Marshall David Brain Why Won't God Heal Amputees? - jesus or drugs

Understanding the Problems with Religion


Let's start by asking a question: Does it matter? In this book we have proven, conclusively, that God is imaginary. God does not answer prayers, God did not write the Bible and Jesus is not God. In other words, the God of popular religion is completely imaginary.

But does it really matter? What difference does it make if half of the people in the United States want to believe in an imaginary being? What does it hurt?

Let's ignore the danger that can be found in the ashes of 9/11/2001, and the subsequent events in Afghanistan, Iraq, Madrid and London. There are many zealous and misguided Muslims who believe that, through Jihad, they must kill non-Muslims -- Christians and Jews in particular. And there are many Christains who, ignoring Jesus' teachings, wish to retaliate in kind. Let's ignore that.

Let's ignore the ill effects of religion around the world over the last several decades. We have Muslims killing Christians (and vice versa), Jews killing Muslims (and vice versa), Protestants killing Catholics (and vice versa), Shiites killing Sunnis (and vice versa), etc., etc. All of it is completely pointless, because all human gods are imaginary. But let's ignore all of that killing and destruction.

Let's also ignore all of the insanity that religion has brought us through the ages -- the crusades, the witch hunts and all the rest.

And let's ignore all the people that religion oppresses -- the women, the people who have been enslaved, the people who happen to be homosexual, etc. Let's ignore it because it is all water under the bridge.

Even today in the United States -- a modern, advanced nation -- religion creates problems. The delusion created by Christianity is so extreme and so pervasive at the moment that we have Supreme Court justices and politicians who publicly claim that God handed down the Ten Commandments to us in the Bible (see chapter 13). These justices and politicians are speaking about a book that openly advocates slavery and misogyny along with many other notions that are beyond absurd. Yet no one can question their claims in public because it is far too dangerous (see next section for details).

To have otherwise intelligent Americans babbling on about an imaginary God like this is dangerous, if for no other reason than this one: If so many people are this delusional in the area of religion, it makes you wonder where else they harbor equally significant delusions in their thinking. In addition, religion in America is now actively restraining scientific research and social progress. The problem that American scientists are having with stem cells is just one of the many manifestations of the problem today.

My family moved from Missouri a few years ago and we now live in “balmy” North Dakota, my dad’s birth place. I’m fifteen now as of the writing of this book, and am a sophomore in a public high school, which was a pretty big change from home schooling. School is going great. I have many excellent teachers, and I love the variety of classes and all the different people. Also, in the last couple years I have fallen in love with tennis, and I was thrilled to make my school’s Junior Varsity tennis team and get to travel with all the players. It was cool because I really fit in and was able to make a lot of great friends this year and am very much looking forward to the next one.

Many people want to know if I only believe what my parents believe, so I thought I’d share my testimony with you. My family had read Bible stories and other good books to me when I was a kid. I loved one book in particular, Teddy’s Button, and I was rereading it alone in my room one night. The story was about a boy named Teddy, and he was always in some sort of trouble until he enlisted in “God’s army of love.” From that point on he was able to love his arch enemy and to win her over as a good friend. That night in my room I decided I wanted to join God’s army, too. So I prayed and suddenly felt this rush of joy. The next day I exuberantly told my mom I had “enlisted.”

From this point on I was excited about seeking God out and reading the Bible for myself. Shortly after this our family and kids’ group was introduced to Becky’s ministry, and, through her teachings we were all impacted greatly. We learned to feel God’s presence, hear His voice, and we each came into an amazing relationship with Him. I learned it’s just like what it says in Matthew 7:7— when you seek, you find and when you knock, the door is opened.

As for Jesus Camp, it was funny because for the first several years after it was released, I didn’t understand all the controversy surrounding it. For me I was watching great memories in high definition. Camp with Becky was fun. She had the greatest games set up and she taught us how to enter into worship. One evening I have always remembered was when she had a prayer time for kids from broken homes. That night she ministered to them on a very personal level, and many kids experienced both physical and emotional healing.

So when I watched the movie again when I was thirteen, I was shocked to finally understand what all the “fuss” had been about. I could see we how looked a little scary sometimes to people who didn’t know what was going on. But camp wasn’t really as serious or intense as was shown in the movie. The atmosphere was always welcoming and fun. God’s presence was often very strong and kids felt Jesus’ incredible love, and many times it moved us to tears—good tears! I always have to laugh when people who have seen Jesus Camp meet me, Levi, or Tory. They often comment on how “normal” we are.

When I go to school and look around, most of the “normal kids” I know are insecure, nervous, and they seem very lost. Many of them are on anti-depressants. Recently it came out that scores of teens at my school were cutting. I’m very thankful in many ways I’m not “normal.” I was shown the way to Jesus, and I have a tangible relationship with Him. I know I am always loved by Jesus and He holds me, my heart, and my future securely in the palm of His hand. Following God isn’t normal to most of the world, but it’s really the greatest adventure you could ever have.
Rachael Elhardt, age 15

Alexis Baxter was just 14 when she was found dead in November.

A 14-year-old Ohio girl who tragically died in November tested positive for the synthetic marijuana known as posh, according to lab report results released Wednesday.

The body of Alexis Baxter was found in a bathtub at a Mansfield home at approximately 1 a.m. on Nov. 27. She was found submerged in water, but no cause of death has been announced. "Substances" were found near her body, the Mansfield News Journal reported.

Lab results now show that Alexis tested positive for AB-Chimnaca, a form of synthetic pot. NMS Labs in Pennsylvania did toxicology testing on the girl's postmortem blood sample.

'Posh,' The Synthetic Cannabinoid Causing Outbreak of Teen Overdoses
greenrushdaily.com › Health
Dec 23, 2015 - RELATED: AT LEAST 12 PEOPLE OVERDOSE ON SYNTHETIC MARIJUANA IN ... told deputies they both shared the cost of the drugs and the bowl. ... in overdoses, possibly including the death of 14-year-old Alexis Baxter

 Minnesota State University Moorhead
 2014 to 2018 · English Education · Moorhead, Minnesota
 Century High School
 Class of 2014 · Bismarck, North Dakota

Father whose 18-year-old daughter died from heroin overdose relives his desperate struggle to save her from addiction - and says he even tried to send her to jail

   Rachel Meyers, from Spokane, Washington, died of a heroin overdose at her grandparents' house in March
   Her father Scott Meyers had tried taking her to rehab, but as per Washington state law, he couldn't force her stay in treatment
   Desperate to save her life, the 50-year-old father took pictures of her passed out and surrounded by syringes in the hopes of having her arrested
   Scott hoped the pictures would get her put in jail for heroin possession and sent to court-ordered rehab, but she was never arrested  


Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-3316107/Man-18-year-old-daughter-died-heroin-overdose-details-desperate-struggle-save-addiction-admitting-tried-send-jail.html#ixzz48qWzkkY2
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