Video by gogreen18 This refers ONLY to the Abrahamic God, for those of you who didn't pick up on that with the whole "omniscient, omnipotent, omnibenevolent" thing.

By Neal Stone W e've all heard it before. We prayed for a miracle and no answer. We are often told that if God doesn't provide an answer then it must not be his will. This is nothing but a sorry excuse. I have spent 20 plus years trusting in God and assuming that it wasn't his will when he didn't answer. Constantly being told I didn't have enough faith or I needed to pray/read the Bible more. Or maybe it wasn't his will. Let's take this and apply to everyday life. Hi mom, what's for dinner. I'm sorry my children, it's not my will to make dinner today. Hello 911, I need help! I'm sorry sir, it's not our will to help you at this time. Please keep trying though in case we decide to answer your call. Hello, this is the power company , we haven't received payment for last months bill. That's because it's not my will to pay you. Help me sir, my son has wandered off can you help me find him? I'm sorry mam, it's not ...

By Becky Image by mugley via Flickr D eath is often something that humans fear because of the unknown that follows it. Throughout history, we have answered that unknown as best we could with the resources and technology that we had at the time. Explaining what happens after death has been coupled with superstition and power hungry authorities needing to control others. The belief of an afterlife is something that should not be forced on others, although that is just what humans have done with the aid of religion. I feel that I have spent countless, harmful hours on the idea of an afterlife. I say harmful because of the mental abuse that I as a child (and as a young adult) experienced thinking about heaven and hell. Most who disagree with me would say that heaven is not a damaging thought. Unfortunately it is damaging to believe that you will be in paradise while others are not. That pious mindset has caused much of the world’s wars and crusades against other religions, not to mention...

By Mriana Vegetarian Bodybuilders O ne of my older son’s friend’s mother said vegetarians are weak to me almost a year ago and tried to tell me that not eating meat is a sin. She even quoted chapter and verse, from the Bible, that justified her inane belief (Romans 14:2), as well as other verses that state all foods “are made clean” and alike. I was irate! As soon as my son came home and walked through the door I said, “Keep that woman away from me!” He said, “What did you do now?” I replied, “I didn't do anything!” Then I explained to my fellow vegetarian son what happened between us. He asked to see the verse and saw the following verse after it, which she did not read, “Let not him who eats despise him who does not eat, and let not him who does not eat judge him who eats; for God has received him.” That still did not help my anger with that woman, for the imposing of her religious beliefs was not the whole of it. I did not once judge her for being a carnivore and she had...

By Valerie Tarico Image by nasunto via Flickr W hen Cory Doctorow at Boingboing recently posted a video of deadpanned quotes from fundamentalists, one moderate person of faith lamented that it seemed like open season on Christians. Is it? Across the web, in bookstores, and recently the theater, criticism of religion broadly and Christianity specifically seem to be ubiquitous. It’s not just the Four Horsemen , or Bill Maher—anti-religious articles appear regularly on political and social blogs. Material that used to be published only at Talk2Action or ExChristian.net now finds a wider audience. Michelle Goldberg offers one explanation: In some ways, there's a symbiotic relationship between evangelicals and secularists. The religious right emerged in response to a widespread sense of cultural grievance stemming from the social upheavals of the 1960s and 1970s. Today's newly organised atheists and agnostics were mobilised by the theocratic bombast of Bush-era Republicans. More ...

This dramatization is made up of comments directly from online Christian fundamentalist forums as collected by http://www.fstdt.net . A special thanks to Edward Babinski for discovering and suggesting this video.

By Neil aka Mudflappus Glass of Kool-Aid by t-dot-s-dot I once considered myself a Christian. The only positive attribute I can claim from this period of my life is the friends I made with some of the other pointy headed little kids that I endured a Christian Academy with. None of us really understood the concept of spirituality at that age and were content to snicker at biblical references to donkeys, bundles of sticks and the various noises our bodies were capable of producing in close quarters. Through it all, I never once felt as if I fit in and concluded that I was meant for a different purpose. I became heretical much to the dismay of the more pious students, who shunned me for not following the script and simply drinking the Kool-Aid. Still, I defended Christianity with my own interpretation of scripture and my best attempt at common sense. As I have discovered, common sense isn't, and therefore I shed the mantle of Christian due mainly to Christians with whom I refuse t...

By Mriana     munchie , originally uploaded by Dee*Lightful Photos . S ometimes when I hear various religious concepts, which are just human concepts, I internally feel like my younger son who has Pervasive Developmental Disorder (PDD-NOS) - a form of high functioning Autism, Not Otherwise Specified. I have watched my son over the years and sometimes I have thought, “I feel like he acts” as he does his frustrated and confused behaviours concerning the external world around him. For years now, I get this dark void in my mind concerning various religious concepts and cannot help but think “It makes no sense. That makes no sense. You don’t make sense.” Sometimes I feel like I could almost rock back and forth as I think in my mind such statements. Abraxas, of the formally titled “Coffee, Cigarettes, and Gnosis” podcast ( http://www.thegodabovegod.com ) in his interview with Tom Harpur, played a sound clip towards the start of the show that said, “Some people lose...

By KSS Image by versageek via Flickr I t is noon, I am working at home. There is a knock on the front door. I open the door to see two young guys, smartly dressed, both in olive green shell jackets and black pants. It is immediately apparent they are selling religion. "Hello," says GingerBoy, probably aged 21, "My name is Waite and I'm a missionary". The other guy, DarkHair, introduces himself also. I don't catch his name but I think he is about 23. Both of them have serious black badges on their identical coats, saying "Jesus Christ of the Latter Day Saints". Of course, I know exactly what this is. GingerBoy starts talking and extends his right hand to shake mine. I am irritated. I know very well that this is part of a routine they have been taught. Shake the hand, establish initial rapport, deliver the message. I decline his hand. I tell them that this is not a good time, and I begin to close the door. I am worrying about other stuff at home, I ...

By The New Heretics I am sorry, but I have to let this one out. I can not count how many times I have seen Christians waddle up to some poor kid with piercing, tattoos, weird hair, or clothing that does not meet their approval and wave their fat little fingers in their face and quote: 1 Cor 6:19 Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit , who is in you, whom you have received from God? Seriously though, are these people really this blind? They are implying that this verse states that our physical bodies need to be in pristine physical condition, because anything less is not fitting it being a temple of the Holy Spirit. That it is a sin to not take care of our physical bodies. That it is a sin to not have a body that does not physically look like it is fitting for God to dwell in. If that was the case, then Christians should be the most physically fit people on the planet. If we truly believed this, I do not think that any Christians would be without a gym members...

By DocMike I don't understand how any modern woman can buy into the teachings of the Bible . It's so obvious, the book was written by men; specifically men who believed that women were inferior. And I'm not even talking about the Old Testament here. This one is from Ephesians : 5:22 Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord. 5:23 For the husband is the head of the wife , even as Christ is the head of the church : and he is the saviour of the body. 5:24 Therefore as the church is subject unto Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in every thing . Yeah, I know it goes on to say that men should love their wives even as Christ loved the church, but love is not equality. You can love your pet or your big screen TV, but you don't think of them as equals. Here are a few more from the New Testament : 1 Corinthians 11:3 But I would have you know, that the head of every man is Christ; and the head of the wo...

By WizenedSage Image by dawn m. armfield via Flickr O ccasionally I will read that death must be terrifying for those who believe there is no God and no after-life. It makes death so final, so empty! I guess I must be a little odd, because I find it a great relief that there is no everlasting life . Of course, anyone would be relieved on coming to believe there is no hell - but no heaven? Well, frankly, I cannot imagine anything that wouldn’t get boring after hundreds or thousands of years of it, especially groveling before some egocentric god. So what is death? Well, functionally, all the evidence suggests the death of a human is merely the end of awareness for that human; he is no longer conscious. This doesn’t frighten me in the least because it happens to me every night when I go to sleep. And while I’m asleep, I don’t miss my family or friends or any of the other things I love since I’m not aware that they (or I) exist. There is no pain, no longing, and no sadness. But aren’t I s...

By dealdoctor R ecently there was an article in the New York Times placing focus on a debate in Israel between secular and religious Jews concerning the role of religion in their military. It seems that now there are large numbers of conservative religious Jews in the military there who have risen to positions of great authority. The top-ranking rabbi is seen by many as encouraging wars of Israel to be seen as holy wars. A recent tract sent to soldiers quotes and Scriptural verse that amounts to saying any mercy on the enemy as contrary to Scripture. In addition there is also a debate in the religious communities about the role of religion in the military. Which comes first holy land or people? It seems liberals and conservatives just can not agree all around the world. What is going on in Israel is strangely reflective of the same issue of right leaning evangelical Christians in the U.S. Army using their positions of power to pressure troops under their command to participate ...

By Brenden Image via Wikipedia I 'm just about to turn 19 in a fairly religious close-knit family, and I'm an atheist. I don't particularly like the word atheist, because it places a label on the exact people who don't want one. I used to believe in God and all that jazz. Although I never read the Bible, I did attend Sunday School, and I even got confirmed a Lutheran -- by orders of my mom. That's when it all started. She forced me to get confirmed against my will, but I did it anyway -- went through the classes and what not. But, as I got older, I started thinking more logically. I was (and still am) a huge fan of The Science and Discovery channels. I'm fascinated with space, and the thought of other life. If God does exist, why can't He just show me? Why do prayers go unanswered? I started asking myself these questions and more, and realized, "Duh, all that stuff isn't real." Think of religion as the game Telephone. Someone says something, ...

Come to a powerful weekend with others who can understand and support you. “RELEASE AND RECLAIM” Recovery Retreat May 1-3, 2009 ; Oakham, Mass . (near Worcester ) Friday at 7pm until Sunday at 3pm, at a beautiful lakeside home on six acres with hot tub, canoes, and more. This program is for you if you want to let go of toxic, authoritarian beliefs and reclaim your ability to trust your own feelings and think for yourself. Leaving your faith can be a very difficult process, but you don’t have to go it alone. At a Release and Reclaim Recovery Retreat participants can: Share personal stories Examine key issues Learn coping strategies Meet others and build a support system Enjoy meals, relaxation, and fun These retreats are led by Marlene Winell, Ph.D. , psychologist and author of Leaving the Fold: A Guide for Former Fundamentalists and Others Leaving Their Religion . Dr. Winell has a private practice in Berkeley, CA and also consults by telephone. COST: Sliding scale: ...

By Valerie Tarico Valerie Tarico -- Image via Wikipedia A re more social ills associated with religion or a lack thereof? If you’re honest, your answer to this question probably maps to your belief status. After all, most of us like to think we’re on the side of the elves, not the orcs-- that we and our kind are making the world better. In the absence of clear evidence, the religious and the nonreligious both believe this. Every once in a while, though, we actually get a bit of data that lands on one side of the question or the other, and last week some interesting research hit the press. One of the oft touted benefits of religion is that it eases our dying. Guess what. According to a study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (Jama), “Terminally ill cancer patients who drew comfort from religion were far more likely to seek aggressive, life-prolonging care in the week before they died than were less religious patients and far more likely to want doctors...