“I admire people who have a strong faith but I guess I'm just not one of them. Sometimes God seems very real to me, but other times it's as if He didn't exist. Is there any secret to having a strong faith, or is it just something that some people have and others don't?”
“I'm in an alcoholic rehab program, and one of the things they want us to do is write to people we've hurt and apologize to them. But the only people I've hurt are ones who hurt me first, like my abusive parents. What good would it do to apologize to them? I don't honestly care what they think.”
“Do you honestly think there's any hope for a better world? It seems like there are wars and conflicts everywhere you look, and no matter what we do the world just gets worse and worse.”
“What do I have to do to go to heaven? I've always tried to be a good person and help other people, but now I'm facing cancer and I know my time on earth could be limited. I'm not sure I'm ready to die.”
“Can you prove the existence of God? I admire people who take their religion seriously (especially when they try to help others and live a good life). But I can't have their faith in God or believe in something I can't prove.”
“I didn't even bother to make any New Year's resolutions this year because I never can keep them. Every year, I'll make a long list of things I'd like to change about my life, but after a few weeks I usually break my resolutions. What's wrong with me? My friends don't seem to have this problem.”
“I'm really in shock, because the doctor just told me I have cancer and now the surgery is scheduled for early next week. He says I only have about a 30 percent chance of survival. I've never bothered with God but is it too late? I know I shouldn't have ignored Him but I did.”
“Is the devil real? I suppose you'll say he is, but I've always been skeptical about the existence of the devil. I think instead that evil is kind of a force, somewhat like gravity or magnetism. Sometimes I wonder if I'm right, however, when I see all the bad things in the world.”
“Every year about this time our church has a special drive to collect financial pledges for the coming year's budget. But it's been a hard year financially for our family, and I don't see how we can afford to pledge anything. Would this be wrong?”
“I totaled my car in a very bad accident driving home from college at Christmas, but I escaped with only a few bruises. The highway patrolman said I was really lucky to be alive. Was God trying to get my attention or something?”
“Are cults still popular? It seems like we used to hear about them a lot more than we do today. Are people more on guard against them than they used to be, or is there some other explanation?”
“My boyfriend says he'll stop drinking if we get married, but my parents don't believe him and are strongly opposed to our relationship. I love him very much, but I promised my folks I'd write you to see what you would say.”