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By Bill J The problem with Christians is that they are not taught to look at the Bible critically. They are taught to believe it without doubt, usually from an early age. To most of them, it is inerrant and inspired by the Holy Spirit, so it has to be correct. When I took bible classes in Bible College we always looked at the difficult passages with faith. The kind of faith that believes there is an explanation for why something seemed contrary. The professors always gave some reason for why God had the Israelites kill children or commit genocide. They would explain why God doesn't answer every prayer, even when we follow the Bible literally, like bringing the elders of the church to pray for the sick. Aren't the sick supposed to be healed if the elders pray for them? Only if they are true elders, right, whatever. Their explanations seemed plausible to us because we believed the Bible came from God and God must have had a good reason, right? Weren't we taught that God¡¦s w...

by J.C. Samuelson Chris Hedges comes across as a decent guy. He laments the intolerant demagoguery of some prominent Christians and their Evangelical followers as well as the violence displayed by radical Islamists. He appears concerned about the forces that continue to divide us, and his persona is very nearly that of a journalistic Rodney King saying, "Can't we all just get along?" It seems almost cruel to offer criticisms of such an apparently forthright, earnest, compassionate, and likeable person's ideas concerning religion. In fact, it would be quite easy to find points on which we might agree. Yet it would be irresponsible not to offer a critical analysis of some of his ideas, most recently expressed in abridged form in an article titled, " The Hitch in Hitchens' Thinking " (see also here ). High on Hedges' list of irksome issues is the proliferation of atheist polemics addressing religion. He has debated both Sam Harris and Chris Hitchens on ...

Posted by John W. Loftus Source: The Nation [from the June 25, 2007 issue] "We commonly hear that only a tiny percentage of Americans don't believe in God and that, as a Newsweek poll claimed this spring, 91 percent do. In fact, this is not true. How many unbelievers are there? The question is difficult to assess accurately because of the challenges of constructing survey questions that do not tap into the prevailing biases about religion." "According to the American Religious Identification Survey, which interviewed more than 50,000 people, more than 29 million adults--one in seven Americans--declare themselves to be without religion. The more recent Baylor Religion Survey ("American Piety in the 21st Century") of more than 1,700 people, which bills itself as "the most extensive and sensitive study of religion ever conducted," calls for adjusting this number downward to exclude those who believe in a God but do not belong to a religion." ...

One of the most popular Christian arguments in defense of the belief in a perfectly good omnipotent God in the face of intense suffering is that the atheist does not have an objective or ultimate moral standard from which to press this argument against the theist. I have tried and tried to explain why these are two separate problems. In my latest attempt I said this: On the one hand is the problem of suffering for you who believe in a perfectly good omnipotent God. On the other hand there is the problem of objective morality for those of us who do not believe in God. If you press the second problem on me as an answer to your problem, then you are skirting the issue of your problem. It's that simple. You cannot respond to your problem by saying, "yeah, well you have one too," and I cannot respond to my problem by saying, "yeah, well you have one too." I have dealt with my problem here . When will Christians deal with their problem? Their problem arises from withi...

By John John Fraysse This letter was inspired by a comment posted in response to a Testimonial by perianwalsh (Wanting Heaven and Escaping Hell) on July 23, 2007. The comment by Kara , presumably a fundamentalist Christian, suggested that leaving Christianity might help one enjoy life and even help others do the same. However, after these admittedly positive benefits, it was suggested that ultimately Hell was waiting for us all if we don't choose the "Narrow Road". ------------------------------- Dear Kara: My reason for writing is not to de-convert you, but rather to help you understand just a few of the reasons (and there are many more) why millions have rejected Christianity. I assume it is the "God of the Bible" that you worship and serve and also his Eternal Hell that you fear. Of course you know that your god has a "Love Me or Burn Forever" kind of love. If you have children or one day hope to have them, would you consider them "your en...

by J.C. Samuelson Just over two weeks ago, I wrote an article briefly discussing the controversy that exists, even among secularists, concerning the revitalization of atheism in relation to expressions of cultural or political bias against non-believers. The goal of that article was to show that a bias does exist, and that it does manifest itself in the public arena. Yet that article was woefully inadequate to the topic, particularly in terms of examining the public relations aspect of the issue, what relationship that might have to the persistence of bias, or how far secularism has come, where it might be going, and what, if anything remains to be done. For the record, I do not think of myself as a member of a downtrodden minority. Nor do I think non-theists should adopt that sort of attitude. In spite of its religious heritage, America functions as a pluralistic and largely secular society, not a theocracy. The instruments of government prohibit the establishment of a state religion...

By Bob P For a god to exist, He (She, it?) must possess intelligence. I believe the faithful would agree. Let's take a look... Again, as usual, Occams Razor is the standard. Intelligence, as we know it, exists in (most) humans, and perhaps in some animals. Intelligence here will be defined generally as awareness, observation, understanding, acceptance/reconsidering, and a memory. There are additionally four basic conditions for intelligence to exist as we know it. Anything beyond these conditions can only be in the imagination of someone desiring it. 1: Location: Intelligence has only been observed on the earth. At no time or place has any intelligence been observed, elsewhere. Intelligent life may and probably does exist elsewhere in the universe, but we have yet to observe it. 2: Matter: Intelligence requires matter. There has never been any intelligence observed except in matter. There is no observation of intelligence in a vacuum. 3: Life: Intelligence requires life....

By Micah Cowan I have recently subscribed to Answers magazine, produced by Answers In Genesis , famous for their recent opening of the Creation Museum . I received my first issue a couple months ago. The chief reason I subscribed was that I wanted to keep abreast of anti-evolutionary arguments, and Creationist reactions to recent scientific discoveries as they occurred. The issue I first received was almost entirely dedicated to the stories of the global flood and Noah’s Ark. I was rather disappointed to discover that there was actually rather little in the magazine for me to actually evaluate, as most of the writing offered no references to back up their claims and assertions; thus, there was nothing for me to reason about—only rhetoric. I have just received the next issue, which I have not yet opened; I’m hoping there will be more interesting arguments in that one, and hopefully some references to back up a few of the claims. However, I was struck by this very brief snippet of ...

By Chad M This is the time of change. This is the time of wonder. Religion does not bring change. Religion destroys the sense of wonder. Religion is not courageous. It is fearful and cringing. Religion is not loving. It is tyrannical and abusive. Religion is not the truth, the way and the light. It is lies, misdirection and darkness. A cross on the wall and a nail in the coffin. Both are resounding and final. Both are found at the end of life. I choose Life and Wonder over Fear and Regret. Religion calls the brave man a coward and the wise man foolish. Religion acts with self loathing and hatred towards itself. Religion denies the nature of the universe and kills all hope. Religion is man dreaming of his God. Religion is man creating his creator. Religion is the man made controller of man. God is Dead as myths must die to make way for the dawn of reason and the limitless sky of curiosity . The blood of a human god does not spill easily and without cost. The free gift of redemption from...

By Chad M This is the time of change. This is the time of wonder. Religion does not bring change. Religion destroys the sense of wonder. Religion is not courageous. It is fearful and cringing. Religion is not loving. It is tyrannical and abusive. Religion is not the truth, the way and the light. It is lies, misdirection and darkness. A cross on the wall and a nail in the coffin. Both are resounding and final. Both are found at the end of life. I choose Life and Wonder over Fear and Regret. Religion calls the brave man a coward and the wise man foolish. Religion acts with self loathing and hatred towards itself. Religion denies the nature of the universe and kills all hope. Religion is man dreaming of his God. Religion is man creating his creator. Religion is the man made controller of man. God is Dead as myths must die to make way for the dawn of reason and the limitless sky of curiosity . The blood of a human god does not spill easily and without cost. The free gift of redemption from...

If you haven't seen this film already, rent, borrow or buy this movie as soon as you can. This is an absolute MUST SEE -- WM From Wikipedia : Deliver Us from Evil (2006) is an Academy Award-nominated documentary film directed by Amy Berg which tells the true story of the pedophile Catholic priest Oliver O'Grady , who sexually abused potentially hundreds of children between the late 1970s and early 1990s. The film won the Best Documentary Award at the 2006 Los Angeles Film Festival. The title refers to a line in the Lord's Prayer, "Our Father." The film chronicles O'Grady's years as a priest in Northern California, where he committed his crimes. After being convicted and serving seven years in prison, O'Grady was deported to Ireland, where Amy Berg interviewed him in 2005. O'Grady speaks candidly about his crimes. Additionally, the film presents trial documents, videotaped depositions, and interviews with activists, theologians, psychologists and...

By Tuskin R It could be simply stated that I have a brain, and a heart. Each of these organs are much more valuable than a soul, in my opinion. I was raised in a strict pentecostal household for twenty years, terrified and spiritually repressed into believing that some "guy in the sky" was going to burn my six-year-old body to cinders if I didn't sacrifice my happiness for him. My father told me once that he loved me, but that he loved GOD more. Good for him, I guess. I liked my imaginary friend a lot, too -- when I was three. That was the beginning of my fall from grace, I guess. Eventually, a series of irreconcilable paradoxes I'd found within the religion (both ethically and factually) helped me decide that Christianity was an utter lie built to control and destroy everything "human" that exists within the upright walking amazing animals. Here are some key things that may help you to turn away from Yahweh: 1. Christians tend to pick and choose w...

Sent in by MothandRust Has the universe always been here in some form, or did something create it at some point? Consider the Andromeda Galaxy - it looks a lot like our own, I'm told - not that I've ever stepped back far enough to check out the similarities - but there are many many more like it to show that our galaxy is just one collection of spinning matter in what is an immeasurable expanse of space and 'stuff'. The interesting thing about our Milky Way galaxy (named after the famous chocolate bar) is that it's not actually big... it seems big because we're so small, it's relative, it is not huge, it is not immense and it may or may not be infinite. The incredible amount of galaxies that make up what we can see of our universe may in fact be just one cloud amongst many universes . These steller bodies are moving, colliding and collapsing all over the shop and there's evidence to suggest that the universe has been doing so for billions and billions of...

By George D I sat yesterday in traffic in front of the Third Baptist Church waiting for the interminably omniscient red light to grant mercy by letting me free from yet another delay. I was running way behind schedule. Seemed like every "Sunday driver" was out in force, conspiring with slow moving construction vehicles and endless red lights to make my day typical of one in hell -- if such a place exists. The sign read, "If the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed." I couldn't figure out if the church secretary, who no doubt posted the sign, was thinking of the red traffic light, encouraging motorists to pray for a light change and experience first hand the power of freedom through prayer, or if the words, taken from the lips of Jesus allegedly 2,000 years ago, were to be applied only to more esoteric matters, like taking that one-way drive through Hades and its countless red lights. I was hoping it was the former, not the latter. As a former fundamentali...

By Bob P After having abandoned God for more than 55 years, I finally decided to take a new look, since God's followers are so adamantly convinced there is a god. Here are the results of my recent investigation: 1: Yes, there is one God, but it's been misrepresented, They should have said it's ONE God per person, not just one god for everybody. (more later) 2: God in the sky? No! not at all, again we have been mislead. There is no such thing as 'up' in the universe. God is as unique as every person who claims to have one. Every culture throughout history has created a different god 3: Where does the name 'GOD' come from? Who is God? Good question, G.O.D. is merely an acronym meaning 'Gremlin Of Detention' .....You ask, what does that mean? It means that if you allow a god (any god) to detain your mind, you are a prisoner of a belief system! Why would a rational person shut down his (her) mind from all the possible answers for a simplistic monot...

By Bob P This is to illustrate a typical discussion with a fundamentalist. Any similarity to persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental. For obvious reasons, I have omitted the usual shouting, cursing and insulting that frequently results. You: You're an atheist, is that right? Me: Yes I am. I have been an atheist since 1951, I was 17 at that time. You: Why don't you believe in God, everyone else does? Me: I don't believe in your god or anyone else's god because all the gods are the creation of man's fertile imagination. Everyone does not believe as you do, there are an estimated 13-14% atheists in the US population, and much higher in other advanced countries. Additionally, there are many more gods than just the Christian god. Only 1/3 of the world is considered a 'Christian' nation and obviously not all of them are Christians. Additionally, there is no evidence that any god exists or have ever existed. For an advanced country, the USA has a dispro...

By dano Tammy Faye Bakker Messner , got the last laugh. I saw her last night on the Larry King show and it was like staring death in the eye. She has lung cancer that has spread fro her colon and weighs 65 pounds, but there she was, scary eye makeup and all, looking like a skeleton from one of those horror movies, with her husband, at her own request for her interview with Larry King. Although she had difficulty talking, she was alert and cognizant of every thing Larry king asked her. Tammy, although obviously under the influence of lots of morphine, for what she described as constant pain, sat there with a twisted smile and was generally upbeat in her demeanor. After answering all of the generic questions from Larry. He asked her whether she was afraid to die, and she answered predictably, no. She has put herself in gods hands, and discussed her obvious impending death, unemotionally and with good humor. Who would have believed that Tammy Faye would be sitting there on network...

By Bill J In my opinion, many Christians do not feel free to be themselves. Christians have a need to present to the world a belief that because they know God, they know peace, joy and the meaning of life and so on. Usually they explain short comings as a result of some personal un-dealt with sin, not being baptized in the Spirit, not reading the Word enough, not praying enough, not going to church enough, not seeing a real Christian counselor, not tithing, not being under spiritual authority and so on. Sometimes you are led to believe the devil or demons have a hold of you. The reasons for not living the life you are promised in the Bible, or over coming some sin in your life, are many, complex and varied depending on your church, pastor, theology, denomination, etc. It usually drives people nutty if they don’t fall into one of the explainable answers that may or may not provide relief or a solution. I’ve seen many a confused person leave the church after not fitting into one of the e...

By Bored Again To me, one of the clearest evidences of the mindlessness of Christianity is the so-called "Lord's Prayer" spoken by Jesus in the gospels, and repeated endlessly around the world. During my pilgrim's progress through the Roman Catholic Church (yes, I was an altar boy, though undefiled) and through fundamental Christianity (yes, I was a Deacon, Elder, Sunday School Superintendent, etc.), I found myself uttering this "prayer" many times, both by myself and in unison with entire congregations. Yet, until now, I never stopped to think about what I was saying. Priests and preachers have extolled this "divine utterance" as either the exact words we are supposed to pray (Catholic), or as a model of the way we ought to pray (Protestant). Either way, the only serious intellectual controversies I ever faced with respect to this prayer have been: 1) whether to ask god to forgive my "debts," or my "trespasses" (I preferred...