Untroubled self


Posted Friday, September 29, 2006. —
I was raised as a Conservative Baptist and accepted Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior at age 7. I would have done it earlier—not because I believed I was a sinner, but for a more innocent motivation. I felt sorry for our pastor. At the end of every sermon, with a soft, droning and pleading voice he would ask for someone, anyone, to just “raise their hand”. I was more than happy to comply and raised my hand as often as I could while my mother calmly kept pulling my hand back down. Eventually I reached the ‘age of accountability’, my raised hand was deemed (finally!) acceptable, I was saved and promptly baptized. I did love Jesus (for Yes, Jesus loves me) and so it was.

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Finding my way back to church -- and getting kicked out: The struggle over what it means to be Christian today


Posted Friday, September 29, 2006. —
by Robert Jensen

This past year, after decades of steadfastly avoiding churches of all kinds, I returned to church. Ironically, and completely by coincidence, I returned to a Presbyterian church, the denomination in which I was raised and to which I swore -- in both senses of the term -- I would never return. But return I have, prodigally perhaps, depending on one’s position on various doctrinal issues, which we will get to tonight in due time.

(Click here for more...)

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Finally! at peace


Posted Thursday, September 28, 2006. —
Sent in by Alexandra

I just wanted to say how wonderful I think this site is, and all others akin to it. It's great that there is a place for those who need support, who might be suffering from traumatic effects caused by spiritual abuse (whether done purposefully or unwittingly).

(Click here for more...)

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Leaving Another Myth


Posted Wednesday, September 27, 2006. —
Initially I thought this would be a bad idea. It feels like a violation of what this site is about. But the belief I'm rejecting is the last remnant of my forsaken faith, namely Intelligent Design.

(Click here for more...)

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When Moderation is a Bad Idea


Posted Wednesday, September 27, 2006. —
by J. C. Samuelson

Otherwise rational people who look to ancient manuscripts for moral instruction inevitably do so within the framework of modern ethics. Modern ethical norms grease the wheels for the student of ancient morality, allowing the acceptance of certain doctrines that seem timeless while rejecting others that seem barbaric. Generally speaking, this is a perfectly reasonable approach to the study of ancient moral philosophy. Unfortunately, such an approach becomes unreasonable once an ancient manuscript is believed to be the product of divine authorship, applicable to all people in all ages.

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Train up a child...


Posted Tuesday, September 26, 2006. —
...in the way he should go, and when he is old, he will not soon depart from it. — Solomon

(Click here for more...)

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Schizophrenic Faith


Posted Tuesday, September 26, 2006. —
Sent in by Kristina

I had the kind of faith that was coined as "childlike." My mom (a Christian) would remark on it often, saying she wished she had my kind of faith. That is funny, considering where I am now. I started going to church at the age of 10. I actually enjoyed it, and I used to beg my parents to go. Why? I don't know. I didn't even really have a relationship with God.

Then all of a sudden things got very serious.

(Click here for more...)

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Amazing Grace


Posted Sunday, September 24, 2006. —
You'll never be able to hear this song the same way again.

(Click here to listen...)

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Dear Mom


Posted Sunday, September 24, 2006. —
An ex-Christian writes a letter to his Christian mom and posts it on YouTube.

(Click here to view...)

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A critical analysis of Kent Hovind's "Age of the Earth"


Posted Sunday, September 24, 2006. —
Watch and comment on a non-professionally produced video exposing some of the half-truths, misconceptions, and outright lies propagated by Kent Hovind against the Theory of Evolution.

The video is approximately 25 minutes long.

(Click here for more...)

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Colbert Report on Evolution vs Creationism


Posted Sunday, September 24, 2006. —
Is it time for a little comedy?

Colbert interviews science educator Ken Miller regarding the "debate" (or lack thereof) between evolution and the junk science know as "Intelligent Design."

(Click here to watch...)

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The Good, the Bad and the Ugly


Posted Saturday, September 23, 2006. —
by Tyrone Williams

The Bible is a book of vile trash. From cover to cover, Old Testament and New, from the mouths of Moses, Jesus or Paul, the “word of God” is an “inspired” mish-mash of instructions and commandments that promote MURDER, GENOCIDE, RAPE, ABORTION, INFANTICIDE, SLAVERY, HATRED, MISOGYNY, MANIFEST DESTINY, CONQUEST, INTOLERANCE, RACISM, BIGOTRY, CLASSISM, IGNORANCE, GULLIBILITY, SELF-MUTILATION, THE BELIEF IN MAGIC and just about every IMMORAL and HEINOUS DEPRAVITY a sick mind can imagine. And there is not one HONEST person, who has read the Bible, who can deny this fact.

(Click here for more...)

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Atheist group opposes campaign ad set in church


Posted Saturday, September 23, 2006. —
"To our knowledge, this is the first time a partisan political ad has been produced using the backdrop of a church," said Ellen Johnson, president of American Atheists, in a statement. "It's part of a larger and disturbing trend where candidates are invoking religion in order to woo constituencies and win elections."

(Click here for more...)

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Pastor charged with scamming


Posted Saturday, September 23, 2006. —
WASHINGTON TOWNSHIP, N.J. — A 32-count indictment charges that Father Ascolese of St. Joseph Catholic Church stole more than $600,000 from his church and several charities. The pastor stood handcuffed in front of a judge on Thursday...

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Anti-same-sex marriage pastor/campaigner accused by church


Posted Saturday, September 23, 2006. —
Earlier this week, Witchita Kansas' Immanuel Baptist Church issued a statement to "The Baptist Press" about Pastor Terry Fox’s resignation. That statement includes some scathing allegations, including Fox’s misuse of church money.

(Click here for more...)

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Pastor charged with child molesting


Posted Friday, September 22, 2006. —
LOS ANGELES — A pastor and his teenage son were arrested for sexually abusing three daughters of a member of the congregation.

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Pastor arrested on child abuse charge


Posted Friday, September 22, 2006. —
The pastor of a church in Jackson, Mississippi, has been arrested and charged with felony child abuse, a news release from the Hinds County Sheriff’s Department said.

John C. Evans, 47, 3919 McGuffee Road in Clinton, was arrested Wednesday, the release said.

(Click here for more...)
 
Digital Freethought -- Atheism #4


Posted Wednesday, September 20, 2006. —
An Atheist Answers Religious Questions

(Click here to watch...)

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Females, Gays, and Other Samaritans


Posted Tuesday, September 19, 2006. —
This post is excerpted from The Dark Side: How Evangelical Teachings Corrupt Love and Truth. (www.lulu.com/content/220355.)

There is nothing respecting which a man may be so long unconscious of as
the extent and strength of his prejudices.
—Francis Jeffrey1

Several of the writers of the Bible didn't care much for females. More than one thought homosexuals were vile. Some considered foreigners to be slightly less human than God’s Chosen People.

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Is your God supremely different from anyone else's God?


Posted Monday, September 18, 2006. —
From the Seattle Times

Some folks like to say everyone worships the same God. But we know that isn't exactly so, and now we have a description of how American conceptions of God differ.

(Click here for more...)

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No, I wouldn't burn a nun alive


Posted Monday, September 18, 2006. —
From James van Aarde

I simply don’t know where to start. This is not exactly a story of de-conversion and I apologize if this is the wrong place to post this – If anything is certain it’s that the very act of writing this will make me feel a little better about the awful things I have witnessed tonight.

(Click here for more...)

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My story beyond Christianity


Posted Saturday, September 16, 2006. —
Sent in by Jennifer

My grandparents raised me to be the model Christian. They had me in church from the time I was 15 months old all the way up to the time I left home. I was involved in all the youth groups, but I never felt comfortable enough to tell others how to get "saved". I felt that it was a personal choice for a person to make. I started noticing all the hypocrisy in the church when I was around 12 years old. Our church broke up because of some things that were said. It never got back to normal. We were one of the largest churches in that town and then we went to having a total of maybe 20 members.

(Click here for more...)

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Pastor Accused Of Defrauding DOE


Posted Saturday, September 16, 2006. —
CLEVELAND Oh — A well-known Cleveland-area pastor has been accused of defrauding the state’s Department of Education of $2.2 million.

The is a well-known pastor who works with ex-convicts.

Olds, 56, of Solon, is charged with conspiracy, money laundering and mail fraud in connection to his operation of a now-closed charter school, Cleveland Academy of Math, Science and Technology. Olds was the developer of the charter school.

(Click here for more...)

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Pastor convicted of having sex with children


Posted Saturday, September 16, 2006. —
A Columbus, Ohio pastor was found guilty of three sex charges with children Friday in Franklin County Common Pleas Court, and may learn his sentence on Monday.

The Rev. Maurice L. Jackson, pastor of New Generation Church, 1173 Essex Ave., had been accused of having sexual contact about nine years ago with a girl who then was 7 or 8 and engaging in sex about eight years ago with a relative who then was about 14. Jackson was 22 when the latter offense was said to have occurred.

(Click here for more...)

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Atheist Pride


Posted Saturday, September 16, 2006. —
By David Horton

Much talk on the Left in recent years about how the Right have been able to co-opt religion for their own evil purposes. And endless answers from leaders of the Left, about how progressive politicians should proudly talk about their religious faith. And they do; and are shown obediently trooping into churches, bibles under arms, and then meeting pastors, and sitting in front rows staring adoringly up at the preachers just as the rest of the congregation is doing.

(Click here for more...)

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Rewriting our religious history


Posted Saturday, September 16, 2006. —
By B.J. Paschal — a Christian

Why are many religious conservatives obsessed with invoking the Founding Fathers? That is, why is there such a brisk book trade in re-examining the founders’ lives? For the religious conservatives, the fight is about proving that America was set up as a Christian nation. And their efforts to rewrite American history are paying off, since a recent Pew Forum survey found that 67 percent of Americans believe this falsehood.

(Click here for more...)

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I think for myself now!


Posted Friday, September 15, 2006. —
Sent in by John

Where do I begin? I guess at the beginning...

My mother raised me in a Christian environment. We went to church, and I heard all the scare-stories of Satan and hell, and being so young and impressionable (this was around 3rd grade), I saw other children crying and scared at the altar, so I decided I needed to be 'saved' also. I think I was saved around 3 times, and even as so young a child I remember wondering what all the hoop-la was about, because although I was sincere, I felt absolutely nothing.

(Click here for more...)

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“Would Jesus Wear a Rolex™?”


Posted Thursday, September 14, 2006. —
By Tyrone Williams

I love comedians and I love parody songs. I love them because with biting sarcasm and cunning insight they are capable of exposing the ugly truth of things even the most stubborn person can’t ignore nor deny. And they're just plain funny!

Take for example one of my all-time favorite comedic instigators, Ray Stevens. Long before Weird Al Yankovic came along, Ray Stevens pioneered the field of comedy songs with such classics as “The Streak”, “Ahab, the Arab”, “It’s Me Again, Margaret” and “Would Jesus Wear a Rolex™?” It’s the latter song to which I call your attention. It begins like this:

(Click here for more...)

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Leaving the "saints"


Posted Thursday, September 14, 2006. —
Sent in by Kelsie

I grappled for years over whether or not I was living the "Christian life" or if I was even saved at all! I grew up in a highly aristocratic Baptist church that seemed busy teaching the perils of alcohol while allowing members of the Sunday School class to underage drink with rare abandon. From there, the myth of the "Christian life" just began unraveling.

(Click here for more...)

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Pastor Faces Sex Charges


Posted Wednesday, September 13, 2006. —
The pastor of a Winston-Salem NC church has been indicted by a Burke County grand jury on charges of sexually assaulting a 15-year old girl, according to Burke County authorities.

Gregory Michael Butler Sr., 45, of Winston-Salem, was arrested in Forsyth County and returned to Burke County on Tuesday afternoon.

(Click here for more...)

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Why would the writers of the bible make it up?


Posted Tuesday, September 12, 2006. —
At first I still wanted to believe.

I have been reading this site non-stop and I have finally accepted that there is no god.

(Click here for more...)

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A deeply pissed off ex-Christian


Posted Tuesday, September 12, 2006. —
Hello, First of all may I thank you for your site. As a deeply pissed off ex-Christian myself, it is excellent to finally find a community of people who think as I do. It has made me laugh and feel better about myself, and has armed me to the teeth against the Christians I am currently surrounded by.

(Click here for more...)

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An Ex-Christian suffering from guilt


Posted Tuesday, September 12, 2006. —
Sent in by J.G.

I grew up in a Southern Baptist home. Always fearing the "fire and brimstone" I was warned of, I - as you can imagine a young scared child would do - accepted Christ as my personal savior, albeit I hadn't the entire idea of what that meant. So I grew up calling myself a Christian cuz I felt like I had to because of pressure to go to church or to be a good Christian from church and family.

(Click here for more...)

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The Greatest Story Ever Told and Ignored


Posted Sunday, September 10, 2006. —
by Tyrone D. Williams

Without question my favorite movie of all time is The Wizard of Oz. From the black and white beginning in Kansas, to the colorful world of Oz. From the mundane antics of the farm hands and the natural threat of Miss Elmira Gulch, to the comic buffoonery of Dorothy’s new friends and the supernatural threat of the Wicked Witch of the West, I find The Wizard of Oz a marvelous tale of timeless delight for both young and old. I never get tired of watching that flick.

(Click here for more...)

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Why Don't Christians Argue This Way Much Anymore?


Posted Saturday, September 09, 2006. —
By John W. Loftus

People in Biblical times defended God against the problem of evil by blaming themselves and their own sins for the natural disasters that God sent on them. They believed God controls all natural happenings (Ex. 12:23,29,30; 32:35; Num. 11:33; 16:46-50; 25:18; 2 Sam. 24:15-16). Why don’t very many Christians today use this same response to exonerate God for natural disasters? In ancient times, disasters were usually explained in only one way: God was upset with people because of their sins. And that’s the explanation we find most often in the Bible, although there are a few notable exceptions (Job; Luke 13; John 9). But even here we see a God who could do anything with the world of nature that he wanted to do without regard for the ordered world and laws of nature.

(Click here for more...)

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A burden is lifted


Posted Saturday, September 09, 2006. —
Sent in by Warin

Well, my name is Warin and I've been raised Christian from birth. Every Sunday we went to church, we learned about how God is in heaven and he's always watching us, protecting us, and loving us. And some day when we die, we go to a golden city of light. But if you're bad, you go to hell and burn for all eternity. It made me feel good as a young child about the Heaven aspect of religion, but the hell part always left me a bit uneasy. I wondered why a God who loves his children would send the naughty ones to a bit of fire and brimstone.

(Click here for more...)

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Priest admits to Madonna bomb hoax


Posted Saturday, September 09, 2006. —
A 63-year-old Dutch priest has confessed to making a hoax bomb threat in an attempt to stop a concert by US pop star Madonna, prosecutors say.

Her mock re-enactment of the crucifixion in one of the scenes offended some Christians during earlier shows in Italy and Germany.

(Click here for more...)

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Is Evolution keeping us superstitious?


Posted Saturday, September 09, 2006. —
From The Times

HUMANS have evolved over tens of thousands of years to be susceptible to supernatural beliefs, a psychologist has claimed.

Religion and other forms of magical thinking continue to thrive — despite the lack of evidence and advance of science — because people are naturally biased to accept a role for the irrational, said Bruce Hood, Professor of Experimental Psychology at the University of Bristol.

(Click here for more...)

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Your Website is a disgrace to mankind


Posted Saturday, September 09, 2006. —
this website of urs is going to be taken away from you

And a legal action is going to be taken for the creator of this website.

(Click here for more...)

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Atheist after reading the Bible


Posted Friday, September 08, 2006. —
Sent in by Susan

I was raised Catholic. My whole family still believes in the Church. My dad is even a "Knight of Columbus."

As a child, I was afraid there was no God. I was always doubting. But since my parents believed, I assumed there must be a god, even though I couldn't see him. I sometimes felt uplifted at church.

(Click here for more...)

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Death to the Infidel!


Posted Wednesday, September 06, 2006. —
"If God be for us, who can be against us?" Rom. 8:31


It is well-known that the spread of religious ideas has often been facilitated by the threat of force. Economic, social, political, or physical force (violence) has been exercised by and upon nearly every religion in history. In the name of God, our ancestors exterminated entire communities and even cultures, using scripture and traditional doctrine as justification.

(Click here for more...)

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Major flaws in the Creationist argument


Posted Wednesday, September 06, 2006. —
By John Paulos

A recent international study in the journal Science by Professor Jon Miller of Michigan State University and his associates finds that a growing number of Americans do not believe in the theory of evolution.

In fact, the survey of 32 European nations and Japan reveals that only Turkey has a higher percentage of its citizens rejecting Darwin.

(Click here for more...)

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Pastor sued — affair alleged


Posted Wednesday, September 06, 2006. —
NORFOLK Va - A Baptist minister who was ousted as pastor at a prominent Berkley church earlier this year now faces civil lawsuits accusing him of financial and sexual improprieties.

The allegations have shaken the congregation of the nearly 80-year-old Antioch Missionary Baptist Church.

(Click here for more...)

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Putting away Christianity


Posted Tuesday, September 05, 2006. —
Sent in by Ellis

I grew up in a Christian home and at a young age always believed in God and Jesus. I always loved the Bible stories that they told at Sunday school and loved to pray. I was always on and off from church-going and its activities, but gradually faded away from it once I was close to graduating from Elementary school. Prior to graduation, I went on some church retreats and attended Bible studies from time to time, but none of it really meant anything to me. No one even bothered to explain why we believed what we did.

(Click here for more...)

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The New Naysayers


Posted Monday, September 04, 2006. —
Richard Dawkins and Sam Harris and many other atheists are attacking superstition in a public way and it's pissing-off some religious folk. Ironically, for generations religious fundamentalists — Christians, Muslim, and Hebrew, in varying degrees at different times in history — have been killing, waging war, committing acts of terrorism, subverting individual freedoms, violating human rights, and openly declaring an intent to take over the world. Is it time for a strong and vocal non-theist movement to stand up to these bullying religious fanatics, or is that just going too far?

Well, Newsweek thinks that anyone who criticizes religion is... well, just read it:

(Click here for more...)

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Left Christianity


Posted Sunday, September 03, 2006. —
Sent in by Yolanda

I have decided to leave Christianity, alone.

As you can guess that doesn't sit to well with my family. I was on the phone today talking to my cousin, who was basically trying to convince me that I have made some sort of mistake. She is telling me that I have a spirit of confusion because I let some books change the way I used to think. She all but cussed me out and called me a demon. She did nothing but yell and scream at me.

(Click here for more...)

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Jesus Camp


Posted Sunday, September 03, 2006. —

There's a new documentary coming out this month showing children being drilled on the evils of homosexuality, being told that prayer in school is necessary for effective teaching, and being made to beleive that America is responsible for the deaths of fifty million innocent children since 1973. The childrens' families even travel to Washington to protest in front of the Supreme Court building.

(Click here for more...)

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Atheism: A Rough History of Disbelief


Posted Saturday, September 02, 2006. —
Atheism: A Rough History of Disbelief (also known as Jonathan Miller's Brief History of Disbelief) is a 2005 documentary series conducted by Jonathan Miller for the BBC tracing the history of Atheism.

The series includes extracts from interviews with various academic luminaries including Arthur Miller, Richard Dawkins, Steve Weinberg, Colin McGinn, Denys Turner and Daniel Dennett. The series also includes many readings from the works of atheist, agnostic and deist thinkers, read by Bernard Hill, and has an original percussion score by Evelyn Glennie.

Each episode lasts 60 minutes.

Part I

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Pastor confesses to murder


Posted Friday, September 01, 2006. —
SWEDEN — In an interview with TV4's news programme Nyheterna, Knutby pastor Helge Fossmo has admitted involvement in the murder of his wife in their home in 2004. Fossmo also said that several others were involved in the crime.

"I feel that I have recovered. I lived a lie and I don't want to do that any longer," he said as an explanation for his confession.

(Click here for more...)

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Pastor casts out demons with a rod of power


Posted Friday, September 01, 2006. —
LEONARD RAY OWENS FORTWORTH -- A 63-year-old pastor accused of raping a church member last year during a ceremony to cast out demons has been indicted by a Tarrant County grand jury.

Leonard Ray Owens, who is free on $25,000 bail, is now awaiting trial on a charge of sexual assault -- a second-degree felony punishable by two to 20 years in prison.

(Click here for more...)

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My Life as a Christian and How I Got Over It


Posted Friday, September 01, 2006. —
sent in by twincats

I was born into a Lutheran family, an only child. I grew up in a Southern California congregation with Midwestern values. My first memory of church is probably around age four, sitting in the pew in awe and wonder because God was up there, speaking to us. I believed that the pastor was actually God who’d come down from heaven. My mother didn’t work and since I was the only child, she had plenty of time to coach me about sitting quietly in church and listening to the word of God and who else but God is going to give His word?

(Click here for more...)

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