By Ben Marconi ~ I occasionally miss my imaginary god and best friend Jesus, even 18 years after realizing there probably is no God, especially not any of the surviving desert-folk gods: Jehovah, Allah, Jesus. Of course, these gods do exist in one huge sense—as a construct in millions of human minds. Probably there does exist something like a “god-shaped hole” in the heart that only a god can fill. Novels, movies, gadgets—after creative type people imagine a useful concept, do they not naturally try to make it SO—on paper, on film, in a factory? Seems the Personal Savior-type Jesus has especially evolved to be able to adapt nicely to almost any kind of person. Notice how uncannily some Democrats sport a blue-leaning Jesus while Republicans own a red-leaning Jesus? Then just imagine a Jesus so personally involved that he talks back to us, telepathically through His Friendly Ghost. Therefore, to dismiss and renounce one’s own faith can practically amount to renouncing one’s own brain

By Carl S. ~ A dd my name to the list of those tired of having another learning experience. (How my wife and friend keep from poking fun at me, I don't know.) My printer failed. I conveniently bought a new one without researching it first. I had to return it. Short story, two more trips back to the store, 15 miles each way. They eventually replaced it with a different model. After a few days, I realized I'd screwed up again; I'd failed to see this third, new model couldn't perform the functions my original did. These learning experiences led me to do a lot of research to get the most capable printer for my needs. I cut my losses, got over it and moved on. You'd think I'd be embarrassed to admit these things, but I don't mind being wrong. You're probably asking yourself “Why is this guy, on this site, wasting my time while I'm looking for serious information?” As a matter of fact, he wants to make a case for learning from” religious” learning ex

By Carl S ~ S ometimes when I'm trying to get to sleep, or wake up during the night thinking about something, I'm compelled to write it down. Opportunities don't come that often. Just try and sleep! While the river flows, I think, go with the flow, even if it's in the dead of night. (I now realize this particular “sudden insight “ came after years of observations.) But before this begins, let me clarify one thing: What follows is not a judgement of individual Christians, but of Evangelical Christianity. “Evangelists” are the gospel writers. Contrary to the evangelists, “Evangelicals” are not swayed by their gospel messages of compassion and forgiveness, except as these apply to their own members. They judge gays, liberals, those who oppose prayer in schools, the “uppity” women who demand control over their own bodies, any scientist with evidence contradicting their scriptures, etc., as deserving O.T. punishments. The Evangelicals/Fundamentalists are continually pl

By Illusion Free ~ I use the pseudonym 'Illusion Free' because it has taken many years for me to break free of so many illusions relating to the christian God and religion in general. What an ingenious hoax it is to conquer the mind of humanity by creating temples and churches in which organized religion can receive a paycheck. Every generation that is born is swept into this illusion ... blindly following those before them who make the illusion seem so real simply because they believe in it. Behind it all, the money pots keep spilling over as those who run organized religion benefit from human ignorance. Even more disturbing is the poorer the country or community, the more churches or temples there are sucking the blood of those who have 'faith'. Yes indeed, humankind has capitalized upon God and manufactured God into an entity that most people can relate to... 'God is a He ... God is a she ... God is love ... God has given us commandments to follow .

By Michael Runyan ~ I t is universally uncontroversial that children are highly vulnerable to being be inculcated with the religion of their parents, and, possessing little critical thinking skills, they rarely turn away from their faith until possibly later in life. However, most, it is assumed, stay with their childhood indoctrination for the remainder of their lives. Here is where Christianity fails an important test of logic and fairness. If the criterion for entry into heaven is as suggested by the Apostle Paul and the Gospel of John, that acceptance of Jesus and his sacrifice on the cross is both necessary and sufficient to spend eternity in heaven, then those children born into hon-Christian homes are at a decidedly unfair disadvantage. Unlike the pre-programmed children, they have to somehow extract themselves from their family faith, often suffering severe domestic repercussions, and discover the ‘truth’ of Christianity. This is like running a race while giving some a b

By Ann Wilcox (Submitted by Karen Garst) ~ O ne evening I was at dinner with my philosophy discussion group. The talk turned to politics and current events, and the man next to me began to complain that his wife was a “one-issue voter”. “She just votes for the candidate that’s pro-choice, without thinking about their position on anything else,” he said. I could feel my ire rising, but I couldn’t figure out why his words bothered me so much. I care about the economy. I care about education. I care about global warming, and a host of other issues. But I side with that man’s wife. Why? I can argue all day long about how women’s (and men’s) lives are changed by having children, especially unwillingly: changes for their families, their careers, their health, their futures, their finances etc., and all of those things matter, deeply. But when it comes down to it, no issue is bigger to me than my right to chose my own beliefs and act on my conscience. No one else has the right to