The Rev. Mac Hammond, founder of Living Word Christian Center in Brooklyn Park, told his congregation in a letter that an IRS investigation is "politically motivated," and part of "a very clear effort, on a national scale, to discredit, defame and intimidate ministries and preachers of what has been called the 'prosperity gospel.'"

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OK, I have a question.

I had been a Christian for 27 years when I started questioning my faith. I began seeking information about other religions and atheism. Over the past two years, I have searched my heart and mind to come to a conclusion for what I truly believe. During the past week, I decided that atheism made the most sense. Based on the invisible pink unicorn theory, I felt that god/s could not possibly exist. Within three days of making this decision, something strange happened. First, let me say that the paranormal is something I really believe in.

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Sent in by Bryce

After a couple of weeks of browsing this site and after agonizing over this issue on and off for the last few years, with the most recent being the last couple of months, I've decided to accept the fact that I'm not a Christian.

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By Looking4Answers

First off, I want to say that it feels very strange coming here and posting this. I have been going through a crisis of "faith" and mind lately. The unique thing about all of this is that it was nothing catastrophic that caused me to begin to question the things that I have believed for the last 18 years or so. What I would like to do is relate some of my story ... tell you about me, how I became a Christian and why I am leaving all of that behind. The big struggle for me, as you will see, is what to do with my very religious wife and my four children, as I love them very much. Here is my story (thus far) ...

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An 18-year-old man testified yesterday in Forsyth Superior Court that he regularly had sex with his pastor over a three-year period, from when he was 15 to 17.

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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..."

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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!

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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?

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Sent in by Awlheart

I was always a very religious person. I was born into a Sicilian-Catholic family. I went to Catholic school and was the kid that always had questions on religion because so much of it didn't make sense. But I was brainwashed very well and bought into it 100%.

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Sent in by Awlheart

I was always a very religious person. I was born into a Sicilian-Catholic family. I went to Catholic school and was the kid that always had questions on religion because so much of it didn't make sense. But I was brainwashed very well and bought into it 100%.

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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?

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Sent in by Brian

My story of leaving Christianity is a little different than most I’ve heard or read. The focus of my story is how much I regret now, looking back on my life, that would have been different had I not been a Christian.

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Pat Condell has come out with another gem.

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Sent in by Tina

I've struggled with faith my entire life, and now I truly believe that religions were established so power mongers could control and oppress people (especially women).

My late mother walked away from her church as a teenager and never looked back. She was still very much a believer in the bible but did not believe in the trinity theory that so many Christian churches teach. She did encourage her children to go to different churches with friends and decide for ourselves what we wanted to believe. As a youngster I frequented Catholic, Baptist and Methodist churches and even visited a synagogue once.

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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.

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Pastor Michael Guglielmucci spun gospel of lies

HE preached to thousands about his terminal illness and tugged at hearts with a hit song.

The problem is, the pastor wasn't dying at all.

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POWDER SPRINGS, Ga -- Her job was to teach children the Christian way of life. Now she is charged with what her church might consider the ultimate sin. Twenty-four year old Holly Barnes, a teacher at Grace Baptist Church Christian School in Powder Springs, is accused of having sex with a child.

The Paulding County Sheriff Office is investigating the charges against Barnes. Investigators say they are concerned there may be more victims. The arrest of a teacher came as a shock to members of the church who picked up their kids from school Wednesday afternoon.

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Sent in by Michael

I write this mostly as catharsis, not as a call to action or as a convincing case against Christianity. As I think more and more about it, I have come to realize that my life is far more valuable than I let it on to be, and that my deconversion a year and a half ago only opened me up to far more than I had ever experienced.

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Sent in by Tressa

My dad was born to a Jewish father and a Protestant mother. They raised him to have a marginal belief in a monotheistic, omnipotent God and the existence of an afterlife, but other than that, for the purpose of compromise, he was not brought up under any definite religious doctrine. To this day, my dad holds vaguely deist beliefs, but is fairly distrustful of organized religion. My mom was born to a devout Anglican mother and a Seventh-Day Adventist father; keep in mind that in these days, the Adventist church was not as well-integrated into mainstream society as it is today, and was still quite a bizarre Christian offshoot along the lines of the Jehovah's Witnesses. My mom was baptized Anglican but raised in the United Church of Canada, as it was the dominant religious institution in the small Ontario town her family eventually moved to.

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Katy Perry's Evangelical Parents Call Hit Song 'Shameful'

Oh, to be a fly on the wall at the Perry house this holiday season.

The evangelical parents of chart-topping singer Katy Perry have condemned their daughter's hit song "I Kissed a Girl" and are blaming the big city lights of Los Angeles for steering their little girl away from gospel music in favor of sex innuendo-laden pop.

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MABANK — First Baptist Church of Mabank youth minister Joshua Neal Ponder, 32, was arrested Aug. 13, for sexual assault of a teenager.

Mabank Police Chief Kyle McAfee said Ponder confessed to charges related to a 16-year-old male victim.

The assault allegedly occurred April 8 but was not reported until Aug. 8, according to reports.

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The following 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.

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Sent in by Ian

I wish to post my testimony for a few reasons.

For one, I hope that just one person gets a bit of help from this. I've been so encouraged by this site and others like it that I felt moved to help in the only way I know how. Second, I want it known that I am a new person. I'm not the Christian that I once was. I'm not that judgmental, closed-minded conservative that worries about every action and is ruled entirely by guilt and false obligation. Anyway, it turns out that I even like myself.

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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.

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Hi everyone!

I enjoy your site, especially the testimonies of others who've left Christianity like me. The ones that interest me most are ex-Christians who've joined other religious groups.

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

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Maryville - It's a crime you hate to hear about. Your children violated at church where they're supposed to be the safest.

Two married youth leaders are accused of raping teenage girls. Police tell us there could be even more victims.

A sign on the door of the Lord's Disciples Church on Old Knoxville Highway in Maryville tells visitors all services and activities are canceled until further notice. This after two of their youth ministers are charged with eight counts of sexual battery and rape with 15-year-old girls.

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A South Georgia minister who robbed a bank Friday afternoon remains in jail. Fifty-one-year-old Jim Creason told the officers who arrested him that he was financially desperate.

The Sheriff's office says they have more property crimes occur when the economy is down, but a psychologists says that's not enough reason for someone to resort to crime.

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Sent in by James

I've been visiting this site for a while now and it's been a real help during my deconversion. I thought it was about time I contributed and maybe help someone else who is looking for answers.

Well, eight months ago I told a friend "I am a Christian who loves God and has no ulterior motives or desire to not be a Christian. Yet I am willing to leave Christianity if it is found that its claims of Truth can not hold up. Anyone who would not abandon even their most deeply cherished beliefs if it became clear it was false would be a self-deluding fool."

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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.

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Sent in by Virginia

Christianity thrives on human suffering and yearn for community. It was precisely under these circumstances that I committed myself to Christ at 19 years old, when my family got into serious trouble -- father filed for bankruptcy, my parents separated.

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He is known variously as Vissarion, The Teacher, and Jesus of Siberia and his followers believe that he really is the Messiah.

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I, recently, had a heated debate at the excellent blog, Debunking Christianity, http://debunkingchristianity.blogspot.com/2008/07/genesis-221-25-woman-from-rib-and.html?showComment=1217981580000#c2183258380688335035 with a zealous, Pastor Harvey Burnett, http://www.blogger.com/profile/15315686602819371111.


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Sent in by BiMamaFemAtheist

I posted the short version; here's the long version - SP.

I was born at home in January of 1983. Six of my grandmothers eight grandchildren were born this way (the other two are adopted). My parents split up before I can remember, and my mother went back to school to get her degrees (ending up with a PhD). So my grandmother was my primary parent (although mom did live in the same home). My grandmother, who I have always known as Giggy, was both devout and insane. She made the rules and meted out the punishments. In the late 1970s she wrote a Xtian bestseller about the end times and promptly retired from nursing, a job she hated. After a few years of notoriety and fame in the Xtian fundy world (then known as charismatic) she became a "spiritual midwife", urging women to forgo traditional prenatal care and instead root out "defilements" in their lives that might cause a less-than-perfect birth experience. This is the world I grew up in: no Smurfs, Care Bears, or Fraggle Rock. No music outside of church and church choir. No movies till they'd been broadcast on basic TV and then recorded and edited by my grandmother (heavy on that fast-forward button through any bad language or dirtiness). No public school till 4th grade, when my mom graduated and we moved out of state to get away from Gig.

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Sent in by BiMamaFemAtheist

I posted the short version; here's the long version - SP.

I was born at home in January of 1983. Six of my grandmothers eight grandchildren were born this way (the other two are adopted). My parents split up before I can remember, and my mother went back to school to get her degrees (ending up with a PhD). So my grandmother was my primary parent (although mom did live in the same home). My grandmother, who I have always known as Giggy, was both devout and insane. She made the rules and meted out the punishments. In the late 1970s she wrote a Xtian bestseller about the end times and promptly retired from nursing, a job she hated. After a few years of notoriety and fame in the Xtian fundy world (then known as charismatic) she became a "spiritual midwife", urging women to forgo traditional prenatal care and instead root out "defilements" in their lives that might cause a less-than-perfect birth experience. This is the world I grew up in: no Smurfs, Care Bears, or Fraggle Rock. No music outside of church and church choir. No movies till they'd been broadcast on basic TV and then recorded and edited by my grandmother (heavy on that fast-forward button through any bad language or dirtiness). No public school till 4th grade, when my mom graduated and we moved out of state to get away from Gig.

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Sent in by S. P.

This is going to be the short version of my story. I'll write a longer one once I've had more time to analyze exactly what being a former Christian means to me - it's still fairly new.

I was "born and Bible-bred" as they say. I was taught that all people are inherently evil, and that without the ten commandments and God, I was destined to hell. I remember "accepting Jesus" in my grandmother's bedroom when I was three years old...

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From Freethinking Mom

I have been visiting this site on a regular basis for almost a year now. My husband and I de-converted from Christianity in December 2007, and I have posted the odd essay here.

Today, however, I come asking for advice...

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Jury finds "Apostle" Neulan Midkiff guilty on all counts in a scam that took in as much as $390 million.

A U.S. District Court jury in Minneapolis found preacher Neulan Midkiff guilty on August 1 on all 21 counts of mail and wire fraud and tax evasion, as his family sobbed in the courtroom.

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From Hoo-Haa

Hey there - I've recently found the site and enjoyed listening to your highly engaging, entertaining and intelligent podcasts on the variety of truths I know hold dear - those of anti-theism aka atheism.

Like many, I was brainwashed by the xian cult from an early age, slowly throwing bits and pieces of its iffy 'Gospel' into the bin until nothing regarding the 'c-word' but anger and frustration remained.

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Sent in by Mike Schultheiss

Gather around, everyone. I've a story to tell, one I've been burning to tell for the past few years. You see, like the lot of you I used to be a Christian: for fifteen and a half long years. I accepted-Jesus-Christ-as-my-personal-lord-and-savior when I was about four and a half (yes, I know, it was a VERY grown-up decision for little Mike Schultheiss--actually it was Michael in those days--to make after the presentation in his Sunday School class, complete with posters of a gentle, bearded Jesus with European features) until I was almost twenty.

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Dr. William R. Crews, 73 and founder of "The Awakening Hour" television ministry, was arrested for criminal domestic violence on July 29, according to reports from the Spartanburg County Sheriff’s Office. He was released on July 30.

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A video review of scientific studies on intelligence in relation to religiosity.

From RationalistTube.Com

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By Marlene Winell, Ph.D.

I get this question so frequently, I’ve decided to make a better effort to reply. To be honest, I don’t like the question because it presumes we know what those words mean. Here are some responses, touching on more or less serious aspects of the topic.

1. Which god? Do you mean Zeus, Baal, Athena, Shiva, Allah, Jehovah, or some other? If you mean one of those, then no. I am not a theist. I don’t believe in an individual being that created and now controls the world.

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Long controversial for its aggressive evangelism aimed at those with a troubled past -- ex-convicts and drug addicts among them -- the Anaheim-based Christian motorcycle gang known as the Set Free Soldiers found itself in deeper trouble Wednesday when its leader and half a dozen members were arrested on suspicion of attempted murder.

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Sent in by Martha

I was raised Christian in a moderate (actually, fairly liberal) church by two very loving parents. At no point was anything forced down my throat; I accepted the teachings willingly and with enthusiasm. I remained very strong in the faith all the way through high school until I joined the military, where I moved far away from my family and my church. I tried to remain faithful for several years, but it didn't take long for me to start having issues.

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Sent in by Red Foot Okie

I’ve been visiting this site for a few years now, mostly to read the de-conversions, make occasional comments, and be thankful that my own road to skepticism was not nearly as rocky a path as many of you had to walk.

The short version is that religion was never a huge issue in my immediate family. In fact, it usually only crossed my mind when someone else brought it up first. Put bluntly, education, experience, and living life have led me to become a happy atheist.

The longer version follows:

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Sent in by John

I grew up with two sisters and a single mother. My mother had very strong Christian beliefs. She wasn't evangelical, but did force them onto the family. We were quite fortunate in that in many respect we had a privileged upbringing, with money for a nice house, school fees, sports opportunities etc etc. In other respects the three of us had to endure the consequences of my mother's strong beliefs and desire that we should share those beliefs, and have our lives run as she thought God intended.

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Sent in by Gloria

I am telling my story here today because I have a question that I hope someone here can answer for me. If I can find understanding on this last issue, I believe I will be at peace with my decision.

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LEAVING YOUR RELIGION?

It's not the end of the world! Join us at a recovery retreat.

"RELEASE AND RECLAIM"

August 15-17, 2008, with Dr. Marlene Winell

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Blogger corrected the error and even sent an apology (below):

But first, I would like to thank everyone for the positive feedback. I really appreciate the kind words, especially from people who understand why I would create such a blog.

Christians tend think I'm just slamming them for the fun of it or that I'm a hateful fuck working for satan or something. But most of you understand that the real reason is to spread truth, not lies.

Thank you for your support!

-DocMike

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From Billybee



Hi to all,



I have been an Atheist for over 15 years. In that span of time I have sought and found satisfying answers to many many of my questions. However there is one question that has never been adequately addressed to my satisfaction. That question is simply; Now what do I do?



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Sent in by Kristine

I was raised as various forms of protestant Christian — mostly Methodist and Presbyterian — all evangelical. My parents weren't really into the church thing, but they always tried to promote Christian and traditional values — the typical Christian/conservative thing. I was taught that Jesus loved me and that I should pray. The family did drag me to church enough times and talk about Christianity enough that I did get the whole Christian experience and I did believe.

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By Calladus

Originally posted April 2007, in the Calladus Blog

I was pretty active in church as a teenager (that was a long time ago now). We had Lock-Ins (where the youth group would spend all night at the church), retreats, summer camp, conferences. It was pretty good being a teen in the church.

I once attended a youth conference at Texas Christian University that was interesting and fun. There were a lot of teens there – it felt like thousands. We would have speakers in the main auditorium with all of us in attendance, and we also had some smaller groups with speakers.

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By DocMike

I started By The Book Comics in March of 2007 because I'd met so many Christians who had absolutely no idea of the injustice, absurdity, cruelty, violence, intolerance, and contradictions the Bible contains. And still, they consider it to be the inerrant word of God.

Since then, I've posted 45 comics (with commentary) that point out (using humor) some of the many weaknesses of the Bible. I've promoted the blog by posting here at ExChristian and by responding to posts on this and other Atheist-related blogs. I have links to other Atheist sites, blogrolls, etc. I'm definitely not running a spam site. I get maybe 50-100 hits per day. Just a law-abiding US citizen exercising my right to express my opinions...

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The Pale Blue Dot: a picture of Earth from 4 billion miles away, as told by Carl Sagan.

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