The Problem with Religious Belief

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Religious beliefs present many logical problems. If hell is a fiery place under the earth, why have geologists never found sign of it?  Where would heaven actually be in the skies that astronomers have never located? If the Christian God would only save Christians, doesn’t that make him mean, … [Read more...]

Trust…and the Religious Believer

How does the issue of trust figure into religious belief? Who shows greater trust—religious believers, or nonbelievers? In their article, “Trust in a “Fallen World”: The Case of Protestant Theological Conservatism,” researchers Hempel, Matthews and Bartkowski[1] shed light on this issue … [Read more...]

The Big Misunderstanding

  There is something religious believers don’t understand. It is about humanists (and others who don’t explicitly believe in God)—and it is important. Unfortunately some types of preachers imply that without belief in God we are forced into sinful, chaotic lifestyles and empty, … [Read more...]

Oneness—Not Just for Buddhists

Most people are probably somewhat aware of the oneness principle of Buddhism.  For Buddhists, oneness means there is no separation between one person and another, no separation between people and the substance of the universe, and no separation between the physical and the spiritual parts of … [Read more...]

Beyond Religious Certainty – Spiritual Growth

“Doubt is not a pleasant condition, but certainty is absurd.”                                                                                              Voltaire. Like many of the traits of spiritual … [Read more...]

Beware about Back to Church Sunday!

As part of a growing national movement to ignite "spiritual awakening" in America, more than 14,000 churches are expected to invite people to come back to church on National Back To Church Sunday (NBTCS), Sept. 16, 2012. http://backtochurch.com/ This sounds like a very good movement – until you … [Read more...]

Do You Have to Believe in God to Be Spiritual?

A careful study of the spiritual development literature reveals that you most certainly do NOT have to believe in God to be spiritual.  Various academic theorists who have studied this empirically, and some highly spiritual people writing about  their own path, have all described a similar process … [Read more...]

Beyond the Ten Commandments

Our world has changed since the Ten Commandments were written.  It is time we stop limiting our morality to the avoidance of graven images and covetous feelings toward our neighbor’s goods. In fact, it is time we realize that in today’s complex society, morality has to be about much more than a … [Read more...]

Are There Atheists in Foxholes?

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Various research projects have produced conflicting answers to this question. Some found that when faced with the possibility of death, an avowed atheist is likely to reneg on that position and perhaps call out for help to a God he never believed in before. But other studies have found the … [Read more...]

Is spiritual non-attachment healthy?

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Various readings tell us that spiritual maturity includes striving for an attitude of non-attachment. What does this mean?   Well, someone who is attached to a particular outcome has his hopes set on that situation turning out a certain way. He wants to be sure he gets the new job he … [Read more...]