I t’s a question that nearly every nonbeliever faces at some point in his or her life: “But what if God exists, what would you say to Him?” Stephen Fry , a well-known British comedian, actor, and writer – who just so happens to be an outspoken skeptic – faced the question with an interview on Ireland ’s RTE television station. The interviewer, Gay Byrne , begins, as they inevitably do, by asking Fry to humor him and suppose that God really does exist. “Suppose it’s all true, and you walk up to the Pearly Gates and you are confronted by God. What will Stephen Fry say to him or it?” At first Fry laughs and remarks that the question is the “oddest thing.” After collecting his thoughts, he gives an answer that leaves the interviewer speechless. Read more: http://www.addictinginfo.org/2015/01/30/atheist-stephen-frys-response-to-what-he-would-say-if-he-met-god-levels-this-interviewer-video/#ixzz3QS08LjID

By Ben Love ~ T he year is 1304 ce. I’m a twenty-year-old hunter living in what will one day be known as Wyoming in what will one day be known as the United States of America. In the year 1304, however, these realities are in no way present in my imagination or even in my conception of the possible. The land I live on belongs to my tribe, the Sioux, and I’m not even aware that white-skinned foreigners live on lands across the great sea or that such lands even exist at all. I may not even be aware of the “great sea.” I’m just a hunter living out his story in a small setting—a setting he didn’t choose. This is  when I was born. This is where I was born. I had no say in the matter. There is nothing for me to do except to make the best of the time I have. Suppose that even though I am young, I have a wisdom beyond my years. There is something kinetic about me, and others in the tribe can see it. Thus, I am well liked and highly esteemed. Suppose also that I am a decent man who l

By Finite Atticus ~ I feel bad that I have never shared here. Prplfox told me about this site a long time ago. I have told my deconversion story in the form of a youtube series. In it I give a detailed account of my christian life, my knowledge that I am gay, and that I actively hide this from everyone while trying to maintain a marriage, children and christian attitude. Hope you all enjoy it. http://www.youtube.com/finiteattic

By Carl S. ~ I t seems like some people live for entertainment. I would, bi-weekly, clean the apartment of Karen, a woman who lived alone and primarily got her information about how the world worked from watching television shows. (She once asked me why the local McDonald's employees weren't friendly, as they were on TV.) She sent money, left to her by her deceased mother, to a televangelist. One day, Karen wasn't answering the door for me, and I found out it wasn't locked. There she sat, plopped down on the floor like a rag doll, the television set going full-blast. The EMS responders determined cause of death was a heart attack. Karen, who suffered from schizophrenia, then in her fifties, was known for her shouting at the TV commentators and celebrities, as if they were physically present in her room. Speculation was that she had been doing this when she died. Considering her health, one could say that entertainment, a positive thing, led to her death. The di

By Weeping Dalek ~ F or me to accurately give a testimony of my shedding of religion, I feel that a brief history is needed for a deeper understanding into me and my situations. I apologize if I jump around in time every now and again. You see, my mom was separated from her own family through a church closer to a cult than a common denomination of christianity during high-school. The leaders in this church told my mother from the time she was either a freshman or sophomore that she would end up marrying the pastor’s son and providing for him. And so, the courtship began. It wasn’t until much later, either junior or senior year, that she actually met the boy. She explained that upon seeing him, she was immediately disgusted, said he looked as if he had down’s syndrome, though he had been tested and proven not. He was the class clown, wore black, played guitar, studied humanity, and produced his own comedy. She reviled the idea that spending forever with this person was what God

By Valerie Tarico ~ W hen conservative Christians claim that the Bible God condones torture, they’re not making it up. A close look at the good book reveals why so many Christians past and present have adopted an Iron Age attitude toward brutality. The first half of December 2014 was painful to many moderate American Christians who see their God as a God of love: A Senate inquiry revealed that the CIA tortured men, some innocent, to the point of unconsciousness and even death. As is common, evidence suggested that this torture extracted no lifesaving information. And yet, a majority of Americans responded by giving torture the thumbs up, with the strongest approval coming from Christians , both Catholic and Protestant. Faced with moral outrage, including from within their own ranks , Christian torture apologists took to the airwaves and internet , weaving righteous justifications for the practice of inflicting pain on incapacitated enemies. As morally repugnant as this may be,

By WizenedSage (Galen Rose) ~ I recently came across some survey results which were very confusing. Christians regularly point to their alleged more noble characteristics, especially when evangelizing. Christianity makes them better people they tell us. They point to their selfless concern for others, their compassion, tolerance, and unerring sense of fairness and justice. You know, that attitude of love thine enemies and treat others as you would have them treat you. In Luke 6:27, for example, Jesus admonishes his followers to, “Love your enemies, do good to them which hate you…” In light of this, I find those survey results seem to suggest a disconnect between how Christians describe themselves and what their opinions say about them. The survey , by Washington Post/ABC News found that Christians were, by wide margins, more supportive than the non-religious of the CIAs recently revealed treatment of terrorism suspects. Among the non-religious, 72% said the treatment amounted

By Daniel out of the Lion’s Den ~ A fter a period of turmoil in my marriage, my believing wife and I have reached a point where we can accept that the other does not hold the same beliefs regarding religion or the cosmos. In order to help her to not feel alone at church, I decided to attend the Sunday worship services with her. I do not, however, attend the Adult Bible Fellowship, Wednesday Bible Study, Sunday Evening Home Group, or any other activity meant to keep a Christian mind from straying. I tell myself that I can sit through one sermon a week, and that it’s a good place to work on material, keeping my mind sharp as I mentally challenge everything the pastor says. And I have rarely been disappointed. The mega church has multiple facilities. One satellite building in particular was built three years ago. Before a certain area was carpeted, church members took Sharpie pens and wrote names of people they would like to bring to Christ on the subflooring. This past Sund