“Recently, I read a book about a religious cult that had hurt a lot of people—ruining them financially, destroying their families, taking away their freedom, and so forth. Why does this kind of thing always seem to happen with religious groups like this?”
“My mother lives alone and it's getting harder and harder for her to take care of herself. But she's always been very independent and gets upset if I even hint that she ought to consider moving into a nursing home. How should I deal with this?”
“Do you think computers could ever take over the world someday? I know it sounds like science fiction, but computers are becoming so sophisticated that I wonder in what kind of a world we'll be living in 50 years. Does the Bible say anything about this?”
“Our two young boys are at the age when they are asking all sorts of questions, including a lot of questions about God—most of which we can't answer. Where can we find some answers that will satisfy them?”
“I think the world would be a much better place if religion was banned. All that religion has done is cause wars and conflicts over the centuries, and it isn't any different today. I don't expect any politicians will have the courage to actually ban religion, but we'd be better off if they did. I have no use for religion.”
“What makes Jesus different from all the other religious leaders who ever lived, as you Christians say He was? I know He was a great man, and I respect His teachings, but other major religious leaders were just as great, in my opinion.”
“My neighbor keeps trying to get me to read the Bible, because she says it will answer my problems. I appreciate her concern, but how can something written thousands of years ago help us right now? We live in a different world, and we don't have the same problems they had back then.”
“Some people in our community want to use some space in our church basement to start a community food bank. I think it's a good idea, but a couple of people in our church oppose the plan. They say it might bring in the wrong kind of people and create problems. What would your opinion be?”
“I've heard preachers say we ought to read the Bible, and I'm sure they are right. But I have a learning disability that makes it very hard for me to read, and I just can't tackle something as big as the Bible. Will God be angry at me for not reading the Bible?”
“Do you believe God has a plan for each person, and when we ask Him, He'll tell us which way we ought to go? I'm facing a major decision in my career right now, but to be honest I'm not sure if God cares which choice I make. Am I wrong about this?”
“I know this isn't a spiritual question, but my biggest problem is that I'm just a very disorganized person. What have you found useful to help you get organized? I don't think you could have accomplished all the things you have unless you were very organized.”
“We're afraid our son is about to make a bad mistake. He vowed he'd never remarry after his first wife left him, but last month he met someone, and now they're going to get married. He doesn't like us to give advice, but should we say anything?”