By Carl S. ~ H e would know that diseases are not caused by sin. He would know that devils are psychological disturbances, not random outside spirits which can inhabit a person, although said devils were being claimed by him as being able to be forced to enter pigs. He would know that masturbation is normal and, being a normal man, would engage in it. He would know what mayhem and suffering would come as a result of his not clarifying his sayings and commands, and leaving wide open the doors to sectarian wars in his name. If Jesus was all-knowing, he would know that if humans washed their hands and arms before delivering babies, millions of women's and children’s lives would be saved from death and suffering. He would know simple ways to eliminate needless suffering, but left not a single solution on how to go about doing this, except by “miracles.” He would know that if he left the earth after only 30-plus years, with no universal proof that he actually existed ...

By Tim Wolf ~ I didn’t grow up in a churchy family. My parents had been active in the local Presbyterian Church . But my mom told me that since I was allergic to penicillin as a small child, the doctor said it was best not to over-expose me to public venues. I don’t know if this was the reason or not, but it doesn’t really matter. At around 13, I started to become interested in Christianity on my own. I was baptized at the local Presbyterian Church and became fairly active there. I guess I could be described as a hot and cold Christian for the next several years. But then in my junior year of college, two guys knocked on my apartment door and explained to me about being born again. I didn’t pray with them then in front of my roommate. But I sought them out later and prayed with them. At that point, I was on fire! Over the next several years I moved a lot but stayed active in the church. For several years I was a youth leader for a parachurch organization for a large high scho...

By de-converted ~ H ow an all powerful and all loving GOD can allow millions of people to suffer poverty , war, despair, etc., though no fault of their own, is just beyond me. Oh, I forgot.... the one to blame is SATAN not GOD. But see, why would GOD in his unfathomable and inscrutable wisdom allow a talking SNAKE to tempt innocent Adam and Eve ? If you analyze it objectively, the fall of man in GENESIS was either a well planned SET-UP to discredit man, or it happened because an UNSEARCHABLE, ALL WISE GOD was not able to anticipate the THOUGHTS AND PLANS OF SATAN. Now that I am de-converted, I realize that I am scared and vulnerable because now I am faced with the reality that I AM ALONE. There is no HOLY SPIRIT to guide and direct my LIFE. There is no GOD or SAVIOR to SAVE me from my SINS . My mind before was conditioned to believe that somehow GOD is the ULTIMATE ARCHITECT of my life. Anything that happens, GOOD or BAD, is his will, and I have to accept it because it is an i...

By Ubi Dubium ~ O ver on her blog, Astreja asked this question: "Armed only with a vivid imagination, assume the persona of a god and come up with one or more god-like responses....We hear about gods who hear the *thud* of the sparrow when it hits the living room window, chirps feebly and staggers off muttering rude things about the idiot who left the drapes open. Then there are the gods lurking "outside time and space," wherever the Sam Hill that's supposed to be, supposedly controlling reality without actually touching it. Finally, there are the gods who do things like wandering into the Inn and starting a riot, or arguing with a tree.... Where do you fit on this continuum?" LINK So that got me thinking, if there actually were a god, and I could fire him and take his place, what would I do? And could I do a better job? So here's my "perfect plan": Day 1: No more "divine hiddenness" crap for me. The first thing that I...

By Carl S. ~ O ne day I went through a book on communication. The author made a point of the fact that, of all insults individuals will tolerate, they feel that insults to their intelligence are the worst. Things like bastard, bitch, the N- word, etc., aren't nearly so insulting as being called stupid, according to the author. Things got interesting one day when I decided to apply a test about this at work. I read, in re, communication, about insults in different cultures. For instance, in the U.S., in a discussion when you’re making efforts to have another understand the point you‘re trying to make, you might say in frustration, “Even a monkey would understand it,” and the other person would take this as an insult to his/her intelligence; but not in every culture. With this in mind, I had a discussion with a cultured co-worker who just happened to be raised in an African nation. At one point I just casually remarked, “Even a monkey would understand what I'm talking about....

By Mulder the Christian? T wenty years of my life I spent in Christian ministry . Not church ministry, but a para-church organization that works with drug addicts and alcoholics. i want to believe (x files) (Photo credit: roberto.pastene ) My wife and I met at a Bible College . We thought that we were going to make such a difference in the world. Well, that didn't happen. I spent 19 years laboring at this ministry finally to be rewarded with the opportunity to direct a location. That lasted a year. The organization, part of a national network, but in another state was in disarray we I arrived. Of course we were told everything was fine. My job as a director was less to make sure the people that came to us for help were helped, and more to raise the budget. I did, and I did it very well. However our money went to a headquarters, which paid whichever bills the wanted for the seven to eight locations in the state. On paper I was in the black, but that didn't ...

By Caleb ~ I want to begin by asking all of you why you are on this website, what is the purpose of this. To find an excuse to hold against Christians, for encouragement of why you shouldn't be a christian. Most of you have probably experienced some sort of extreme trauma. Been offended by a religious person. Told that you will burn in hell. Or something along those lines. I realize that you wouldn't be on this web site unless you needed a way to vent anger or find ways to bring people down. I'm still not sure how I found it, but it really hurts me to see how many of you have been deceived. But I feel that I should put a little bit of what I believe out there for you to see, if you are willing to read it, than thank you. I had at one time many questions of how we all got here, if God was real, or evolution was true and we all really came from sludge off of rocks. I researched everything myself without anyone telling me what to believe and what was a lie. I came to t...

By Unborn Again Christian ~ S oon after my de- conversion from Christianity , I was very enthusiastic and zealous to spread my newfound knowledge to those around me. The first few people I got in touch with were secular friends from college who had always tried to get me to reconsider my fundamentalist Christianity. These were the people who had stood by me despite my firm stand on the bible and the gospel. One of my friends, delighted with my de-conversion, said that he always believed I had a thinking brain in me and has thought that it was only a matter of time before I abandoned my faith. I responded saying that I knew something was fishy all along. However, I could easily not let go of what I had held on to all my life. He said that the process of letting go is initiated only when you are willing to reconsider everything with an open mind. This is a profound statement. It sounds highly philosophical but has tremendous practical implications. Following this discussion with him ...

By Laura ~ I have been on this site for the past year and decided it's time to join. I will try to keep my testimony short today but I hope to add more to the comments section as time goes on. I was raised as a Jehovah's Witness as a child. My father was a lukewarm fence sitter who faithfully attended the meetings but didn't do much else. My mother was not a believer and my whole childhood is filled with memories of the many "debates" that took place where my parents each tried to convince each other as to how the other person was wrong. I lived a pretty sheltered life as a child, living in a rural area and being of the mindset that anybody who was not a JW, they were to be avoided as worldly. I became rebellious as a teen (back in the 70's) and just wanted to have some fun. Started hanging out with worldly friends and got a worldly boyfriend. Even the other JW teens I hung around with just wanted to party. The summer I turned 16 my parents told me I ...

By youthpastorkevin ~ T hought y'all might enjoy this little series of sketches my wife and I (who met as evangelicals and quit together) made about the idiosyncrasies of youth group life. http://www.youthpastorkevin.com/

By Carl S ~ First of all, I wish to thank those who so well responded to my previous posting “ Times Must be Difficult for True Believers .” There are times when I wonder if what l write is “preaching to the choir,” and am thereby inclined to become discouraged. I'm sure I am not alone on this. Your responses usually offer even more input to what I have written. They are experiences and commentaries I value just as much as my own. Peace in the Middle East : A Way Forward A peaceful Middle East is an oxymoron. A major reason for this has always been the tradition of what the national media (in fear of religion , I'm sure) refers to as “ sectarian strife.” Considering that the region consists of religious sects aplenty, the infighting tradition is kindling waiting to burst into flame with every provocation, however slight. Property is destroyed, members of factions maim and murder each other, and governments are stressed out. After a war in which hundreds of thousands of...