By SConner This is for any Exchristian out there, who are proverbially, gagged and can't -- for whatever reason -- verbally speak out or lash out, not being able to vent your frustrations at Christian co-workers, relatives or neighbors, because it would be "politically incorrect" or "intolerant of their views" (Making broad gesturing air quotes for hyperbolic effect). I happily, submit this rant for your vicarious, pleasure. For those who don't know, I attend Compassionate Friends meetings; it is a self help organization that administers to parents, who are suffering with unbearable grief, dealing with the death of a child. My son died a year and a half ago from a heart attack, related to leukemia. Recently, after one of the meetings, a person of faith, someone, I had, only, barely, met at another, previous, meeting, came up to me and started to rant about god's word, rattling off scripture and sputtering, asinine claims about creationism, which I co...

Was Jesus truly sinless? This five-part series examines this very question.

Is this for real? Apparently so? Read all about the Christian band SonSeed at DOUGSPLOITATION : Sal of "Sonseed" Tells All! Or apparently not! Zombie Pirate Ninja Monkey thinks it's a fake: Sonseed: I'm calling it as fake . Either way, truth or false, you just might find yourself singing this one all night long, just like back in the day.

By Neal Stone I was always told that Jesus loved us not matter who we were and that God had a will for us. I was born with Epilepsy and visually impaired. This resulted in a learning disability (which I eventually overcame), and I was anywhere from being the normal kid. I would get made fun of, put down and have my family judged as nothing but trouble makers due to other family members who got into drugs and alcohol. The stories I post here are just a small part of what Christianity has done to my life. Neal Stone But the real pain would be trying to fit into church. I was always at odds with the PK (preacher's assho...kid). I would struggle to understand God, the Bible and his will. But the real struggle would be years later as I gave one last shot at finding God's plan for my life. I was in my early to mid 20s and was attending this church in Lacey, WA. We had a new young adults leader and this new gal. Both went out of there way to filter out those of us who didn'...

By Neal Stone That famous line from Get Smart. So many Christians use it today. For example, “Jesus is coming back by the year 2000...would you believe 2011?” Go to any Christian and ask “Do you believe in Santa Clause?”. They will of course say, “No I don't believe in a guy who can watch and monitor millions of children each year; who tracks who is naughty and who is nice; who can deliver presents to those millions in a 24-hour period by riding in a sleigh pulled by reindeer; who is surrounded by magical elves who spend the whole year building these toys to be delivered all living at the north pole.” But ask that same Christian. “Do you believe in God?” They while proudly state “Yes I believe in God who can monitor, record and playback the lives of everyone who has ever lived; who lives far out at the edge of the universe but can still hear the prayers pf billions of people millions at a time; who came down from heaven to live with us then die and raise himself from the dead; w...

By Neal Stone When I was attending church I was amazed at the number of men who claimed they were being persecuted at work or by family and friends about their faith. I would marvel at their “testimony for God” and how they stood the test and blah, blah, blah... It wouldn't be till years later I would see the truth. Christian persecution is BS plain and simple! It is nothing more than self-persecution. Imagine you are at work and doing your job. You are a good worker too and while you chat with your co-workers you focus on getting the job done. Along come some guy and he introduces himself and then ask “If you died today do you have assurance you would go to heaven?”. Huh? This is exactly what we were told to say when we “witnessed” to others. It's bad enough to put someone on the defensive right away but why stop there? Most of the time the co-worker would say “no thanks”. But that wouldn't stop these guys, they would continue to share their beliefs and make some ...

By Jonathan Synopsis : The following is based on a contemporary re-interpretation of Fyodor Dostoevsky’s “The Grand Inquisitor” from his work The Brothers Karamazov . The character giving the monologue is a personification of Evangelicalism. The setting is the sanctuary of a mega-church. On stage are two rows of four folding chairs, representing pews, a Bible is placed on the first row. “ The Grand Evangelizer” is dressed informally and very fashionably, wearing the latest trends. His demeanor is one of being kind in a highly patronizing way. Throughout the monologue he is talking to Jesus Christ who is seated in the back pew (invisible to the audience). Approximate length of time: 18 minutes. Body : (Walking up to pews, laughs as if understanding a joke that’s supposed to be kept secret). Ha! Ha! Good morning! (Hands in pocket, standing in front of invisible person seated in back pew, proudly and confidently composed). Ha! Ha! Yes, I know who you are! Recognized you imm...

By Valerie Tarico The Associated Press this week referred to Bristol Palin as doe-eyed -- a somewhat odd metaphor given her mother’s heralded talent for gutting doe-eyed creatures. Or perhaps it’s a weirdly accurate metaphor. Sarah Palin’s beliefs and aspirations have caught her teenage daughter in the public headlights and gun sights —where she is destined to become a trophy to Palin’s failed abstinence-only education policies. I can sympathize. Let me tell you. Sarah Palin self-describes as a “nondenominational” Christian. That’s home turf for me. As a fundamentalist teen, the only information I got about reproduction was a book about hamsters: "Susie’s Babies." There were eggs and sperm involved, but to this day I couldn’t tell you how hampster sex works. I can tell you that Susie didn’t make any decisions whatsoever—about whether she wanted that little hamster “pellie” (as we called it) in her little hamster place, or whether she wanted babies sucking on her litt...

By Lance K Disclaimer: I don't believe what I am about to say, but since Christians seem to enjoy putting forth conjecture as arguments – with only loosely linked or coincidental evidence – I thought I'd have a little fun playing by their rules. Here we go... Fact – Satan is a very powerful being, and is a tricky liar. Fact – God is good and loving. Fact – Satan does not want you to get to know this loving and good god. Fact – Since Satan is so powerful, and since he pretends to not exist, and since he can magically put thoughts into your head without you knowing it, you can't tell if what you believe is really true, or if it is a lie from Satan. Most Christians would probably fully agree with the first three “facts,” but some might have a problem with the last fact. They may agree with the first part of it, but would say that they can tell something is a lie if it disagrees with the Bible. But is that really true? How can they be certain that their belief in the Bible a...

By Jackie H Today I was on my way to work (in Sydney), listening to the radio. This week is no-ratings week so they're playing "best-ofs"... They played an interview with crazy psycho lady Shirley Phelps-Roper from Westboro Baptist Church (She was being interviewed by Kyle & Jackie O from 2dayFM Sydney ). It was in regard to Heath Ledger of course. When he died I did hear vaguely about some church in America putting up signs saying Heath was now in hell, but I never really followed the full story. There are wackos out there that think that hell is a good idea and they even like the idea of it! In my opinion, Heath was the sexiest guy alive, plus a brilliant actor! He was also close to my age so I was really sad when I heard he had died. When I first heard about the whole "Heath is now in Hell" thing, I thought, thank god I don't believe in hell anymore!! If I had still been a christian then it would have really upset me, because my belief system wou...

By Neal I recall many years ago about a family in the church I was attending had lost their child. He wandered off and was found face down in the mud. I recall listening in on the conversation with one of the church leaders and the pastor. I then heard the one comment I can't stand to this day — "Only God Knows..." What? Really? Huh? So why isn't he telling then? Does not the Bible say that if we ask we shall receive? Does not Jesus tell us we will receive wisdom and understanding just for the asking? Doesn't the Holy Spirit live in Christians and guide them and provide them wisdom? So why is it after 2,000 years of Christianity and all the millions who have studied it and that in this "enlightened" age, this is still an answer to most tough questions? What really baffles me is that many church leaders, prophets and other supposed "spirit filled" religious leaders will make some prediction about the end times or make some other prophecy a...

By Mc Pickard Now that you've gone to service, said your prayers and gave God a few Franklins - it's time for a sermon from the other side of the aisle. The other day, I was at the K-Mart in Oconomowoc , on a little visual research expedition. As I was strolling through the book section, How to Hear from God: Learn His Voice and Make Right Decisions by that church lady from the 700 Club caught my attention. I quickly scanned the back. The book promises to teach you how to hear God's voice in every daily action so you can do "His Divine Will." All for $19.31! For whatever reason, this goofiness interests me. I did a quick Google and this subject is almost a genre unto itself. The believer is duped into thinking that a non-stop circle jerk of sanctimonious, self-affirming, ego-stroking is somehow a Bat-Phone to God. This site not only features a downloadable lecture, but "4 Main Keys" to secure direct communication with God. This belief is predicated o...

Sent in by Brian I was raised in a very Christian home, and went to church my whole life. I never had a reason to believe otherwise - there is a God, he is all powerful, and you DO NOT question it. I can remember a few times kind of wondering "Is this for real?", and then praying for some kind of sign - which of course I never got. After I did not receive confirmation of his existence, I immediately prayed and asked for forgiveness for my lack of faith. Who was I to question God? When you start thinking about the whole question in a logical manner, it is very hard to remain faithful. There are simply too many facts against religion. Well at the age of 24, I started listening to some very intelligent people. I would debate with them about the existence of God, but the entire time, I would feel like I was losing the debate. I would throw out fake "Facts" to back up the existence of God, and bring up faith.. They would be visibly frustrated by my lack of understanding....

By Astreja As much as I enjoy the dialogue at Ex-Christian.net, I've noticed something that's a bit worrisome. I have become a BibleBotherer-Seeking Missile with an extremely short fuse. My own experiences with Christianity are somewhat milder than the norm. Although nominally a liberal Protestant in childhood, I didn't get the fear of Hell beat into me by parental units, teachers, friends or neighbours. I didn't invest decades of precious life time in the Christian cult, although I did later deconvert from another belief system and can identify with the pain of going from belief to non-belief. So what's with the intense, blood-boiling fury that I've been feeling lately? One possible explanation: Uninvited proselytizing and evangelizing is abuse , psychological torment, and what I'm feeling is natural -- Counter-aggression in the face of a perceived attack. At this point, I would expect one of our Christian visitors to say "Attack? But we're onl...

With all due respect. By Pat Condell

Bill Maher asks Arkansas Senator Mark Pryor whether or not he believes in evolution. This is a clip from the movie Religulous Religulous is a documentary directed by Larry Charles and starring American comedian Bill Maher , host of Real Time With Bill Maher on HBO . According to Maher, the title of the film is a portmanteau derived from the words "religion" and "ridiculous," implying the satirical nature of the documentary that is meant to mock the concept of organized religion and the problems it brings about. Religulous is scheduled for release on October 3, 2008

Part I: Part II: This is a round-table interview with John W. Loftus author of " Why I Became an Atheist: A Former Preacher Rejects Christianity ." John is the founder of Debunking Christianity . Robert M. Price talks about his book " Top Secret: The Truth about Today's Pop Mysticisms ." Robert is also author of " The Reason Driven Life ," and many other greats. Discussion topics here include: the New Atheists, family values of Jesus, prosperity gospel, Joel Osteen, Creation museums, New Thought, New Age movements, Oprah, Genesis, modern science, etc. Part one is approximately 90 minutes long. Part two is 30 min.

A meaningful dialog between Dinesh D'Souza , Christopher Hitchens , and Dennis Prager . The debate was held in the spring at the Bat Yahm Synagogue in Newport Beach , and the audience was predominantly Jewish, with a fair representation of Christians and atheists. Video is approximately two hours in length.

The sexual abuse of children by ordained clergy may now be combated using this convenient spray repellent.

Sent in by Geoff Cars move because Elves push them. How come we can't see any elves? --Their magic makes them invisible. How come they don't leave any fingerprints? --They wear gloves. Elves are little aren't they? They couldn't possibly have enough strength to push a car. --They work in teams. I happened across this on a message board on myspace, all credit goes to this person: LINK . --Geoff-- Still... some cars can go over 200 mph. Nothing can run that fast. --They're magic, remember? But humans invented cars didn't they? It's nothing to do with elves. --The Elves INSPIRED people to build cars. If Elves push them, why do they have engines? --It amuses the elves to make us think we need engines and fuel. Isn't that a bit evil of them? I mean this is a multi-billion dollar industry that ravages the environment. --The ways of the Elves are not our ways. So all those engineers and scientists working on hydrogen engines and electric cars are wasting their ...