Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with christianity

Book recommendations for a new Christian!

schmoo — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 12:37:43 -0800

I'm looking for book recommendations for a young woman who has recently become interested in religion. Ideas please! I would like to buy my younger sister a book as one of her Christmas gifts. She is 19, and about four or five months ago was introduced to religion when she joined some college friends on a trip to Africa to do the normal Christian aid type work. She's since become more and more involved with the church and interested in religion - to the point that she was baptised a couple of weeks ago. The church is the most relaxed I've ever been to - it's in a purpose-built barn/hall, and they have a live band playing covers of modern songs. It's all very youth-orientated and all about friendship, community and fun. (I'm giving this information to try and give an idea of the kind of church/religion she's into. I'm not religious at all so apologies if I sound a little clueless.)

I would like to buy her a book for Christmas with some kind of spiritual/religious/Christian theme, to show her that while I'm not religious (and have probably been quite scathing about religion in the past) I respect her and am pleased that she's found this and that it makes her happy. However, I don't want to get herself anything with too strong a message - as I said she's only starting to be involved in the church, she's young, and I think she'd only be embarrassed by any too overtly religious gift as she knows how unreligious I am.

When I was younger I flicked through one of the Chicken Soup books at a friend's - I seem to remember that these had a vaguely religious theme to them, am I right? Something like this is what I'm looking for.

So - please give me your recommendations!

To sum up- I'm looking for

- nothing too strong in its religious message
- probably fiction, but non-fiction ideas welcome
- something appropriate for a 19 year old girl who loves going out, seeing friends, parties - all the normal teenage stuff!
- something well written, with an inspirational or thoughtful message.

Thanks!

Letting go of God: Help me deal with my atheism and the five stages of grief. I'm in the fourth stage now.

Anonymous — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 08:57:30 -0800

Please give advice on how to accept my atheism, let go of God and the need for one, how to get over the fourth stage of grief/letting go (depression), and how to find my passion for life again! Hello, hivemind.

I'm from a totally Bible-banging family (Creationists, End Timers, warped-Republicans, sexist, homophobic and a little racist). I haven't been a Christian for going on six years now, ever since I read the Bible all the way through and decided it was a total piece of junk filled with violence and hatred toward other faiths, women, etc. I know I don't believe in the Christian God, or, it seems, any religion or philosophy akin to it (no, not even Buddhism), as I have read many religious texts, apologetics and more besides and just don't feel there's any evidence for any of it. Simply put, I appear to be an atheist...at least as far as labels go.

The unfortunate thing is that I'm not handling this too well, and it has recently occurred to me that I have been going through what can best be identified as the five stages of grief, which just annoys me to no end! (I'd just like to get on with my life!) The whole not believing in God/gods thing has really been like a death in the family, so to speak...it's frustrating and painful. I'm specifically not having what I would consider healthy reactions to my lack of faith, which is a major reason that I've chosen to post this, rather than just rely on the great advice that I could find in similar questions from the past.

Maybe I should first talk about the five stages.

For one year, I was in denial. Even though I didn't believe in God, I continued to say that I did and tried to push through. I came up with lots of excuses as to why my doubts were happening. I read a lot of Christian apologetics that I didn't agree with in that time, in an attempt to act like things were okay with me and the Big Aggressive Creator in the Sky. I even avoided competing ideas. I prayed lots. I lived as closely to the Bible as I could, without totally ripping myself of my own thoughts regarding ethics and morality.

That didn't work, and I ended up getting angry. I was angry at the concept of God, angry that I couldn't seem to believe in it and angry that I had believed in what I felt was myth. I was angry at my family for bringing me up in extremism, as well as at all the borderline-abusive things they did in God's name, all the things they kept me from, because they were "of the devil". I was angry that I couldn't have lived "normally, like most people", in either moderate faith or no faith. In a weird sort of way, I was even angry that I was having to think about any of it. I couldn't decide whether I wanted to go back to the blind faith I'd had or bypass all of it, but I was angry that the issue had cropped up. I read everything I could get my hands on at this time, be it scientific or religious. I feel like I read more during this time than any other time of my life. I wanted to learn, so I could actually form my own opinions.

Another six months to a year passed, and bargaining began. I tried to live some form of very mild Christianity to agnosticism (Jesus was a good man; the Bible's a good "moral" text), thinking, "If I just do this, it will be the best of both worlds. I won't have any more problems. Things can work out this way." The idea was that I could still keep up with a religious community, be everyone's friend, etc. The reality, however, was that I began to identify less and less with Christians/Christianity/more religious people on the whole, with only a few exceptions, and that more of my friends slowly but surely ended up being agnostic, all the way to militant atheists. Not trying to step on any Mefi toes, but to be honest, the agnostics/atheists in my life were the only ones who didn't seem to be insecure, lying jerks most of the time, so it seems almost inevitable that things turned out the way they did. (Big disclaimer!!: I know this does not represent all Christians, just my experiences with some of them. I still even have some Christian friends, but not many.) I didn't go searching for my "heathen" friends, but we found each other. We gravitated toward one another, as our core philosophies were now similar. I also found/find myself annoyed by most religious people these days, but I never say/do anything regarding that. I try to accept where possible and be silent, when I feel myself unable. I married a mild-mannered, sugar-sweet atheist guy. My watered-down Christianity turned to full-blown agnosticism around the time I met him, as a result of all these experiences and changes.

I was happy with my agnosticism for a year, to year and a half, but recently I've noticed, as far as labels go, I am more of an atheist. To this very moment, though, I've not said aloud to anyone, not even my husband, that I actually consider myself an atheist. I don't know why the label means as much as it does, other than I know that if religious people dislike me now as an unbeliever, many will hate me as an atheist, even if that's what I most closely identify with... I guess I can't help but not want people to not hate me, even if they're extremist whack jobs. The label means a lot to me, too, though, because I'm really tired of lying about how I feel and think.

This seems to have put me in the fourth stage of grief, depression. I feel sad that I can't buy into the comforting stories I once did, sad that I can't agree with my family as far as faith goes, sad that I'm not accepted by tons of religious people (including family) when they find out I'm an unbeliever (even when I am accepting toward them), sad that I no longer believe in life after death or guiding forces in the universe. I think we are here, we die, and that's it, and that notion depresses me. I don't think there's any evidence to the contrary, however, so I'm bound to it...whether I like it or not. I know we can't know what happens "on the other side", but I highly doubt it's anything spectacular. I highly doubt it's anything at all.

I want to get to the fifth stage of grief, where I accept myself and the death of my religion and faith, but it just seems so impossible at this stage. As said, some of my reactions to my own atheism aren't healthy. For instance, I have lost my passion for a lot of life, which is bad for me in more ways than one, considering I am a professional artist and writer and need to feel and create accordingly. I miss my sense of wonder. I feel wonder at the universe, but it's a head-wonder, not a heart-wonder, like I felt with spirituality. I'll agree with Carl Sagan and my fellow atheists and agnostics that it's amazing to think about how statistically unlikely it is that I'm here, that the planet works the way it does, etc. I'll agree that, because of all these things and my finite time here on earth, I should value every second I have and live it to the fullest, without apology...

But I can't seem to...

I am amazed by the world, but that doesn't drive me. In fact, it's all the opposite. It makes me feel like there's no point. Amazement is just part of it, but it doesn't particularly mean much. I realize that, without "something behind everything", it doesn't matter one iota (speaking from a selfish perspective here) whether I build great things or just sit on my couch and rot, whether I live to be 100 or die tomorrow. It will matter to some, but not to many, and not for long. It's like, what am I trying to prove to anyone or to myself now? How on earth does any of it matter if it's just this tiny bit of time I have? I'd like to help people, and while I realize that while I do touch some people's lives, and that does make me happy, the odds are against my helping a significant number of people in my lifetime, try as I might, so it all feels a little hopeless and pointless still. Death depresses me immensely, and rather than living my life more fully as a result, I just have ended up somewhat stagnant...blahed and mehed out.

Please note that I'm actually not depressed in other areas of my life, just this one. But it does...influence...the other areas, from a foundational perspective, so it definitely needs to be seen to. I think it's affecting more, too, as time goes by. I appreciate the concept of life, but I don't really feel compelled to do much with it now, without the notion of some sort of equilibrium in the universe (carried out by a creator, karma, whatever). I mean, I do what I need to and try my best, but I'm not striving toward things like I once was. Without a reason behind things, so much stuff in the world seems overwhelmingly random and unfair and out of my control. (I think this is one of the reasons there are so many moderate Christians, even. People keep some idea of God, just so they can pray about the things they can't control, to comfort themselves.) I can't even pray about any of it, though, and I think the concept of sending good thoughts toward it all is just as silly. I've tried giving myself rituals, but it just doesn't work. I always feel silly.

So, hivemind, I guess what I want to know, after all my heathen rambling, is how do I peacefully come to accept my lack of faith and not having a god in the world? How do I regain passion for life, despite feeling everything is off balance without a godly figure? I've tried listening and reading some things, like Julia Sweeney's personal story, and while helpful and something I could identify well with, it's never gotten me over the hump. I'd appreciate personal advice, recommendations of what to read/listen to/do...anything, really.

Throw-away email: atheistic.blues@gmail.com

Thanks, guys and gals.

Resources for study of Christian mysticism?

pahool — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 23:43:41 -0800

I'm looking for citable print and online references about Christian mysticism. I'm putting together a pathfinder document on Christian mysticism for an academic library. It would be used primarily by undergraduate students in a religious studies program. I want to give some references about the study of mysticism in general and then Christian mysticism in particular. I'd like to give some examples of both Catholic and orthodox mysticism and possibly some special topics like women mystics and modern perspectives.

So far, I've collected some articles and have looked at Evelyn Underhill's works on mysticism as well as some of Matthew Fox's writings for modern perspectives. Does anyone have any favorite resources for this topic? Anything you've read that you found useful? Any online databases (free or subscription) that would be particularly useful?

Novels about early Christians but not about Jesus?

empath — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 18:10:33 -0800

Non-religious novels about early Christians that aren't about Jesus. Are there any good novels about early Christians that don't revolve around Jesus himself? I'm thinking of something like Last Temptation of Christ, but about someone like Paul or an early gnostic church, or even ones that aren't about early Christianity per se, but have Christian characters. In fact, I might be even more interested to read something set in a melting pot city like Alexandria where pagans and jews and christians were interacting daily and Christianity hadn't been fully formed yet.

I'm interested in anything from Augustine up through the beginnings of the Byzantine Empire.

I'm not very interested in anything that's written from a religious point of view, so that might eliminate a lot of books for me personally, but they'd probably be worth mentioning, anyway, if you can think of any.

Tripping on Calvinist guilt

brambory — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 00:49:39 -0800

Help me stop myself from turning into my dad: how do I manage daily guilt? What resources (books/websites/techniques) have you or someone you know used to manage guilt?

Some clarification:
I was raised in the grand Calvinist tradition where guilt was the oil that kept the machine in motion. My dad is a very guilt-ridden person (he still feels horrible about inviting himself to his neighbours' BBQ when he was 10), and I suspect that either nature or nurture (probably both) have passed this tradition of guilt on to me.

I had horrible stomach aches as a I child, mostly due to guilt about something that I had done/not done properly. These stomach aches and various gastro problems have followed me into adulthood. I recently took a 'work personality' questionnaire, which reported that my dominant personality characteristic was basically guilt and anxiousness. (In my defense, there were other strong characteristics too--just this one was the strongest). I've noticed that guilt is definitely present in my home life and relationships as well, and suspect both work and domestic life would be more enjoyable without it.

The type of guilt I'm talking about is the everyday 'perfectionist has failed' guilt--emails not replied to (guilt level: 2), typographical error (mine) in report boss presented to clients (guilt level: 3), completely forgot to be at home when someone was supposed to drop by (guilt level: 9).

I have a job I mostly enjoy, a great circle of friends, and a fantastic partner. I am generally happy and satisfied with my life (just not, it seems, with myself).

***I will be seeing a therapist in a few weeks for the first time. For now, I want to get a better idea of what my issues are and how I think I could manage them more effectively.***

Preaching to the Converted

man down under — Sun, 20 Sep 2009 01:58:13 -0800

I like listening to Mark Driscoll and Ravi Zacharias Podcasts. What else would I like?

# of abortionists killed?

resiny — Sat, 05 Sep 2009 12:37:20 -0800

How many abortionists have been killed in the last 30-or-so years? I was discussing Tiller's murder with a friends a few days ago, and he made the claim that "hundreds" of abortionists have been killed by fundamentalist Christians. That seemed absurdly, unbelievably high. I tried doing some google searches, but I couldn't find anything other than stories about Tiller. I can't imagine there have been more than 3 or 4 in the last decade or more. Is there anywhere I could find numbers?

What is the source of the quotation "The United States is in no sense founded upon the christian doctrine."

ivey — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 17:19:55 -0800

"The United States is in no sense founded upon the christian doctrine." is often attributed to George Washington. Where did he say this? Google turns up many unattributed versions of this quotation, but I couldn't find any attribution or source. Anyone able to do better?

Need Good Christian DVD for five year old.

lynnie-the-pooh — Sat, 08 Aug 2009 21:51:21 -0800

What is a good Bible Based DVD or movie that I can offer to my five year old daughter. I want her to get more knowledgable about the bible, but at her age, I'm not looking for a lot of blood or violence. Also, she asks me a lot why there are not girls in the stories. So maybe you know of a good movie that has Mary or Ruth in it? I want her to learn, but I need it to be age appropriate. She likes animation or live people. Thanks, Lynnie-the-pooh

Looking for a book recommendation to study Revelations

snap_dragon — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 07:38:49 -0800

Been reading the Bible in One Year...and nearing Revelations. Can anyone recommend a book on Revelations that comes from a Reformed perspective that is for the layperson? If not Reformed, other perspectives will do if you have any suggestions. In the end, I am sure nobody understands it but I have been putting of reading it and reading about it for years.

Is Protestant considered a derogatory label?

snachodog — Sat, 18 Jul 2009 14:26:53 -0800

Is the name/label "Protestant" generally considered derogatory by non-Catholic/non-Eastern Rite Christians? My fiancée is Assemblies of God. I was raised Catholic and have always referred to n-C/n-ER Christians as Protestant, and this is the first time that I've heard that Protestant is deregatory.

Where does my spirituality lie?

Anonymous — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 19:33:04 -0800

I don't follow a religion, and my spiritual life feels so empty without one that it bothers me enough to disrupt daily life. I believe in nature spirits, and I have a strong spiritual connection with nature. However, I also feel a connection to Christianity that I can't quite identify. I believe in spirits such as tree, wind, and rain spirits. Not rock, technology, plastic, or any spirits of that sort. I've tried looking into paganism, but I need dogma for a religion to resonate with me.

I find myself spiritually drawn to Christianity, but I'm not sure I believe in God and if I do, I'm not sure I like him. I was raised Christian, and was turned off to it because I never understood why God didn't make everyone happy and also able to appreciate what they had. That, and the vengeful stories.

Despite that feeling, I find myself wanting to rediscover Christianity on a day to basis, and it's usually because I'll come across a Christian whose values resonate with mine.

Does "Christian" and "believes in nature spirits" go together at all? Is there another religion I might be overlooking here?

Help me find interesting churches

filthy light thief — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 11:52:50 -0800

I'm looking for significant, interesting, or unusual churches (for architectural, cultural and/or religious reasons) from around the world. More thoughts inside. My mom is looking to make a list of significant churches from around the world, like the Russian Church of the Savior on Blood, and Spanish missions in California. She'd like to make a list of the "top 100" churches, and has ~50 currently, though I don't have that list.

For full disclosure, she's looking to write a book on this, though it may never leave the stage of "interesting areas for further reading," as she keeps getting side-tracked in details and history. Her interest is in Christian churches, but I'd be interested in knowing more about other religious sites, too.

If this does get to be a proper book, I'll keep people updated and I'll make sure proper credits and thanks are in place. If it falls shy of that, I might make her a website, to share what she (and others) have found and written about.

Mawwiage. Can I get in trouble for performing a wedding without a license?

Matt Arnold — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 16:21:31 -0800

Can I get in trouble for performing a wedding without a wicense? I would not sign the wedding certificate or any other paperwork. Just "perform". I am a divorced atheist permanent-bachelor who dislikes the institution of marriage and is bored at weddings, but have been asked to perform a wedding tomorrow in the state of Michigan.

A friend of a friend of a friend is getting married tomorrow because the military is sending them overseas. They will get married at a Justice of the Peace at a courthouse. That will make them completely married.

Immediately after that in a private home, with a few guests present, they want a ceremony that looks and sounds traditionally religious in mainstream American culture. They are barely religious themselves. Unable to find a Christian minister on one day's notice who would work on the Fourth of July, they started asking around for anyone with "the barest superficial veneer of religiosity". My friend thought of me for the following reasons:

(1) I graduated from Bible college. Granted, it was with an art degree. That's good enough for them, because I memorized so much scripture when I was a Christian, so I can make sure the words are right. Whenever I talk about how much I dislike my religious background, I include copious references to actual scripture passages.

(2) I have an excellent voice and am good at public speaking. I can look very conservative, when I want to. I played Brad in a stage adaptation of the Rocky Horror Picture Show.

I balked at first, but my friend said it's an acting job, like hiring a clown for a child's birthday party. "Performing a wedding" will have an emphasis on "perform".

If I do this, I will not include "by the power invested in me" because there isn't any. The bride, groom, and all guests know all the facts about me, so it is not deceptive in any way. I would not sign the marriage certificate or any other paperwork claiming to have any governmental validity. I've never heard of anything like this, and I only have one day to find out: Can I still get in trouble? Would I only get in trouble if I charge money for the "performance"?

How did the Christian take over?

timepiece — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 12:38:22 -0800

How exactly did Christianity come to dominate the Western world to such an extent? I've always been amazed at the extent to which Western society is dominated to the Christian faith, to the exclusion of almost all others.

I can see how it follows logically that since the Americas (and Australia) were primarily colonized by Western Europe that their religion would dominate in those areas, but how did it come to take over Western Europe so thoroughly in the first place? What is it about the religion that was so appealing that people converted? Or was it simply the advantage of having the same religion as the emperor (meaning Constantine, since he seems to be the lynchpin of popularity, from what I've read)? Were there tangible (monetary/civic) advantages to being Christian in the late Roman Empire?

What should I ask Mormons?

howgenerica — Tue, 16 Jun 2009 12:43:15 -0800

I'm meeting with Mormon missionaries tomorrow for a religious discussion, and they want me to come prepared with questions about Mormon history/ belief/ doctrine, etc. I'm looking for a list of questions that will give me interesting answers and lead to longer discussions about the nature of Mormonism. I'm very interested in their religion, I just don't know enough to know what to ask, and I have three hours with them so I need a good amount of discussion questions. Thanks!

What color is your devil?

jedrek — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 06:30:40 -0800

Why is the devil red? I grew up in the United States, and even thought I am not, nor have I ever been, religious, the symbolic devil I know from mass media is a humanoid with a pointy fork, horns, etc. And he's red. My mother grew up in Poland, was raised a catholic, and the devil she knows is similar in description, but for the fact that he is black - not brown-skinned, black.

I'm curious what this distinction comes from, my normally decent google-fu has failed me completely.

Is my girlfriend's sister justified or not in her disapproval, and why?

radiosig — Wed, 13 May 2009 11:13:40 -0800

How can I avoid straining the relationship between my girlfriend and her sister, who disapproves of us? Also, what are some good religious / psychological / philosophical texts to help me understand and (gently) argue against the sister's point of view: that my girlfriend and I are living in sin by having sex out of wedlock? I am a straight man, 25 years old. My girlfriend of 20 and her twin sister live together in a nearby city, about 80 miles away from me. The girlfriend and I had been taking turns visiting each other on the weekends until her sister made it known to her that I was no longer welcome in their apartment, ostensibly because of our sexual relationship (I am my girlfriend's first). The sisters grew up in a strict Protestant household (grandfather was a pastor), but my girlfriend has been moving away from that lifestyle in some ways over the last couple of years while her sister has continued to embrace it. The sister and her boyfriend have been dating for about a year but are apparently not intimate beyond the occasional long hug (!).

Last night, after an apparent understanding was reached by the sisters some weeks ago whereby I was allowed to visit on an occasional basis (the implicit understanding was that we could sleep together but my girlfriend and I had agreed not to have sex there) and as my girlfriend and I were settling down to bed, she was called into her sister's room and given an ultimatum: that either I would be spending the night on the couch downstairs or that she (the sister) would be going to her boyfriend's house to spend the night (on his couch downstairs, natch). My girlfriend refused to cooperate with this and so the sister's boyfriend came over to pick her up and they left together, but not before he gave my girlfriend and I a bit of an arrogant dressing-down. So this is the impetus for my post.

And here are my questions:
1) Am I in way over my head here? Am I in the moral wrong for driving a wedge (or for being the wedge, anyway) between my girlfriend and her sister? Family's always first? Or, should I take this as a portent of things to come and get out now?

2) What's the big deal? Is this a religious thing only, or are there other impulses at play here? Is the sister justified in feeling "uncomfortable in her own home" because my girlfriend and I are sharing a bed, or because she knows we have sex when my girlfriend comes to visit me?

3) There are assuredly precedents for this type of situation. Can anyone direct me to relevant writings about them? The more specific the better I suppose, but anything in the realm of philosophy, psychology or theology that could help explain the sister's point of view, or justify or refute her ultimatum, would be great.

I may sound disingenuously naive here, but I assure you I'm not trying to be. I grew up in an entirely areligious household and have been throughout my life by turns indifferent to and dismissive of organized religion. Although I can't change the fact that I don't believe, I'm trying in every way that I can to meet my girlfriend half way in this foreign territory. Recently I feel as if I might be up against something far stranger than I ever knew. Or are we just talking about one nutty sister? Thanks in advance.

Apologetics & Debate Mp3s burnable to disc?

snap_dragon — Tue, 21 Apr 2009 15:37:13 -0800

I am looking for Christian apologetics/debates (christian/atheist etc) in mp3 downloadable form to burn to disc in Itunes (My ipod broke so no podcasts) :( ...Can you recommend any sites where I can get free mp3s for this? Thanks.

The accidental minister's wife

Anonymous — Mon, 23 Mar 2009 07:40:12 -0800

My husband, who has been agnostic since we met and hasn't attended church in years, has rather suddenly decided to pursue a career in the ministry. I don't know what to do or who to talk to about my concerns. First off, I am Buddhist and he is Christian. I have no problems with what he believes, nor does he have any issue with what I believe. This is just a very unexpected turn of events and I never envisioned becoming a minister's wife.

My concerns:
1. He says that since ministers are essentially public figures, they must be very careful about appearances so as to avoid scandal.
a. We're both kinky, and have attended public events and clubs. He says we won't be able to do that anymore, and I'll have to avoid discussing the topic with anyone. (I'm not out about it anyway, but I don't make a special effort to hide it either.)
b. He says he's not going to watch porn anymore and is in the process of deciding how he feels about other sex acts (presumably the kinky ones). I'm worried that we'll end up with missionary-position only.
c. He says that people are bound to gossip and judge me because I am his wife. I lead a pretty unremarkable life (except for the kinky stuff) but this makes me self-conscious as hell and it feels very restrictive (i.e. sometimes I like to go to gay dance clubs with friends, my bachelorette party was at a strip club, etc).

2. I'm afraid that as he becomes closer to the Christian community, it's going to create a wedge between us. He says he has no problem with my beliefs NOW, and he's even very curious about Buddhism, but he's almost certainly going to get pressure from less open-minded people who insist I'm going to hell.
a. Then again, he did say that I can't make an informed decision about whether or not I'm Christian without having read the Gospels. I countered with "Why don't you read the Qu'ran, just to make sure you're not Muslim?"

3. I really, honestly don't have a problem with anyone's belief system, BUT I don't necessarily want to talk about it, or be around a bunch of people who think I'm wrong. I feel like a fish out of water in a church, and I can't in good conscience "go through the motions" (not that he is asking me to). I grew up as a Christian and left the church when I was 14 because it just didn't make any sense to me.

OK, so all that said - my husband is a very good man who I love infinitely, and who loves me unconditionally. He is not one of "those" Christians - he believes in marriage rights for same-sex couples, he's pro-choice, feminist, etc. We agree on pretty much everything except the whole God & Christ thing. We don't have kids and won't be having any, so that's not an issue. I am definitely not considering leaving him, but I just don't know what to do with this new information. Help?

Atlas of Biblical Rome in Detail ...

snap_dragon — Fri, 06 Feb 2009 15:50:06 -0800

I'm trying to find a good atlas that shows all of the Roman Roads built throughout the Roman Empire for my pastor friend. I think there were some 53,000 miles of highway built by the Romans, and, as he is preaching through Acts and following Paul's journeys, he'd like to have a good atlas that shows the period Roman district names, cities, terrain features, and especially the roads. Do you have any idea where he might find something like that?

New Testament in unrelated films?

flibbertigibbet — Thu, 29 Jan 2009 09:14:33 -0800

I really want to watch some films that explicitly riff on New Testament events/verses/speeches, but which aren't "New Testament Movies," like Jesus of Montreal, Passion of the Christ, etc. The closest I've found yet is the "Two Cathedrals" episode of The West Wing. Catholic/Orthodox liturgy, unless based directly on the New Testament, isn't quite right. Could you suggest some movies or TV episodes?

Sorry, Mrs. Cranford, I'm an atheist but I know you did your best

Countess Elena — Sat, 10 Jan 2009 07:54:49 -0800

When I was a kid, I was taught a miracle story of a Chinese Christian lady who was saved from a firing squad by a holy light. Later, this actual person visited our school. Were you ever taught any version of this story? Did this lady, whose name I know only as Pearl, visit your church or school? Our school music teacher told us a good deal of Christian stories, along with the music we had to sing (half secular at least, but always closing with the Lord's Prayer). One of her favorite stories was of a Chinese Christian who was saved by God. Communists are evil, she said, and in Communist China you can be killed for just being a Christian. There were secret Christian churches and secret Christians anyway. One of these Christians was a blind girl, not much older than we were, she told us. The Communists caught her, and she was put in front of a firing squad, to be executed for being a Christian.

As she stood in front of the firing squad, she prayed and prayed. Then she was surrounded by a white, holy light. The soldiers fired and fired, but they couldn't hit her. None of the bullets could come near her. The Lord saved her that day. Through some other adventures that I can't recall, she escaped through China in hiding, a long and dangerous trip.

One day, a year or so after we heard the story, this actual lady came and visited our class. Her name was Pearl -- what her Chinese name was, I couldn't say, if we were ever told. So far as one can tell, she was certainly a young Chinese person who was blind, and who was devout. She played the piano for us, and typed a little copy of every kid's name for them on a small Braille typewriter. I don't believe she addressed the firing squad incident.

This comment reminded me of Pearl's story for the first time in a while. I can see shadows of actual historical conditions in it. And it's not unbelievable that a blind Chinese Christian refugee should become a missionary and visit schools and churches in the US. Were you ever taught something like this in Sunday school? I can easily see the story of the firing squad having an entirely separate genesis and life of its own. Did Pearl come and visit you?

Is my irritation over receiving tacky religious gifts unfounded?

JFitzpatrick — Wed, 31 Dec 2008 16:40:43 -0800

Is my irritation over receiving tacky religious gifts unfounded? The situation: For Christmas this year, my sister-in-law and her husband gave my family religious gifts.

My feeling on the matter: It wasn't something innocuous like a great aunt giving a niece a childrens' bible because it seemed like a nice gift... the gifts were pretty much given as a form of propaganda. They know that I'm an atheist and that my wife has fallen so far off the southern Christian Fundamentalist wagon that she grew up on that she is for all intents and purposes agnostic now. Their gifts this year were books about finding Christ, how Christ was the one true way and the source of all moral authority and a bunch of other unsolicited nonsense. The real thorn was giving unsolicited books about religion to my daughter. I go out of my way to almost bite my tongue clean off when I hear them filling their childrens heads with the most absurd fundamentalist nonsense you've ever heard in your life because it isn't my place to intervene in how they raise their children. I would never, ever, -ever-, give their children unsolicited books about religion or sex or other topics that are the province of a parent to discuss with their child (even whilst cringing at the size of the therapy bills the poor kids will pay later in life to fix what has been done!)

Ultimately I'm offended not because I even cared that I received gifts from them... I've never been that into getting gifts whether for a holiday or my birthday. I'm offended because while I was picking out thoughtful gifts for them that I thought would be useful and beautiful (and entirely without any sort of agenda other than hoping they found them as useful and lovely as I thought they were), they were apparently putting together Missionary-in-a-Box(tm) for me.

I'm not about to pick up the phone and give them a stern talking to other anything... I just can't get over how incredibly tacky the gifts were.

Am I being irrational? Should I just accept that my in-laws are poster children for the Pat Roberston Glee Club and shrug it off?

What christian tenets are not in the bible?

theholotrope — Fri, 26 Dec 2008 08:04:23 -0800

What christian tenets are NOT in the bible? I recently saw the movie Religulous and it was mentioned that the original sin was not mentioned in the bible. I thought it obvious after reading Genesis and now want to learn what else is not in the bible that was created along the way.

Can someone point me to a source where I can find this data or make a list here? I had no luck with Google.