“In my view, religion is just a crutch for weak people. The sooner we forget about God and learn to rely only on ourselves, the better off we'll be. As far as I'm concerned, religion is a fraud. What do you think of that?”
“We waited for years to become parents, and finally, to our great, joy it happened. But our baby had serious problems and died eight months later, and it has broken our hearts. Is he in heaven? That at least would be some comfort to us.”
“Once a person decides to follow Jesus, can they lose their salvation later on if they commit a major sin? We’ve been discussing this in our Bible class, and I’m not sure what to think.”
“When I was in my teens, I was very active in our church's youth group, and I took God very seriously. But now I'm all wrapped up in my family and my career, and I hardly ever think about God. What do you think happened?”
“My yoga teacher is interested in all kinds of religions, and she says that what we need to do to find God (or “spiritual enlightenment,” as she terms it) is to empty our minds of everything.”
“I don't necessarily disagree with what preachers say about Jesus and everything, but I honestly don't feel any need for God. What would you say to someone like me?”
“I'd like to be a Christian, but I don't think I'm good enough. I know you'll probably say that Jesus died for imperfect people, and I suppose that's true, but I feel like I'll never be good enough to be His follower. Am I missing something?”
“All my cousin ever thinks about is the latest fashions, and how she'll look if she gets some new jewelry or has her hair done differently, and things like that. I questioned her once, but she said she didn't see anything wrong because she thinks God must want us to look good. Does He?”
“I know some of the things I do are wrong, and yet I just keep doing them. I tell God I'm sorry and won't do them again and ask Him to forgive me, but I still give in when I'm tempted. I guess I'm not a very strong person.”
“How can we love people who aren’t even very likable? I remember that Jesus told us to love everyone, but that’s impossible, isn’t it?”
“The Sunday after Easter, our pastor preached about Thomas, who had a real problem with doubt. Well, I guess that's where I am. I'd believe in Jesus if I could see Him, just like Thomas did, but of course I can't. Maybe I just wasn't cut out to be a Christian.”
“I grew up in a very unhappy home — lots of conflict, plus verbal and physical abuse. Finally my parents split, but because of all this I have a very hard time trusting people or thinking I can ever love someone (let alone love God). I know you’re not a psychiatrist, but how can I overcome this?”