I’ve become a person of (some) faith in the past year, and my life has been better for it. But it feels lonely not to fit into either the secular or religious communities—I'm not far enough along the spectrum one way or the other. Is there any way I can meet other people in a similar place? (Sorry, a little long and snowflake-y.)
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posted by honey wheat
on Mar 4, 2013 -
15 answers
There's a quote from Criminal Minds that has stuck in my head:
Gideon: After Hurricane Katrina I read some essays by religious scholars. One writer said God was punishing America for its immorality; New Orleans was a wicked city, like Sodom and Gomorrah. Another one, a priest from New Orleans, he thought the hurricane was proof of God's love. Those levees didn't break until after the storm was over; if they'd broken sooner, thousands would have died.
Sooo...is there any truth to that
quotation?
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posted by sarahkeebs
on Feb 10, 2013 -
5 answers
Did the Catholic Church actively suppress literacy and education during the Middle Ages, or was it simply a byproduct of the era?
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posted by zarq
on Oct 4, 2012 -
28 answers
Why is it that many devout religious people are tolerant of other faiths that completely contradict their own, but fear and mistrust atheists?
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posted by vogon_poet
on Aug 7, 2012 -
57 answers
What is the relationship between the ritual and the algorithm? Are all rituals algorithmic?
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posted by 0bvious
on Jul 17, 2012 -
16 answers
What should I get my sister for her (Roman Catholic) confirmation? Wrinkle: I'm an atheist.
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posted by anonymous
on Apr 4, 2012 -
31 answers
Recently I entered a discussion about the following scenario: If a college student at a state university says they can't take a test on Friday, because of their religious beliefs, should their professor be required to honor that and reschedule the test for that student? I am talking about some sort of a formal requirement, as opposed to the professor being an accommodating sport. Read below for details.
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posted by josefk
on Feb 23, 2012 -
31 answers
I'm trying to add to a playlist of secular songs that have a basically "spiritual", Christian, or otherwise religious lyrical theme. Can you help?
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posted by crapples
on Sep 6, 2011 -
87 answers
Religious preschool options. We are not religious. Am I overthinking this?
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posted by k8t
on Feb 10, 2011 -
44 answers
Looking for video clips of religious comedians making fun of atheists / agnostics.
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posted by querty
on Apr 26, 2010 -
8 answers
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!
posted by howgenerica
on Jun 16, 2009 -
75 answers
I was raised in two churches with strong musical traditions. I'm no longer religious, but I still have a deep love of hymns, especially
a capella hymns. I want to make a CD featuring some lovely religious music. One song I've found that typifies what I'm after is Hayley Westenra's version of "Whispering Hope". Can you suggest other songs of this kind? (They don't need to be
a capella, but lugubrious Mormon Tabernacle Choir stuff generally bores me.) Pop is okay, as long as it's pretty. iTunes availability preferred.
posted by jdroth
on Oct 12, 2008 -
20 answers
I remember a religious question and answer show on PBS during the late 80's and mid 90's concerning Buddhism, I think. The speaker was a woman, only distinct feature was one eye was bigger than the other. If anyone remembers the shows name I would greatly appreciate it.
posted by Noodles
on Aug 12, 2008 -
2 answers
An eBay purchase just arrived. I have no complaint at all about the item, and it was shipped quickly. The seller included a religious tract in the package, though, which bugs me. I would like to note this in the feedback, politely, as a negative. It seems reasonable to note something about the transaction that I disliked, but worry that it may not be worth the potential hassle.
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posted by Cranialtorque
on Jul 26, 2008 -
82 answers
I would like others to explain to me why some non-Christian people abstain from certain “sinful” activities…and how to interact with them.
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posted by sixcolors
on Jul 24, 2008 -
58 answers
I'm interested in learning about curriculum development. More specifically on understanding what types of information different age students can understand and be challenged by, without "going over their helmet".
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posted by peripatew
on Mar 30, 2007 -
9 answers
Do Episcopal churches ever have statues of saints, e.g., Saint George, atop their steeples?
Thanks.
posted by the sobsister
on Mar 28, 2007 -
5 answers
Please school us about premarital counseling. What kinds of issues do people discuss? What is the difference between secular and religious counseling?
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posted by Alison
on Aug 10, 2006 -
10 answers
Inspired by
this post, I want to either create or find a repository of links to sites facilitating asking possibly insensitive questions of a member(s) of a group. Thus, I'm looking for links to such sites.
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posted by Gnatcho
on Apr 24, 2006 -
10 answers
What are the significance of colored flags I see posted in front of my Hindu neighbor's home?
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posted by missed
on Feb 25, 2006 -
4 answers
Does anyone know of any existing studies, articles, etc. about parents who kill (or even attempt to kill) their children because God told them to? I'm curious about how common this phenomenon is.
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posted by dlugoczaj
on Dec 9, 2005 -
15 answers
Does anyone know where that curiously preserved and unintentionally hilarious church advert on the London Underground is? Everyone seems to have heard of it - it's a large ad, on one of the stops, and is styled is a page out of a comic book, with various mustachioed characters with leather jackets saying stuff like, 'Leave us alone, man, we just want to have some groovy fun,' and a nun replying 'The true way to fun is through Jesus' teachings', etc. I can't remember what stop it's on or find any information on the web about it.
posted by adrianhon
on Dec 17, 2004 -
10 answers
I've always been attracted to Buddhism - and as I'm now 3 days without cigarettes, a philosophy that tells me that the problem is in the craving, not in the thing craved makes a lot of sense. I've just read
this and found it a great help - now how do I make the step from an intellectual understanding of the ideas to starting to practice? I live in London, if it helps.
posted by calico
on Aug 9, 2004 -
29 answers
