“My aunt is a very devout person — she’s active in her church, reads her Bible daily, prays for others, and so forth. But I’ve never met anyone so concerned about her health or so afraid of getting sick. Aren’t Christians not supposed to fear death?”
“My friend refuses to think about anything dealing with life after death. He says the only thing that interests him is his life right now. And anyway, he says, he believes everything will work out for the best somehow. How can I get through to him?”
“Do you think people's lives can be changed if they believe in God? As a psychologist, I know people can change in small ways if they try hard enough. But we all have different personalities, and I don't think our basic personality ever really changes.”
“We prayed and prayed that our daughter's marriage would work out, but it hasn't, and now her divorce has been finalized. Why didn't God answer our prayers? Isn't marriage supposed to be for life, according to the Bible?”
“Whenever I go back home, my mother's friends go out of their way to say they're praying for me. I know they're just trying to get under my skin because they don't agree with the way I'm living. Why can't religious people mind their own business and quit trying to run mine?”
“You often say in your column that the reason we're separated from God is because we've sinned, but how do you know? Maybe God just doesn't want anything to do with us, or maybe He doesn't even exist.”
“According to the polls I’ve seen, most people today still say they believe in God. But if that’s true, why do we have so much crime and addiction and so forth? God doesn’t seem to make much of a difference, does He?”
“I know people say God's way is best for us, but I don't believe it. I think I'm the only one who knows what's best for me — not some vague, distant spirit who doesn't care what happens to us. Why bother with God?”
“I don’t go to church very often, but this year I happened to go on what they called ”
“I know you believe in the devil, but what proof do you have of his existence? Have you ever seen him? I think the devil is just a myth people dreamed up because they needed someone to blame for their own failings.”
“I was very optimistic when the new century started back in 2000, because I thought the world might finally live in peace. But if anything, things have only gotten worse. Will we ever wise up and stop fighting each other? I get very discouraged.”
“All I've ever wanted in life is to be happy, but just when I think I've found happiness, it vanishes. I thought I'd finally found it with the boyfriend I've been living with the past few months, but now he's dumped me and I'm back to square one. Doesn't God want me to be happy?”