By Michael Runyan ~ I t is common for various authorities to make predictions of future events as a means for society to prepare for such eventualities, such as, for example, the path of a hurricane, the arrival of cold or hot weather, rain, or snow, the prognosis and timing of recovery from various diseases, future economic activity levels, the growth of wildfires, tides and flooding levels, and harvesting amounts related to agriculture. In the Christian world, these predictions would not necessarily be amenable to observations of current conditions, an examination of past experience, or use of analytical models because the world would be continually subject to the whims of various supernatural agents, such as demons, angels, Satan, God (in three personages), or a multitude of saints (depending on the particular denomination). Answered prayers could also throw off any of these predictions. The success rate would be low and not improving over time. In a world governed by natura

By Hannah ~ I was born to two twenty somethings who weren’t ready to have a baby at all. They found each other in a small Baptist Church, both coming from difficult lives. I think they bought the idea that Christianity increases your chances of a better life. Anyway,my first seven years were spent in dresses and skirts and we didn’t have Santa or the Easter bunny and we definitely didn’t trick or treat. It was a lonely, quiet early childhood and I didn’t fully trust any adult around me. Why would I, with so much focus on rebellion and disrespect and “me versus you” parenting. Age eight, I went to a tiny Christian school. It was more exciting than homeschooling with Abeka and Bob Jones textbooks. I lived my super sheltered life constantly hearing about people who weren’t saved, were going to hell, demons, more hell. We couldn’t even play pranks on April Fools because it was Atheist Day and pranks often involved lying. I towed the line, often couldn’t sleep at night from a

By Shaolin ~ I don’t believe in hell. After studying the Bible thoroughly on the concept of hell and discovering that it has no consistent, cohesive description of this “place”, I concluded for myself with a high degree of certainty that it doesn’t exist. It saddens me that so many people, including atheists, are tormented daily by the very idea, thinking “what if?” So let’s suppose there is such a thing. Then there are questions that need to be asked: 1. What is it? Is it “outer darkness”? What is the outer darkness? Is it space? Is it a fiery pit under the earth? Is it a fiery pit in outer darkness (which makes no sense whatsoever)? Is it a physical place? Or is it a “spiritual” place of torment beyond time and space? One would think the imaginary God would think enough of us to explain this shit. The hell concept has more holes in it than the streets of Chicago. 2. What happens there? Do people just burn forever? For what intelligent reason? What burns? The “soul”? If the

By Carl S ~ O ne thing about human beings is the fact too many of them refuse to grow up. This causes troubles for the majority of us. Those who want to keep their childhood religious fantasies still have the child's worldview “everything important relates to me.” They don't want to give up their conviction some benevolent, replacement father-spirit is watching over them, so everything will work out a-ok, no matter what befalls everyone and everything. They find comfort and strength in the company of others who also want to remain children. Growing up is hard to do. It is terribly hard when religious upbringings create the conditions for one's perpetual immaturity. When a child, one thinks as a child and believes what one's been told on faith as a child, but when it comes time to become an adult, one ought to put away the things of a child. Doubting and giving in to doubts is a sign of welcoming maturity. Growing up can be hard to do when one's chronological a

By Carl S ~ “In the beginning was The Fungus... '” N ow, many raised to believe in the “spiritual” will find themselves perplexed or insulted by that idea. They are taught almost from infancy, that a Great Spirit or Creator beyond the constraints of physics brought the Universe into existence. They have no idea where that Spirit concept, living in Its own spiritual environment, originated from. Neither do they consider the possibility that the “spiritual, mystical, revelational, transcendental,” experiences, the foundations of religions, probably originated from the effects of psychedelics found around the world. Simply put, their effects on the brain. The more one investigates that idea, the more sense it makes. Indeed, one researcher said it's likely psychedelic plants have been used in religious ceremonies for seven thousand years. They are still used in religious ceremonies. (The Religious Freedom Restoration Act of 1993 or RFRA, is cited by the religious right as the