Criminal acts on sacred soil — There’s something captivating about connecting with the spiritual and cultural heritage of the First Nations’ peoples. Australia — my country — is home to many awe-inspiring sites that hold deep significance for our Indigenous communities, from the ancient rock cave art sites scattered throughout Kakadu National Park to the iconic…

The spiritual shake-up sweeping the nation — In a nation renowned for its melting pot of cultures and ideas, it seems that even religions are not immune to the allure of change. A recent survey reveals that an increasing number of Americans are embarking on a hilarious game of religious hopscotch, eagerly switching from one belief system…

It’s not what you think it is — “Marriage was, and always will be, the God-ordained union between one man and one woman,” Shouted the pastor as he slammed his fist down on the pulpit. His face was beetroot red, and a little vein on his balded forehead bulged out as he delivered an impassioned exhortation to his…

Torn between two loves: The perpetual rivalry of pastor’s kids and God — Everyone has their own share of hang-ups and complexities, but there’s a certain uniqueness to the experiences of pastor’s kids that often sets them apart. Call it fate, coincidence, or a touch of divine irony, but it seems that many of us who grew up as pastor’s kids — including…

My unapologetic response to the guy who thinks I’m going to Hell — It all started when I wrote a blog post entitled “The 40 Reasons I’m No Longer an Evangelical Christian,” where I bared my soul and shared the intricate details of my personal journey and the reasons why I walked away from the evangelical faith. With every word I typed, I…

A Beginner’s Guide on How to Speak Christianese — If you’ve never immersed yourself in the glories of cultural Christianity, then on the off chance that you ever happened to grace the pews of a church, you might find yourself struggling to understand some of the language that you encounter. Like many sub-cultural groups, Christians have their own unique…

What Not to Say When Visiting — Some time back, I decided to conduct a social experiment where I paid a couple of atheist friends to go to a church service, kind of like church “mystery shoppers.” There was a twist, though. My two atheist friends happened to be in a same-sex relationship with each other. I…

A heartfelt conversation with God — Dear God, I’ve been doing a lot of thinking lately, and I’ve got something on my mind that I really need to talk to you about. As I sit here and contemplate the nature of our relationship, I find myself unable to shake the feeling that perhaps you don’t really…

How The Holy Land Experience lost its divine touch — On a warm Summer’s Day in the late 1990s, Marvin Rosenthal had a brilliant idea. You might say it was divinely inspired. Rosenthal, a devout Christian, and Baptist Minister, had a lightbulb moment driving down Interstate 4 toward Walt Disney World. He thought, “Why not create a theme park that…