By The SteWpId MoNkEy ~ I n attempts to further my own biblical understanding, I was going through Genesis and something popped out that I hadn't noticed before. Sometimes we as atheist get caught up in the "major" debatable issues, but some times forget the little things in the bible that make it even funnier when you actually think about what it means and says about the Judeo-Christan God. Let's look at this line from Genesis 6:5-6 in the KJV: "And God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. And it repented the LORD that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart." Wait a minute. God saw the wickedness of man and was sorrowful and regretted creating humans and this earth. "13And God said unto Noah, The end of all flesh is come before me; for the earth is filled with violence through them; and, behold, I will destroy them w...

By Carl S ~ I f you have been a member of any social unit or culture, you understand what these words “trust” and “loyalty” mean. You also understand that trust and loyalty are held in the highest regard in all cultures. They are rewarded, praised, demanded. Yet, blind trust and loyalty have been the causes of some of the most evil crimes committed. How, why, and when do trust and loyalty begin, and continue on? Trust begins at infancy, obviously, with dependency. The child has no choice Trust is transferred from parent to guardian, teacher, pastor, etc. This is because the parents themselves trust those figures. If the parents are gullible and deceived, the child will inherit their decisions and trusts, their loyalties. If the parent or guardian believes authority figures with unquestioning trust, the child is taught to do likewise. Trust and loyalty become traditions. Is this really good for the child, the individual, society? The trouble with loyalty is that it can be very ea...

By WizenedSage (Galen Rose) ~ R ecently, I re-read an old article on Ex-Christian.net. One of the responses to that article, by a Christian named Bob, caught my eye and started me thinking - always a dangerous thing for Christians, but, of course, we atheists are intellectually fearless. Bob’s major point was that unless we truly believe, god and his works won’t make sense. Here is what he wrote: “People on this site are railing about how religions make people feel imprisoned and God doesn't answer prayers. But none of you seem to remember that unless you TRULY BELIEVE, God and his works won't make sense. That's the key. So you will always "not get it." You are defeated before you even start. Sad, but it is something that non-believers just can't seem to grasp. And then you judge us without understanding that fundamental concept.” So, Bob says god and his works won’t make sense to me unless I truly believe what I’ve been told about god. True, I added t...

By Faithfool ~ A bout this time last year, I discovered a few things that to me, didn’t add up about Christianity. This was extremely painful. How could this wonderful truth that I based my entire life on possibly be wrong? I cried out to God for reassurance. (He was silent.) Desperate to hear from him, I reached for my Bible. Job! Now there’s a man who needed to hear from God. This book is held up to suffering Christians as an example: “Look, you’re not suffering as much as Job, and HE never cursed God...” I knew God spoke at the end of the book, so I flipped quickly to chapter 38, eager to read God’s words of comfort to his suffering, devoted servant. God’s response took me aback. “Who is this that darkens my counsel with words without knowledge?” God begins. “Who is this.” Not a good start for The Almighty really. Way to make your traumatized, faithful follower feel like a worthless nobody. Was The Omniscient One struck by sudden amnesia about his Job-destroying bet with...

By Cement ~ I can never really pin-point my frustrations exactly with religion. For one, I am 19. My other-half had recently acquired Christianity...(Nearly a year and a half ago) My inner frustrations have, for the most part, run rampant inside my heating head. I'm in constant reminder that she truly believes Christianity has changed her life. I was there when she was baptized. I attended some sermons with her. Hell, I even bought her a nice little leather-bound bible. But the back of my heart screamed to dig her out of the hole she was digging herself into with wet cement. Everything I saw around her was plastered with a reminder of her new belief. The silly little Bible Versus that she displayed on the background of her Iphone. The little ornamented sticky notes she placed all around her workplace and desk at home to remind her of God's Love and Grace. Even those books that justify and strengthen faith that I see sitting at her bedside. Part of...

By Tania ~ T oday, I was told that I am stubborn. I'm not sure if anyone has ever called me that – anyone, that is, besides perhaps my parents. I was with my fiance at church today. He knows what I think about God, Jesus, the blood and the body, prayer, faith, and so on, and we've agreed to disagree. When the communion plates came around, I did not take the bread or the cup, and he jokingly whispered something about how I shouldn't be so stubborn. It's just easier not to partake. I know what the blood and the cup symbolize. I know what they meant to me at the times in my life when I did partake. I know the thoughts I used to have around the concept of communion. That is not me anymore. It has lost its meaning to me. The combination of books I've read, the conversations I've had, my own “journey of faith” and the “losing” of that faith, new friends and acquaintances – friendly, kind, intelligent, entertaining, ethical people, albeit “non-believers,” non-rel...

By Ex-Pastor Dan ~ Chapter 10 - The “Blessing” of a Lifetime S tanding on the front entry steps of the Oak View Full Gospel Lighthouse, in my polyester suit, lavender dress shirt, 4” wide paisley tie, platform shoes, wire-rimmed glasses, and hair just over my ears, I was the epitome of an early 1970s, well dressed youth leader. But, I would soon need a haircut because that extra ½” of “shag” flowing over my collar was pressing the limits with Brother Mac. Just a couple of months earlier had seen him finally relent on the issue of colored dress shirts being worn by anyone in ministry, and I was flirting with the “sin” of “long hair on a man.” The Deuteronomic covenants and MacManama’s laws were still hammered from his giant, wooden pulpit; except the parts that he wanted to ignore, e.g., eating pork - my how that ol’ Scotsman loved his bacon! As I stood there greeting the early-arrivers for Sunday Evening Worship, I spied a 1956 Pontiac Star Chief convertible pulling into t...

By Valerie Tarico ~ This article is part of a broader conversation exploring how all of us, including freethinkers, can reclaim the language of morality and spirituality that the priesthood has asserted as their own exclusive right. M ost Americans think of childbearing as a deeply personal or even sacred decision. So do most reproductive rights advocates. That is why we don’t think anybody’s boss or any institution should have a say in it. But for almost three decades, those of us who hold this view have failed to create a resonant conversation about why, sometimes, it is morally or spiritually imperative that a woman can stop a pregnancy that is underway. My friend Patricia offers a single reason for her passionate defense of reproductive care that includes abortion: Every baby should have its toes kissed. If life is precious and helping our children to flourish is one of the most precious obligations we take on in life, then being able to stop an ill-conceived gestation is a s...

By WizenedSage (Galen Rose) ~ I n the “Dear Jesus” article by Sara, on ExChristian.net (12/27/12) , Sara mentioned that her study of evolution produced one of the first substantial chinks in her Christian belief system. I have found that Christians have many misconceptions of just what evolution is and how it works. Thus, I thought a brief article on some of these misconceptions might be helpful for drive-by Christians or non-believers who might find themselves in a discussion of evolution with Christians. Now, I’m not an expert in this field, but every topic I touch on can be verified and studied further on the web. Here is a very basic definition of evolution from Wikipedia which will be accurate enough for our purposes: " Evolution is the change in the inherited characteristics of biological populations over successive generations. Evolutionary processes give rise to diversity at every level of biological organization, including species, individual organisms and molecu...

By DataLaForge ~ I ’ve recently realized that I have been shutting people out. I have been afraid to let people know about some changes that I’ve gone through this year. Life in the closet is a lonely one so here it goes. I’m an atheist. Seriously though… Basically I’ve been trying to decide which sounds better – Heresy or Apostasy. For the past year I have been critical of the bible. I don’t think that it is trustworthy on human rights issues and other moral topics. To say this as a christian would be clearly heretical. I’m not interested in that sort of duality. As a rapper once said- “be true to yourself.” My loss of faith has a lot to do with the doctrine of heaven and hell, the unequal treatment of women in the church, the condemnation of homosexuals, a growing number of Christians being against science and reason in general, pain in child birth, circumcision, weather, global inequity, the doctrine of vicarious redemption, the general caprice of YAHWEH, the cloudiness of...