“Our neighbors really get into Christmas in a big way—lots of decorating, parties, expensive gifts and so forth. But to them it's just a time to have family fun, with no religious meaning. How can we get them thinking about the real meaning of Christmas?”
“Do you think people will ever learn to get along with each other so that wars and conflicts will eventually cease? Shouldn't we do more to try to get people to respect each other and live in peace?”
“I know Christmas is supposed to celebrate the birthday of Jesus, but is there more to it than that? I didn't grow up in a religious family, so I've never thought much about the meaning of Christmas. But now that I have a family of my own I'd like to explore some of the things I missed when I was growing up.”
“Is faith something that some people have and others don't—just like some people have blond hair and others don't? I'd like to have faith in God, but I've almost decided that I'm never going to have it because I wasn't born with it. What would you say?”
“I don't mean to offend you, but I don't believe people who tell me they have changed because they've given their life to Jesus. I'm in prison, and I think anyone around here who claims they've gotten religion is faking it. They're just trying to impress the parole board so they can get out earlier. What do you think?”
“My parents were very sincere Christians, but somehow it didn't rub off on me. I know I've probably been a big disappointment to them but that's the way it is. How do you account for the fact that religious people sometimes have the most rebellious kids?”
“I've tried to confess all my sins to God so He will forgive them, but what about the ones I can't remember? I know I've probably forgotten about some of the things I've done, but does this mean God won't forgive them and I won't go to heaven?”
“I know I've had a pretty messed up life so far—several marriages, drugs, lots of affairs, a couple of abortions, you name it. But I'd like to start all over again, so I've been trying to make some New Year's resolutions recently. What do you think I ought to include on my list?”
“If you could make just one New Year's resolution for yourself for the coming year, what would it be? Or do you think it's useless to make resolutions like this, because we'll just end up ignoring them?”
“Our two children are getting very excited about Christmas right now (which is understandable, of course). But how can we help them also see the real meaning of Christmas, without sounding like we’re against all the things that excite them about the holidays?”
“I wish I understood myself better, because I’d like to work on my faults and become a better person. For instance, I often get myself into trouble because I don’t like people telling me what to do, and when they do, I react and do the opposite (even if they’re right). Why am I like this?”
“Every year about this time, we get lots of letters from charities and religious organizations asking for money. I’m sure most of them do good work, but how can we know which ones we ought to support? We aren’t wealthy, but we do try to give as much as we can.”