sent in by Brett Keane The first time I questioned the faith was when my grandmother shrivaled up in front of me for 6 month’s due to cancer. I was 13 & my mother & father was getting a divorce. My father told me i should have been aborted. I prayed to God but nothing fails like prayers. I continued going to church mostly because i felt i could help people with food. My desire was to help people in need. I was put out of a church because i argued with the preacher about giving food to a woman with 5 kids. He said she had been in 3 weeks ago & policy was people had to wait a month before returning. I ask him if this was god’s policy. He told me to get the hell out! My best friend tried to convince me to stay in the faith but 2 month’s later he was hit by a drunk driver. He was killed leaving behind a wife who was pregnant. He never seen his child. The love of god is so great. I started writing books,designing websites,& music. 3 years ago my mother was sick f...

sent in by Christian L. Ambrose I grew up as a devout Christian and "won a few souls." Anyway, as I got older I became less religious. I never really did believe in some of the fairy tales that kids believe in today. I reasoned my way out of Santa Claus belief and the Easter bunny and tooth fairy was never emphasized to me. Especially as I became older, I did not believe in supernatural things (those beliefs eroded away as I saw more of the real world and learned more science. I went from being a staunch creationist to being an evolutionist. I began to read up on evolution and it made more since than having a god zap things into existance. I began having pagan friends, much to my mother's chagrin. I was told that these people were hell bound and that I was supposed to be preaching to them, not socializing with them. However, as I became older, as part of my becoming less religious, I was more reluctant to preach to people. I began to wonder why my religion wa...

sent in by Lee A. Watters In retrospect there were many things that led to my deconversion, however, I would have to say the main thing is Biblical Contridiction. When one really studies the "word of God", you have to conclude, on a literal interpretation, that it just doesn't work. Now, from a non-literal view, the Bible becomes a much more useful tool, more in the line of philosophy. Scripture says that God does not change, that he is the same yesterday, today and forever. If that is true, why is there a new testament? Wouldn't a perfect God have created an eternal contract with mankind, and why was a contract even necessary if we were supposedly created in perfection (sinless) and wouldn't have sinned in the first place. Having place Christianity in the Myth column, I wonder what was the original intend of scripture? I have my ideas... Now, how do I keep my enlightenment from a family, especially my parents, who's faith and hope are in the eter...

sent in by Steve It may be considered ironic that what eventually led me to my present agnosticism was a study of theology. It all began about nine years ago when I was a delivery truck. My route took me to an area where I was able to pick up a Christian radio station. I began to listen, especially to this one particular radio evangelist who didn't really preach sermons, but rather had more of a lecture format in which he discussed many theological issues. I was intrigued by his knowledge and style of presentation. He really "dug deep" into many theological issues. One week he was doing a series on predestination. I had thought about this issue before, but it was presented by this evangelist with such depth and clarity that I began to think more about the issue and it's implications. Now, I should mention that this evangelist came from a Protestant tradition quite different from my own. His tradition was strongly Calvinistic and put a very heavy emphasis on the ...

sent in by orzelw My parents had given mainly only lip service to religion up until I was in my mid-teens. My mother was the one to rattle off bible verses, mixed in with other common folk sayings. Meanwhile, my half sister, fourteen years my senior, had become involved with the CoC and graduated from David Lipscomb College, marrying a preacher in the process. Then by the time I reached my mid-teens, my parents were having marital difficulties. My mother insisted they join the CoC and establish a religious foundation. I stood off to the side and watched. When I reached high school age we moved to California, where I of course had no friends waiting for me. Eventually, the congregation my parents hooked up with managed to coerce me into coming to church and hobnobbing with the youth group. There I struck up friendships, but still managed to hang back on joining the church. I admit I was intrigued with the iconoclastic approach the CoC took, at least as regards th...

sent in by MITCH Since i became a non believer 10 years ago i notice there are very few black non believers. It seems 2 be a very big taboo among many of us. Beliefs seem 2 be so deeply ingrained traditionally that many look 2 be just 2 plain scared 2 even question or openly express doubt in them 4 fear of a major backlash. There's enough oppression 2 have 2 deal with in life already why oppress ourselves? I've seen families torn apart, children disowned, and couples split over clashes in belief. My mother thinks i'm crazy and under the influence of Satan for not believing. And no matter how much logic, reason, common sense, and science i drop on family & friends, they still look at me as if i have a problem, while still hitting me with the same old tired cliche' responses. I find it amazing how people who literally believe in stories about talking donkeys, Noah's ark, and dead people rising can look at me like something's wrong with me...