Someone recently emailed me trying to track down a short story he remembered reading as a kid (in Johannesburg, 1970). He thought it might be by Roald Dahl. I told him that I'm 99.9% sure it's not by Dahl, just on the basis that I've read everything he ever published. The story sounds interesting though (something about a doll's house and playing God), and I'd like to try to help him track it down if I can. Does it ring a bell for anybody? Plot description follows.
[more inside]
posted by web-goddess
on Jan 13, 2013 -
5 answers
Can “modern” people
actively believe in God? How do they integrate their believes with their “conservative” religion? How do they practice their believes?
[more inside]
posted by arhammer
on Sep 10, 2012 -
54 answers
At regular intervals, I get "press releases" from god@llah.us. Full text of one such email below the fold. Is this a joke, spam, art, a trojan or ??
[more inside]
posted by Omnomnom
on Jul 12, 2012 -
14 answers
How and why does meditation work? How does one do it properly (that is, in the way in which one may extract the most benefits)?
[more inside]
posted by anonymous
on Jun 29, 2012 -
29 answers
What short stories have further defined your conceptual understanding of "the meaning of life?"
[more inside]
posted by lobbyist
on Jun 3, 2012 -
31 answers
Looking for: Religious conversion stories in literature, from Paul onward. Specifically: from non-belief to belief. William James covers this nicely. And I seem to recall Dostoyevsky addresses the issue at least once in his novels (which?). Also C.S. Lewis, I think, somewhere. Other thoughts?
posted by Hobbacocka
on May 16, 2012 -
20 answers
Looking for recommendations for books on Christian apologetics that take seriously the reality of evolution rather than denying it in favor of the argument from design.
[more inside]
posted by huxham
on Apr 3, 2012 -
12 answers
I have a colleague who is a lovely person. We get on quite well and have a fairly productive professional relationship. This person is an evangelical Christian, and has broached the topic of his god and his belief to me on a few occasions.
I am always polite, telling him that I do not have religious beliefs. I have not invited the discussion, and I would have thought my attitude would have been sufficient to ensure that he left the topic alone. I returned from holidays to discover that he has bought me three ebooks for my kindle – Lee Strobel’s The Case for Christ and Case for a Creator – and some other book about god.
[more inside]
posted by mattoxic
on Jan 9, 2012 -
45 answers
What are the "rules" for "God told me...," "The voice of god," and other hard to believe personal experiences in creative non-fiction writing?
[more inside]
posted by Knigel
on Dec 4, 2011 -
6 answers
My ex-boyfriend's schizophrenia turned me into an atheist (more or less), but that loss of faith kind of took me by surprise. I'm still thinking about it sometimes, and wondering how religious people reconcile themselves with the idea of a mental illness that produces religious experiences?
[more inside]
posted by brisquette
on Dec 3, 2011 -
26 answers
Found a song on the God Hand soundtrack that makes me really happy! Looking for others like it...
[more inside]
posted by Khazk
on Nov 16, 2011 -
2 answers
My father unexpectedly passed away last weekend from a heart attack. I am not religious. Part of my family, and most of our community of friends & extended family, are. Help me navigate the religious talk without either going on the defensive, or being complacent.
[more inside]
posted by raztaj
on Jul 20, 2011 -
8 answers
I am not Christian, and often feel seriously awkward and uncomfortable talking to faithful people on/around/about Christian holidays. How can I avoid or lessen this feeling?
[more inside]
posted by Heretical
on Apr 24, 2011 -
53 answers
Spirituality filter:
What does "union with God" or "unity" mean to you? Mystics and religious figures often talk about how union with God/ unity is the final end/ realization in the spiritual path. I have heard many different ideas and interpretations about what this means but am unsure how to think about it.
[more inside]
posted by tessalations999
on Apr 16, 2011 -
14 answers
Is there a quote about how a vastly superior creature who isn't a god could appear as if they were one?
[more inside]
posted by Golfhaus
on Jan 1, 2011 -
14 answers
I am thinking about a title of the book (film), "God is my copilot". What does it mean, actually? I think God is your guide. Then he might be the main pilot, not the copilot? Or does the copilot mainly work? Or does it have a sort of ironic meaning? Please tell me!
posted by mizukko
on Aug 13, 2010 -
19 answers
I am not a religious person, but I would like to begin praying and make prayer a part of my life. I have never prayed before. Any thoughts on how to begin?
[more inside]
posted by PersonAndSalt
on Jun 29, 2010 -
33 answers
I'm trying to find a quote from a book I read way back in my English Lit. days. The general gist of the quote is that the best or only way to avoid the angry fist of God is to make sure that you remain in the palm of His hand. It is a quote from a book written by an African American. I'm thinking Zora Neale Hurston or Toni Morrison maybe. I can't remember the actual wording of the quote, so google is not helping. Sound familiar to anyone? Thanks much.
posted by Zendogg
on May 24, 2010 -
3 answers
I'm looking for the name of a novel in which God, portrayed as a gigantic being thousands of feet tall and weighing millions of pounds wearing robes and having a flowing white beard, quite literally falls to earth from heaven, stone dead. The story is all about the repercussions on Earth after this event.
posted by DrDreidel
on Apr 27, 2010 -
16 answers
Are free will and an omnipotent/omniscient God possible in the same universe?
[more inside]
posted by biffa
on Mar 26, 2010 -
87 answers
Is it possible for a rather hardcore atheist to find some sort of spirituality again? Long, but I attempted to keep it concise.
[more inside]
posted by LokiBear
on Mar 24, 2010 -
52 answers
A couple of years ago, I read a review of a book that sounded really interesting, but I can't find it now. The book was about a man who found some ancient documents that proved that Satan was good and God was evil (for instance, God denied Adam and Eve access to the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil). Apparently many people took this book to be non-fiction, and it caused a bit of hue & cry. Does anyone know the name of the book?? Thank you.
posted by LauraJ
on Dec 22, 2009 -
8 answers
My mother is under the impression that a wedding ring (ie the band that you add in addition to the engagement ring) is the only way to "consummate the marriage in the eyes of God" ... where is she getting this from? I've never heard such a thing.
[more inside]
posted by kthxbi
on Dec 5, 2009 -
29 answers
Is there a word that describes a situation where you *technically* have free will, but don't REALLY have the option to choose otherwise?
[more inside]
posted by jenfullmoon
on Nov 18, 2009 -
27 answers
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!
[more inside]
posted by anonymous
on Nov 18, 2009 -
46 answers
How do I convince [the more liberal] Christians to become atheists?
(Issues you have with the wording of this question are likely addressed inside.)
[more inside]
posted by LSK
on Sep 3, 2009 -
83 answers
What is the quote about god that goes something like: "Can god intervene but chooses not to? Then he is _____. Can he intervene but is not able? Then he is _____" I can't find the exact quote.
[more inside]
posted by virga
on Apr 13, 2009 -
9 answers
I am currently writing a paper on where to place humankind on the spectrum between God and animals. Is there a commonly-used name for this philosophical topic? Googling around has failed me.
[more inside]
posted by aheckler
on Mar 31, 2009 -
25 answers
I vaguely remember a Jewish quip about the questions God asks a Rabbi at the end of his life.
It is something like
1. Did you follow my commandments? (yes, all of them)
2. Did you study my Word well? (yes, every day)
3. Did you dance enough?
Or something to that effect. Has anyone heard of this or know how it really goes?
posted by brenton
on Mar 31, 2009 -
5 answers
Whenever someone says "I turned my life over to God," it seems everyone just nods and acts like they understand, so I just act like I understand, too. But I don't.
[more inside]
posted by Piscean
on Mar 9, 2009 -
40 answers
Have I transformed an insanely great and clear-cut early relationship into a friendship?
[more inside]
posted by anonymous
on Feb 13, 2009 -
42 answers
Other than Rambam's "Mishnah Torah: Sefer Madah," what other famous book or work begins with the Tetragrammaton?
In "hilchot yesode hatorah," the first four words of the chapter begin with the letters yud hay vav hay. Our teacher said there is some other famous book/chapter/text that uses words with the same four letters? Anyone know what it is? Thanks!
posted by andoatnp
on Oct 28, 2008 -
5 answers
My dad recently read
The Shack and really liked it. Can you recommend other books with a spiritual leaning (not necessarily Christian) that he might also like?
[more inside]
posted by Metroid Baby
on Aug 25, 2008 -
9 answers
I believe in God. The strange thing is that God does seem to give me everything I ask for. Even stranger, I don't actually believe that a God can exist. The question: If you are a believer in God, do you notice yourself having your requests consistently answered?
[more inside]
posted by ChabonJabon
on Aug 11, 2008 -
48 answers
StoryresearchFilter: Information needed on relations between superstar Cambridge dons of the 1930s-1950s. i.e. Russell, Wittgenstein, Turing, Keynes.
[more inside]
posted by greytape
on May 14, 2008 -
9 answers
I would like to sense God in my life. I go to church regularly, pray, and read the Bible to understand Him better but I still have such deep bouts of depression where I either don't trust or sense his presence. There is a wide gap between what I believe with my heart and what I understand in my head. For example, I understand and believe in the sovereignty in God but when hard times come or extremely difficult emotions (despair) arise, that is the first thing I question. I am not looking for an easy life or a perfect life, just one that is able to trust God more. Any opinions on how to do this? I feel a great tension between trying harder, and just letting go but my letting go resembles more closely giving up than "letting God" if you know what i mean. To summarize, I want a stronger faith. Any ideas? Thanks so much for input.
posted by snap_dragon
on May 8, 2008 -
58 answers
My google-fu only goes so far: I'm looking for succinct summaries, explanations, and justifications of various religions' opinions/support/criticism on human cloning...
[more inside]
posted by weaponsgradecarp
on Dec 4, 2007 -
2 answers
I am searching for examples of The Infinite, or the immeasurably large, in our mythologies and archetypes. I am also interested in the categories of Truth which came out of the emergence of Western, ontological thought. Does the trust in a rationally conceivable reality deny us the infinity of the mythological realm? By rooting ourselves in the present, and denying atemporal mythologies, do we also deny the infinite origins from where we came?
[more inside]
posted by 0bvious
on Nov 28, 2007 -
22 answers
