After years of drifting along as a "spiritual but not religious" believer I am beginning to come to terms with the fact that I'm not actually a believer at all. I am an atheist with a lingering but unwanted desire to believe and it is making me miserable. Can you help me move past this? [more inside]
posted by lysistrata on Feb 6, 2009 - 77 answers

Having kids or not when you have chronic health issues: how did you decide and come to terms with it? [more inside]
posted by anonymous on Jan 21, 2008 - 12 answers

Med school is considering kicking me out - what should I do? [more inside]
posted by anonymous on Nov 20, 2007 - 15 answers

I'm doing my undergraduate thesis on the rhetorical technique known as Fear, Uncertainty, and Doubt. What should go on my reading list? [more inside]
posted by ifranzen on Sep 20, 2007 - 10 answers

How sure should I be before accepting a marriage proposal? [more inside]
posted by anonymous on Apr 10, 2007 - 63 answers

Did you marry someone despite misgivings and have actually it work? [more inside]
posted by anonymous on Nov 30, 2006 - 22 answers

What with the Archbishop of Canterbury on the point of being vanquished by plain old Doubt (not that it was much of a contest in Rowan Williams's case) I was reminded of a drama I once read as a book and later saw as a TV screenplay. An abbot of a particular monastery has secretly lost his faith, and so does not wish to lead the brothers in prayer; he always gets someone else to do this, to avoid a personal spiritual crisis caused by having to pray publicly to, as he sees it, nothing. The Catholic hierarchy of that future time, unbeknownst to him, has become entirely atheist. An agent of the curia is sent to force the abbot to the point of a self-destroying confrontation with his unbelief. The agent achieves this by manipulating him into a situation where he can't avoid being the one to lead the assembled brothers in a public prayer.

Can anyone tell me what this thing is that I remember? Title and author are entirely gone. Thanks!
posted by jfuller on Jan 6, 2005 - 4 answers

Suppose you're Catholic, but you don't trust in the Vatican and you don't believe in transubstantiation. What does that make you?
posted by eamondaly on Jan 30, 2004 - 47 answers