You have heard it: you are not a Christian if you don't adhere to the dietary laws and calls to war. It's a cheap tactic to put you on the defensive, and it's not as hard to respond to as people think.

The truth is some of the most biblically fundamental individuals are Atheists. How do you respond when faced with people who want to use the Old Testament as a weapon? Do you see the pushback when you say it's using it out of context?

When did context become a bad thing? Only in the hands of those who want to use history as a weapon. History could be used just as effectively against them, but self-reflection is lacking these days.

I hope this is helpful to you! Feel free to reach out with a follow-up if you have questions! Mereskepticism@gmail.com

You may remember when mental health was considered fake news in the not-so-distant past. We have come a long way. This is no more true than in the church. We were slow to realize there is more to the brain than we understand. We point to it as a miraculous creation, but then we blindly apply bible verses about sadness as a cure-all for depression and other issues in ignorance.

Groups like the podcaster I mention spout judgment that all depression is slothfulness. Slothfulness is a sin. So if you are suffering, you must pray more and do your duties. In this case, clean that messy kitchen! Now I encountered men who experienced depression who said they were clinical, giving credence to the validity of their experience. I am sure women wouldn't be considered 'clinically' valid. For them, it's just being lazy.

So this podcast responds to people who think they can stand in judgment of what they do not know. They endanger people and misuse scripture as a weapon. If we cannot know that a person with cancer is not in pain, we can not pretend to tell someone battling mental health issues is not in pain, but these kinds of groups take a stance of being all-knowing. When they recover, they point to what they did. I am not implying prayer is not good and right- but to assume it will work to cure everyone is a statement only God can make- and He doesn't.

Some groups still hold these ideas for what appears to be a nefarious reason (misogyny). They have become militant in that they enjoy triggering people to engage with them and then accuse them of not being Christian. They apply general verses and pretend they apply to depression as a cure. They assume they recovered because they were somehow genuine in their faith. This is juxtaposed against the sinful pagans who get help or take medication.

They mock suicidal ideation- one told a woman how they could do it. There is a hallmark of these kinds of groups. A sociopathic lack of empathy towards people who disagree that depression is laziness. They are bible plus people, and bible plus always harms.

I hope we can join in unity to call these people out. Most of us live in free countries- if we want to twist scripture and hate people and even treat women as if they can't know their own minds- that is their right. It is our right to point out they are basing their entire argument on an opinion and no facts. It is our right to draw attention to the danger of a view that ignores 20% of the people who struggle with Major Depressive Disorder with repeated suicidal ideation; if nothing else speaks to the numb heart these kinds of groups give to their adherents-this screams of its danger.

I have yet to encounter one of these groups that isn't also cruel, also a sign it has little to do with God. Being fierce and battling hard is one thing to be cruel and insulting that is a telltale sign this is a man-inspired movement.

We can do better and speak louder than those who peddle hate and call it Love. Let's go!

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Reach Kimie at MereSkepticism@Gmail.com

C.S. Lewis gave us a book that offers us something we badly need today- clarity. We have lost our confidence in a world of deconversion stories and church scandals. But why? Not because God is not real, or even because there are some hard-to-account-for sections of scripture, but because we let fear lead us when reasons for confidence were right before our noses. We handed our detractors the power when retention and control became more important than truth.

How many people have left the church because doubts were stuffed? No one would walk them through the path of truth and see that God was never diminished when everything is considered. God, if He exists, is not afraid of our questions. Skeptics do the same thing the church did; cherry-picking to make the points. If God is God, he never needed the veil of confusion. Please send any questions and issues you want good answers on. If it's over my head, I will send you to reliable sources who care about the truth.

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This is Part Two of a series on why skeptics get God all wrong regarding slavery and many other social justice issues. The temptation is to pain him as uncaring and cold to the suffering of humans. To reach that conclusion, they have to skip the lion's share of scripture that shows that not only does He care for humanity, everything He does is to bring it to the knowledge of Him, to make us family.

The question isn't if God loves humanity but whether He does it in a way that his critics will approve of. Many are determined to make the case that He is silent when He is anything but. We will show that He is clear about his purpose and his priorities. He also provides many verses. The apologetic is rooted in the common sense question: What Is The Goal of God? What does scripture say about his focus, and is He the cold and uncaring deity skeptics want to paint him to be?

How many people have left the church because doubts were stuffed? No one would walk them through the path of truth and see that God was never diminished when everything is considered. God, if He exists, is not afraid of our questions. Skeptics do the same thing the church did; cherry-picking to make the points. If God is God, he never needed the veil of confusion. Please send any questions and issues you want good answers on. If it's over my head, I will send you to reliable sources who care about the truth. You will find me on: Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/mereskeptic... Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mere_skepti... Twitter: https://twitter.com/MereSkepticism

It's time to stop dancing around the barbaric Old Testament! We need to look closely at what God's purposes are and were for humanity. Skeptics have some solid points, but are they rooted in a fair objection? Did they build up an expectation of God that He never claimed, so not fulfilling that role was not as horrendous as He is accused of? Christians have not been taught the tough passages as clearly as they should have been, and sadly it has cost us many who are under the false assumption that God is somehow less good if He didn't have the same goals for humanity. Beyond that, we have failed many hearts that might have been prepared more honestly and not told things that were not true. How many people have left the church because doubts were stuffed? No one would walk them through the path of truth and see that God was never diminished when everything is weighed. Skeptics do the same thing the church was doing//cherrypicking to make the points. If God is God, he never needed the veil of confusion. Please send any questions and issues you want good answers on. If it's over my head, I will send you to reliable sources who care about the truth. You will find me on: Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/mereskeptic... Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mere_skepti... Twitter: https://twitter.com/MereSkepticism

Have you heard how dangerous religion is to humans? How about how we are guilty of causing war and genocide?

This does not mean we can't admit it has, just that the blanket claim is inaccurate.

Here at Mere Skepticism, we are giving common sense answers to criticisms of skeptics and doubts of Christians and other Faiths. Stuffing doubt is dangerous, and if what you believe is true, you can stand up to doubt and criticism. Fear keeps us from seeking God for the answers we need. Trust me, God is not afraid of your doubt, and you shouldn't be, either.

Please send any questions and issues you want good answers on. If it's over my head, I will send you to reliable sources who care about the truth.

You will find me on:

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/mereskepticism/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mere_skepticism/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/MereSkepticism

Today's answer is to the skeptic who argues God is not real because He doesn't reveal Himself sufficiently. Often it takes the form that God does not reveal Himself as He is expected. There are several lofty reasons this argument does not work, but here we will give some simple reasons this argument does not work the way the skeptic believes.

I hope you will find this helpful as you contemplate God and ask the hard questions!

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