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Atheist meetup in Brisbane 2007-08-07 12:37:00 From Martin RHi,I run an atheist group in Brisbane Australia which meets once a month.If possible pls pass this information onto your members who may be interested in joining us for these meetings.Details at the website: http://atheists.meetup.com/501/To monitor comments posted to this topic, use . ...

Pastor held for theft 2007-08-07 12:36:55 The former pastor of the Chickaree Union Church in Jackson Township will stand trial in Cambria County Court on charges that he stole thousands of dollars in church funds.The Rev. Randy L. Rugh of New Alexandria, Westmoreland County, was charged with theft and receiving stolen property after he allegedly cashed a CD worth $23,540 without authorization.The church along Route 22 on Chickaree Mountain is known as the “Jesus Saves” church because a sign proclaiming that message is posted on the building.Members of the small congregation who have been fighting to get back what they say is church money were relieved when District Judge Mary Ann Zanghi ordered Rugh to stand trial on two charges.“I’m very pleased,” said Terry Fletcher of Jackson Township.“That money was given to the church and not to Randy Rugh.“The money should stay with the church.”Fletcher and his brother, Joseph, who filed the criminal charges against Rugh, were among 25 people who crowded into Zang-hi’s ...

Evolution doesn't have a chance 2007-08-06 14:49:22 By Dave, the WMThe Christian arguments against evolutionary science habitually revolve around impressive sounding statistics that seem to indicate the extreme unlikeliness for life to have evolved. These stats are used as an apologetic against natural processes in favor of a hands-on, designing creator. You know what? They are right! No, not about the creator, about the astronomical chances against me existing. I've thought about this. My father and mother have been married just short of 50 years. They have slept in the same bed their entire married life. And they had a normal sex life. From what I understand, each time they slept together, millions of potential humans died. Only four out of all the hundreds of billions of potential human beings that left my father to find happiness in the womb of my mother survived the process. Only four out of billions. Remarkable. My embryonic genesis was marked by the tragic deaths of millions of competitors. Had the tail twitched just a tiny bit ...

Running afoul of GOD 2007-08-05 18:12:07 Sent in by Nick M I like to occasionally visit this site and read testimonials of people who've drifted away from their faiths, and admire the courage of many of them. Still, one thing strikes me every time I hear it, and that is the fear associated with giving up one's faith. I can understand the stigmas associated with it, affecting your family and friends, but I'm talking about the, if I may be so blunt, illogical fears associated, such as the continued belief one might still 'run afoul' of god. Just so you understand where I'm coming from, let me give you a little backstory on myself.My childhood was as normal as any suburban family. I went to church every Sunday, never asking questions, just listening attentively, and waiting for the reverend to rescind his pulpit so I could go home and play Super Mario BrosAt the age of eight, my life took what some would call a rather startling turn, though I know for a fact it was the best thing that could have happened to me at such a c ...

Marcus Brigstocke on Religion 2007-08-05 15:05:36 English comedian Marcus Brigstocke rants about religion. To monitor comments posted to this topic, use . ...

Sex abuse suit against youth pastor 2007-08-05 07:41:38 Baptist church leader faces sex abuse suitLAPORTE -- A lawsuit alleges church youth leader Mark Comford spent two years gaining the trust of a boy, buying him expensive gifts then molesting him, even at the church.The lawsuit also contends the suspect's grandfather, Jack Cox, the pastor at Faith Baptist Church in LaPorte, turned a deaf ear.The allegations are contained in a civil lawsuit filed Thursday in LaPorte Circuit Court against Comford, the church and its pastor.At least $30 million in damages are sought in the lawsuit filed by Michigan City attorney Doug Bernacchi on behalf of one of Comford's alleged victims.Cox said he had no comment about the lawsuit Friday.The legal action was taken a week after Comford, 23, a janitor at Purdue North Central, was arrested on seven counts of child molesting and two counts of criminal deviant conduct.Four boys, ages 9 to 13, were listed as victims in the charging information outlined in all of the counts.According to the lawsuit, Comford in ...

Truth? What truth? 2007-08-04 06:35:00 My parents were saved before I was born, and can be labeled religious fanatics! To their credit, they have been consistent in their beliefs for more than 50 years, and as far as I know, their only sins are little ones … but let me start at the beginning.My first church attendance was at the age of 2 weeks, the first of too many to count. At the age of 16, I went with my parents to the mission field, and ended up staying overseas for 29 years, working in the secular world and raising my children. This whole time I was heavily involved in music at church, Bible studies, etc. and my parents were pursuing their missionary career.I always dreaded the prayer meetings when everyone was expected to pray around the room. I don’t think I ever prayed for God’s benefit. Not a public speaker, I was more concerned on my presentation to those around, and would think of what to say until it became my turn. And if somebody before me prayed about my chosen subject, I panicked!I always wondered why ...

I Challenge Christians to Put Up or Shut Up...Literally! 2007-08-04 06:31:23 By John W. LoftusIt's always man's fault, isn't it? It's never God's fault according to Christians, no matter what the problem is. They are letting God off the hook too easily here...way to easily. What would it take for Christians to say, "hey, this is probably God's fault in some way"? The fact is, God did not reveal himself clearly which has led to so much confusion among Christians even to the point of burning other Christian people alive (at least some, and probably many of the people burned at the stake during the Inquisition would be admitted into today's fundamentalist churches). There have been wars between Christians too. Christians killing other Christians due to a disagreement over little things by today's standards by far, leaving many widows without a husband and many children without a father. What would it take Christian, for you to consider what I consider obvious? Name it, or drop this defense of your God.Furthermore, why God did not say this: "Thou shalt not ...

Come out, you filthy demon! 2007-08-03 13:50:21 LOUISVILLE -- A bizarre story ends with the arrest of a southern Indiana man studying to be a minister. He is accused of battering a boy during an exorcism. Detectives tell us in his hometown, 22-year-old Eddie Useyugi was known as a star athlete and 2003 class valedictorian. He was a student at Indiana University and also studying at a Bloomington area church to be a minister. Church officials tell investigators what he's accused of is not a part of their teaching. Monroe County sheriff's detective Brad Swain says, "I've never encountered something like this before."Swain says Useyugi promised a 14-year-old's family he could cure him of autism using an exorcism to cast out demons. The boy was in a group home, but Swain says Useyugi told the family, "He could be home for good. He just wouldn't have to have home visits."Useyugi was a minister in training at Cherry Hill Christian Church and the boy's mother -- thinking the exorcism was part of church teaching -- agreed to let him t ...

I spent a good part of my life in ignorant bliss 2007-08-03 13:03:11 Sent in by Peter BAfter nearly two decades immersed in Christendom I must concede to the idea that this life is simply a series of random events... but mathematically speaking there is sometimes pattern evident in chaos. These patterns can be sometimes interpreted as coincidences and luck. The more romantically natured people will fictionise such clusters of coincidence as divine intervention from a god who is pulling at the strings. Their God is a loathsome creature who 'allows' the most grotesque things to happen to its 'beloved children'. Any purely good god would have intervened and thought up a better way to make a set of toys to play with... without having to try melting them with a magnifying glass.I spent a good part of my life in ignorant bliss. That's fine... at the time it felt fine. In the light of new information and a new mindset, I can see that it was a waste of time. I'll still live and die and will currently do things that will still seem to have been a waste of ...

Interviewees needed for 'Divorcing God' documentary 2007-08-03 04:49:00 From Maggie S:I am a film producer (and ex-Christian) who is making a documentary ondivorce in the church. The basic gist is telling the stories of people whowere involved in ministry at the time of their divorce and basically howthe church treated them and how that changed their view on religion,relationships, and life. We are focusing most on the spouse who made thedecision to leave (since from my experience most Christians will side withthe partner that got "left" when the decision to separate is NOT mutualand the opposing spouse severely disagrees with the decision to separatebased on religious beliefs).Although the topic is about divorce, the bigger issue of the documentaryis about religion and how people are treated by the church through anexperience like this, and eventually reject religion because of it.So, the reason I am writing is to find really articulate ex-Christians whohave been through a divorce which caused them to change their mind abouttheir faith (they became ex-Chr ...

Atheism misunderstood 2007-08-02 06:01:44 By Bob PI grow weary listening to the 'true believers' attempting to define atheism. Comments like "Atheism is just another belief system" or "Atheism is a cult" clearly reveal the believers attempt to drag atheism down to the level of irrational belief. Less inane comments frequently stated: " Agnosticism is the admission of not knowing but atheism cannot prove it's claim". Clearly, atheism is a unique word. To the Christian, it means non belief in THEIR one and only GOD, while to the atheist it also includes all the many thousands of long forgotten gods the Christians conveniently ignore. There is no word for the non belief of unicorns or 7 headed Hydra or Ganesh, with his elephant head. Stephen Henry Roberts, historian (1901-1971), probably makes the point most eloquently:I contend that we are both atheists. I just believe in one fewer god than you do. When you understand why you dismiss all the other possible gods, you will understand why I dismiss yours. Atheism is merely a l ...

I remember viewing atheists as antagonistic and depraved 2007-08-02 05:56:46 By fjellLiberty means responsibility. That is why most men dread it.--George Bernard ShawLuckily most of us here are veterans of Christianity. As former Christians, we know exactly how we once viewed atheism. This small but explosive fact is regularly ignored by scores of the Christians who post here in hopes of "witnessing" to us. They often wonder why we're "angry". Amongst countless other affronts, could it be because they often post as though we've never heard the "Gospel", and not as though we used to be the ones trying to preach it?We used to be on their side. They simply can't grasp this. They have to explain it away, marginalize it. Cap it. Shut it up. Pretend it isn't true. Overlook it at least.I myself can remember viewing atheists as horribly antagonistic and depraved. I wonder if the Christians who post here can conceive of the fact that I used to view atheism as the greatest of all crimes! Completely void of anything redeemable. I can remember hearing the ...

Honest Closure for Grieving Atheists 2007-08-02 05:50:33 by Best BlanketTwo people I love very much died within months of one another. They were father and daughter.He was ill for a very long time and we all had been readying ourselves for the worst in one way or another, but she was killed first by a cancer that spread quickly after its diagnosis. We learned she was given 2 weeks to live while we were at a hospital here in New York awaiting a surgical procedure on her father. She lived in Florida and hadn't told many people about the diagnosis, but she had assured the few in the know of her doctor's confidence in there being a remedy. I don't think a month passed before she was terminal.Her mother and I flew out to stay with her until she died. One of her sisters went a day or two earlier and her other sister stayed in New York with the father and the rest of the family. It was chaos and I could never put it in the most accurate and effective perspective. Hours before and moments after she died, everybody at her bedside was encour ...

Where it will take me? 2007-07-31 19:53:57 This is the first such comment I have made on any website, ever. For a number of months I have read all sorts of comments and debates on all manner of topics. Sadly, I realise that most of the stuff I have been reading has been about God, Jesus, faith, Christianity and so on. All born, I realise now, out of a crisis of faith; a search for meaning. In a sense, I guess I am writing this as a form of therapy (which I have been having formally as I make my way through the mud and mire of my recent confusion and crisis). In many ways, I find myself in a place that I didn't expect to be. With hindsight, I realise that I thought I had moved on from the fundamentalism of my early adulthood. I was young, facing the world as a young adult, replete with the lingering emotional wounds from an absent father from the age of 2 yrs and all the subsequent issues and baggage of step-families, and grappling with my place in the world. Christianity, to which I came as a 19 year old, gave me a place and a ...