By Apostate Paul ~ "So, you're an atheist now." Morality (Photo credit: dietmut ) O ne of my buddies asked me this one idle evening after work. A few weeks prior, I had sent out a letter to all of my Christian friends informing them that, while I still respected them and wanted to maintain my relationship with them, I no longer thought that Christianity held any water, and I wouldn't be pursuing it anymore. I would still be the same goofy, Ultimate Frisbee -obsessed guy trying to live a virtuous life, just without the religious parts. "Yes," I said, laughing. "Why?" He smiled and said, "We've never mentioned it in person. You said a while back that you were always happy to discuss it with me. So do you mind if I ask you a question?" "Sure, what's up?" I said, wondering what I was about to get into. "Well, you said that you were planning to continue living a 'virtuous life' even though ...

By Apostate Paul ~ E ven though I no longer believe in the Bible, I still love and respect many of those who do, including several of my close friends and family from before I left the faith. The powerful effects of love are hard to shake, even when you abandon the religion that taught it to you. But I'll be honest. That respect and love can be a little difficult at times, especially when we talk about hell and God's perverted version of justice -- at least, it's difficult until I take a glance at my dozens of old prayer journals and recall with humility and empathy that I wasn't all that different not long ago. So, the other day, when my mom asked me if I would read a short book her church's pastor wrote called "Beyond Existence" with her and discuss the content, I went ahead and agreed, knowing full well that I wouldn't get much out of it. And so I plowed through it. It seemed like pretty standard stuff you'd hear from behind the pul...

By Apostate Paul ~ Y ou are the principal of a school. You find out that one of the fryers in the cafeteria burst into flames, spreading quickly, and the fire department is ten minutes out. It's unclear why the smoke alarms aren't working in the school, but they aren't. The fire is likely to get out of control fast. Do you: A. Pull the fire alarm, alerting all students that they are required to evacuate immediately. B. Get on the PA system and make an announcement, giving the students the option to evacuate if they are afraid that the fire may harm them, and advising them to do so. C. After 5 or so minutes, go into a nearby classroom and alert the teacher and her students that they have the option to leave because there is a fire in the building, and tell them it is imperative that they alert the rest of the school, and leave. Seems like a pretty simple choice, right? Let's say you are God of the universe. You have known since the dawn of time...