By Kevin B Image by doug88888 via Flickr I t has been of my assertion ever since I broke free of childhood that religion quite simply does not make sense. It completely blows my mind to see intelligent people say they believe in Jesus and that they know that God exists. It makes me think to myself, humans as smart as we are, may not have the mental capacity to fully understand exactly what is going on. We have invented great things and advanced a long way but the basis of our intelligence may just be far too low to comprehend exactly how the universe and our world came to be. We see this on earth, where a species can get to a level of comprehension of something but fail to fully understand. If you teach a chimpanzee to sign, does it really fully understand the language? Is it possible that we could one day teach that chimpanzee to talk and function in our world? The answer is no, and it is because the chimps brain is just not at a level to fully be on par with our own. I think...

By E Chamberlain MD, San Diego CA Image by SamikRC via Flickr T he Apostle Paul reasons-- wrongly and without even bothering to cite evidence to make his case-- that one's failure to believe in God drowns the non-believer in a cesspool of immorality: "Even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient; being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers, backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, without understanding, covenantbreakers, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful." Paul tries to sneak this tenet of his by us right from the start (Romans Chapter 1) and declines to acknowledge that one can be agnostic or atheist -- not liking to "retain God," at least not Paul's God, in one's kn...

By Daniel Brown I t’s that time of year again! Pack your bags, round up your dusty ole passport, dig up that Hawaiian shirt you love so much (you know, the one that makes you look like Rick Warren ), and get your flippy-floppies out—it’s mission trip time again! Time to go tell some third-world peasants about Jesus, hammer a few nails in a decrepit schoolhouse, and catch some rays! Good times. I often reminisce about the days when I would travel to some god-forsaken place and tell uneducated, illiterate dark-skinned people about the zombie magic man. They latched on to the story immediately. Is there any wonder 500 people “come to know Christ” during these trips? A tall, well-dressed white man has come to their village to tell them of an invisible man in the sky who can give them anything they want if they just ask. Doesn’t matter if it’s true or not, as long as it makes you feel good. You're a god. After being in that dusty place for a couple of days, it’s time for the real trea...

By Valerie Tarico The Born-Again Experience Image by nickwheeleroz via Flickr I prayed harder and just then I felt like everything I was saying was being sucked into a vacuum. When I stood up, I felt like thin air; I had to brace myself. I felt this energy, it was a kind of an ecstasy.” Cathy “Something began to flow in me—a kind of energy . . . Then came the strange sensation that water was not only running down my cheeks, but surging through my body as well, cleansing and cooling as it went.” Colson “It was a beautiful feeling of well-being, warmth and loving . . . I went home and all night long these warm feelings kept coming up in my body.” Jean “I felt something real warm overwhelming me. It was in just a moment, yet it was like an eternity. . . . a joy, such a joy hit me with such a tremendous force that I jumped . . . and ran.” Helen. – from Conway & Siegelman, Snapping , pp 24, 32, 12, 31 For many Christians, being born again is unlike anything they have ever known. A ...

By Mriana Image via Wikipedia O ne of the things I have noticed over my lifetime is the death and destruction of the Religious Reich, everything from suicide to murder. They might not pull the trigger personally, but they do seem to find some poor bloke they manage to brainwash and mentally abuse to do it for them. All too often the Religious Reich wants to control the masses via religious dogma that makes absolutely no sense in light of scientific knowledge, especially and including Women’s Reproductive health. Sadly, when they cannot have control of the masses, they attempt to take it by force, in some manner, and then attempt to base it on their so-called “good book”, when that book can be shredded and put back together again after showing them just how much they do not know about it. I intend to do just that too, because as a Christian friend of mine has told others since the murder of Dr. Tiller, I will not back down or even stand down, at least not in writing, especially in t...

By Jack Image by .craig via Flickr NOTE: I'M NOT SAYING I BELIEVE THIS STUFF, I AM MERELY POSTING IT FROM A PERSPECTIVE AS IF IT IS THE TRUTH S o we have this god, who has infinite power, can do anything, and created everything. Anything he wants, he can get it at his finger tips (or whatever gods use). Wants to create a planet? Boom! The planet is HIS. Wants someone to have a billion dollars? It's all their's! Wants to eliminate anything that pisses HIM off? Darn right HE can do that! Now we have us humans. Most of us would kill for a millionth of the powers god has. Sure, the majority of us can walk, run, talk, and complete tasks, but that is limited. I can only run so far, work so hard, and unlike god, I will, eventually, die. Because of my limited lifespan, strengths, and knowledge, I can only do so much for my fellow humans, and absolutely nothing I posses can please a god (considering god created me and everyone else). I. HAVE. NOTHING. You'd think ...

Image via Wikipedia Today we are familiar with the “New Atheists” authors on the bookstands. Sometimes it does one good to read Robert Ingersoll , the prince of atheists. In 1894 he wrote “ About The Holy Bible ” and in the sections of that work below he discusses the two foundational beliefs of Christianity and slays them down to dust. What are we to think of the uniqueness of Jesus Christ and the "inspired" Holy Bible? If they are rejected what is the real Bible? -- dealdoctor WHY SHOULD WE PLACE CHRIST AT THE TOP AND SUMMIT OF THE HUMAN RACE? Was he kinder, more forgiving, more self-sacrificing than Buddha? Was he wiser, did he meet death with more perfect calmness, than Socrates? Was he more patient, more charitable, than Epictetus? Was he a greater philosopher, a deeper thinker, than Epicurus? In what respect was he the superior of Zoroaster? Was he gentler than Lao-tsze, more universal than Confucius? Were his ideas of human rights and duties superior to those of Zeno...

By Valerie Tarico Image by degreezero2000 via Flickr I Know Because I Know O n a warm afternoon in June, two men have appointments with a psychiatrist. The first has been dragged to the office by his wife, much to his irritation. He is a biologist who suffers from schizophrenia, and the wife insists that his meds are not working. “No,” says the biologist, “I’m actually fine. It’s just that because of what I’m working on right now the CIA has been bugging my calls and reading my email.” Despite his wife’s skepticism and his understanding of his own illness, he insists calmly that he is sure, and he lines up evidence to support his claim. The other man has come on his own because he is feeling exhausted and desperate. He shows the psychiatrist his hands, which are raw to the point of bleeding. No matter how many times he washes them (up to a hundred in a day) or what he uses (soap, alcohol, bleach or scouring pads) he never feels confident that they are clean. In both of these...

By ChuckyJesus666

By Bill Image by space time coctail via Flickr E very religion has it's rules and in Christianity, these rules are collected in a book called the bible (the book). Religious leaders tell us this book is the word of god, written by god to teach us how to live right. According to these priests god created everything , knows everything and is in total control. Let's take a closer look at this book he gave us to see what it has to offer. The book says we were created by and placed here by a greater god (against our will?). The book teaches us god created us all, good, bad, deranged, defective and perverted. The book tells us we are all sinners and out of the billions of people that he created, only 144,000 are good people. The rest are losers slated to burn in hell for eternity. The book tells us to follow our leaders without question as they were chosen by god. Our leaders are allowed to murder their children if they hear voices in their head telling them to do so. They are allow...

By Valerie Tarico I wasn't going to post this to ExChristian since it's a bit off topic, but because so many of us have been shamed by our religion for our abortions, I thought that some of you might find that it speaks to your experience. G eorge Tiller --physician, abortion provider, Lutheran, husband, father, grandfather--was shot and killed yesterday in the lobby of his church . He was killed after years of harassment and threats, bombing of his clinic, even being shot in both arms. And yet he continued doing what he did because he believed it was right. They say that the walls of Dr. Tiller’s clinic are lined with letters from grateful families. I can understand that gratitude. Whenever tirades against abortion catch my attention, I look at our elder daughter with wonder and gratitude. Without abortion she wouldn’t exist, and if I knew where to find the warm Canadian-trained Singaporean physician who gave us the gift of Brynn, I would send her one of those letters, t...

By Ray Image via Wikipedia A s Christian hypocrisy goes, one of my favorites is what I call "The cult of the southern Christian military hero." There are more than a few Christian websites doing this. The Reconstructionist movement run by ultraCalvinist diehards is one of them. They have put Thomas J. "Stonewall" Jackson and Robert E. Lee in their pantheon of little gods next to Jesus. It must have been a mentally orgasmic day for the Reconstructionist honchos when President Ford restored the full rights of citizenship to General Lee in 1975. (And this rehab job is fully supported by traditionalist Catholic outfits since Pope Pius IX supported the Confederacy) Maybe the Vatican can make them honorary Catholics and declare them saints. This claptrap is really sad when one considers that Lee kept the slaughter of the Civil War going even after 1863 and Gettysburg, thus opening the way for the ruination and destruction of "Old Dixie" over the de...

By WizenedSage Image by rainsoaked via Flickr M any Christians suffer anguishing, debilitating fear their whole lives over the doubts they just can’t beat down. They will have - they can’t help but have - serious doubts about some of the extraordinary stories and incredible claims of Christianity, but dare not entertain those thoughts. Often their pastors and parents drum it into them from the time they are knee-high to a grasshopper that to doubt God is to insult Him and invite His terrible wrath. They may teach that doubt is the favored strategy of Satan to undermine the faith of believers. But, this fear really makes no sense. If there’s a God worth worshipping, one who can determine the course of future events, then that God must be sensible. It should be blindingly obvious that if there’s a God, then he gave you legs to walk with, ears to hear with, eyes to see with, and a brain to think with. No sensible God would give you a brain and then punish you for using it to the best of...

By Mriana Image via Wikipedia A s I mentioned before, I was born in 1966, a few months before the season premier of Trek the Original Series . I grew up with the saying, “We strive to better ourselves and humanity” among other sayings that are very much similar to what is found in the Humanist Manifestos and all prior to age seven. The age of accountability among Christians is seven, but for seven years, I saw reruns of TOS and I remember sitting in a Lazy-Boy chair when I was four watching a “laughing Vulcan ” who was sprayed with some powder from a flower, as well as Tribbles, and Apollo (see “Who Mourns for Adonis”). At the same time, we rarely went to church around this time, but there were rare occasions that we did. I have an idea of how old I was because we lived in Alton, IL prior to me going to first grade. We did not live in the country until after I entered first grade, so I have some demarcation of age. There was a moment when my mother pointed to a time of drastic chan...