Essays donated by visitors to this web site

Important notes:

This section of our web site contains an eclectic mix of essays written and donated by our visitors.

Almost all of the essays elsewhere on this web site attempt to portray all points of view on a given topic. We also try to avoid criticizing the religious beliefs of any group, except when it obviously hurts other people. The essays below often deviate from the standards that we use. Quite often, they will express a single opinion and reject all other interpretations of the Torah, Christian Scriptures, Qur'an, etc. as being in error and without merit. Read them with care.

If you are distressed at the contents of any of these essays, we invite you to write a rebuttal and submit it to us. We will seriously consider adding it to this section.

Email an essay that you wish to donate here for review.

Disclaimer:

These essays do not necessarily represent the beliefs of any or all of the staff of the Ontario Consultants on Religious Tolerance. In fact, since we are a multi-faith group, it is quite likely that the beliefs expressed in these essays will differ from at least some of our staff's opinions.

Criteria for rejecting essays:

We reserve the right to reject any entries for a range of reasons, including:

Essays that we feel exhibit hatred or proposes discrimination against others on the basis of their gender, race, skin color, sexual orientation, gender identity, religion, etc.

Essays whose primary goal is to attack individuals or groups.

Essays which attack religious beliefs of other faith groups. However, we will generally accept essays that:

	Compare beliefs of two or more religions, or
	Compare the beliefs of one faith group with scientific findings, or
	Compare and contrast beliefs within a single religion.

We prefer essays between 75 and 150 lines in length.

We have also decided to not publish essays which:

Advocate corporal punishment of children. This is because of many long term studies involving tens of thousands of individuals from childhood to their 20's. They show that rates of clinical depression, alcohol addiction, drug addiction and anxiety attacks in adulthood increase with the frequency of spanking. We don't want to be even partly responsible for the suffering that an essay advocating spanking would probably generate.

Promote conspiracy theories or doomsday scenarios. The level of fear circulating in North America is highly destabilizing. We don't want to add to people's stress levels.

Sponsored link

Essays written by our web site visitors:

Rules and suggestions about donating essays

Abortion access:

Anon: "Pro-choice means giving the woman choice"

Anon: "The dangers of forcing a teen to have an abortion"

Stanford Aranoff: "The beginning of a person"

"C.B.: "The rights of the pregnant woman vs. the the rights of her pre-embryo, embryo or fetus"

Stephanie Chen: "Defining personhood"

Peter Faulknor: "Searching for an ethical position in the abortion debate"

Marliz Olmos-Armas: "The personal experiences of a woman who obtained an abortion"

Marliz Olmos-Armas: "Nine reasons in favor of retaining abortion access"

"Peggy:" "Finding God's love in an abortion clinic"

Leslie Rummell: "Voice of the unborn child."

Laurie Snyder: "A child never born."

Don Staddon: "Abortion kills children: Truth or deception?"

Chuck Thompson "Abortion equals assassination"

Arthur R. Trafford: "The 'pro-baby' movement"

Various: Poems by pro-life poets: Leslie M. Willson, James O'Brien, & 'KLogger1'.

Various: More poems by: Lee Caress, Eleni Phufas, & Loranda Arosemena.

Abortions: Reducing the number:

Angie Pratt: "How to reduce the number of abortions"

"Northstar: "How to reduce the number of abortions; a response

Charles Sabillon: "Reducing abortions via technology"

See also our menu on this topic.

Abuse -- spiritual and sexual:

	"Alice:" "A woman's personal experience"
	"Michael:" "The beast is silent"

Afterlife:

	Zicon: "Is there an afterlife?"
	Cary Cook: " 'After Pascal:' thoughts on an afterlife"
	Susan Humphreys: "Heaven, Hell and Purgatory"

Agnosticism and Atheism:

	Ben & Eric: "An Atheist and a Christian have a theological discussion"
	Vincent Bugliosi: "Why Do I Doubt Both the Atheists and the Theists?"
	E.C. Huddleston: Astute Brutes: Putting More Muscle in Strong Atheism
	Susan Humphreys: "Misconceptions about Atheists" "Can Theists and Atheists coexist?" A Seventh Day Adventist tries Atheism for a year An Atheist defends Religion Part 1 Part 2
	"Ken": "'Answering The New Atheism,' by Scott Hahn & Benjamin Wiker: A Refutation"
	R.W. Mettetal: "On the tolerance of Christians towards Atheists, and vice-versa"
	Nathan Parker: "Improving relationships between Theists and Atheists"
	Alan Rogers: ""How to be a tolerant Atheist"
	Nick Tolk: "Deicide As A Path To Personal Growth: Reflections on Atheistic Religions"
	Benjamin Wiker: "An attack on the 'New Atheism' by comparing the activities of Yahweh with Evolution's 'god' "

Art:

	Kitt Cherry: "New Website Dares to Show Gay Jesus"
	Kitt Cherry: "Censored Christ Mother appears at last"

Behavior, personal:

	Walter Kirchbauer: "Twelve criteria to measure one's perfect submission"
	Rabbi A.S. Maller: "The Religious Value Of Celebrating a New Year"

Beliefs:

	Ben & Eric: "An Atheist and a Christian have a theological discussion"
	"Chesed and Gevurah:" "Letter to my deacon: Why mercy is better"
	Nick Coghlan: "Which matters more to you: being right or staying friends?" Peaceful coexistence with persons having other beliefs
	Susan Gilmore: "Personal freedom as a result of abandoning organized religion"
	Susan Humphries: "Do people have the right to believe anything they want? Does religious freedom include the right to hurt others?" " 'Faith and Truth:' a response to the Popes' new encyclical 'Lumen Fidei' (Light of Faith)" "Understanding the times: coexisting in a nation with different worldviews"
	Michael Gryboski: "The nature of Christian Fundamentalism"
	Corey Harvard: "Is Fundamentalism a sound system of belief?"
	Diane Holder: "Follow your beliefs, in love, without fear"
	Larry Langston: "Perhaps life is about gathering experience, not waiting for rewards or punishment after life." "No one really knows"
	Anita Pathik Law: "Believe it and you will see it!
	Ron and Karen Schwartz: "What is truth: Handling diversity of beliefs in Christianity"

The Bible:

	D.L. Henderson: "The greatest myth ever told"
	Susan Humphreys: "Objective and subjective standards. What the Bible says vs. what one's interpretation of what the Bible says"
	Rabbi A.S. Maller: "A Torah With 70 Different Aspects" Don't Read the Bible Alone: Study the Bible with a Commentary and with Other Students
	R. C. Symes, concerning myths in the Bible: "Myths surrounding Jesus' birth" "The resurrection myths about Jesus" "Jesus' miracles and religious myth" "Bible prophecies and myth" "Is the Bible the Word of God or Myth of men?" Part 1: Bible origins, variations, forgeries, etc. Part 2: Biblical errors and contradictions
	Alton C. Thompson: "Narcissism and the Bible"
	Dawn Wessel: "The Synonymy of the Parables: Connecting the Dots to Reveal the Bible’s Cryptic Voice"

Bullying:

Susan Humphreys: "Words hurt"

Carlos Casteneda's writing on the teachings of Don Juan:

Susan Humphreys describes lessons she has learned

Change (Producing change in your life):

	John Edward: "Five ways to create and manifest positive change"
	Sagaren Pillay: "How to conquer fear and Be happy, healthy and rich"

Christianity : (See "Religion" below for additional essays)

Anon: "A personal story of religious conversion from Agnosticism to Bible-believing Christianity"
Anon: "Practicing a simpler Christianity: less belief, more experience and practice"
Anon: "Does progress depend on accepting Jesus Christ or rejecting the Bible?"

Tony Bisson:

	"The larger truths about God and the spirit world"
	"Seeking knowledge of humanity's future life"

Tony Crosthwaite: "Jesus versus Two Religious Establishments: From Jew to Gentile "

Tom Drake-Brockman:

	"Spiritual Humanism & the meaning of life: Jesus, the Buddha, suffering & service to others"
	"Happy Krishmas: Jesus, the Buddha, and reincarnation"

Stephen Fretwell: "What is true Christianity?"

Clyde Glandon: "Contemporary Anglican Episcopal Perspectives"

James Gray:

	"The Bible's Obsolescence"
	"The Love Command: Further Thoughts"
	"Why I am not a Christian"

Susan Humphreys:

	"Christmas: What is the 'reason for the Season'?"
	"Goals and Objectives: Some words of advice for the new Pope"
	"Will Pope Francis I hinder, harm or help the world?"
	"Confused by the Confusion" over Pope Francis & Roman Catholicism. The author's personal opinion "
	"Initial Suppositions, Uncomfortable Truths and the Bible"

Akili Kumasi: "The Martha Syndrome and the Mary Solution"

Kathy LaPan: "Why Christianity is exclusive: the only true religion."

"Linda": "Reading the Bible."

Jim Persinger: "Were Adam and Eve the first humans?"

Shannon Richey: "A critique of the Word of Faith (a.k.a. Prosperity Gospel, and "Name it & claim it") belief systems"

Paul Schroeder: "An unbelievable gift of an vision experience"

Alton C. Thompson:

	Christianity: 'Fix it or forget it
	Why did Christianity never take in our society?
	"Wildwood" Churches: Comforting the afflicted or afflicting the comfortable?
	“Killing Him Won’t Be the End of Him”

Arthur Trafford:

	Christians’ varied interpretations of the Word of God
	There were no denominations in 1st Century Christianity

Climate change: See Environment

Creation science vs. evolution: See Origins

Culture

Susan Humphreys: "American Ethos. Myth or Reality? Blessing or Curse?"

Diversity, religious:

	Brandon Arkell: "Interfaith reconciliation as viewed by the Universal Life Church Monastery"
	Charri Everson: "About religion"
	Jeann Forsberg: "Understanding Christians of a different tradition"
	Susan Humphreys: "Seeking the truth, I found many truths"
	Grace Li: "Different people, different paths to 'God' "
	William R. Stimson: "Is religion the problem?"
	"M.T.:" "Ten ridiculed religions"
	K. Turner: "Accepting religious diversity."

Easter

	Alton C. Thompson: Easter: What “It’s All About”?
	Alton C. Thompson: "A Heretic’s View of Easter, interpreted as personal transformation"

Education

	Anon: "The value -- or lack of value -- of higher education"
	Andrew Flaxman: "How to Educate Yourself in Liberal Arts"

End of the world as we know it (EOTWAWKI):

	Susan Humphreys: Some questions about the rapture end times theology
	Joseph R. Jochmans: Hell, Heaven or Hype? - Six facts about what will really happen in 2012
	A.S. Maller: Lessons From Yet Another 'No Show' Doomsday: A Jewish view
	Alton C. Thompson: Avoiding human exinction by radical social change. Was Martin Luther Kings Jr.'s dream the wrong one?
	Aerik Vondenburg: The 2011-MAY-21 apocalypse and a case for preterism"

Environment:

	Harry G. Morris: The Conundrum: Having "... dominion over ... all the earth.
	Alton C. Thompson: Appreciating nature, and the negative effects of our isolation from it.
	Dave Wilson: Homo sapiens’s potential fatal flaw
	See also a series of articles by Vladimir Tomek on the environment

Ethics: See Morality

Evolution: See Origins

Family & marriage:

	Anon: "The marriage passbook."
	Susan Humphreys: "Is opposing same-sex marriage not hate?"
	Rabbi Allen S. Maller: "It is not Gays undermining marriage. It is the uneducated" "The significance of Jewish wedding rituals"
	Jason Miller: "Freedom Fettered by Fear"
	Lal Mohd: "Marriage and divorce in Islam"
	Patrick Nailon: "In favor of marriage for all"
	John Nash: "On Mormons and the equality of women"
	"Wired:" "About spanking"

Free will

	Susan Humphreys: "Free will and the nature of God"
	Mahlon Wickey: "Does God interfere with man's will?"

Freedom and rights, religious:

Essays by Susan Humphreys:

Global warming: See Environment

God and Satan:

Anon: "Is God good?"

Anon: "Should the Ten Commandments be posted in schools?"

Jim Ashby: "God is flawed."

Alan Auckenthaler: "Pilgrim in an ambiguous world, working towards an understanding of God."

T.C. Bakel, "God/Satan/Vanity/Prejudice/Ignorance"

Cary Cook: "Should 'under God' be in or out of the Pledge of Allegiance?"

Allen Earle: "The God in your head is real"

Keith Gilmour: "Sympathy for the Almighty: It's not easy being God"

Sherwood Goozee: " 'IZ Sense:' revisualizing God"

James B. Gray: "A post-season meditation: Is God our cosmic bellhop or our king?"

Susan Humphreys:

Why has God / The All / The Source left us uninformed about what life is all about?
Is God a perfect being? Some negative answers
A series of essays on Theodicy:

The nature of God
God in the Pledge of Allegiance: How secularists can win by altering their strategy
Natural and Man Made Disasters. WHO is God punishing & WHO is he protecting?
An Atheist defends Religion Part 1 Part 2

Robert Kaiser: "Is blind faith immoral? On faith vs. reason"

John Kyff: "One nation under God"

Prem Kamble: "God and religion: A new look"

Larry Langston: "What God is not"

Kate Lenhardt: "An argument for Satan"

Arthur Levine:

	"Where To Go Next To Find God"
	"Chasing Jesus"

Rabbi Allen S. Maller:

	"Changing God's mind"
	"Religious pluralism is God's will"
	"The prophetic vision of religious pluralism From Micah to Muhammad"
	"Choosing to be chosen: Multiple relationships between God and the nations"

Minsky: "Is God moral? A serious response to a serious question"

Mushtaq: "God, Satan, his messengers and human response"

Hellen Nanney: "Who made God"

Darrel Ray: "There are no monotheistic religions; Educating monotheists"

Nelson Rose: "The G Word: A Deist's concept of the creator"

Alan Rogers:

	"Theodicy: A parable"
	"How to be a tolerant Atheist"
	"On Neo-Deism"

Alton Thompson: "Some “heretical” comments on the Holy Spirit"

Nick Tolk: "Deicide As A Path To Personal Growth: Reflections on Atheistic Religions"

Geoff Wright: "Armchair Archeology" Satan as the cause of the Tunguska event.

Hell, Hades & Gehanna:

	Carol Border: "The debate and issues related to Hell"
	Alan J: "My journey to Hell"
	Mathew James: "Is Hell an eternal damnation, or are there three woes?"
	Mahlon Wickey: "Gehenna hell-fire"

Homosexuality/Lesbians/Gays: (See also same-sex marriages)

	Alysha: "The pulpit and downstairs:" a poem.
	Anonymous: "An emotional, personal, real-life letter to Christian fundamentalists."
	Anon: "One woman's experience with homosexuality and acceptance of diversity."
	Anon: "Theological Determinism and Homosexuality"
	Anon: "Jehovah's Witnesses, same-sex marriage & homosexuality"
	Anthony Ashford: "Six biblical reasons why Christians should accept same-sex relationships." Menu
	Tricia B: "The Baha'i faith and homosexuality"
	Kitt Cherry: "New website dares to show gay Jesus"
	Robert Flatt: "Homosexuality: sin? shame? cause? A conservative Christian viewpoint"
	Helen Herndon, "How Can a Heterophobic Call Me Homophobic and Heterosexist?"
	Susan Humphreys, "2013-JUL: Pope Francis' comments on homosexuality"
	Dr. Marty Klein, "Poor reason to support gay rights: "My son is gay"
	Lindy Madsen: "A tainted idea of love: The personal struggle between identity and religion"
	Angel Mason: "CNN newscaster Don Lemon: Young, gifted, black, gay and handsome"
	Angel Mason: "Response of the black Christian community to California law SB 48"
	Gary Miles: "A cure for homophobia."
	Natalie Parkerson: "Sexism & homophobia within Christianity"
	Derek S.: "A Biblical Defense of Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, & transgender (GLBT) Persons."
	Randi Schimnosky: "The ex-gay industry is fostering social rejection of persons with same sex attractions."
	"RHC": "Ethical aspects of photos of GLBT persons & couples"
	Arthur Trafford: "An exchange of personal beliefs between, a visitor to this web site, and the site's webmaster"
	See also same-sex marriage

Humanism:

Michael McMillen" "Designed Humanism"

Inspiring story:

Anon" "The impact of one teacher on many students"

Inter-faith:

	Anon: "The Christ Fasters and the fast of Ramadan"
	Ben & Eric: "An Atheist and a Christian have a theological discussion"
	Sadia Carone: "Our Muslim cousins"
	Susan Humphreys: "An allegory about religious humility & cooperation -- You supply the ending" "About hubris: extreme pride or arrogance -- particularly as it applies to religious belief"

Intolerance, religious:

	Yaqoob K. Bangash: "Man-made Earthquake in Sangla Hill" in Punjab province, Pakistan.
	Abe Ata: "The Palestinian Christian: betrayed, persecuted, sacrificed"
	Tina Heron: "You can't be disabled & Christian, unless you surrender to Discrimination & Victimization"
	Nahid Sewell: "The Ruby Tear Catcher, an Iranian Woman’s Story of Intolerance"
	Dave Wilson: "Religious intolerance as a symptom, rather than a cause of conflicts, mass murder, genocide, etc."

Islam:

	Hijab Al Faisal: "Islam -- A true religion of peace, tranquility & intellect: a moderate Islamic interpretation
	Cathy Stripe Lester: "The community center/mosque near 9/11"
	Rabbi Allen S. Maller: Essays donated by Rabbi Allen S. Maller's about the links among the main monotheistic faiths: Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 "Fasting for Ramadan and Yom Kippur" "Political Attacks from the seoond century BCE to the present time against the Jewish and Islamic practice of male circumcision" "A Rabbi warns against Islamophobia" "Islamophobia and Banu Israel (The Children of Israel) in the Qur'an:" Part 1 Part 2 "Muslim and Jewish Views of Jesus as 'Son of God' " "How Muslims and Jews view Jesus" Part 1 Part 2
	Jocelyn Sophia: "Alternate beliefs about Prophet Muhammad" "How are future happenings determined?"

Jesus :

Alfonso Baeza-Parra: "Solving some of the enigmas about the resurrection of Jesus Christ"

Jose Davis: "What's up Jesus?" a conservative Christian interpretation of the resurrection of Jesus

Dipak Dholakia: "My own Jesus"

Tom Drake-Brockman: "Happy Krishmas: Jesus, the Buddha, and reincarnation"

James Gray: "Why is our 'Christian' society anti-Jesuan?"

Henry Hasse: "Scandal - Justice - Faith: one person's personal beliefs"

Allan Janssen:

	"Jesus, the Gospel of Thomas and knowledge"
	"The message of Jesus: the message of Christ"

Arthur Levine: "Chasing Jesus"

Ben Lomond:

	"Jesus of Nazareth -- God's delegated agent to the world"
	"How early Pagan Greek fathers hijacked Jesus of Nazareth"

Rabbi Allen S. Maller:

	"Muslim and Jewish Views of Jesus as 'Son of God'""
	"How Muslims and Jews view Jesus" Part 1 Part 2"
	""Islamophobia and Banu Israel (The Children of Israel) in the Qur'an:" Part 1 Part 2

George Mercurio: On the Existence of Jesus Christ

John S. Morgan: "An outline & review of Bart Ehrman's book: "Misquoting Jesus"

Jeffrey Small: "Was Jesus influenced by Hinduism and Buddhism?"

R.C. Symes:

	""The resurrection myths about Jesus;" a progressive Christian interpretation"
	"Jesus Myth Theory" (a.k.a. Christ Myth Theory, JMT, CMT)

Arthur Trafford: Essays about Jesus and the virgin birth

Daniel Unterbrink: "About Jesus the Galilean"

"Reni:" "Jesus as a Pagan deity"

Judaism:

Essays by Rabbi Allen S. Maller:

Latter-day Saints (The Mormons)

	Jose Davis: "Is Mormonism a Christian denomination?"
	Samuel Klein: Why the LDS Church is not a cult?
	John Nash: "On Mormons and the equality of women"

LGBT matters: See homosexuality

Liberty, religious: See Freedom, religious

Life and death matters:

	Vincent Bemowski: "Roman Catholic support for the death penalty"
	Carol Border: "The debate and issues related to Hell"
	David Estill: "Canadian legislation and euthanasia: Can society tell us how to die?"
	Daniel Hong: "Two deaths and one religion"
	Dave Jarvis: "Truth, damn lies and execution"
	Minda Payton: "Reasons I am against the death penalty"
	Harjog Singh: "Is death to be feared?"
	Jesse Whitson: "An abolitionist's view of the death penalty"
	Sloan Zimmerman: "Euthanasia: The Right Choice for Some"

Love, social justice and caring:

	Tom Drake-Brockman: "Spiritual Humanism & the meaning of life: Jesus, the Buddha, suffering & service to others"
	Gabriel Gherasim "Victims of Communism, why should Americans care?"
	J.K. Gregory "Achieving a more equitable balance between service & exploitation of humanity & resources."
	J.K. Gregory "Issues of the economy and the quality of life."
	Susan Humphreys: "Civility." "It is all about Qi -- attaining a just society so that every person has the opportunity to thrive."
	P.M. "A plea for cooperation."
	Terry Neal "The Kingdom of Love"
	Cheryl Petersen "Fighting the New War for Interrelated Discovery."
	Alton Thompson" "A reason (or two) for hope." "What the World Needs Now ..." "Lessons of the Campfire: People as spiritual beings to be loved and respected." "America's real religion"
	Jim Wallis, "What is 'Biblical Politics'."

The media:

Jason Miller: "Liberating the 'Liberal Media' "

The meaning of life:

	Tom Drake-Brockman: "Spiritual Humanism & the meaning of life: Jesus, the Buddha, suffering & service to others
	Susan Humphreys: "Two Books, and The Meaning of Life"
	Robert Mount: "My Pursuit of Truth"

Miracles:

	Michael Baribeau, "What a miracle lookes like."
	Gil Gaudia, "About intercessory prayer: The scientific study of miracles."
	Arthur Trafford: "Miracles: degree of difficulty. A conservative Protestant point of view with some novel twists."

Morality:

	Adrian Bishop: "The Moral Compass Project"
	Curt Leavitt: "Evolution of moral law - from faith-based to evidence-based"
	Susan Humphreys: "Misconceptions about Atheists" What are "Right principles?" What values are groups really promoting when they advocate no change to the Boy Scout's traditional policy on gay youth? Pardon and forgiveness: the highest forms of justice Thoughts on "Collective Moral Force: How we treat our fellow humans."
	Minsky: "Is God moral? A serious response to a serious question"
	Alton C. Thompson: "Digging the Duggars," from the TV program "19 kids and counting"
	Dave Wilson: Values and importance: the place of relativity

Mysticism:

Dominic Daley, et. al., "The inner nature of God's Kingdom"

Myths and parables:

Harry J. Bentham, "Parables involving the Theft of Knowledge"

Susan Humphreys,

Alton C. Thompson, "Is enlightenment all that we need, or is there a continuing role for myths?"

Origins of the universe, the world, the history of humanity and religion:

Alfred & Suzanne: "A brief synopsis of the origins of mankind"

Monte Benson: Excerpt from the book: "The World Peace Prophecies The Unification of Science, Religion, and Humanity"

Harry J. Bentham: "Parables involving the Theft of Knowledge"

John Burritt: "The universe, evolution and religion"

Sharlene Dodds: An imaginative essay concerning the evolution of species

Sue Haskell: "The harmony of Genesis' creationism and science"

Susan Humphreys: "Why has God / The All / The Source left us uninformed about what life is all about?"

Allan Janssen: "The origins of religion and the afterlife"

Kyle Jorstad: "Religion & Science: The Evolution Controversy " Part 1 Part 2

Susan Kay: "Remarkable findings of historian Alan Gripton"

Allen S. Maller: "The evolution of human spirituality"

Freya Moon: "Evolution: creationism and the human soul"

Jim Persinger: "Old Earth or Young Earth?"

Zvi Shkedi: "Torah and Science - facts, theories and fiction."

Les Sherlock: "What do creationists believe?"

Paul Shivers: "The origin of the universe"

Donald Stark:

	"Richard Dawkins, Witness to Eden"
	"God vs Stephen Hawking's Unbound Theory"
	"Weinberg vs. a designed universe"

Alton Thompson:

"Human variety, love, social cohesiveness, and survival"

David Wilson:

Peace:

Ken Dugan: Proposal for a World Peace day

Four poems by Rabbi Allen S, Maller: "God gives, God takes;" "Deuteronomy 29:5 on Aging;" "What is an Angel;" & "Loving Relationships."

Sponsored link:

Philosophy:

	Jonathan Henderson: "Igitur Vita (For this reason, life)"
	Rudolf Svidran: "I think, therefore I am ... incomplete"
	Warren Smith: "My New Age Philosophy"

Poetry:

Bob Allen: "Am I less than human?"

Poetry by Michael Levy

Lambros Lambrou: "Please God, Help My God." A poem to inspire a World Faith Day.

Poems by Rabbi Allen S, Maller: "God gives, God takes;" "Deuteronomy 29:5 on Aging;" "What is an Angel;" & "Loving Relationships."

Poems by Andrew Pell:

	"The Eternal God"
	"World Peace"

Karen G. Post, "Jesus Talks About Abortion In A Wondrous Dream."

Personal tributes:

	Kenneth Smith: "A tribute to a father, Fred Smith, and a plea promoting vaccination"
	"Susan:" "A tribute to her mother, sister, and Granny"

Prayer:

	"Alex A:" "An outlook on prayer and God's will"
	Michael Brandon: "Prayer: Growing up"
	Bindie Gill: "Why Prayer Does Not Work. A Common Sense Approach To Prayer"
	Larry Langston: "The effectiveness of prayer"
	Kathy LaPan: "Why I am Praying for You, Even if you Don't Want Me To" Susan Humphreys: A rebuttal of Kathy LaPan's essay Kathy LaPan: A rebuttal to Susan Humphreys' rebuttal
	Bill Peddie: "Francis Galton and the testing of prayer"
	Cheryl Petersen: "Fighting the New War for Interrelated Discovery." (Prayer and medical care)
	Mark Xandrine Sneed: "Prayer is the answer"
	Gil Gaudia, "About intercessory prayer: The scientific study of miracles."

Prophecy: (It is worth noting that all specific end-time prophecies so far share one factor: a 100% failure rate!)

	Ben Douglas: "The end times have begun, as prophesized in Daniel 11:45 -- in Syria!"
	David Haggith: "The cornerstone of biblical prophecy: Coming soon to a mountain in Israel"
	Bruce McKerras: "Signposts of the coming Apocalypse"
	Ewiak Ryszard: "Who is 'the king of the north' mentioned in Daniel 11?"

Proselytize:

Susan Humphreys: "Proselytizing: My response and how I should have responded. A group of recommended books."

Religion and spirituality: (See "Christianity" for additional essays)

Jim Ashby: "A very brief history of human spiritual evolution leading to the major monotheistic Abrahamic religions of today"

Troy Bakel: "My outlawed religion, restored in 1978"

J. Bogard: "Which Way?"

Dimuthu Calyaneratne: A brief summary of Buddhism

Ariadne DawnFire: "Witchcraft: The step to civilization"

Gogate: "The need for reform in religion"

James Gray:

	"Worship: An exercise in revisioning" **
	"An Evolutionary Perspective on Matthew 25"

Tom Hart: "God's religion:" where it can be found

Hossain: "Islam behind the stereotypes"

Susan Humphreys:

"What is killing religion?""
"Two foundational religious terms: Mythos and Logos"
"About hubris: extreme pride or arrogance -- particularly as it applies to religious belief"
"Do We Still Need Religion?"
"Nothing comes from Nothing: A broad-ranging discussion of God, Logos, Deism, Gnosticism, Evil, Physics, Energy, and the Golden Rule"

Arthur Levine: "The Faith Attracter Factor."

Chris Knight: "Is religion still relevant? Part 1."

Goliath Lau: "My stance on religion"

Allen S. Maller:

"Matthew": "The Mazzarties"

Bill McKeen:

"Theological musing: My Search for Truth" Part 1 Part 2
"Musing on life"

Ezat Mossallanejad: "Synopsis of the book "Religions and the cruel return of Gods"

Nicholas Nam: "Toxic Faith: Stressors in the lives of young adult Korean-Americans"

Dave Oshana: "Awakening inside the Matrix"

Jim Persinger: "Were Adam and Eve the first humans?"

Chintamani Rath: "So, why am I a Hindu?"

"Reni:" Wicca and Christianity"

Reema Singhal: "About Buddhism"

William R. Stimson: "What unites America with Islam?"

Philip Sudworth: Faith - putting its different dimensions into better perspective

Alton C. Thompson: "The real religion of America"

Richard Tod: "Peace will arrive only after organized religion ends"

Keith Wright: "The Deus Project and the United Deist Church"

Rituals and practices:

	Susan Humphreys: "Civility" The waiting game: Having the patience to let problems resolve themselves
	Rabbi Allen S. Maller: "Fasting for Ramadan and Yom Kippur" "Political Attacks from the 2nd century BCE to now against the Jewish and Islamic practice of male circumcision"
	Eric B. Munro: " 'Love Breathing': Experience Divine Joy With Every Breath You Breathe"
	Mahlon Wickey: "Water Baptism or Spirit Baptism?"
	Mahlon Wickey: "The Lord's Supper and Holy Communion"

Salvation:

	Glynis Bethel: "Fornication and adultery are unforgivable and unpardonable sins for a Christian"
	William Blanton: "Jesus is the only way to salvation"
	Daren Crane: "The One Path to Salvation"
	Susan Humphreys: "I too have a dream! That one's salvation depends on ones acts, not one's beliefs."
	Larry Langston: "No one really knows"
	Alexander Winslow: "Ransom."

Same-sex marriage (SSM) See also homosexual topics

	Anon: "Jehovah's Witnesses, same-sex marriage & homosexuality"
	Brian Biedul: "Views on same-sex marriage"
	KC: "Protecting gender equality in marriage"
	Nick Emond: A different perspective about banning gay marriages
	A.S. Maller: Jewish views on same-sex marriage Support for same-sex marriage among American adults of different religions
	Leland Traiman: "Why the Lesbian/Gay Community Should Not Be Fighting for Same-Sex Marriage"
	Judy Trimarchi: "A solution to the same-sex marriage debate"

Science and religion:

	Paul Erickson: "Science and religion"
	Russell Hairston: "Reconciling science and Christian theology"
	Susan Humphreys: "Does science refute the existence of God?"
	Larry Langston: "Does anything exists beyond the physical?"
	Crazy Late: "Science does not contradict Christianity. Life after death. "
	Dawn Wessel: "If God inspired the Bible, then it cannot conflict with science"

Secularism:

	Curt Leavitt: "Evolution of moral law - from faith-based to evidence-based"
	Peter Retzinger: "To abandon reason, to fear freedom, and the human condition"

Separation of church and state:

	David Findley-Price: "Theocracy and rural Canada in the 21st century"
	Allen Hoffmeyer: "One Nation"
	Curt Leavitt: "Evolution of moral law - from faith-based to evidence-based"
	Joe McPhail: "Separation of church and state"
	Jason Miller: "Viewing the U.S. as a pluralistic nation with religious freedom"
	Lamar McClain, "The Medicaid Jack In the Box"
	Robert J. Thorpe, "Why Delaware’s Christine O’Donnell is correct about the ‘Separation of Church and State’"

Sexuality

Dean Akrill: "Church and Sexuality: A very turbulent relationship."

Bjorn Philip Beer: "A hard pill to swallow: Catholic contraception policy"

H. Paul Drinkard: "Whatever happened to chastity"

Susan Humphreys:

	"Part of Nature's Plan Thoughts on the HHS Mandate"
	"Secularism, the Catholic Church & Natural Law "

Rabbi Allen S. Maller:

	"Holy Matrimony and Spiritual Sexuality in Judaism"
	"The health benefits of circumcising males "

Marilyn Taplin: "Original sin & its links to unnatural sexual activity"

Arthur Trafford: "For singles: Freedom from sexual pressure"

Sin

	Lane Delano: The biblical theme of transferring sins to others: an alternate interpretation
	Marilyn Taplin: "Original sin & its links to unnatural sexual activity"

Society

Alton C. Thompson, "Two models of society, by Adam Smith and Paul"

Social justice and caring:

See Love, social justice and caring

Spirituality:

	Pam Chubbuck, "My Healing Journey with John Pierrakos: Learning to Love"
	Sheryl Glick, "Journey to personal awareness using our 6th sense"
	Susan Humphreys: "Interactions between religion and spirituality"
	Larry Langston, "Perhaps life is about gathering experience, not waiting for rewards or punishment after life"
	Alisa Linn, "Restoring joy to giving."
	Natasa P. Nuit, "Spiritual evolution. The I Ching, Kabbalah, Tarot, Yogi, etc"
	Alton C. Thompson, "Lessons of the campfire: People as spiritual beings to be loved and respected"
	Dr. Tommy Wong, "All spiritual experiences are positive"

Terrorism:

Jarim Uajua: "Islam is not the source of terrorism, but its solution."

Theology:

John Adams: "Mystery: The Hidden Truth of the Gospel"

Anon: "Truth"

T. Crosthwaite: "The Gospel of Matthew -- the Gospel for the Jews"

Elijah: "The Biblical account concerning life" Excerpt from "The Underground Bible"

James B. Gray:

	"Comparing Orthodoxy (correct belief) and Orthopraxy (correct behavior)" Part 1 Part 2
	A comparison of the Book of Job with the parable of the Good Samaritan

Peter Griffiths: "Restoring the order of the books in the Christian Scriptures"

Marvin Lam: "University of life"

Larry Langston: "Did Jesus die for our sins"

Samuel Klein: "Why the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is not a cult"

Gerald Ostroot: Transferring sin:

Exodus 20:5; Jesus on the Cross; Jewish Day of Atonement; Original Sin; What do we believe?

Steve Simmer: "The new Ten Commandments"

Donald Stark, "Mythologizing the Bible"

Georgia Stewart, "Liberation Theology and Salvation"

David Stone: "Who is a Christian"

Wiliam Taylor Sr: "Who is the true Christian?"

"Tony:" "Towards a Roman Catholic and Protestant convergence in the understanding of sin"

"Tony:" "Catholicism and Anglican Orders: Redrawing the Boundaries"

Tolerance, religious:

	Abe Ata: "The plight of Palestinian Christians."
	Bilal Cleland "Is religious tolerance a passing phenomenon? Religious tolerance in the West's past & future
	Richard Dixon: "Not in my name."
	Hijab Al Faisal: "Islam -- A true religion of peace, tranquility& intellect: a moderate Islamic interpretation
	Ibraham Hooper: "Terror has no faith."
	Marvin Lam: "The Unspoken word"
	Allen Maller: "How religious Americans view those of other faiths
	R.W. Mettetal: "On the tolerance of Christians towards Atheists, and vice-versa"
	Freya Moon: "Change a light bulb, change the world."
	Alison Nolan: "Now Is The Time To Act"
	Nathan Parker: "Improving relationships between Theists and Atheists"

Truth:

	Creighton Ainsworth: "Listen to the evidence -- all the evidence"
	Susan Humphreys: "No ifs, ands, or buts" An essay about the lack of absolute truths
	Ron Schwartz: "What is truth?" An essay about the diversity of Christian beliefs
	Kathy LaPan: "Why Christianity is exclusive: the only true religion" "Postmodern Relativism vs. Ultimate Truth"

Unity:

Anon: "The need for Jewish unity

Violence, religiously inspired:

	Jon Brodkin: "While prayer is peaceful, violence is often in name of God"
	James Peter Jandu: "Jungle Justice and Lynch Mob Mentality. Causes and cures"
	Rabbi Allen S. Maller: "God's commandment against religious extremism"
	Vladimir Tomek: "Passages advocating violence and genocide in religious texts"