nothing but the Bible is enough to brainwash a person, but at the time, the Truth was revealed to me. In my mind and heart, it was Jesus time all the time. And I felt complete. I felt like I was finally in on something great. Throughout high school and the beginning of college, I was the leader of anything Christian in my community and campus. I led missio...

sent in by Nathan This is not exactly a testimony. It's actually a short story, but has to do with issues of religion. Any feedback is greatly appreciated! “Joshua, coffee’s ready!” Anne called to him. It was six o’clock in the morning and Joshua still had some last minute preparations to make for his Sunday morning sermon. After drinking his coffee, the preacher knelt by his bed to offer his morning prayers. He could feel the presence of God stirring a holy message inside of him that he planned to share in just a few hours. Having finished his prayer, Joshua pulled back the pages of his Bible and immediately, the twenty-first verse of Matthew twenty-one grabbed hold of his spirit. “I tell you the truth, if you have faith and do not doubt, not only can you do what was done to the fig tree, but also you can say to this mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea,’ and it will be done.” Joshua planned on using this verse for his sermon. He knew that the anointing of the spi...

A best-selling Christian author and radio evangelist known as the "Bible Answer Man" has filed a defamation lawsuit against a longtime critic who had accused him of being under investigation for mail fraud. Controversy surrounding Hank Hanegraaff's Rancho Santa Margarita-based Christian Research Institute arose earlier this year after he sent out an urgent fundraising letter, saying that a "bizarre error" by postal workers caused donations to be thrown away. Critic and former Christian Research Institute employee Bill Alnor, a journalism professor at Texas A&M University-Kingsville, posted a story on his online magazine, the Christian Sentinel, saying that Hanegraaff was the focus of a federal mail-fraud investigation. According to Hanegraaff, that was never true. Citing Alnor's "escalating personal attacks," he filed suit this week in Orange County Superior Court because, he said, Alnor's allegations have "crossed the line." He i...

Hello Ex-Christians I thought this research would be useful especially when dealing with fundies--those who go from drugs to Jesus really go from drugs to another drug---God. Sarah When God Becomes A Drug By Leo Booth SYMPTOMS OF RELIGIOUS ADDICTION Inability to think, doubt, or question information or authority Black-and-white, simplistic thinking Shame-based belief that you aren't good enough, or you aren't "doing it right" Magical thinking that God will fix you Scrupulosity; rigid, obsessive adherence to rules, codes of ethics, or guidelines Uncompromising, judgmental attitudes Compulsive praying, going to church or crusades, quoting scripture Unrealistic financial contributions Believing that sex is dirty -- that our bodies and physical pleasures are evil Compulsive eating or excessive fasting Conflict with science, medicine, and [secular] education Progressive detachment from the real world, isolation, breakdown of relationships Psychosomatic illness: sleepless...

Kathryn A.Lindskoog 1344 East Mayfair Avenue Orange, California 92667 From: JASA 29 (March 1977): 44-45. I believe in the biological truth of the virgin birth. That is easy. But it isn't enough. I can't think much about the biological truth of the virgin birth, because I can't find any comment anywhere on the obvious alternatives we have to sort out in order to think clearly about the subject. (How much do we really value a creed if we don't care to think about it?) Here are the six questions about the virgin birth that block me. 1. Could God have used a kind of parthenogenesis within Mary? (As I recall, parthenogenesis is full development of an egg into an animal without benefit of fertilization. It occurs in nature in certain lower animals and has been accomplished in laboratory experiments with certain more complex animals.) 2. If the ovum was never fertilized, then Jesus' genes were all from Mary. What are the biological implications of that for the kind of man ...

- Wherever religions get into society’s driving seat, tyranny results by Salman Rushdie ::link:: I never thought of myself as a writer about religion until a religion came after me. Religion was a part of my subject, of course — for a novelist from the Indian subcontinent, how could it not have been? But in my opinion I also had many other, larger, tastier fish to fry. Nevertheless, when the attack came, I had to confront what was confronting me, and to decide what I wanted to stand up for in the face of what so vociferously, repressively and violently stood against me. Now, 16 years later, religion is coming after us all and, even though most of us probably feel, as I once did, that we have other, more important concerns, we are all going to have to confront the challenge. If we fail, this particular fish may end up frying us. For those of us who grew up in India in the aftermath of the Partition riots of 1946-1947, following the creation of the independent states of India and Pakis...

Christians, Jews and Muslims often allege a moral monopoly; but the facts betray another truth. Consider, for example, the history of Jerusalem—a plot of land each tradition claims as holy. Jerusalem has been fought over 118 times, completely obliterated at least twice, besieged 23 times, attacked an additional 52 times and captured or recaptured 44 times. It has seen 20 revolts, innumerable riots and five distinct periods of violent terrorist attacks during the past century. Jerusalem has changed hands peacefully only twice in 4000 years. Those who killed for Jerusalem believed they alone possessed a God-given right to the Temple Mount/Haram al-Sherif. Consider the Christian Crusaders’ own accounts of their sacking of Jerusalem in 1099 CE: “The pagans were mercifully beheaded, others plunged from towers, others tortured and burned to death in searing flames. Piles of heads lay in the streets.” These pious Christians burned or disemboweled the infidels alive simply to pilfer the...

Recently there has been a rash of pre-suppositional worldview adherents posting their particular brand or flavor of Christ cult mentality all over this site. Much like the bird fecal matter that covers park benches, these droppings dot the pages of this site and I decided to provide a short synopsis of the package these “Presuppositional apologists” are trying to sell. First of all, presuppositionalist thinkers make bold admissions. They admit that they simply choose to accept that the Bible is the Word of God without external proof or evidence. They also confess to adopting a circular reasoning pattern to support the position. Reformed in theology, Pre-sups accept Five Point Calvinism as the best representation of Biblical soteriology and remembered succinctly by the acronym TULIP which stands for: the total depravity of man, unconditional election, limited atonement, irresistible grace and the perseverance of the saints. TULIP has been rejected by popular Evangelicalism as too harsh ...

(Author Unknown) 10 - You vigorously deny the existence of thousands of other gods claimed by other religions, but feel outraged when someone denies the existence of your god. 9 - You feel insulted and "dehumanized" when scientists say that people evolved from lower life forms, but you have no problem with the Biblical claim that we were created from dirt. 8 - You laugh at polytheists, but you have no problem believing in three gods- the trinity. 7 - Your face turns purple when you hear of the "atrocities" attributed to Allah, but you don't even flinch when hearing about how God/Jehovah slaughtered all the babies of Egypt in "Exodus" and ordered the elimination of entire ethnic groups in "Joshua" --including women, children, and trees! 6 - You laugh at Hindu beliefs that deify humans, and Greek claims about gods sleeping with women, but you have no problem believing that some spirit impregnated Mary, who then gave birth to a man-god who got k...

sent in by Steve http://journals.aol.com/geworfenheit2001/MyMusings/ Geworfenheit2001 at aol dot com One of the attributes that are ascribed to God is that of omniscience. Most Christians and theists take the strong definition of omniscience when they apply it to God, meaning that God knows everything, past, present and future, including supposedly free choices made by human beings. I have pondered this idea for quite some time and for me there seem to be many difficulties with this concept, particularly with reference to God’s knowledge of future events and decisions as I will explain shortly. Now, there is a movement in theology by some (open and process theists), who take the view that God cannot know future events with certainty when it involves choices by humans, but only probabilities based on past decisions, the general temperament of the individual and the cumulative affect of the contributing factors. The majority of this article is not directed at those individuals, howe...

By Irene Peroni BBC News Dan Brown sparked controversy with his novel based on Leonardo da Vinci's Last Supper - now a French clothing company has followed suit in Italy. The authorities in Milan have banned a billboard featuring an all-female version of the 15th Century fresco, which the fashion house itself says was inspired by the hotly debated book. The campaign has run without controversy in both Paris and New York. But its use of religious symbols could offend Milan, the town hall ruled. The advert for the Marithe et Francois Girbaud fashion house features well-clad women surrounding what seems to be a female Christ. The only male in the picture is a young bare-chested man sitting on a woman's lap in a provocative pose. Italy's advertising watchdog, the IAP, said the ad's use of Christian symbols including a dove and a chalice "inevitably recalls the very foundations of the Christian faith". This kind of image cannot be parodied for commercial ends ...

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provided by Ed Babinski Did you know that Michael Denton has changed his view from evolution being a "theory in crisis," to evolution being a fact of nature? Denton even told the Discovery Institute that he no longer wished to be described as an "associate" of that institute. Although Denton's book, Evoultion: A Theory in Crisis preceded Behe and Dembski's works, Denton no longer finds evolution to be in such a "crisis" not anymore. I also wonder what creationists and I.D.ists think of Christians who accept Darwinistic evolution, and reject I.D. arguments? Dr. Colling (fundamentalist Christian and chair of Biology at a fundamentalist Christian college) is O.K. with Darwinian evolution and has even composed a book on the subject titled, Random Designer: Created From Chaos To Connect With Creator. ''It pains me to suggest that my religious brothers are telling falsehoods'' when they say evolutionary theory is ''in cri...