By Michael Vito Tosto (Ben Love) ~ P RO-LIFER: Abortion is wrong. PRO-CHOICER: Why? PL: Because it’s murder. PC: You get to kill someone if they’re in your house and you don’t want them there. But you shouldn’t be allowed to terminate an unwanted life-form in your own body? PL: People who break into your house took a risk knowing that death could be the result. A baby in your womb didn’t ask to be there. It shouldn’t be punished. PC: Maybe I didn’t ask the baby to be there, either. Maybe I was raped. PL: That’s unfortunate… but you’re still stuck with that child. PC: Since it’s something happening within a person’s own body, that person should have a say in what happens. I don’t have the right to tell someone else what they can and cannot do to their own body. PL: That’s like saying pedophiles should be let off the hook because you can’t decide for them that their actions are wrong. It’s the same thing. PC: No, no, a pedophile is performing an act upon another sen...

By Gladys ~ I was raised in a deeply religious home in the bible belt. Let me first start off by saying that when I was little I genuinely enjoyed church. But as I got older, I began to dislike church. When you're a child, concepts like hell and eternal damnation don't scare you, because you're so young that they go over your head (or at least that's how it was for me). As time passed the concepts of hell became real and I was very scared. I can remember being about 10 and having nightmares about dying and going to hell. By the time I was 12 I knew I didn't want to be Christian anymore. I was also beginning to question a lot of things. For example: If Jesus is so loving why should a person who's lived a good life, been a good person have to worry about going to hell? Its almost like being a good person isn't what matters, it's believing in Jesus that does. Jesus says, "I am the way, the truth and the life; no one gets to the Father except ...

By Carl S ~ A dialog between Reason and Deliberate Ignorance.   Reason (R.): You claim to believe in a god who has always existed, a god who says: Before anyone came to be, “I am.” You've also told me this same god is all-knowing. So, it makes sense to you, based on this claim, this god has always known every human to be, from eternity. This makes each of us just as much sharers of his spiritual nature, as his spiritual sperm, eternal. I'm curious; in your own words, how does this “soul which is of necessity the nature of God” relate to the realities of life and death? Deliberate Ignorance (D.I.): It's true, we have always existed in the mind of God. This is revealed to us in the scriptures. Psalm 139: “My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place, when I was woven together in the depths of the earth. Your eyes saw my unformed body; all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.” And psalm 22 states,...

By Chris Highland ~ P eople in many faith communities assure us that “hate has no place” in their circles, their faith or their religion. I’m with them, for the most part. But we have to admit, don’t we, that there is something deeply embedded in religious history that elicits or encourages a fearful defensiveness bordering on hatred of outsiders? This can lead us to wonder whether hate is somehow intrinsic to religion and can be promoted and perpetuated by religious faith. I think most religions and most people of faith are sincerely devoted to a good and loving life. In fact, I think this is exactly the ground where the secular and the spiritual can stand together. So, I’m not suggesting hate is exclusive to religion or that religious beliefs are necessarily linked with hate. What I am wondering is whether or not it would serve all of us better to uncover and understand the origins of hatefulness. If religious teachings, specifically in scriptures, underlie a hateful rel...

By Carl S ~ B reaking News: From the unexpurgated Gospel of Matthew: Then Jesus awakened Peter and said to him, “I command you, tell the disciples I was wrong and Lucretius is right. Preach to them, the good news is, I changed my mind. It is too late for me to tell them.” Feeling driven to the edge of desperation propels rash actions. In the case of organized religions, we can see how they fight recklessly to destroy secular causes. Some humans believe they “solve all their problems” by killing those they hold responsible for their predicaments; so have religions. And then there are those who choose to die rather than change their minds. Human desperation is often driven by revenge, by irrational fears and feelings of hopelessness. It is also driven by very ordinary sexual needs. Many will trash their ethics and morality to get what they want. Really desperate people will put in power whatever system or whoever they see as saviors, and sacrifice all they claim to hold in ve...

By UKCatLover ~ M y story begins as an 8-year-old girl listening to a bedtime story with her dad. I loved story time with dad and always managed to convince him to read two to me. I listened as his calm voice told me about dragons, fairies, mermaids and far away realms. He also read to me stories about Jesus, we had several books about the parables and the life and times of Jesus. These were obviously aimed at children. Dad read these books to me in a slightly different tone, more serious. He explained that all these things happened. At this age I thought Jesus must have been like a superhero and very cool. decided I loved Jesus and God and prayed to them with Dad after the stories each night. At church on a Sunday, there were more stories of God's love and Jesus, I remember being told that the children will inherit the kingdom of heaven. But most of all I remember being told that God loves me and even if I was the only person on earth Jesus would still have come and died for...

By Whitney N ~ F our years ago, I couldn’t have even dreamed of that being a title of something I would have written. But a little less than four years ago years my sweet husband sat me down with tears in his eyes and told me that he was having a major crisis of faith and that he wasn’t sure he believed in the Bible (or God for that matter) anymore. In a desperate attempt to help him “revive” his faith, I delved into all the research I could, only to come out on the other side with a weak, foggy defense for my own faith. Gradually, my faith dwindled and I became more and more convinced that I no longer believed in the God I thought I knew. What follows here is my attempt to explain how I personally came to that decision for my own life. My goal in writing this is not to convince anyone of my beliefs or lack thereof, but to share my story and maybe even offer hope to someone going through a similar struggle in their life. First off, it might be important to understand my back...

By Carl S ~ T his is all about relationships, so I think you should be warned before you decide to have a relationship with “God.” You'd better think about “him” first. I found a Calvin and Hobbes strip that kind of states things simply. Calvin asks, “If heaven is good and I like to be bad, how am I supposed to be happy there?” That's my question. I couldn't be happy living in a place where I'm not allowed to act up, misbehave, or blaspheme. Give me an environment I'm free to sin in, where I'm allowed to be bad. But that's not what this “God” has in store to reward me if I'm good! And another thing; “He” doesn't believe humans can suffer too much; there are no limits he sets for suffering. Now, if you still insist after knowing these things, feel free, because there's nothing more I can say to change your mind. When I was 7 years old, I was victimized by a pedophile. My parents habitually sent me on dusk time errands to pick up snacks and r...

By Tim Sledge ~ I ’ll bet the restrooms in heaven will be exceptionally clean. “Restrooms in heaven?” you ask. I can see the look on your face. You’ve never thought about this, have you? But it doesn’t take an exegetical expert to figure it out. The resurrected Jesus ate some fish, and the New Testament is big on a bodily resurrection when Jesus comes back. Besides, how could there not be eating in heaven? Based on the consumption of food I’ve witnessed at more pot luck dinners than I can count, Christians will be mighty disappointed if there’s no food up there. And who would disagree? What fun would heaven be with no hot pancakes, no hamburgers, and no ice cream. Can you imagine spending eternity wishing you could have one more hot chocolate chip cookie? Not only is it logical to expect to eat in heaven, it makes perfect sense to assume the food will be out of this world. I’m a little embarrassed to bring the next item up, and my wife would say I’m being crude, but i...

By R.H. ~ I was raised in Homestead, Pa. by my Mother and Grandmother from the time I was six years old. My Grandmother and her parents were charter members of the Methodist Church there. Due to circumstances beyond our control, we were forced to move and split up in 1946. My Grandmother went to a Jewish friend's home in Squirrel Hill, and my Mother and I went to St. Clair Shores Mi. to an Aunt's and Uncle's home. We joined the local Methodist Church there. By that time I was 14. In the summer of our first year there – 1947 – they held evangelical meetings during the week. I went to one. Fortunately I arrived late and had to stand in the rear. I remember the name of the jackass who was the speaker. Henry Screws Jr . I didn't stay long. I thought he was crazy. He didn't put the fear of God in me, but at the time it was the fear of religion. I sure as hell didn't want to be like him. I left before he was finished and started to divorce myself from re...

By Rico ~ M y journey started about seven years ago WHILE in active missionary ministry. Wow. Now, turning 67 tomorrow, I am still in the throws of trying to leave my faith, but having a difficult time doing it. Like many pastors who no longer believe but who are stuck in between the cognitive dissonance of belief and "everybody" knowing they are the greatest "man of god" they know, I am having a difficult time figuring out what to do. Furthermore, my good marriage has belief/faith as its central rock of support. I cannot and will not part from that. So what in the heck to do. I do like Zen Buddhism. Buddhism teaches you to not accept anything on faith, not even the deepest Buddhist teachings. I like meditating and it helps me relax and be calm in life. It's a good thing. But the Christian part is bothersome since I am asked to speak and preach regularly. I am sure you have heard similar stories. Inasmuch as I do believe there is a "god...