By James Wilhelm ~ W ho was it that said the best case against Christianity are Christians? If there’s any real value to Christianity in terms of helping humanity, why do so many Christians ruin it for so many others? Having lived the Christian life, I came to know many sincere and devout Christians. However, when I lived that life, I was ignorant of how scant the evidence supporting the truth of any of its fundamental beliefs. Christians argue and twist history considerably, but in the end all that’s left for a their foundation is blind faith. There is nothing especially wrong with a life based on blind faith, but I don’t agree with taking advantage of people by insisting Christianity is "TRUE" when there is no real evidence supporting that belief. So many believers don’t want to acknowledge that for every person who ends their struggle with the concept of Christianity and God by deciding they are “lost” and must accept Jesus as their “personal savior,” there are just

By Catherine ~ I was raised Roman Catholic and went to Catholic school until 7th grade. My mother had us go to church every Sunday and we performed all the sacraments required. This gave me the morals to never judge anyone, as God was the only one to judge. This sets up a life of not using good judgment about people – or God – always to see the best in them and rely upon that. When dating, I didn't use discernment as that would be judging. And when my husband-to-be started changing for the worse, I knew God would help and bring him back to the gentle person I had known him to be. From before the marriage I was threatened of what he would do if I didn't marry him, and this included what would also happen to my family. I thought if God didn't help, and if I couldn't help, I'd find a way out later. Ten years later that would be, as laws didn't protect a wife from a husband back then. Think the Bible didn't influence law? I was told by more than one police

By James Wilhelm ~ C ontrary to what my religious brothers and sisters think, the decision to abandon Christianity came only after much careful thought and painful years of self-doubt and anxiety. It didn’t come easy or lightly. A lifetime of trying to resolve the faith into something meaningful and lasting took a huge toll on me, with the final decision holding much sadness. And the blows that followed like: “You were never really a Christian” or “You were never really saved” or “You went to the wrong church” just added to the sadness. In my heart I went deeper into Christian principals and know the Bible better than most espousing it. People abandon Christianity for various reasons. Some see the contradictions, hypocrisy and silliness and decide it isn’t for them. I understand that. But leaving something you truly believed in, something you gave your heart to, and something you ultimately found to be fundamentally incorrect, is mind bending and life altering. For some o

By James Wilhelm ~ W e are all part of the same universe – every one of us – like it or not. Religion, Jesus, or a misguided belief in heaven and hell won’t change this. One of the larger problems with Christianity is that it won’t acknowledge this idea. In fact, this viewpoint is considered evil – inspired by the devil – because the Bible tells us so. As believers raise their hands to the Lord and listen to the Holy Spirit, they convince themselves they’re OK – saved by Jesus – but they are not so sure about you (especially if you're an unbeliever.) "I’m going to heaven – you’re going to hell." We all hear Christian leaders preach with this or similar condescending attitudes. Where I live a well-known Christian minister recently reminded his congregation to avoid certain people “because you don’t know what demons they carry around with them." In Europe in the 1600's Christians were burning people to death because they were smart enough to figure out