For years I looked forward to retiring, and at first I really enjoyed it. Then we moved to a different part of the country. We don't know anybody here, and anyway, I feel so useless with nothing to do. Did we make a mistake by moving here?
Years ago, I decided I didn't want anything to do with God, but now I'm facing some serious health issues and I know I made a mistake. You'll probably say it's not too late to turn to God, but I have a hard time believing it. Why should I?
I've always had the attitude that it's best to just ignore things you can't do anything about, such as death. But now I can't ignore it, because I finally got up enough courage to go to the doctor for some pain I've been having, and he's given me six months to live. Won't God just laugh at me if I try to turn to Him now?
I've noticed several times in your column that you say salvation is a "free gift" from God. Does this mean I don't have to be good in order to go to heaven? That doesn't seem right.
I've had three bad church experiences, and I'm not going to let myself in for another one. The problem was always people who couldn't get along with others, mainly because they wanted to be in charge and control everything. Why is that? I still believe in God, but I've had it with church.
I'm taking a class on world religions at our local community college, and one of the topics we've been discussing is how religion got started. Where do you think it came from?
I wish my wife would quit getting after me just because I like a few drinks after work. She says I'm an alcoholic and need to get into a treatment program, but I can stop any time I want to. Why does she keep harping on this? She's going to break up our marriage if she isn't careful.
Have you ever met anyone who absolutely did not believe in God? I've met some people who claimed to be atheists, but after talking with them I decided they only said they were atheists because they thought it made them sound smart.
Sometimes I really believe in God, but then my belief fades and I end up thinking that maybe I just talked myself into believing, and that God doesn't exist after all. Is there any way to be sure?
When something bad happens to us, is it because God is punishing us? My husband is dying of cancer, and I can't help but wonder if God is punishing us, since we've never gone to church or been religious or anything.
My parents moved this summer, and that meant I've had to go to a new high school. But I'm really lonely, because most of the kids here are into things I don't agree with. Some even call me a Jesus freak.
If you could point to just one person in the Bible (other than Jesus) as a good example for people to follow, who would it be? Most of the people I've read about in the Bible seem to be a mixture of good and bad.
